DEFUNCT MICHIGAN FUN PARK: Riverside Park, Saginaw: 1894-1937

Riverside Park had a pretty good run until WWII hit.

This Saginaw amusement park sat alongside the Tittabawassee River and was built in 1894 by the Union Street Railway. The company figured an amusement park would be enough incentive for people to pay for a trolley ride to get transported to the park.

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The park provided great summertime fun for the area residents.

Located at 3010 Maple Street, the park had boat rides, a dance hall, roller coaster, roller skating rink, theaters, and several other carnival rides. One of those rides was the “Circle Swing” with a 70-foot tower which was installed in 1905. Sure, the participants were buckled in, but it was the centrifugal force that kept them from falling out! And there was never an accident reported.

That’s not to say there were never any tragedies at the park. During the 1930s they would have dance marathons in the dance hall – where couples competed to see who could last the longest on the dance floor. Those marathons came to a screeching halt when the hours of non-stop dancing were too much for one particular 17-year-old girl; she passed out, collapsed and died shortly thereafter.

Swimming was also allowed at the park, as well as canoes available for renting. There was even a guy there who had his own hot dog stand – John L. Hay – who claimed he was the one who invented hot dogs.

What an awesome place this was for all of Saginaw and its surrounding areas! But then the Great Depression hit; money was tight and the number of daily customers swiftly fell. Not being able to keep the park running without enough income, it finally shut down for good in 1937.

To this day, no remnants of Riverside Park amusements remain.