The Chutes, Los Angeles - PostcardA couple weeks ago I took a trip down to Temecula, California for some wine tasting and antiquing and in one of the shops I found this great old postcard of The Chutes amusement park in Los Angeles. I have only seen a few images of the park before so I was excited to find an image of this little talked about extinct Los Angeles attraction for my own collection of images.
Chutes Park started as a trolley park in 1887. During the days of trolley cars in urban cities there would usually be some kind of recreational park at the end of the trolley line to attract riders during the weekends. These were places where people could come and picnic, watch concerts, see fireworks shows and other special events. The main attraction at Chutes Park was a flume type ride which dropped riders in boats from a 75 feet tower into a man made lake which you can see in the postcard above.
The Chutes Park was always growing, adding new attractions, including a theatre, miniature railroad, merry-go-round, seal pond, fishing pond, and even hot air balloon rides. In 1900 a baseball diamond was completed and it would be the home of a minor league baseball team called the Los Angeles Angels. Eventually the Angels would move from this location.
Over the years the Chutes Park would change owners and change names. It's also been known as Luna Park and Washington Park. I'm not exactly sure when this LA amusement park shutdown completely so if anyone knows I would love to hear your comments. I do know that many of the trolley parks suffered when the automobile gained popularity. Of course, by the 1930s there was also the Depression which didn't help business at amusement parks either.
Your thoughts?
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