Springlake Park - OKC

[History Buff]

It's sad that Springlake Park in Oklahoma City closed.  I remember going one time, when I was a kid, and riding my first coaster, the Wild Mouse - not really counting FitH.  My mom always used the accident on Springlake's Big Dipper (when a girl was thrown from the ride onto the adjacent highway) to discourage me from ever riding coasters.  I don't remember much about Springlake, and I certainly don't remember the things in this video, but it does make one long for a return to those good ol' days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=360&v=tnfc5aUOjJ0

An article says that Springlake was popular in the '50s and '60s, was affected by a race riot in '71 and a change of ownership, and finally c losed in '81.

[sirwillow]

Neat video, and it looks like it was a pretty park.

Any evidence for the story about the person being flung off the coaster onto the highway.  I've heard apocryphal versions of the same story attached to a few different parks, but never any evidence for any of them actually happening.  And couldn't find any stories or evidence of any roller coaster incidents at Springlake either.  it makes me wonder if it's another of the horror stories that got passed around that everyone believed but never actually happened.

[History Buff]

Neat video, and it looks like it was a pretty park.

Any evidence for the story about the person being flung off the coaster onto the highway.  I've heard apocryphal versions of the same story attached to a few different parks, but never any evidence for any of them actually happening.  And couldn't find any stories or evidence of any roller coaster incidents at Springlake either.  it makes me wonder if it's another of the horror stories that got passed around that everyone believed but never actually happened.

Not detailed, but...http://ndepth.newsok.com/thrills-gone-by/

[sirwillow]

Thanks.  Using that info, it led me to an article at http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2007/04/springlake.html with the following interesting quote:
 

We were later told some white kids had pushed a black kid from the roller coaster and that it had set the blacks off. I still dont know the truth, to this day.

Later on there was someone that replied

Yes, it did happen on the Big Dipper. My dad witnessed the white kid pushing the black kid off the coaster and after all of that happened, my dad hurried to the area where the black kid fell to his death and took some pictures. We still have those pictures of the black kid laying dead on the ground. 

So I'm guessing that's the story that your mom had heard and used.  Interesting story, and even more sad as it sounds like racial bigotry was the actual real cause.

[History Buff]

Thanks.  Using that info, it led me to an article at http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2007/04/springlake.html with the following interesting quote:
 

We were later told some white kids had pushed a black kid from the roller coaster and that it had set the blacks off. I still dont know the truth, to this day.

Later on there was someone that replied

Yes, it did happen on the Big Dipper. My dad witnessed the white kid pushing the black kid off the coaster and after all of that happened, my dad hurried to the area where the black kid fell to his death and took some pictures. We still have those pictures of the black kid laying dead on the ground. 

So I'm guessing that's the story that your mom had heard and used.  Interesting story, and even more sad as it sounds like racial bigotry was the actual real cause.

Those are details that I never heard.  I was so naive about racism for the longest time.  I wonder what the real story is.