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Caption: "The Chutes, S. F.," c. 1905. View of the Fulton Street Chutes, a 350-foot water slide. Boats or toboggans careened down the slide into a man-made lake at the bottom. Such "chutes" were very popular throughout the U.S. and Europe at the turn of the century. The Fulton Street Chutes operated from 1902-1907 as part of an amusement park area that also featured the "Circle Swing Flying Machine" (also visible in the photograph), a theater, bar, merry-go-round, and a zoo.
Date: 1905
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Caption: "Coney Island. Sunday Crowd. New York. Aug. 19, 1934." Very crowded beach scene on New York's Coney Island. The construction of several resort hotels on the island in the 1870s and 1880s encouraged construction of amusement parks to provide tourist destinations. Coney Island has hosted several large amusement parks over the years, including one of the world's first roller coasters (built in 1884). Numerous smaller attractions were available as well. The island's popularity peaked in the mid-twentieth century, in the World War II era, but despite some decline is still a world-renowned recreation area.
Date: 8/19/1934