Oaks Amusement Park Rides
Portland, Oregon
| About the Park Surrounded by the same stately trees for which it was named, The Oaks, in Portland, Oregon in 2005 will celebrate its 100th consecutive year of operation, making it one of the oldest continuously operating amusement parks in America. Built by the Oregon Water Power and Navigation Company, the park opened its gates on May 30, 1905 to Portlanders who arrived by foot and on horseback, in automobiles and by boat from the Willamette River. In keeping with the design of other "Trolley Parks" across the country, most of its visitors disembarked from trolley cars which ran along the Portland-to-Oregon City tracks forming the eastern boundary of the park. In the spring of 1925, Edward H. Bollinger purchased the operating company then purchased the park comprising of 44.01 acres in 1943 from the Portland Electric Power Company. Ownership passed to Robert E. Bollinger, son of Edward, in 1949 and he continued to operate the park until January 1, 1985, at which time he donated The Oaks to a nonprofit corporation he had formed to perpetuate the park. |