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Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada |
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The series of articles in Closed Canadian Parks discusses over 100 parks or amusement areas that used to exist in Canada; most in detail. Not all former parks are given, only those which had amusement rides or other attractions that would interest the typical reader of this website. There are however, some listed that may or may not have had amusements, but are shown here until more information is located. Note that some parks still exist (whether renamed, relocated, or not), but the attractions for the most part have been removed, and thus are considered closed for the purpose of this series of articles.
Many of the articles mention facilities which are currently located on the former sites of now-defunct parks. Names that may be found on modern, detailed maps of the area being discussed have tried to be given, so those of you who are interested in geographically placing an old park in relation to present-day structures or landmarks, may do so with relative ease.
There are several brief overviews included among the individual park articles that discuss areas which contained multiple parks. Many of these were nature reserves and gardens that fall outside the scope of this webpage, as was outlined in the paragraphs above. They are here so that the reader may receive a background on a specific area and have a better idea of where and why some of the amusement parks originated. Current overviews include "The Beaches", "Halifax", "London Parks", "McNab's Island", and The "Sandwich Mineral Springs".
This website is hand coded (no page maker) for an 800 X 600 resolution, checked at both 640 X 480 and 1024 X 768, and then re-coded to resolve display problems or differences. This middle resolution was chosen as the best after considering the less-capable systems used by lower-income people, those with handicaps, and those simply using older computers as second or third systems either as hobbyists or because their kids are monopolising their main systems. Also considered were those using laptops, personal digital assistants, Internet-capable cell phones, and so on that have screen diagonal sizes of 300mm down to 100mm or less. It is not recommended that you view at any higher than a 1024-pixel horizontal resolution because the text can appear stretched and there may be excessive space between individual page elements.
As well, the htnl coding has kept in mind those using text-only browsers and/or translation software for the visually impaired. All CEC webpages are completely text friendly.
The 800 X 600 resolution is not a problem except for those that have giant monitors using unusually high system-wide resolution settings. To them I suggest setting the browser to 800 X 600 or enlarging the screen text and/or photos so the narrative is not so stretched out and the pictures not too small.
Finally, a word to those using recent Internet Explorer, Mozilla or Safari browsers: There is a problem with the way they render tables. Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Safari do not now follow standard html code interpretations for individual table data cells. Empty cells are encroached upon with the result as seen on this website that some photo captions are misplaced or skewed, or most often, there is misplaced or stretched accompanying text. Another problem is text and/or photos that are not properly aligned with each other or the page.
These are Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Safari problems. They do not occur with previous versions, nor with versions of other graphic browsers tested: Arachne, Firefox, Opera, and Netscape. As pages are updated, recoding is being done to mask this problem, but the authors of these browsers should learn html standards!
Originally, all articles were contained in one LARGE document; it had not been broken up into separate links. This had been done to facilitate the searchability of the information. So if one had wanted to search Canada's past for all Fred Church rides or for all instances of say, "swimming pools" or "Swooper" rides, it could have easily been done.
However, as time went on and more research yielded a greater quantity of information, the document became so large and had so many images & tables, that it took unacceptably long to load. Thus, the decision to split it up into separate links was reluctantly made. Eventually, though, the shear amount of information grew to be so much, and it was spread across so many articles, that the need of a search engine became apparent. So one was implemented in the spring of 2006. It was improved upon in the fall of the same year. One may now use Google to search any CCP or CEC webpage. A search box with the "CCP" precursory URL information is available in the Index Search Section of the CCP Articles Index.
In addition, you will find that statistics for roller coasters of the past, as given in the CCP articles, have been gathered into a summary table in Canadian Roller Coasters of the Past. Plus, the most outstanding past coasters are listed in Canadian Roller Coaster Record Holders.
Years shown under the park name title may include some before the park became official and/or some after it closed. Dates before the park's time-span usually mean the area was frequented by visitors as a picnic area or beach, and was deemed popular enough to attract amusements and become a full-fledged park. Dates shown after closure most likely mean the area continued to be used as a recreational retreat, but that most, or all, the attractions were removed or destroyed.
I would like to warn readers that some information may not be accurate but has been included until further data is received. Notes have been inserted to alert readers to this fact only in the most suspect cases. If you have additions, corrections, or more information, please e-mail so the page will improve. *cec@chebucto.org Note that for browsers that support it, users may hit a designated key such as the letter `c' (contact) anywhere at this website to access the mail link immediately. Check your browser's manual to see if it has that capability.
In addition to references in the text,
most photos will have explanatory notes accompanying them. To be sure
viewers will be directed to the intended part of an image, a Photo
Reference Chart is presented at the right. These direction conventions
will be used throughout Closed Canadian Parks. (Handicap or text
browser users may go here for a suitable
text chart.)
While the designations will seem logical and probably unnecessary, the boundaries shown will serve to better pinpoint the area being discussed. If you are having trouble locating an object being identified within a photo, mentally lay this chart over that photo. All, or part, of that object should fall within the indicated section. Feel free to e-mail if you have any questions regarding the photos presented on this webpage.
A cautionary word is to be heeded regarding photos shown in the articles. Most were from postcards, some of which are over a century old. Many of these were not in good shape. Some had tears, creases, handwriting, post marks on them, etc. Some photographs were faded, grainy or damaged. These all have been cropped, retouched and/or modified to repair imperfections, and, in some cases, to eliminate extraneous items. Because of these alterations, they should not be used as references for serious photo research. These pictures are presented strictly as enhancements to the text. Serious researchers may send an e-mail regarding any photos in which they are interested so as to learn of the alterations to the photos.
Photo sizes are generally less than 640 X 480. Most are considerably smaller, especially those which are from postcards that are typically 320 X 200 pixels in size. These image sizes were used so they could easily accompany the text and so their file sizes would not be so large that downloading would take excessively long. Thumbnails could have been used with links to much larger pictures, but I personally find that a nuisance when viewing a narative-style webpage. It would be as if reading a magazine article where one must constantly turn to page `n' to see the big picture. Given that the text often discusses things in an accompanying image, it was decided to present all images in the manner currently seen.
As well, some photos have come from archives that placed a limit the quality of image scans. Enlarging such scans would make for a pixelated image, resulting in a poorer presentation.
No image in any Closed Canadian
Parks article
may be copied without permission. They are not public
domain and may not be used or reproduced unless the
copyright holder gives a specific release to do so. Please
send an E-Mail request
if you wish to use a photo.
Now go to the
Closed Canadian Parks Index
For an Alphabetical List of the Park Articles.
Return to the
Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada
Main page.
