CONEY ISLAND OF THE WEST: Revisiting West Seattle's Once Famous Boardwalk
Established in 1907 on a boardwalk pier built on pilings, the famous (and infamous) West Seattle amusement park Luna Park at Duwamish Head welcomed thrill-seekers for a 10-cent admission ticket purchased at the Alhambra-themed main entrance on Alki Avenue. The 12-acre park’s attractions included a Figure 8 rollercoaster that traveled at six miles an hour, a carousel hand-carved by German immigrant Charles Looff (who designed major carousels from coast to coast), a natatorium (Luna Pool), and a live bear pit. It also boasted the longest bar in Elliott Bay. Outraged women and irate Prohibitionists shut down the park’s rides in 1913 because of its manager’s ties to prostitution and organized crime. The pilings on which Luna Park was built can still be seen at Anchor Park on Duwamish Head when the tide is very low.
AERONAUTICAL EXPERIMENTS
In summer 1908 Luna Park hosted a rare exhibition of a hand-constructed airship made from 300 lbs of Japanese silk by daredevil aviation pioneer L. Guy Mecklem. On June 27th 1908 Mecklem took his creation for a spin – the first manned flight in Seattle. The ill-omened expedition ended with a tugboat rescue of Mecklem and his vehicle from Elliott Bay. Undeterred, the adventurous Mecklem took to the skies again on July 4th in the freshly mended airship and this time won a race against multiple automobiles before landing near the Duwamish River.
