Courtesy of Oaks Park

By Lizzy Acker

When Oaks Park opened its gates to thrill-seekers in 1905, there were no “extreme” roller coasters.

“The Oaks,” as it was called when it opened two days before the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition on May 30, 1905, was a “trolley park” -- a destination created to give streetcar riders a place to go on the weekends.

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Courtesy of Oaks Park

While most other trolley parks in the country have long since become other things, Oaks Park remains. At 114, there aren’t any amusement parks in Oregon that are older. In fact, there aren’t many that are older in the entire country.

“It is the oldest continually operating amusement park in America,” Emily MacKay, spokesperson for Oaks Park, said over email last week. “There are others that opened earlier than we did, but have had periods of closure, where we have opened every season since 1905.”

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Alfred Monner/The Oregonian

Of course, to stay open for 114 years, Oaks Park has had to change with the times. On Saturday, the amusement park will continue to evolve by opening a new roller coaster called “Adrenaline Peak.”

This new extreme roller coaster includes three inversions and something terrifyingly called “past-vertical drop.” A single ride on the scream machine will cost you $9.50.

Before you head for spring break at Oaks Park, take some time to look back at 114 years of Portlanders enjoying themselves on the banks of the Willamette River in Southeast Portland.

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Courtesy of Oaks Park

Adrenaline Peak opens to the public on Saturday, March 24.

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The Oregon Journal

July 18, 1905

Will Crawford and John C. Burkhart, two Albany youths, put together a plane that looked like a katydid on ice skates in 1903 and 1904 and actually flew it a couple of times. But it was on July 18, 1905, during the Lewis and Clark Exposition that the "dirigible" pictured above took off from the fairgrounds, with Lincoln Beachey, "the boy aeronaut," at the controls. It managed to proceed rather uncertainly to a soft spot near The Oaks amusement park.

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Bruce McCurtain/The Oregonian

1910

About 1910 Oaks Park was big attraction for Portlanders

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Bill Murphy/The Oregonian

June 21, 1945

Clifford Mueph, carrier for The Oregonian, rides Mouse Monster at Oaks Park Friday during Oregonian Carriers' Picnic.

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Allan J. de Lay/The Oregonian

July 19, 1953

The Ferris Wheel was invented for Chicago Fair in 1893 -- which would not interest these survivors of a birthday party.

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Pete Corvallis/The Oregonian

December 27, 1964

Oaks Amusement park entered Saturday only by boat after Willamette flooding covered the area with several feet of water. Only the $40,000 floor of the roller skating rink escaped damage because owners had the foresight to build it with a floating capability. Overall damage was estimated at more than $100,000.

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The Oregonian

August 2, 1966

Tanna Ratty, Miss Transportation, tries out the new quarter-scale model of the city of Portland, now in service at the Oaks Amusement Park. The 72-passenger amusement ride is piloted by Douglas La Salle.

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Mike Lloyd/The Oregonian

August 4, 1973

A looping, swooping ride at southeast Portland's Oaks Amusement Park

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Jim Vincent/The Oregonian

May 18, 1978

School safety patrol members Patty McCown, Crystal Harris, Tammi Johnson, Dainta Baham & Monica See take their cotton candy seriously as they stroll through Oaks Park, where they and other patrol members were guests of Portland Police Bureau Wednesday. More than 800 attended.

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Donald Wilson/The Oregonian

November 27, 1978

Jan Roberts of The Dalles enjoys bumper cars at Oaks Park Sunday. The ride is the most popular during the quiet winter season.

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Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian

July 9, 1979

Fireworks light up sky at Oaks Amusement Park Sunday, when an Eighth of July celebration came about after foul weather postponed a shoot-up planned for July 1. The 25 minute, 150 rocket display cost $1,500 and appeared before an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people.

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Oregonian

June 2, 1983

It was a picnic -- At left, Dorothy Kysor (front), 13, and Julie Gross, 12, La Center Middle School seventh-graders, enjoy the roller coaster during 27th annual picnic honoring school safety patrol members from Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties.

