Lotus Isle

Lotus Isle Amusement Park opened on June 27, 1930. Known as "the Wonderland of the Pacific Northwest", was located in Portland, Oregon, just off the east tip of Hayden Island. Lotus Isle was located just east of the more successful Jantzen Beach amusement park. Lotus Isle spread out over 128 acres and at the time was Portland's largest amusement park.

In 1928, a temperamental bull elephant named "Tusko" was sold to Lotus Isle from John Ringling. The elephant soon destroyed several pavilions after being spooked by a low-flying stunt plane.

The fun was cut short as tragedy struck on August 28, 1930 when a young boy drowned after falling from the 3/4 mile-long roller coaster. The next day, owner Edwin Platt committed suicide. Subsequent management tried new attractions to draw crowds, but on August 24, 1931, just less than one year after the drowning, the park's $90,000 ballroom burned down. Lotus Isle Park lasted one more season, until 1932, when its assets were sold in bankruptcy.

Attractions

* "Wiz" - wood Roller Coaster
* Alpine Scenic Railway
* 100-foot neon Eiffel Tower sign at the entrance
* 1914 Herschell-Spillman menagerie merry-go-round -- currently located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

External links

* [http://www.ccrh.org/comm/slough/hayden4.htm The Center for Columbia River History]
* [http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/lotus_isle.html PDXHistory.com]