Undertow
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- Des Moines, IA, US
I thought I would share this with you Loungers. Long ago, in a place far away, there used to be things known as "Amusement Parks" geared towards the innocence and enjoyment of children (side note: there were also beasts known as "drive-in theaters" which we can discuss another time).
Des Moines, Iowa used to have an amusement park called Riverview Park in the central part of town. The rides were a little shody and in some cases burnt to the ground, but overall, this was a prime example of Golden Era America come to life; all apple pie an what have you.
And then there was a place called Adventure Land set in Altoona, Iowa which happens to be an eastern suburb of Des Moines. Adventure Land opened in 1974 and the city of Des Moines decided to close Riverview in lieu of the sleek, expensive, newer amusement park. Evidently the plan was to annex Altoona and have the park to themselves, but this never occured and the park remains in Altoona.
Anyway, my point of this little blurb is that we've all seen this in the past; a relic of an age past, an innocene lost, given up in favor of a faster, more extreme version which, in the long run, is less desirable.
The article can be seen here:
Memories of Riverview Park
And the Gallery (recommended) can be seen here:
Gallery 1929-1979
Or if you have trouble pulling te gallery link up, you can also find a link to the gallery on the article, middle right of the page under Related Galleries Riverview Park photos, 1929-1979.
I thought this would be a little treat for some of you in the older generations because I imagine you would recognize similarities between this park, and those you may have visited when you were children. Enjoy!
Des Moines, Iowa used to have an amusement park called Riverview Park in the central part of town. The rides were a little shody and in some cases burnt to the ground, but overall, this was a prime example of Golden Era America come to life; all apple pie an what have you.
And then there was a place called Adventure Land set in Altoona, Iowa which happens to be an eastern suburb of Des Moines. Adventure Land opened in 1974 and the city of Des Moines decided to close Riverview in lieu of the sleek, expensive, newer amusement park. Evidently the plan was to annex Altoona and have the park to themselves, but this never occured and the park remains in Altoona.
Anyway, my point of this little blurb is that we've all seen this in the past; a relic of an age past, an innocene lost, given up in favor of a faster, more extreme version which, in the long run, is less desirable.
The article can be seen here:
Memories of Riverview Park
And the Gallery (recommended) can be seen here:
Gallery 1929-1979
Or if you have trouble pulling te gallery link up, you can also find a link to the gallery on the article, middle right of the page under Related Galleries Riverview Park photos, 1929-1979.
I thought this would be a little treat for some of you in the older generations because I imagine you would recognize similarities between this park, and those you may have visited when you were children. Enjoy!
