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| Defunct Coasters | Updated: March 28, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Columbia Gardens, Butte, MT Council Crest, Portland, OR gayway park, seaside, OR gayway/Fun Forest, Seattle, WA Happyland, Vancouver, BC Hastings park, Vancouver, BC Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR julia davis fun depot, boise, id Lotus Isle, Portland, OR Luna Park, Seattle, WA Nat Park, Spokane, WA Oaks Park, Portland, OR Playland, Coeur d'Alene, ID Playland, Seattle, WA Playland, Vancouver, BC puyallup fair, puyallup, wa Santafair, Federal Way, wa Stanley Park , Vancouver, BC White City, Bellingham, Wa White City, Seattle, WA White City, Vancouver, bc |
Wild Mouse, Gayway/Fun Forest, Seattle, WA
Above are photos of the Wild Mouse ride that operated in the Gayway amusement area at the Seattle World's Fair. This coaster ran both during and after the Fair from 1962-1964. Lagoon Park in Farmington, Utah, purchased it and opened it in 1965. The ride was rebuilt and renamed as the Wilder Wild Mouse for the 1973 season and continued to operate until around 1990 when it was replaced with a newer Wild Mouse which still operates today. After the Fair ended, Fun Forest was developed replacing the Fair's Gayway amusement area. Besides spinning rides and coasters, the park also offered various independently owned dark ride attractions. One of these was the well known Flight-to-Mars which operated until around the late 1990's. There were several other coasters that existed during and after the World's Fair. An enclosed ride called Broadway Trip operated only during the Fair 1962-62. A second Wild Mouse coaster operated at Fun Forest from 1965-1973. In 1974, a portable steel coaster, Galaxy, replaced the Wild Mouse and operated at Fun Forest until 1992. Seattle Center and Fun Forest received improvements in 1991. Galaxy was relocated to Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in New York and continues to operate at that park. In 1992, Windstorm, a newer generation portable steel coaster replaced Galaxy. This coaster opened in 1993 and has continued to thrill many visitors. Unfortunately, through recent years, Fun Forest has seen a loss in patronage causing financial problems with the lease. In 2005, rumor had it that the city might be getting rid of the amusement center sometime in the unforeseen future. Around 2007 the city offered the park two choices. They could continue on with a lengthened lease that ends in 2014 or select a shorter lease which would terminate in 2009. The park chose the latter. Even though this was probably the best decision, this means another important part of Seattle's amusement history will be gone forever. For Fun Forest was and is a place that has brought many smiles and laughs to locals and tourists for 47 years. And it all began at the famous Seattle World's Fair in 1962. Update: On January 2, 2010, Fun Forest closed its doors after its last day of operation. |
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