Mark's Postcard Paradise

[montezooma]

Here's a detail of an old postcard. Shouldn't be too difficult to guess the park.

 

I'm stumped. It looks like Paradise Pier...is it DCA?

 

 

 

ha ha

[montezooma]

Here's a shout out to an old long gone park...AstroWorld. Hey what has happened on the site where this park once stood, anything???

 

Sky Screamer, AstroWorld's Intamin Free Fall ride

Sky Screamer!

[ginzo]

Cedar Point?

[thrillerman1]

^^^^ Bill I think it's a gigantic insect of some sort attacking the beach goers!

 

restoca...I will also guess Cedar Point since I doubt it's Dollywood.

[scruffy]

Cedar Point at one time did have a swings ride in the Ocean. I think Cedar Point sells a history video that I saw.

[restoca]

Those who guessed Cedar Point are correct. Though the card is postmarked 1941 I would have guessed the photo to have been much earlier. I suppose it still could be, maybe a little earlier. rcdb.com lists eightpast wooden coasters for this park.

postmark is July 2, 1941

[thrillerman1]

This was a great idea restoca! I hope we see another one of these "guess the postcard" games.

[DenDen]

I have no idea where ^ is, but what the heck is that in the bottom right-hand corner of the postcard?

 

It "looks" like a swings ride... but in the ocean surf???

 

 

Back in the days of sea-side parks, many of them had circle swings in the water. They were people powered, you hung on to them like a trapeze.

[astroworldfan1]

Here's a shout out to an old long gone park...AstroWorld. Hey what has happened on the site where this park once stood, anything???

 

It's now being used as a parking lot for the rodeos across the street.

 

-Tatum

[Nrthwnd]

Ahhhh, progress.

 

(But I'm glad I got to AW in the fall of 1992.)

 

And thanks Mark and Dennis, about the "sea swings" lol. I'm not sure if I ever saw them in any other postcard. Strangely familiar, but I just wasn't sure.

 

Kewl!

[thrillerman1]

The circle swing in the water reminds me of this playground contraption near me when I was a kid. It consisted of a circular wooden plank/platform suspended on wires about waist high from a central steel pole. You could spin and rock the whole thing as you sat or stood up on it. It was really quite awesome, but I'm sure many a kid's jaw was busted good on it!

[restoca]

OK, here's another. Maybe a little tougher. Again, park is still in operation. I think both buildings pictured are still there, but not the circle swing, of course. In this case, the background topography might be the best clue.

[montezooma]

Is it Lake Compounce?

[thrillerman1]

Quassy?

[restoca]

Lake Compounce it is! No idea of the date of this photo, but the cars look really old. Wildcat opened in 1927, so it might have been taken near that time.

[thrillerman1]

restoca...I just noticed it looks like both your Cedar Point and Lake Compounce cards were made by the same company. Also, the same company name appears on cycamps' Riverview and CP Ballroom cards from p.43, so this company must've been one of the major park postcard makers back in the day.

[restoca]

^ You're right, Mark. I noticed the similar numbering system on the lower right of most cards with a white boarder. I'd sure like to see a catalogue of all this company produced related to amusement parks.

 

Here's another beauty they did. Although it's not identified on the card, I think this must be the Dips coaster, which began operation in 1909 and was designed by Edward Vettel.

[thrillerman1]

^ LOVE those colors. That is gorgeous! I would love to have tried out the wicked looking hairpin turn on the Dips!

[SeaWhippet]

One of my rare Idora cards became part of the discussion over at my Closet. I thought I'd share it here as well. Idora fans will notice the white-painted structure instead of the later, more familiar deep yellow/turquoise color scheme. Though its been gone for 20+ years, I still miss the wonderfully intense and powerful Wildcat.

[SeaWhippet]

Here's another old ride that deserved a better fate – The Mountain Park Flyer. I was lucky to ride it many times during its last few seasons. It was always fast, loose and entertaining. The Century Flyers made this classic extra special. I miss it too.

[montezooma]

Here's a great old ride that used to be a staple at every Six Flags park. Some still have them but not Six Flags over Texas.

[thrillerman1]

One of my favorite parks on the US west coast is Bonfa...err Gilroy Gardens. Those Circus Trees are amazing! You can see one of them forming a garden gateway arch in the lower right corner of this card as well as on the back side of the card.

[restoca]

Here's another beauty, and one of my favorite cards. This is the Coaster Dips, which operated from 1921 to 1968. This photo is prior to 1949, when new streamlined NAD trains were installed.

[SeaWhippet]

That's a sweet card! I've always been intrigued by Glen Echo's Coaster Dips. It was notorious for being a wild ride and suffered at least five fatalities during it's long run ... including decapitations.

 

I find it amusing that the Do Not Standup warning is on the "front" of the lead car.

[netdvn]

^ Decapitations???

 

Anyway, these postcards are amazing. Seeing all these defunct coasters makes me feel kinda sad though.

 

I'll post whatever I've got when I can get my scanner back up and running.