The "Early" San Francisco Chutes Parks!

This info is compiled from the sffound.com web site, “San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks” by James R. Smith and other tid bits from the Internet. I found Info can be conflicting and photos have often been mislabeled, so trying to separate fact from fiction was a chore.  These parks were all very similar, but all offered the newest attractions along with the CHutes.

First introduced in London as a big toy for the wealthy and called the "Toboggan Slide," chutes franchises appeared all over Europe in the late 19th century. 

Paul Boyton introduced the Chutes to the Chicago World Fair in 1893. It was an instant success and he capitalized on the Chutes by selling “building plans” with exclusive rights in his name. 

Haight Street Chutes (11/2/1895 – 3/16/1902) 

Built and ran by Charles Ackerman. On November 2, 1895, the Chutes park opened on Haight Street with a 350-foot Shoot the Chutes and a refreshment stand. The thrill of riding a boat down giant 350-foot water slide and careening into a lake at 60 miles and hour quickly became a big splash in America. 

Coney Island was the site of the country's premier chutes and on Nov 2, 1895, San Francisco's first chutes opened on Haight Street at Cole Street... 

Haight Street Chutes were a huge success. It boasted a “Scenic Railway” (basically a gravity coaster) that encircles the entire park. The Railway swooped up and down and around the park on two different levels. The ride ended in an 800-foot tunnel that was electrically lit, showing painted landscapes from around the world. The park had a Zoo,  English Carousel and “the Bewildering London Door Maze.’ The door maze was supposedly so hard to complete they frequently had to send it crews to help people find their way out! That park also included a shooting gallery, penny arcade and 3,000-seat theater to showcase vaudeville acts. 

Fulton Street Chutes (5/1/1902 – 1907) 

By 1902, San Francisco was growing Westward and the Haight District became quite valuable land for expansion. Ackerman decided to move his Chutes farther West. His "new chutes" opened on Fulton at 10th Ave. in 1902. The admission charge was a dime for adults and a nickel for children. 

Charles Ackerman, an attorney for several City railways, has two trolley lines at the gates of his new Fulton Street Chutes in 1902. Most of the Haight street attractions moved to Fulton. A Ferris wheel, Mirror Maze, Aeroplane swing and a 4,000-seat theater were added and remained popular through the 1906 earthquake and fire. The Earthquake only closed the Fulton Chutes for two weeks and they were back up and running. 

For seven frolicking years from 1902-1907, the Richmond District was home to the "largest pleasure resort in America" - the Chutes! 

Fillmore Chutes: Coney Island Park (11/23/1907 - 5/291911)

Charles Ackerman passed away in 1907 leaving the Chutes to his son Irving. Irving found new competition with new Chutes built in the Fillmore. That park was gaining popularity due to its closer proximity to the center of San Francisco. Irving quickly bought out the owners and moves closer to the inner city in 1909. Fillmore was the major commercial street during the City's reconstruction period. So, in 1909, Ackerman’s Chutes opened on it’s third location on the block bounded by Fillmore, Webster, Eddy and Turk streets... 

Coney Island Park opens in the Fillmore in 1907 with 40 concessions that embrace everything from musical pleasures to snake taming. The Fillmore Chutes adds rides like the Devil’s Slide, a zoo, an aquarium, a dance pavilion and a theater for motion pictures and vaudeville. 

On May 29, 1911, a fire breaks out. Conflicting information on where the fire starts. Some say a restaurant and others say a Hot Water heater at a Barber Shop! The damage was extensive! Some report the fire takes out half the park, while other say the entire park was leveled. Either way, it was the death knell for Ackerman’s Chutes. The Chutes amusement park would never open again 

11 years pass before the Chutes rose again in the form of Chutes at the Beach in 1921 and rest is Playland History…