Krug Park (amusement park)

Krug Park (currently known as Gallagher Park) was an amusement park located at 2936 North 52nd Street in the Benson neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, USA at the turn of the 20th century.[1] In 1930, Krug Park was the site of the worst roller coaster accident in the nation up to that time.[2]

Krug Park
Slogan"Omaha's Polite Resort"
LocationOmaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Coordinates
OwnerFrederick Krug
Opened1895
Closed1940

History

Charles Tietz, an early Omaha German-American pioneer, founded the park in 1895. In 1902 the Frederick Krug Brewing Company bought it and ran it as Krug Park, a beer garden with amusement rides. Rides included a tunnel of love, an ice cream parlor, and a hot air balloon. Dancers performed nightly in a dance pavilion. Swimming pools, a waterfall, a wave machine, and a two-story bathhouse were added in 1918. Fred Krug referred to it as "a complete amusement park." Early advertisements referred to Krug Park as "Omaha's Polite Resort."

Roller coaster incident

The most deadly roller coaster accident in the United States up to 1930 happened at Krug Park.[3][4] On July 24, the park's "Big Dipper" roller coaster crashed. After 6 p.m., a bolt worked loose and four cars full of children and teenagers plunged to the ground. Four people, Ruth Claire Farrell (15), C.H. Stout (34), Tony Politika (22) and Gladys Lundgren (29),[5] were killed and 17 were injured.[2] The Omaha City Council immediately passed an ordinance banning roller coasters in Omaha. Krug Park stayed open but business declined afterwards, and it closed in 1940.[6]

Gallagher Park
Gallagher Park
TypeUrban park
LocationBenson in Omaha, Nebraska
Area18.8 acres (76,000 m2)
Created1941
Operated byCity of Omaha Parks and Recreation Department
StatusOpen all year

It was landscaped into a traditional style park in 1955.[1] It has been renamed Gallagher Park, and is a public park. The current park is 18.8 acres (76,000 m2) [7] and contains three ball fields, a playground, and a city swimming pool featuring a water slide, diving boards, and additional water play features.[8]

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See also
  • History of Omaha

References
  1. "Krug's Park." Nebraska's Memories. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  2. "Survivor recalls Krug Park tragedy," Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine KETV.com. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  3. Kucirek, M.L. (2004) Omaha's Krug Park Roller Coaster Accident: Exploring the Diffusion of Communication in Newspaper and Among Omaha Residents. University of Nebraska at Omaha. p 8. Retrieved 9/9/07.
  4. "Krug Park". Nebraska Memories. Retrieved 3/27/15.
  5. "Omaha, NE Amusement Park Accident, July 1930". GenDisasters.com. Retrieved 6/3/2015.
  6. "Krug Park" Archived July 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  7. "Gallagher Park" City of Omaha website. Retrieved 2010-05.
  8. "Gallagher Leisure Pool" City of Omaha website. Retrieved 2010-05.
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