A Big, Small World

August 20, 1946: “Sis and I took an L and met Sunny at Riverview at 8:00. We had a swell time looking around and gambling. A fellow gave me a sailor doll. I found a dime.”

I hadn't seen any aerial views of Riverview amusement park until I came across this one, from Getty Images. The entire park is visible in this early 1960s view. Looking northward, Belmont Ave. is in the foreground; Western Ave. is the north-south street. The Pair-O-Chutes is the tower at about the 4 o'clock position. The large coaster at 7 o'clock is the infamous Bobs.

The park appears small and sparse to me when seen this way. In reality it was dense with its rides and attractions. Its atmosphere of tall trees gave it an intimate, enclosed feeling. As I've mentioned before, even one, long day here, from opening until closing, wasn't enough for us kids. Even after 10 hours, we always felt afterwards that we hadn't seen everything. Riverview became our entire world for one, glorious day-- far from home, free of parents and school, and nothing to do but laugh.