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Dale Swanson/The Oregonian

June 2, 1983

Fifth-grader Joey Burdick (left), 11, and sixth-grader Adam Trepte, 12, of Vancouver's Washington Grade School enjoy cotton candy. Elks lodges in Vancouver, Battle Ground and White Salmon donated $1,000 for the annual outing, which drew 1,545 patrol members to Oaks Amusement Park in Portland Wednesday.

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Bill Murphy/The Oregonian

August 6, 1985

Kazue Uchida, 16 & Mitsuko Kuwata, 16, ride The Whip Monday at Oaks Park, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this week. Uchida & Kuwata are part of a group of Japanese students from Tokyo that is visiting Oregon for three weeks.

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The Oregonian

August 17, 1988

Amy Lucero, 14, and Gavin McCreery, 13, stroll through Oaks Amusement Park in Southeast Portland.

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Michael Hinsdale/The Oregonian

April 24, 1989

Patina Atwood (left) and Christy Burns, both 15-year-olds from Tualatin, give the Monster Mouse ride a spin on Sunday at Oaks Amusement Park.

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Bob Ellis/The Oregonian

March 20, 1991

On the Scrambler at Oaks Amusement Park in Southeast Portland.

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Angela Pancrazio/The Oregonian

March 27, 1994

A visitor at Oaks Park.

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Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian

May 22, 1996

New Oaks Park Roller Coaster nearing completion, with plans to open this weekend.

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Rose Howerter/The Oregonian

May 25, 1996

Adults and children alike have fun on the new Oaks Park rollercoaster, Sat. afternoon, May 25, 1996, at Oaks Amusement Park near the Sellwood Bridge.

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Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian

1996

Flooded Oaks Park during the 1996 flood.

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The Oregonian

February 1996

Oaks Park 1996 Oregon flood.

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Michael Halle/The Oregonian

May 29, 1996

Oaks Amusement Park

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Roger Jensen/The Oregonian

June 17, 1997

Library day at Oaks Park. Kids got free rides all day is they signed up for the summer reading program.

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Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian

March 26, 1998

Michelle Vogt, 6, left, and Kena Parker, 8, lead the riders of the Eruptor at Oaks Park. The historic Sellwood amusement park opened its season during spring break from school.

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Paul Kitagaki, Jr./The Oregonian

May 11, 1998

Oaks Park

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Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian

June 2, 2001

Brianna Wilhelm, 12, (left), and Lauren Hall, 11 both students at Kellogg Middle School in Southeast Portland spend their first day of Spring Break at Oaks Park Monday afternoon.

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John M. Vincent/The Oregonian

March 28, 2006

Megan Strong follows behind her husband Jeremy Bouse, and son Kolton Bouse,.

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John M. Vincent/The Oregonian

March 28, 2006

Holly Chesler rides the front car with her son Jacob Chesler, 8.

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Motoya Nakamura/The Oregonian

May 27, 2006

Five-year-old Andrew Gannaway of Portland enjoys the rainy opening of the Multnomah County Fair at Oaks Park.

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Jamie Francis/The Oregonian

August 29, 2006

Kevin Schuster, 50, of Vancouver confirmed something he has long suspected during a recent outing to Oaks Amusement Park in Portland; it's impossible to drive a bumper car without laughing.

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Arkasha Stevenson/The Oregonian

August 4, 2010

Portlanders enjoy a summer afternoon on top of a roller coaster at Oaks Amusement Park. The park was filled with the sounds of children and the smell of cotton candy.

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Melissa Binder/The Oregonian

July 20, 2015

Thousands of Portland-area Muslims celebrated the end of Ramadan at Oaks Park June 20. This is the sixth year the metro-wide community has come together at the amusement park to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr.

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Melissa Binder/The Oregonian

July 20, 2015

Zayd Warsame and Belal Saeed, both 4, enjoy an airplane ride.

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-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052 lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

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