Oak’s Park Behind the Scenes Tour
May, 22. 2025
This week our Executive Director, Heather Flint Chatto, and Preservation Programs Manager, Norm Gholston took a special tour with the CEO of Oaks Park. They were most excited to see their historic pavilion under renovation, that will open later this year, and visit the archives for other hidden treasures. Their main office was originally a radio station and their original rollercoaster was called “The Zip”.
The beautiful carousel, circa 1912, arrived in 1926, and is still free to ride as well as the train. The roller rink features a rare, vintage pipe organ, originally from the Broadway Theatre. Their favorite was seeing many of the historic images, artifacts, and ephemera, as well as the beautiful paintings atop the old carousel, and getting to sit in one of the original Oaks Park bumper cars!
The park opened in 1905, only days before the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and both are celebrating 120-year anniversary this year! Oaks Park will be hosting a special event to mark the occasion on May 31st, with tickets priced at $19.05 to match its inaugural year. Like many other amusements in Portland, these were built at the end of the streetcar lines to draw visitors out into the broader Portland area. Learn more about these and other amusements on our June 14th, 2025 Historic Amusements on Portland's Streetcar Lines talk. Register now!
