Then & Now: Electric Park Main Entrance – Plainfield

The emergence of trolley parks in the last decade of the 19th century and the first few years of the 20th century coincided with the rise of both electric and railway companies. Not only was the U.S. experiencing rapid electrification since the late 1880s, but the railway companies were beginning to construct new interurban rail lines around urban centers.

Most electric parks were owned by electric companies and trolley companies, which often had one or more lines that transported workers and shoppers between downtown areas of the various cities and residential and industrial locations.

In 1904, the Aurora, Plainfield, & Joliet Railway established a streetcar line with a popular, 20-acre camping resort in Plainfield known as Electric Park. When constructed, Electric Park provided the trolley line excursionist an ideal summer resort spot.

Built along the banks of the DuPage River near Lockport and James streets, the attractions included camping cabins, a large auditorium, a dance hall, a refreshment pavilion, a theater, bowling alley, swimming pool, glider swings, baseball games, bowling and long strolling pathways around the park.

Many patrons enjoyed strolling along the many winding pathways found throughout the park. Another popular water activity at Electric Park was boating on the DuPage River. Not only could adventurous patrons rent rowboats and paddleboats for a nominal fee, but large groups could climb aboard the Mary Lee for a paddle wheel boat pleasure ride up and down the river.

Located on the west side of the river, the ever-popular toboggan slide, with its bathhouse at the base and the 150 steps to the top, entertained many young visitors each year as they enjoyed a steep slide on a toboggan into the water on a hot summer day.

A popular attraction at Electric Park was aerial acrobat Harry Darnell of Chicago. Considered by many to be one of the most noted trick balloonists in America, the 38-year-old Darnell performed his acrobatics to large crowds all over Midwest.

Having performed his trapeze act on a hot-air balloon over 300 times previously, Darnell lost his grip and fell nearly 700 feet to his death in the DuPage River on July 26, 1911. The daredevil was attempting his hazardous “Great Swing” trick from the trapeze bar below his balloon when he fell. Nearly 2,000 picnickers, mostly members of the Merchants’ Association of Joliet, witnessed the catastrophe. Darnell was interred in the Plainfield Township Cemetery shortly after the event.

The Electric Park closed in the early 1920s, when buses and automobiles replaced the trolley lines through the area.