WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — On this day 75 years ago, Joyland officially opened its gates.
Though the park has been closed for almost two decades now, fond memories of Wichita’s amusement park remain for many. The park officially opened at 2801 South Hillside June 12, 1949.
The Hillside location is actually the second location of Joyland. The original Joyland was located on a lot at Central and Cleveland and opened several years earlier.
Joyland was founded by Lester Ottaway and his sons Herbert and Harold. Lester had previously L.A. Ottaway Sand Company before forming the park and Ottaway Amusement Company with his sons in 1942.
Ottaway Amusement Company built miniature steam engine trains that were extremely popular. Ottaway Amusement Company still operated amusement rides and stands before selling off their rides and closing in 2022.
Incidentally, another Wichita company sprang from Ottaway Amusement Company. In 1946, Harold Chance joined the company.
In the 1960s, Chance founded Chance Manufacturing in Wichita, which became one of the largest manufacturers of amusement rides. It still operates today as Chance Rides.
Originally, Joyland had been scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend, but newspaper articles indicated that bad weather had delayed the opening to June 12. The Ottaways owned and operated the park until selling the park to Stan and Margaret Nelson in 1975.
2024 also marks another anniversary for Joyland. It was the year a favorite ride for many opened at the park: The Whacky Shack.
The Whacky Shack was what is known as a “Dark Ride.” The Old Mill at the Kansas State Fair is another example of a dark ride.
Joyland closed for good in 2006. Since then, it has been the victim of time, weather, vandals, and arson. Little remains of the beloved amusement park, but there are still traces of it in Wichita.
The Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita and Sedgwick County saved the iconic Joyland sign. You can still take a spin on Joyland’s carousel, which has been fully restored and has a new home at Wichita’s Botanica.
If you’re still missing Wichita’s Whacky Shack you’re in luck, one still exists in Erie. Pennsylvania. If that’s too far of a trip, Wonderland Amusement Park is just a 6-hour drive from Wichita, and home to Fantastic Journey, While not a Bill Tracy ride, it is remarkably similar and has a connection to Wichita.
It was built by Augusta native, former Wichitan, and Wonderland founder, Paul Roads.
