The History of Oak’s Park:

Portland’s Wonderland on the Willamette

By Robert Matsumura, Active Media Contributing Writer

For many of us growing up in Portland, our first experience atop a carousel horse, or careening madly about on a roller coaster, happened at Oaks Amusement Park on the banks of the Willamette River. A fixture in the City of Roses for over a century, this venerable landmark located in the southeast neighborhood of Sellwood, is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in America. Built from 1904-1905 by the Oregon Water Power and Railway Company, Oaks Park was constructed for $100,000 simultaneously with the famous Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. Conceived to accompany the Exposition, the park was also intended as an attraction to help drive streetcar ridership into Portland from Estacada, Oregon City, and Gresham. At the time it was not uncommon for trolley companies to build amusement parks at the end of their lines in order to attract passengers during weekends and evenings. As Oaks Park and the Exposition were set to open at approximately the same time, a good-natured competition arose between the two projects as both strived to be the first to open. Oaks Park won the competition, opening its doors on May 30, 1905, two days before the Exposition. During its first season in operation, Oaks Park attracted 300,000 visitors, and for the next decade park attendance continued at this level.

Laid out across 44 acres and billed as the place where “The Fun Never Ends,” Oaks Park included a roller rink, natatorium, midway games, amusement park rides, and a miniature steam locomotive whose tracks made a circuit around the periphery of the park. One of the most popular rides still in operation today is Herschell-Spillman’s Noah’s Ark Carousel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The carousel features a total of 46 hand-carved animals such as giraffes, zebras, cats, and dogs, in addition to the classic horses typically associated with carousels. Other popular rides during the park’s early days were Chute the Chutes, a flat-bottomed boat which plunged riders down a sharp slide into a man-made lagoon; and the Barrel of Fun, a funhouse that featured creepy skeletons, a maze of mirrors, and a labyrinth of twisting hallways. For an eerie adventure, the Mystic River Ride took visitors on a boat ride through dark tunnels where young lovers clung to each other and snuck kisses. In addition to the thrilling rides, the “Oaks” as it came to be called, was also a lively venue for music and dancing. Throughout the years, the dance pavilion, auditorium, and outdoor grandstand hosted famous acts from the John Phillip Sousa Marching Band to the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The “Coney Island of the Northwest,” as it was also called, included a menagerie where a variety of animals such as lions, bears, monkeys, and elephants were on display. In 1909 a couple actually married in a cage accompanied by a pair of lions. An ostrich farm and aquarium resided on the property as well; and in the 1950s the park even featured its own roller skating elephant. Trapeze artists, high divers, and flagpole sitters created a carnivalesque atmosphere; and families delighted in outdoor movies, pony rides, and firework displays.

Over the years, however, all was not fun and games for Portland’s iconic amusement park. The Great Depression of the 1930s saw many of the attractions disappear, due to the economic woes of the country as consumers had less money to spend on entertainment. The proliferation of automobiles also contributed to a decline in attendance at the park, as people embraced the ability to travel about the country at will and were able to diversify their leisure activities. Mother Nature also wrought havoc on Oaks Park due to the flooding of the Willamette River. The flood impacting the Oaks most severely was the infamous Vanport Flood of 1948 which submerged the park for thirty days, destroying one third of the park’s oak trees, warping mechanical rides, and damaging the floor of the roller rink. After extensive repairs were made to the roller rink, the floor was mounted atop metal barrels that would enable it to float in the event of another flood. The Christmas Flood of 1964, and the Willamette Valley Flood of 1996, proved how effective this precaution was as the roller rink floated on its barrels as planned, avoiding costly repairs.

In the 1920s Oaks Park was sold to John Cordray, one of the park’s managers. Following Cordray’s death in 1925, his widow sold the property to the Oaks’ superintendent, Edward Bollinger. Edward’s younger brother, Robert, joined in the venture and would own the park until 1985 when ownership was transitioned to the Oaks Park Association, a non-profit organization that would administrate the park via a board of directors. Robert Bollinger remained deeply committed to the park that had been the site of his residence, as well as the family business, for over six decades. He donated $5 million to the association in land, buildings, rides, and stock. Bollinger was passionate about Oaks Park remaining an economical, family-friendly entertainment venue with a hometown feel. Embracing the park’s early heritage, the Oaks Park Association shifted the focus of the park from modernization to nostalgia in an effort to preserve the feeling of a bygone era—a more innocent time when the simple pleasures of enjoying an ice cream cone, roller skating, or riding a carousel horse could make a child’s day; and where families and friends could gather together for old-fashioned fun and relaxation.

Born in an era when the amusement park reigned supreme, the Oaks Amusement Park outlasted all of its competition. Long gone are the amusement parks at Council Crest, Lotus Isle, and Jantzen Beach. Only the Oaks remains. For over a century, this splendid wonderland on the shores of the Willamette River has never failed to bring a smile to a child’s face, and it continues to serve the Rose City as a place where everyone can be a kid again, if only for an afternoon.