Idora Park

This article deals with Idora Park of Oakland, California. For another park of the same name, see Idora Park, Youngstown.

Idora Park was a 17.5 acre Victorian era trolley park in north Oakland, California. It was constructed by the Realty Syndicate in 1904 in an informal park setting called Ayala Park that included an opera house, ranchlands and greenhouses on the north banks of Temescal Creek. Rodney Ingersoll erected the first figure eight "sky railway" on the site in 1903. It was reported that he had a daughter named Idora, but there is some question about the name as Idora Park, Youngstown was said to have been named either by a contest winner claiming, "I adore it!" or a local Indian tribe.

The Realty Syndicate also owned and operated what later became known as the Key System transit company, the Claremont Hotel and the Key Route Inn. Major partners of the company were F. C. Havens and Borax Smith, the developer of Borax mining in the Calfornia deserts, and later, transit, commercial and housing properties in Oakland.

What began as a pleasure ground in a rural setting for Sunday picnics and an Opera House evolved over time into the finest amusement park in the part of the San Francisco Bay Area known as the East Bay.

Located on the block bounded by Telegraph Avenue, Shattuck, 56th and 58th streets in the northern section of Oakland, Idora Park was famous for its Opera house and 5 cent rides such as the scenic railway, the first roller coaster in California, a circle swing, the Barrel-of-fun, Toboggan, Helter-Skelter, Miniature Railroad, Haunted Swing, Touring cars, circle wave, the tickler, a merry-go-round and a miniature auto course.

Roller coasters were:

• The Big Dipper, 1922-1928.
• Figure 8 Toboggan, 1906-1916.
• L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway, 1906-1921.
• Race Thru The Clouds, dates unknown.
• Skyrocket, 1927-1928.

Idora Park had animal shows, a dance hall, racetrack, the largest roller skating rink in California and a bear grotto. In 1904 a ballpark with a 3000 seat double deck grandstand was erected. Vaudeville performers used Idora Park stages; famous stars who emerged from Oakland included Hobart Bosworth, a widely known leading man in the early days of film, Fatty Arbuckle and possibly Lon Chaney. It has beensaid that Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton improved their skating skills at the Idora Park shating rink, said (in 1913) to be the largest in the world. Jack London's daughter Becky describes trips to Idora Park with her father (link below).

Aimee Semple McPherson held the largest outdoor baptism to date before 10,000 spectators in the Idora Park swimming tanks after returning from the "Orient" following th death of her husband there.

Late in life, Idora Park was eclipsed by Neptune Beach in Alameda, California. In 1929, Idora Park was razed and a variety of Storybook Houses and apartment blocks were constructed on the 17 acre site. This was said to be the first neighborhood with undergrounded utilities in the west.

References

• Clippings file, Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, 125 14th Street Oakland CA 94612
• Berkeley Daily Gazzette February 4, 1943

External links

• picture postcards of Idora Park
• roller coaster database
• Becky London's memories
• Oakland History room