Rides and Games

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The Automat and rollercoaster were popular attractions at Saltair, July 4, 1913. Shipler Commercial Photographers Collection, #14866.

Saltair offered a variety of attractions like games, rides, and immersive experiences that changed every year. Carnival games were a fixture of Saltair since its opening, and each season brought new and popular games, including billiards and slot machines (which were installed in 1894 but removed in 1895 because of the noise). In Bagatelle (1895), the player used a cue to hit balls on an oblong table that had cups or cups and arches at one end. For the 1915 season, Saltair added automatic baseball, six bowling alleys, a prize wheel, a penny arcade, ping pong parlors, and a shooting gallery.

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The Cambria II took passengers on a relaxing tour on the lake, July 24, 1906. Shipler Commercial Photographers Collection, #2251.

Rides featured prominently at Saltair. During the opening season, visitors could rent rowboats, take a leisurely jaunt on the boat Talula as it made laps around the lake, and ride the merry-go-round and the Cosmerama. A roller coaster premiered in 1914, a ferris wheel the following year, and in 1916 the park added roller skating at the Hippodrome to its attractions. Between 1916 and 1919, visitors could also experience a surfboard ride, “captive airplanes”, and a “bike-go-round” (which was similar to a merry-go round, but with bicycles on a circular platform that revolved at high speeds).

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The Amusement pier at Saltair, featuring the "Princess Rink", "Tours of the World," "The Electric," and a "Japanese Ping Pong Parlor" (although ping pong did not originate in Japan), July 1907. Shipler Commercial Photographers Collection, #2965.

For the less daring, immersive experiences offered their own unique thrills. Laughing parlors (a version of the Fun House), were popular between 1905-1915. In 1905, Saltair featured the “Cave of the Winds”, and five years later visitors could get lost in a crystal maze. An alligator farm with over 50 alligators, between 2 and 10 feet long, was added in 1910. Movies played in the Hippodrome, and guests experienced the "Egyptian Hall," "Palace of Illusions," "Ye Olde Mill" (where couples rode boats through a dark tunnel), a Gee Whiz (fun house), a photograph gallery, and a simulated coal mine. Corporate-sponsored attractions were also present, such as the "Dinty Moore Walk Thru" in 1924.