Forest Park Highlands was once St. Louiss largest and best-known amusement park. In its earliest years; the Highlands boasted a fine theater and one of the largest public swimming pools in the United States. After the 1904 worlds fair closed; several attractions found a new home at the Highlands; the large pagoda--a re-creation of the temple of Nekko; Japan--served as the parks bandstand for several years. Roller coasters are the lifeline of every good amusement park; and the Highlands always had two. The end came for the Highlands in a spectacular fire that decimated almost the entire park on July 19; 1963. Only the Comet roller coaster; the Ferris wheel; the Dodgems; the carousel; and the Aero Jets survived. Forest Park Highlands covers other historic amusement parks in St. Louis as well; starting with the earliest; West End Heights; and ending with Holiday Hill; the last remaining park.
#1575091 in eBooks 2009-02-05 2009-02-05File Name: B0092QKCM4
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Muddled Look At The Future Of Rail And Real EstateBy Frederick S. GoethelThis book is an evaluation of rail lines once used and now abandoned and how they will come back into use in the future as real estate becomes more expensive and difficult to locate. The authors main focus is that real estate investors are studying old railroad maps to determine where they could possible expand both residential and commercial real estate in the future. While I believe he stretches the point (I dont see the prospect of abandoned rail lines coming back. unless for light rail). I do believe that there is some validity to his argument. As the price of oil sk rockets. and people look for other ways to commute. I can see rail lines long dead being returned to some kind of service and "villages" springing up around them.That said. the writing in the book is muddled and difficult to follow. This may be a great book for a urban planning class. but for an average reader. it is overly complicated and drifts between topics. I cannot recommend it.18 of 19 people found the following review helpful. Full of info not found elsewhereBy AnonymousStilgoes book is very timely and current. Most railroad writing is backward-looking nostalgia. This is a book about the future. but it finds and brings to light rail successes of the past: Railway Mail Service. Express. frequent passenger service to small towns. Most Americans are oblivious to transportation issues. especially rail. Few give any thought as to how their UPS packages make it from Seattle to Maine. This book gives compelling examples of what worked well in the past and how weed-filled tracks may rise again in importance. This book is recommended for those interested in the future of passenger and freight rail. and for those looking to profit in rail stocks and other investments. Many of Stilgoes insights are not commonly reported elsewhere in financial and news media.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Train time Required Reading.By JonGreat book by an eminent scholar of American life and landscape. Prophetic. compelling. it sees the return of railroads as a way to solve the congestion of highways that can only get worse.
