Saltair

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Saltair

SALTAIR

Yet another beautiful and lost remnant of the age of amusement parks. This time, hundreds of miles away on the shore of the Great Salt Lake, a fantastic Moorish palace took shape

Saltair was the beautiful amusement pavilion built rig ht in the waters of the Great Salt Lake. Called the "Coney Island of the West," Saltair was built by the Mormon church as a place where its members could enjoy waterfront amusements in a "clean, family atmosphere." The inordinately saline waters gave Saltair a special attraction, such a degree of buoyancy that swimmers literally floated like inflatable balls. The original Saltair burned and was rebuilt in the 1920's in a slightly larger and grander form. It flourished for many years, before the retreating waters of the Lake, neglect after becoming state property and a final fire in the 1970's destroyed this landmark. Today, Saltair has been reopened, but it is a ghost of its former self and is only used now for the occasional rock concert. The current building is actually an aircraft hangar with a facade attached, rather than a genuine pavilion. Ironically, when they reopened Saltair, the tides returned, flooding the building and endangering the project. It occasionally floods to this day.

SALTAIR TODAY

"Those of us who lived in the last years of Saltair still relish it the way New Englanders breathe in the smell of burning leaves in autumn. To us it means racing for the open-air car of the train that went out to Saltair, riding in the Giant Racer and screaming all the way, and dancing to Harry James and Louis Armstrong as the waves lapped at the pilings under the biggest outdoor dance floor in the world. And now, years after the grand Lady of the Lake burned to the ground, new folks or visitors smell that lake wind and say, "What is that strange sour smell? We 'old timers' lick our lips, trying for a taste of salt, that stupid, pecky salt, and maybe trying, too, for a taste of our childhoods." Terrell Dougan, in the Deseret News, 7/14/75

There is no definitive website dedicated to Saltair. I recommend you

read the excellent book: "Saltair" by Nancy D. and John S. McCormick

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	Vanished History \| home An introduction \| Coney Island History \| Luna Park \| Steeplechase Park \| Dreamland Park \| Coney Island Extras \| Wentworth By The Sea \| Saltair \| Sutro Baths & Cliff House \| Contact Me - History Polls \| Gif Saltair SALTAIR Yet another beautiful and lost remnant of the age of amusement parks. This time, hundreds of miles away on the shore of the Great Salt Lake, a fantastic Moorish palace took shape Saltair was the beautiful amusement pavilion built rig ht in the waters of the Great Salt Lake. Called the "Coney Island of the West," Saltair was built by the Mormon church as a place where its members could enjoy waterfront amusements in a "clean, family atmosphere." The inordinately saline waters gave Saltair a special attraction, such a degree of buoyancy that swimmers literally floated like inflatable balls. The original Saltair burned and was rebuilt in the 1920's in a slightly larger and grander form. It flourished for many years, before the retreating waters of the Lake, neglect after becoming state property and a final fire in the 1970's destroyed this landmark. Today, Saltair has been reopened, but it is a ghost of its former self and is only used now for the occasional rock concert. The current building is actually an aircraft hangar with a facade attached, rather than a genuine pavilion. Ironically, when they reopened Saltair, the tides returned, flooding the building and endangering the project. It occasionally floods to this day. SALTAIR TODAY "Those of us who lived in the last years of Saltair still relish it the way New Englanders breathe in the smell of burning leaves in autumn. To us it means racing for the open-air car of the train that went out to Saltair, riding in the Giant Racer and screaming all the way, and dancing to Harry James and Louis Armstrong as the waves lapped at the pilings under the biggest outdoor dance floor in the world. And now, years after the grand Lady of the Lake burned to the ground, new folks or visitors smell that lake wind and say, "What is that strange sour smell? We 'old timers' lick our lips, trying for a taste of salt, that stupid, pecky salt, and maybe trying, too, for a taste of our childhoods." Terrell Dougan, in the Deseret News, 7/14/75 There is no definitive website dedicated to Saltair. I recommend you read the excellent book: "Saltair" by Nancy D. and John S. McCormick ===============================