Riverfront Park is a municipal park in downtown Spokane, Wash. It is not to be confused with Riverside Park, also located in Spokane -- the latter is a state park, more rural in character, on the northwest outskirts of town. Both "river" parks are named for their adjacency to the Spokane River.
Riverfront Park comprises 100 acres on either side of the Spokane River immediately across from the heart of downtown Spokane. This riverfront area has a long and colorful history, dating back to Native American times. It includes Spokane Falls, a plunge particularly dramatic during spring runoff. The islands and riverside land comprising today's park became part of the railroad industry that fueled Spokane's boom in the 1800s and early to mid-1900s. It was not until its refurbishment in preparation for the 1974 World's Fair Expo that Riverfront Park became the vibrant urban park it is today.
Riverfront's Looff Carrousel One of the main attractions for any visitor to Riverfront Park is the historic carousel, or "carrousel." (Carousels designed and built by master craftsman Charles Looff have historically taken the French spelling, "carrousel.") This particular carrousel was installed in 1909 as a wedding gift for Looff's daughter. On the National Register of Historic Places, Spokane's Looff Carrousel has a proud history of its own, separate from the trajectory of the park.
Carrousel aficionados know the name "Looff" and understand its import. Looff's carrousels are hand-carved and highly prized, and the one at Spokane's Riverfront Park is one of America's most beautiful and well preserved. It features 54 horses, 1 giraffe, 1 tiger, and 2 dragon chairs. It is also a carrousel on which riders can still attempt to "catch the brass ring" as they make their counterclockwise orbit.
1909 Launch, 1975 Relaunch When Charles Looff launched his carrousel on July 18, 1909, it was long before the founding of the Riverfront Park we know today. The site in those days was known as Natatorium Park. "Nat Park" operated until 1967, at which time the carrousel was put in storage. With renewed interest in the park area as a result of the World's Fair Expo of 1974, the carrousel was brought out of storage and re-installed in the new park in 1975.
Facts And Figures Since the Looff Carrousel reopened to visitors in 1975, it has hosted 275,000 riders per year -- over 10 million riders. If you add the estimated 13 million riders from its Nat Park days, that's over 23 million! This and many more fun facts (number of lights, number of mirrors, miles traversed by the revolving animals, etc.) are recorded on the park's website at http://spokaneriverfrontpark.com/. The website even records facts and figures on the number of tails involved in the carrousel animals, including replacement statistics and those involving real horse hair.
About Those Animals The carrousel's website gives a bit of history about each and every animal (and seat) on the carrousel. There are three concentric rows of characters, with many of the flashiest on the outside row. Rainbow Warrior is a white outside horse named for its rainbow breast plate and medieval warrior trim. Casper the Ghost Horse is a gray horse with abundant turquoise trim and a particularly aggressive posture. Alas, Casper is also known as the jinx horse, because it is said that he refuses to "jump" high enough for riders to reach the rings and earn a free ride.
The animals other than horses include a giraffe, a tiger, and a goat, all in the outside circle, and two double-wide dragon seats. The tiger is a particularly noteworthy attraction. Said to be one of only three carrousel tigers in existence in this particular crouching pose, he is the only one currently displayed on an operational carrousel.
For further information on Riverfront Park and its Looff Carrousel, see http://spokanecarrousel.org and http://www.spokaneriverfrontpark.com.
Sally O'Neal is a travel writer with a home in Spokane, Washington. She has written for Sportsmansguide.com since 2000.