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Then and now · 2026-10-22

Youngstown's lost amusement park

Idora Park in Youngstown from the air in 1958, 1991 and today. It opened on May 30, 1899, and its Wild Cat roller coaster, built in 1930, was ranked among the top ten in the world. On April 26, 1984, a fire destroyed the Wild Cat, and the park welcomed its last visitors that September 16. The rest was bulldozed on July 26, 2001, and the land is still empty. Its 1922 carousel was sold at auction in 1984 and now spins in a glass pavilion in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where it reopened in 2011.

Did you ride the Wild Cat or the Jack Rabbit?

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Sources:
- Idora Park: opened May 30, 1899 as Terminal Park; Wild Cat (1930) ranked among the top ten coasters by 1984; fire April 26, 1984 destroyed the Wild Cat; last visitors Sept. 16, 1984; remaining rides bulldozed July 26, 2001; land vacant (Wikipedia, Idora Park (Youngstown))
- Carousel: Philadelphia Toboggan Co., 1922; sold at auction 1984; opened in Brooklyn Bridge Park Sept. 16, 2011 (Wikipedia, Jane's Carousel)
- Postcard, 1921: Harry H. Hamm, publisher; Columbus Metropolitan Library, no copyright in the U.S.
- Photo, 2025: Enciclopedia1993, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Cracked Buckeye, "Youngstown's lost amusement park", https://crackedbuckeye.com/videos/youngstown-s-lost-amusement-park/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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