ROLLER COASTER TRAGEDY
KRUG PARK OF OMAHA/ THE DEADLY ROLLER COASTER RIDE
Before including an article on Krug Park, let me just add a few of my own experiences and an interview with a person who was nearby. As you will see, it was started around the turn of the century. Krug Park’s Big Dipper Roller Coaster was incredible for its time.
It was 4 or 5 stories tall. For 30 years until the crash one night in July of 1930, 4 car fulls of kids and teens were thrown off the tracks to their death. Ultimately, 4 died and 17 were injured. The accident was due to a lost bolt which loosened a track. Interviewing Maxine Donovan now of Omaha, she noted that she, Joe, Betty and Bill were playing miniature golf at a small park like business about 2 blocks a way. When they heard the commotion and the rumors, they headed for Krug Park. The place was swarming with emergency vehicles, police, bystanders and the like. They were able to see that the cars had fallen from the top of roller coaster to the ground.
The park was full of neat things to do. That included the dance pavilion, beer hall, tunnel of love, and an ice cream parlor. There was a two story bath house that over looked the swimming pool.
By the time that I came of age, the swimming pool was still there in rock remnants. This was in about 1953. No sooner when we arrived there, one found other parts of metal that held some of the rides. Fortunately, there still lots of trees. On balance, it was an ugly reminder of the roller coaster ride that went bad in the summer of 1930. It was the worst accident an amusement park had up to that time.
By 1955, the city of Omaha took over the park and cleaned it up. In the 60’s or 70’s, a swimming pool was added as well as paved parking complimenting the Omaha Benson High school.
Please read the following reports.
Krug Park (Omaha)
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| Krug Park | |
| Location | Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
| Owner | Frederick Krug |
| Opened | 1895 |
| Closed | 1940 |
| Rides | total |
| Slogan | “Omaha’s Polite Resort” |
Krug Park (currently known as Gallagher Park) was an amusement park located at 2936 North 52nd Street in the Benson neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, USA at the turn of the 20th century.[1] In 1930, Krug Park was the site of the worst roller coaster accident in the nation up to that time.[2]
| Contents [hide] 1History 2See also 3References 4External links |
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[edit] History
Charles Tietz, an early Omaha German-American pioneer, founded the park in 1895. In 1902 the Frederick Krug Brewing Company bought it and ran it as Krug Park, a beer garden with amusement rides. Rides included a tunnel of love, an ice cream parlor, and a hot air balloon. Dancers performed nightly in a dance pavilion. Swimming pools, a waterfall, a wave machine, and a two-story bathhouse were added in 1918. Fred Krug referred to it as “a complete amusement park.” Early advertisements referred to Krug Park as “Omaha’s Polite Resort.”
The most deadly roller coaster accident in the United States up to 1930 happened at Krug Park.[3][4] On July 24 of that year, the park’s “Big Dipper” roller coaster crashed. After 6 p.m., a bolt worked loose and four cars full of children and teenagers plunged to the ground. Four people were killed and 17 were injured.[2]
The Omaha City Council immediately passed an ordinance banning roller coasters in Omaha. Krug Park stayed open but business declined afterwards, and it closed in 1940.[5] It was landscaped into a traditional style park in 1955.[1] It has been renamed Gallagher Park, and is a public park.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b “Krug’s Park.” Nebraska’s Memories. Retrieved 2007–09-08.
- ^ a b “Survivor recalls Krug Park tragedy,” KETV.com. Retrieved 2007–09-08.
- ^ Kucirek, M.L. (2004) Omaha’s Krug Park Roller Coaster Accident: Exploring the Diffusion of Communication in Newspaper and Among Omaha Residents. University of Nebraska at Omaha. p 8. Retrieved 9/9/07.
- ^ “Krug Park”. Nebraska Library Commission. Retrieved 9/9/07.
- ^ “Krug Park”. Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved 2007–09-08.
[edit] External links
- Video of Krug Park accident survivor
- Historic postcard of the roller coaster
- Historic postcard of “The Annex”
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krug_Park_(Omaha)“
Categories: Amusement parks in Nebraska | Parks in Omaha, Nebraska | History of North Omaha, Nebraska | 1892 establishments | 1940 disestablishments | Defunct amusement parks | Amusement park accidents | Former buildings and structures of Omaha, Nebraska
Hidden categories: Nebraska articles missing geocoordinate data
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