Northern Nevada’s Lost Amusement Park Dreams

Northern Nevada once boasted a vibrant amusement park scene, offering residents and tourists alike a variety of summer fun. While many of these parks have faded into memory, their legacies persist in street names, repurposed buildings, and the collective nostalgia of those who experienced them. Here’s a look back at five amusement parks that have disappeared from the Northern Nevada landscape over the past century:

Moana Springs, Reno

Conceived by Charles Short after a trip to Hawaii, Moana Springs was envisioned as a recreational oasis. Short drew inspiration for the name “Moana” from Hawaiian mythology, where Moana was a fairy princess known for healing the sick and restoring youth. The resort opened in 1905, located at what is now the intersection of Moana Lane and South Virginia Street, then a location three miles outside of Reno.

Moana Springs offered a wide array of attractions during its heyday. Beyond the mineral baths, visitors could enjoy an ice cream parlor, a dance hall, a lengthy bar, a movie theater, a café, boating and picnic areas, and even a mini zoo populated with bears, wildcats, monkeys, and eagles. Entertainment options included band concerts, swimming races, shooting contests, boxing and wrestling matches, Wild West shows, bucking horse competitions, and both daytime and moonlight picnics. Camping and other outdoor activities were also popular.

The park gained international recognition in 1910 when boxer Jim Jeffries used Moana as his training ground for the highly anticipated “Fight of the Century” against Jack Johnson.

Tragedy struck in 1926 when a fire erupted in the vacant wooden bathhouse, swiftly destroying the structure and leaving only the concrete swimming pool intact. The pool faced closure in 1956 due to health concerns raised by the Board of Health, leading to the demolition of the bathhouse. A new pool was constructed and opened in 1960. However, the pool closed again in 2007 when the old boilers failed. The site’s baseball park, which had been around since 1908, was replaced with youth soccer fields in 2012.

Coney Island Amusement Park, Sparks

Coney Island, originally known as Wieland’s Park, emerged as a popular summer destination in the early 1900s. It opened in 1905, featuring a dance hall, bar, and lunch counter conveniently located along the streetcar line connecting Sparks and Reno. Otto Benschuetz, the local distributor for John Wieland Brewing Co., spearheaded the park’s development as a personal passion project, acquiring additional land to expand it to three acres.

The expanded park was rebranded as Coney Island Amusement Park in 1909. Advertisements touted new attractions, including a “bicycle merry-go-round for children, new imported steel swings, turning apparatus, imported steel boats, gasoline launches, fairy boats and row boats.” Plans were also announced for a “Shoot the Chutes,” a precursor to the modern log flume ride.

Benschuetz invested heavily in enhancing the park, planting trees, creating a lake, installing electric lights, and bringing in burros for children to ride. He also hosted bands, divers, and high-wire acts throughout the summer. His total investment in the park amounted to a substantial sum, equivalent to nearly $750,000 today. Benschuetz’s death in 1912 marked the decline of the park’s golden age, although it continued to operate for several more decades. Fires destroyed both the original dance hall and its replacement in 1927 and 1930, respectively.

The Coney Island Bar, a Prater Way establishment, and Coney Island Drive, named in 1953, serve as reminders of the park’s existence. Today, much of the park’s former location is situated beneath Interstate 80.

Sundown Town, Washoe Valley

Sundown Town possessed several promising features, including a scenic natural setting, proximity to established tourist destinations, and connections to Hollywood figures. However, the park faced a series of challenges that ultimately led to its demise.

Buster Keaton Jr., the son of the famous comedian, partnered with others to create a theme park intended to function as both a tourist attraction and a filming location for Western movies. Within months, however, the venture began to unravel. A concessionaire filed a lawsuit against the owners, alleging property seizure. The dirt road leading to the park deteriorated rapidly, becoming rough and difficult to navigate. Despite efforts to improve the park with restaurants, bars, pony rides, and a paved road, it continued to struggle. By July, Sundown Town had closed to the general public and was being rented out for private events.

The park was sold in 1963 but remained closed. In 1964, the new owners placed an advertisement seeking a couple to live on the property, offering free furnished living quarters and utilities in exchange for protecting their interests.

A fire in 1966 destroyed many of the original buildings.

Ponderosa Ranch, Incline Village

Based on the popular television series “Bonanza,” the Ponderosa Ranch attracted numerous visitors to the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe. The 570-acre park originated as Incline Stables, a ranch that housed the horses used in the show. As fans of the show flocked to the location, the ranch owners, Bill and Joyce Anderson, decided to theme the area and open it to the public in 1968.

The park promoted itself as offering “Western fun for everyone,” with attractions such as gold panning, a petting zoo, a shooting gallery, a replica of Virginia City, and a recreation of the Cartwright Ranch House, the series’ central setting. Several episodes of “Bonanza” were filmed, in part, at the theme park, along with three made-for-TV movies.

Although the original “Bonanza” series concluded in 1973, the Ponderosa Ranch remained in operation until 2004. Its closure was not due to a lack of popularity. According to Royce Anderson, son of the park’s founders, the park drew a record 250,000 visitors in its final year. However, the land’s high value made it an attractive target for development. Despite attempts by government agencies to purchase the park and preserve it for public access, the property was ultimately acquired by software billionaire David Duffield.

Great Basin Adventure, Reno

Rancho San Rafael Park in north Reno was once home to an attraction focused on Nevada’s mining history and natural environment. Great Basin Adventure featured replicas of a stamp mill and the Lehman Caves, a log flume ride, pony rides, and a petting zoo.

A collaborative effort between the Washoe County Parks Department and the Junior League of Reno, Great Basin Adventure occupied five acres within Rancho San Rafael Park. The Wilbur May Foundation contributed significantly to the park’s construction, and it opened in the summer of 1987. By late 1988, however, disagreements regarding the park’s attractions began to surface. Concerns arose about parking and traffic congestion, and some critics accused the advisory board of transforming Rancho San Rafael into a “Knott’s Berry Farm.”

Ultimately, the economic downturn significantly impacted Northern Nevada’s budgets, leading to the demise of the park’s more ambitious features. In 2010, Washoe County officials declined funding for a new conveyor belt for the log flume ride and fire safety upgrades at the mining mill. The park’s Discovery Museum continues to operate thanks to the efforts of volunteers. The infrastructure for the log flume ride was repurposed into a tractor museum in 2015.