Windsor Life
Page 30
Windsor Writers
“If you haven’t seen Elitch’s, you haven’t seen Denver.” That slogan
was spelled out in a colorful floral display inside the entrance to
Elitch Gardens at 38th and Tennyson. It epitomized the beauty and
tranquility that existed incongruously below screaming roller coasters
and the heart-stopping rides of the popular amusement park in the
Highlands neighborhood. That is, it did until 1995 when they moved
everything but the trees, gardens and beauty downtown to a new,
stark, cement version of itself.
John and Mary Elitch bought farmland and opened their park in 1880
as the first zoological gardens west of Chicago. P.T. Barnum donated
some of the animals, and one of the bears was famous for dancing
a waltz when the band played. After John died in 1881, Mary ran it
alone for 26 years, the first woman ever to own and manage a zoo.
The Elitch Theatre opened there in 1890, home to what would
eventually become the country’s oldest summer stock theatre, until it
finally closed in 1991. With management paying New York scale,
notable performers such as Grace Kelly, Douglas Fairbanks and
Edward G. Robinson often took to the stage. A Denver girl nicknamed
“Tony” was eleven when she debuted, and she grew up to be the
Broadway producer Antoinette Perry, for whom the Tony Awards are
named. Today, the building has been restored, and productions are
being staged there again.
In 1916 Mary Elitch sold the park to John Mulvihill with the provision
the name would never change. New attractions soon appeared,
Remembering the Old Elitch Gardens
by Dennis Payton Knight
including the fabulous Trocadero Ballroom in 1917. The Twister roller
coaster came along in 1922, and a carousel was added in 1928. Zoo
operations were discontinued in the 1930s, yielding space to more
of the formal gardens and additional rides. A giant floral clock was
planted, and bands like Benny Goodman’s and the Dorsey Brothers’
swung at the Trocadero.
When Mulvihill died in 1930, ownership went to son-in-law Arnold
Gurtler, whose family operated the park even after it moved in 1995.
Thousands of students danced at the Troc and worked at Elitch’s. Many
of them today are likely to be our neighbors at Windsor Gardens,
and I’d be interested in hearing their stories.
As children, our family came annually from Laramie to enjoy the kiddy
rides and the big-kid thrills, too, but my memories are of the gardens
and not the rides. Later, I moved to Denver, took my own family to the
park often, and have one prideful, final link to the place.
I was there in September, 1994, when my son Thomas and his
bandmates from Horizon High School were honored to be the last
band to ever play at the venerable old park. As they ended their
performance, a sudden, driving storm with hail the size of ice cubes
drove them and the crowd to cover. Her partner Mother Nature had
bidden goodbye, and our old Elitch Gardens closed her lovely gates
forever.
The dramatic activity of celebration
Continues throughout the extensive hours
Stomping feet, singing and dancing with elation
Sadly, it’s the time to close by the proprietors
Walking home and talking softly full of hope
Under the moon and a special star
Our minds happily acting like a kaleidoscope
Ending the day, almost there, not too far.
Amusement Rides 1939
continued from page 29
As a final adventure on our European trip, Mother and I took a
hovercraft to cross the English Channel from France to Dover, England.
We were told this was a unique experience as this craft floats on air
just above the water. A hovercraft is also known as an air-cushion
vehicle or ACV. It is capable of traveling over land, water, mud and
ice. It looks rather like a huge oval inner tube with a houseboat on
top. The craft is operated by a pilot as an aircraft rather than by a
captain as a marine vessel.
The day of our trip was overcast and a bit windy but there was no
sign of a storm. About a hundred people, mostly tourists ranging from
babies to the very elderly, waited to board the craft with us. The
mixture of languages added an exotic nature to the group awaiting
the channel crossing.
Mother and I were near the front of the line and took bench-type
seats behind the pilot and copilot with a good view through the front
window and also a smaller window on the side. As people boarded
the wind seemed to be getting stronger and the sea in front of us was
developing white caps. The pilot assured us it would be a smooth trip
once we were airborne.
Amusement Ride in a Storm
by Donna Bishop
All aboard, the huge blowers pushed a large volume of air below the
hull that is higher pressure than the air pressure above the craft which
produces a lift. Additional engines provide the forward thrust. We
entered the water rapidly picking up speed. The water was choppy
causing the craft to be a little bumpy, but we expected that to change.
Suddenly the craft was swallowed by a huge wall of water that hit us
head on and lifted our craft skyward. We could hear the pilot’s radio
telling him the channel was experiencing excessive winds and was being
closed to travel. He had to make a decision to turn back or head for
Dover.
Forward we went on the wildest ride of my lifetime. There was nothing
amusing about it. We were tossed and turned side to side each time
feeling like we would roll into the sea. Next gigantic waves slammed
towards us, raising us up like we were on the back of a wild horse
trying to dump us backwards into the churning sea and then abruptly
throwing us forward as we plunged down the other side of the crest.
No rollercoaster was more terrifying nor a mechanical bull more bone
jarring. People were screaming, children crying and many were sea
sick. When our amusement ride ended, there was no request to do it
again!
Theme: Amusement Rides
continued
