Manhattan Beach was a former amusement park in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, active from 1891 to 1914, and was the first

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

created west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

.A Brief History of Sloan's Lake
- Sloan's Century With funding support from Robert and Ernest Steinke, the park's founder, Adam Graff, built the park on the north shore of

Sloan's Lake Sloan Lake, also known as Sloan's Lake and Sloans Lake, is a body of water, park, and neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. The neighborhood is located on the northwest side of Denver, with the lake acting as a central feature of the neighborhood. ...

Edgewater, Colorado The City of Edgewater is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 5,005 at the 2020 United Stat ...

. Open to the public for the first time on 27 June 1891,Pam Grout, ''Colorado Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff'' (Globe Pequot 2006) the park featured a

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

, a

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

, a

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

attractions,

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

rides,

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

contortionist Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, circus acts, street performers and other liv ...

s, aerial acts (including a human cannonball), a man who walked on ceilings, and exhibits displaying more than 40 species of animals. But its primary draw was Roger the Elephant (real name: Rajah), who was a popular children's ride. Visitors reached the park by

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

s, and

wagon A wagon (or waggon) is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by Working animal#Draft animals, draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are i ...

s. While Manhattan Beach was a popular destination, mishaps, along with competition from nearby

Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and Botanical garden, botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood in northwest Denver, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, United States, at 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street. For m ...

and White City (eventually renamed to

Lakeside Amusement Park Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado, adjacent to Denver. Opened in 1908, it is the oldest amusement park in Colorado still operating in its original location, and is the lone remaining White City park ...

), marked its existence. In 1891, the park's main attraction, Roger the Elephant, became spooked by the sound of a hot-air balloon, bucking his passengers and crushing George W. Eaton, a five-year-old boy, in his frightened state. In 1908, Manhattan Beach was damaged by fire; later that year, it was rebuilt and reopened as Luna Park. It closed for the final time in 1914.

References

Defunct amusement parks in the United States 1881 establishments in Colorado 1908 fires in the United States 1914 disestablishments in Colorado Geography of Denver Amusement parks opened in 1881 Amusement parks closed in 1914 {{Colorado-stub