Rock Springs Park was a big rival of Kennywood and West View at one time. It had a hairy wooden coaster that ran along the ridge over along the ravine that dropped down to the highway. The last car of that thing was a heart attack. It was the end of my Mother's roller coaster career; she and my Dad rode it after dark one Labor Day evening and she staggered off swearing she'd never ride another coaster. And she never did. She said halfway through the ride she promised God if he'd just let her live she'd never tempt fate again.

Rock Springs had a great collection of first half of the century classics : Tilt a Whirl, Whip, Bumper Cars, Octopus, Rolloplane, Ferris Wheel, ride through and walk through fun houses, Flying Scooters, Rockets, Tumble Bug, Virginia Reel, Cuddle Up, Wild Mouse, Carousel, and a decent Kiddieland.

The Rockets also soared out over the ravine so you were looking down on the lights of cars moving below, and out across tugboats pushing barges up the Ohio River.

Rock Springs had a great ballroom and band shell and was probably the best place between Pittsburgh and Columbus to go for a good concert. Lots of the top bands and individuals of the time performed there.

Chester itself was just a village, but at the peak of the industrial age, the valley around it was a densely populated center of steel mills, potteries, railroad yards, boat yards, and machining factories. So the population was there to support a park. Rock Springs pulled in school picnics from three states, and at the outer limits of its range competed with Idora Park, Kennywood and West View for schools.

Rock Springs may be the only amusement park in America to still be prospering at the time it closed. No quiet decline occurred. The state of West Virginia decided it wanted to build a new highway to connect the valley with Pittsburgh and the Greater Pittsburgh Airport. Using the Right of Emiment Domain, it condemned the land the park occupied. It paid quite a chunk for that land, tore out the hill and put the highway through with exit and entrance ramps. Park administrators could not find another suitable piece of land in the tri-state area they could afford to buy.

CREDITS:Trekker Park


Rock Springs Park had a Figure 8 Roller Coaster named 'Leap the Dips' 1906-1921. Worlds Great Scenic Railway 1907-1926. Cyclone Roller Coaster 1927-1970


The carousel at Rock Springs was the very last machine built in the Dentzel shop before Bill Dentzel died. It was actually on the producton floor the same time as Kennywood's was being erected. The carousel still exists, in a fashion. It was purchased by then Freels foundation for their museum of carousel art. The foundation was disolved a number of years ago. The horses were auctioned off seperately, and the frame ( with one of the few Carl Muller designed rims) is currently for sale by Brass Ring Entertainment. It's available with a set of new wooden reproducton horses. It would need an organ, as the Wurlitzer 153 that was on it was sold seperately at the time of the original auction.

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