Wonderland Park was built on Ackerman Island, a sandbar in the Arkansas (pronounced "R – Kansas" within the State of Kansas) River. The sandbar started to form in the 1870’s. At that time the level of the river dropped, supposedly from the diversion of water for irrigation in Colorado (still a point of contention between the two states). Plants growing on the island held the soil and allowed more sand to accumulate. Joseph Ackerman, operator of a slaughterhouse and packing plant, acquired the island in 1890. He and his family lived on the island and operated a sand business there. In 1905 he sold the island and Wonderland was built.

Access to the park was from the Douglas Avenue Bridge just west of the present site of the Broadview Hotel. Unlike most parks of the day Wonderland was downtown, located on the western edge of the central business district.

• Roller Coaster (a figure 8, called The Great Thriller)
• Carousel
• Roller Rink
• Theatres (3)
• Bowling Alley
• Dancing Pavilion
• Bandstand
• Electric Fountain

The main attraction of the park was the theatre. William Jennings Bryan, Billy Sunday, The Marx Brothers, and John Philip Sousa were among the notables to appear at the park. Vaudeville performances were given and other bands played at the bandstand.

Statuary from the Saint Louis World’s fair adorned the grounds.

The roller coaster was a figure 8 and reported to be the longest roller coaster in the United States at the time it was built. A picture of the coaster appears on page 113 of Robert Cartmell’s book, The Incredible Scream Machine.

Remains

Nothing remains of Wonderland Park or Ackerman Island. The park closed in 1918 when blue laws were enacted and Sunday shows at the theatre, the big source of revenue, were banned. The Palenstinian Film Co. leased the park in 1919 for use as a movie studio, but the plan went by the wayside as the United States entered World War I. By the 1930’s downtown Wichita had grown by filling in the east side of the Arkansas River. Flooding concerns and the desire to put men to work brought Ackerman Island to the attention of the Works Progress Administration. With picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows, the island was removed.

Ackerman’s Island by Robert Razook (Wichita: Wichita Public Library, 1987).

The Arkansas Valley Interurban by W. D. (Doc) Isely (Glendale, CA: Interurbans, 1977).

The Incredible Scream Machine, A History of the Roller Coaster by Robert Cartmell (Fairview Park, OH: Amusement Park Books; Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1987).

The Wichita Eagle-Beacon, August 31, 1989; January 30, 1994; April 20, 1995

Photographic Collection of the Wichita Public Library

Special Thanks to Gary and Mary Lee Presson for sharing their memories