Wonderland Amusement Park (San Diego)
Location | Ocean Beach, San Diego, California |
---|---|
Status | Defunct |
Opened | July 14, 1913 |
Closed | January 1916 |
Owner | Herbert P. Snow |
General manager | Bert Snow |
Wonderland was a beachfront amusement park in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California from 1913 to 1916. It was the first amusement park in San Diego.[1]
The 8-acre (3.2 ha) amusement park was built on or near the
The amusement park helped to put the community of Ocean Beach on the map for San Diegans. The formerly 2+1⁄2-hour trip to the beach from central San Diego had been reduced to a 40-minute trolley ride in 1909 by the construction of the Point Loma Railroad by developer D. C. Collier.[4]
The park thrived for two seasons, but saw a massive drop-off in attendance in 1915 due to the opening of the
Legacy
The menagerie was rented to the
A
In 2013, to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the amusement park, the annual Ocean Beach Street Fair featured a "Wonderland" theme,[7] and a restaurant called "Wonderland" opened in Ocean Beach, with decor focusing on local history.[8]
References
- ^ a b Stanton, Jeffrey. "Wonderland Park - Ocean Beach CA". Lost Amusement Parks. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ Hall, Matthew T. (June 28, 2011). "San Diego's Wonderland opened 98 years ago Monday". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d Crawford, Richard (May 10, 2008). "Ocean Beach had its own amusement park long ago" (PDF). San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Gormlie, Frank (September 20, 2012). "Part Four in Quest for OB's True Birthday and Founder". OB Rag. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Shaw, Marjorie Betts (Summer 1978). "The San Diego Zoological Garden: A Foundation to Build on". Journal of San Diego History. 24 (3). San Diego History Center.
- ^ Gentile, Anthony (2010). "OB's Noah Tafolla living in television 'Wonderland'". San Diego Community Newspaper Group. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "34th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off". Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ Wonderland restaurant/tavern making a splash with its view, historic theme, The Beacon, September 4, 2013