A PowerPoint essay on Oakland history's lost gem, Idora Park. Playground to Jack London and Family. Worlds Largest Skating Rink. First outdoor public address system Featured in the book, Carter Beat's The Devil.

1. IdoraPark
• Fo rgo tten treasure o f
the East Bay

2. TheGreat Venture
• In 1895 Francis Marion “Borax” Smith
and partners set up the Realty
Syndicate.
• Borax reasoned that because of the
geographical location of Twin Peaks
blocking the suburbs from downtown,
that San Francisco commuters would
have a difficult and long commute to
downtown. Borax and his partners
reasoned that with a combination of an
elaborate electric train and ferry
system that they could a quicker
commute from the beautiful rural east
bay.
• The Realty Syndicate set forth to
consolidate all of the East Bay rail lines,
build a ferry terminal on a pier that
stretched 1/3 of the way across the bay,
and buy up 13,000 acres of Real Estate
in the hills of the East Bay.
• To further attract home buyers and
visitors to the East Bay the Realty
Syndicate built two flagship hotels (The
Key Route Inn & The Claremont
Hotel) and a beautiful amusement park
which would become known as Idora
Park.
Francis Marion “Borax” Smith
Key Route electric train in front of
entrance to Idora Park

3. Trolley Parks
• In the United States trolley systems were primarily set up to provide transportation for people to
commute from the suburbs to work in the cities.
• Trolley Parks were created by the streetcar companies to give people a reason to use their services on
weekends.
• Located at the end of streetcar lines, these precursors to amusement parks consisted of picnic groves
and pavilions. They often held events such as dances, concerts and fireworks.
• Many eventually added features such as swimming pools, carousels, ferris wheels, roller coasters,
sports fields, boats rides, restaurants and other resort facilities to become amusement parks.
• Examples of popular Trolley Parks are Coney Island and San Francisco’s Playland.
Coney Island
Playland The Beach

4. IdoraPark
• In 1903 The Realty Syndicate
constructed Ayala Park on the
northern banks of Temescal
Creek (56th
St. & Telegraph
Avenue).
• Among the first attractions were
picnic grounds and an opera
house.
• Ayala Park was later leased to
Ingersoll Pleasure and
Amusement Park Company
(owned by the Ingersoll family
who built and ran many of the
first Amusement Parks in the
United States).
• The name of the park was
changed to Idora Park, named
after an Ohio amusement park of
the same name built by Frederick
Ingersoll.
Playland The Beach

5. From Trolley Park to Amusement Park
• When the Ingersoll Pleasure and
Amusement Park Company took
over management of the park they
changed it from a free outdoor
picnic location into to an enclosed
amusement park.
• Admission was 5 cents and
attendees would pay an additional
5 cents for each ride.
• The first attraction built was a
Figure 8 Toboggan coaster,
designed by Frederick Ingersoll for
some of the Company’s amusement
parks back east.
• This type of Roller Coaster would
take the passengers down a series
of consecutive figure 8 turns.
Idora Park’s Figure 8 Coaster
Structural Example of a Figure 8 Toboggan Coaster,
Designed by Frederick Ingersoll

6. From Trolley Park to Amusement Park
• Also built in 1906 was the L.A.Thompson Scenic Railway
built by La Marcus Adna Thompson, father of the
modern wooden roller coaster.
• The L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway is similar to the one
of the same name which is still operated in Santa Cruz.
• This coaster operated until 1921 when it was replaced a
year later by The Big (or Giant) Dipper, (1922-1928)
which designed and built by the famous John A. Miller
at a cost of $60,000.
Example of a Figure 8 Toboggan Coaster,
Designed by Frederick Ingersoll Scenic View of Idora Park’s Scenic Railway

7. From Trolley Park to Amusement Park
• A side angle of the front Entrance to
the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway
which was independently owned and
run at Idora Park by Thompson’s
company.
• The front of of the L.A. Thompson
Scenic Railway entrance can be seen
behind the Japanese Themed swing
ride.

8. Other Ridesand Attractions
• The following pages contain a selection of other Rides
and attractions at Idora Park:
• Barrel of Fun
– A centrifugal force ride where enthusiasts would be
pressed against the walls as the large cylindrical room
spun. Claimed Idora Park to be the largest of it’s kind
at the time.
• Helter Skelter
– Pictured to the left of the unusual
pyramid-shaped bandstand.
– Helter Skelter is a circular tower slide
commonly considered to be the precursor
to the modern water slide.
– Unlike most British slides, which were
more garish in coloring, Idora Park’s
Helter Skelter slide had more of a Adobe
Mission Style motif which fit in with the
park’s general design theme.

9. Other Ridesand Attractions
• The Mountain Slide
– Another tower slide like Helter Skelter. This ride had two slides side by
side for people to race down. Probably built in later years because this
attraction more independently themed than it’s predecessor.
– On weekends the mountain would showcase a volcanic firework display.
• Auto Race Course
– Located next to the Mountain slide was a miniature Auto Race Course.

