1911 Rides, rides and more rides and a place to eat

 Well dear readers, so much info , so little time.

Continuing delving into my grandfather's journals, I found a list of the many new rides that where put in after the great fire. Most made it into the 1920's ,but a few bit the dust at the end of the Teens.

Our Scenic Railway ,"Vesuvius" a ride practically to hell and back inside the famous Italian volcano. Made from Plaster and lath ,it did not whether the Plancovania weather to well...see what I did there....

Also the near naked statues caused a bit of scandal. One was said to have modeled by Fishington himself. 

As for the Witching Waves it too would scum to better technology and dubious mechanical features. Its "witchcraft" theme caused some tongues to wag, but nothing worse than the Major Generals exploits...

We wont even mention the Incubators exhibit as the "Doctor" had a credibility issue, to put it mildly....  

Another exhibit, was the Diorama of the Peepsburg Flood.  According to various reports the recorded screams unnerved many a fashionable lady and caused several to faint. 

Rumor has it, Professor Marvel lost his lunch during a preview, but that may have involved possibly being inebriated from excess drinks next door at the Absinthe Saloon..

New rides popped up to a new area at Rose Lake called the Boardwalk. Accessible from the hotel and a new bridge across the lake made for a lovey spot.  Rides like the Flying Gondolas,

 Shoot the Chutes ,

and The Tickler appeared. 

A new restaurant to feed the many hungry guests was built called Von Steubens.

A nod to colonial American history serving German foods favored by General Von Steuben himself. A colleague of General Washington, who helped the Colonies win the Revolution. 

Inside, portraits of the founders of Rose Lake grace the walls commissioned by Doctor Fishington himself from his many friends in the Artistic community.

A postcard worthy photo of the Bruin finish this installment for today.

  

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Well, dear readers, Wolf the 4th here. Buried under papers and pictures of the grand re-opening weekend of Rose Lake Park circa 1911. Yes, yes, yes, Its practically been a year. I have a real job which takes far too much of my time. 

I do have a few pictures to share with some of my Grandfather's notes scribble on the back. He never cared for reviews, "Merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative" What? Only then did I realize the MG would quote dialogue from his operettas, claiming it as his own. Most folks were none the wiser. He was really the sly dog...

 I believe this was the opening show at the Swan. Miss Edna Mae Sr's  All American boys Glee Club backing the famous Rose Lake Barbershop Quartet the " Firehouse Four". 

What's that you say? The Major did not open the show himself? What could have prevented that from happening... Possibly this?

 An all new production was being mounted and D'Oyly Carte's Lead patterman was out of commission. The Major sailed to London on the next boat to save the day, well, at least the show, as an understudy was certainly out of the question. He was only to be gone a relatively short time, to return the next Spring. On the maiden voyage of a brand new luxury steam liner called Titanic... 

That tale will be for another time, as I have so many photos to get through.

Now, where was I...

An aerial view of the park from a hired hot air balloon. The note pasted on the back says," The Founders enjoyed a lovely flight high above Rose Lake" and a scribble underneath says, "NO, I DID NOT" ...MG.... 

Ah ,as always, Grandad had to get the last word in...

Here is one of the infamous "Flip the Wig" a new looping coaster. Seems it created more injuries than excitement.

 And why is it called that ,I wondered..

Well, it seems Professor Marvel was hiding something under all those hats.. his lack of hair!

This photo was uncovered in the back room of the original saloon. His signature was on the reverse but, not sure what happen to the lower half.. A question for the ages, I suppose.

Jackalope Two

A better ride than the original, so the first riders raved about in the various newspaper accounts. Contrary to popular belief, no one was paid to say that.. 

At least that's what the court transcripts say from the allegation trial of Bart Tete De Taureau. Why that is included in with all of this stuff, I am not sure. 

A official portrait I found. Not taken by a police or federal agents for a line up...

The Haunted Swing

Another new ride invented and built by Amariah Lake. One of the first in the country.  The illusion of turning upside down was so great, many got ill to their stomachs. Which it seems, the janitorial staff did not appreciate too kindly. 

An excerpt from the Major General's Private Journals

After the great Rose Lake Fire, The board of Directors of the Rose Lake Improvement Company, said  "Well, now what do we do?"
Fishington had no doubt in his mind." We shall rebuild"
I was aghast.

