After meeting at OMSI we walked the Springwater trail south the three and a half miles to the old amusement park.
After passing the concrete factory the trail passes into Oaks nature preserve. The Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a 160-acre wetland in south east Portland along the Willamette River. Part of the park is built on a sanitation landfill consisting of 400,000 cubic feet of construction waste material layered with soil. yikes!
Oaks Amusement Park, which was known as the Coney Island of the Northwest, opened May 30, 1905. It's one of the 10 oldest amusement parks in the country. Admission is free and we were on for a picnic lunch.
Not only were we on for lunch, but the entire state of Iowa was having a holiday too.
We even had a Nessie sighting in the parking lot.
Sad really, how the mighty have fallen.
We found the door to the old dance hall was open and snuck in for a look 'round.
The wooden carousel horses seemed old but there wasn't any information on them. They stood silently in mid-leap in the corners. The walls of the dance hall were covered with historical photos of the park but there wasn't any information about them eather. I took pictures of the framed prints in hopes of sussing out the history later.
These cool old street lamps date from the Lewis and Clark expo in 1905.
Check out the beautiful detail of the wooden dance floor.
The view from the front door across the dance hall. I'm sure that the original ceiling still exists above the crappy hanging one.
Claire and Dan after lunch on the banks above the river. Dan is an amusement park historian and a great guy. He took us 'round pointing out some of the history of the place.
It was sad that way in the corner behind the toilets and plastic sink...
...were some of the old bumper cars and train engines. They were beautiful but in need of some care and love.
This is the old original entrance on the south end of the park.
Orna had herself a snowcone sort of thing, and we stood in line to ride the Lewis and Clark Trail.
The roller skate rink at oaks is pretty cool. It smells a bit like 100 years worth of feet, and is as popular as ever.
This lovely old contraption hasn't changed a bit since the 50's.
The rink is home to one of the biggest and oldest Wurlitzer organs in the country and on Sunday's you can watch this excellent fellow play the afternoon away.
Clown noses curtsey of the good folks from the State of Iowa picnic.