10. Other Ridesand Attractions
• The Worlds Largest Skating Rink (As
claimed by Idora Park)
– Visitors could rent ice skates that would
buckle onto their own shoes.
– Rumored to have been used by Charlie
Chaplin and Buster Keaton to practice
their skating skills, however some
sources replace Keaton with Fatty
Arbuckle.

11. 1906, A Shelter in theStorm
• The 1906 Earthquake displaced 200,000 people from their homes in San
Francisco. The recently opened Idora Park and the Emeryville’s Shellmound
Park served as a temporary campground for many of the quake refugees.
Most of moved back to San Francisco when as the rebuilding progressed but
as many as 40,000 decided to stay and live in Oakland.
• S.F. Theatrical companies also found themselves without performing venues.
Among them were comic stars from the Tivoli Theater relocated to Oakland
and renamed themselves the Idora Park Comic Opera Company.

12. Memoriesof Daddy, Jack London
The following is an unabridged except from an Essay by
Becky London Fleming called Some Memories of Daddy –
Jack London which can be found at:
http://www.jacklondons.net/becky.html
This is one of the only known detailed first person accounts of
a day at the Idora Park.
Suddenly the phone rang. It was Daddy telling us he would be with us in
about 15 minutes! We grabbed our coats, put on our hats any old way,
shoved our gloves in coat pockets, ran out the front door, and raced to the
corner to meet him. We were forbidden to cross the avenue to where the
streetcar stopped so we stood there watching the streetcar come closer and
closer. It went slower and slower, and we couldn't stand still but jumped up
and down, calling, "Daddy, Daddy" when he swung off (he never waited
for the car to stop) and ran across the street to us. He kneeled down, held
out his arms to pull us to him and held us closely, tightly and kissed us
many times. Then as Joan and I each held tightly to his hands, we ran
along beside him, keeping even with his strides, and doubtless talking at
the top of our voices, we went back to the house for a few minutes, just
long enough for mother to tell us to be good girls and Daddy to say he
would bring us back before dark.
We got on the streetcar and Daddy said we were going to Idora Park. (That
was a large amusement Park in Oakland, now long gone. In Russ
Kingman's A Pictorial Life of Jack London there is a photograph taken at
the park one day. The three of us are standing in a large cart drawn by a
small donkey, and I look as though I had too much ice cream and pink
lemonade.)
Those afternoons went on for several years, and it seems to me now that
they were all very much alike. The first thing we always did when we got in
the park was to take a ride on the miniature train that went all around the
grounds. As we rode, we could see the animal cages; but we never went
closer than that because not one of us wanted to see animals penned in
small cages. (No big pens with trees for the monkeys to climb or pools for
the bears to swim in then.)

13. Memoriesof Daddy, Jack Londan
(Continued) How many of these rides we took I couldn't say. I do know I
was terribly bored, and I have always loved Roller Coasters. Finally Joan
said she wasn't afraid any more and the money was used up and we left.
My sister never again rode a Roller Coaster in her whole life. I think she
told Daddy that they made her sick to her stomach.
There were other things to do such as stopping at the roller - rink. Joan
and I put on skates and showed off before Daddy as he sat on a bench
watching us. He said he had never learned to skate and was too old to
learn.
Maybe that was one of the days we went to see Ferris Hartmann and his
company in one of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. We went every time
they were showing. I fell in love with those operas and see them every
time I can.
All too soon it began to get dark and we knew it was time to leave. We had
another wonderful day with Daddy who had seemed to enjoy it as much
as we had. He always shared our times together, enjoying them as we did
and seeming to be just as old, or young, as we were. He was the most
perfect companion I ever knew.
It is sad riding back on the streetcar. All I could think of was - Daddy will
go away again, and I won't see him for a long time. But I never cried.
Daddy didn't like to see us cry, even if we had hurt ourselves. So I would
sit as close to him as I could, hold his arm and smile at him when he
looked down at me. I'd say to myself, maybe this time it won't be so long
before he comes again.
Jack London seated right

14. TheEnd of an Era
• The 1920’s saw the rise of the automobile as the
preferred mode of transportations.
• Designed as Trolley Park, the concept of parking
for motorized vehicles at Idora Park was never
really taken into consideration.
• Capital improvements like the $60,000 Big Dipper
Coaster were made to Idora Park over the decade
but eventually it began to lose attendees to the
increasingly popular beachfront park in Alameda
called Neptune’s Beach which had ample parking.
• In 1929, Idora Park was razed and a plan to
develop the "Central Square", an apartment and
business complex, was announced.
• But the Great Depression hit later that year and
plans were scrapped in favor for a variety of small
houses and apartments that were constructed on
the 17 acre site.
Entrance to Neptune’s Beach

15. Idora’s Legacy
• This dilapidated Dutch windmill
located on Telegraph Avenue near
60th
was once used as a lemonade
stand at Idora Park.
• It is the park’s only surviving
building; a sad testament to a
forgotten East Bay institution.