"Oh good Heavens, Fishington. That's all fine and dandy, but how do you propose to PAY for all of this?"  I was only slightly miffed, to say the least." I am currently on tour with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and certainly do not have time to oversee what would be a gargantuan undertaking." "And where, good sir, do you suppose we shall get the funds? The insurance payout, which by all means was substantial, in no shape or form is quite enough" "I may have deep pockets, but I certainly do not relish the thought of diminishing my current lifestyle over a bunch of amusements"
I always spoke my mind with Fishy, as we were special best friends. I was never one to sugar coat my thoughts ,anyway.
Well, Fishy belayed my concerns as only he could. "We shall get someone else to pay for it"

I immediately knew why I cared for this man so deeply, his quick wit and humor not withstanding, but his knowledge of my egocentricities never ceased to amaze me. Was I that transparent?  Ah, it seems only to him.
So with that we met with several investors and entrepreneurs to offer them space in the new park for amusements and dining options. Most were eager to accept as the Park had already established a very good reputation.

The Rose Lake Improvement Company took on the task of building the first large scale indoor venue on the hill above the hotel. Named the Bruin Auditorium after it's benefactress,  Happy Bruin. It would house the traveling shows popular at the time. The first extravaganza was the Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. I took it upon myself to contact Wild Bill himself, as he was an old friend and fan of my work.

I personally took on the task to build an outdoor theatrical venue, as the Old Rose Theater could not handle the massive crowds that came out to see out productions. Especially, if I was in residence. It really wasn't designed for the Operas in mind, but more of a concert and music venue setting under the stars. There I could perform uninhibited by a strict guideline and give my fans more of a variety of  my extensive work. I give you ,The Swan Pavilion.

I had also been needing accommodations in the Park for myself and Fishy, as travel to and fro from the Manse on Society Hill in Peepsburgh, proved sometimes to be lengthy and tiresome. Above the reception Gallery Of The Swan Pavilion, would become my pied-a`-terre.
It will be a nice respite from the daily grind of work and a place to entertain investors and honored guests. The showplace was featured in the Architectural Record that October, much to my pleasure.

The rumors have already started that it would be a lakeside den of iniquity or a place for hanky-panky of the unmentionable kind. These rumors are unfounded at best, brought on no doubt by jealous rivals in the fledgling amusement park industry.

The journal entry ended there, but picked up a mere week later with this snippet.

"Off gain to tour with D'Oyly Carte, this time in The Mikado. I will be repeating my role to much acclaim as Ko-Ko the Lord High Executioner .

 A note for my cautious fans, I have never intentionally hurt any ensemble or Principal character while brandishing my snickersnee. Any injuries that may or may not have happened are merely conjecture."

Two months of mayhem

Well, dear readers, you may think, "what the heck has happened". In a nutshell, with the sudden but not unexpected, demise of Mabel, Mabel the trunks, boxes, cartons and rooms filled with Rose Lake Park history and memorabilia have remained untouched.

 "What horror", you say, yes indeed it is. Let me explain.

My name is Stanley Stephen Wolf  IV. I am the great grandson of the Major himself. "But how?" you exclaim. "Wasn't the Major a confirmed old bachelor and certainly not a family man in the grand scheme of things?" "Were there not rumors for years about his various dalliance's with questionable gentleman ?" "And certainly his long relationship with Professor Fishington merited some  scrutiny?" "How can you be his relative by blood?"

Yes ,Yes, Yes ,to all of this.

Let's go back to my great grandfathers well spent youth. Certainly to maintain  a career as one of the, if not THE  greatest Gilbert and Sullivan Pattermen in a long line of greats, was an accomplishment indeed. Along with that , designing with his partner Fishington and several other gentleman of dubious heritage and connections, Rose Lake Park. Fishy. as my grandfather affectionately called him, was the rock to my grandfathers zany schemes and outlandish plans. Often putting the brakes on plans for show extravaganzas to be performed in the park and starring himself.(I have in my possession a  rough draft of a show call "Mikado On Ice". Which involved an frozen artificial indoor lake, a snow making machine and a entire chorus ensemble of ice skating samurai)

BUT, I digress...

There was one woman in the Major's life that he was very fond of.

Her name was Alice Dixie. She was Josephine in a HMS Pinafore to his Sir Joseph Porter. A romance was cooked up by the producers to boost tickets sales. But, there was much more to the story. How do I know this? The Major's private journals. Much of which was used for his autobiography.

There was some judicious editing of course, to make the work suitable for the unenlightened masses. No mention is made in it's pages of a child. But there was, born out of wedlock and hidden way from society. A son, born to Alice Dixie. Stanley Stephen Wolf  II. My fraternal grandfather. That one night encounter produced an heir to the Wolf name and the Wolf fortune. Something my great grandfather never was privy too until much later in his life.

But dear readers, that is a story for another time. I have the only complete copy of his book, plus the journals ,of course. So next time, we'll backtrack to about 1910 after the great Rose Lake Fire and show you some of the amazing things the Major and Fishington were able to accomplish in a short 10 years.

Grand Re-Opening Flyer

War Documentary At The Auditorium

Leaping the Gap!