Eldorado Amusement Park was a 25-acre (10.12 ha)

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

that opened in 1891 in the Highwood Park section of

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a Township (New Jersey), township in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the North River ...

. It operated as an amusement grounds through 1894, after which time the main building, the Casino, was used to host boxing matches and other athletic events and vaudeville performances. A massive fire in the early morning of November 4, 1898, destroyed the building.

Founding

Eldorado was formed by local prominent political and business leaders through the creation of the Palisades Amusement and Exhibition Company with

Bolossy Kiralfy Bolossy Kiralfy (1848–1932), one of The Kiralfy Brothers, was a performer, producer, writer and creator of musical extravaganzas in the late 19th, early 20th centuries. He was a "great international showman" and ushered in the "era of the Spect ...

, one of

the Kiralfy Brothers Imre Kiralfy and Bolossy Kiralfy were highly influential burlesque and spectacle producers in Europe and the United States toward the end of the 19th century. The brothers paved the way for many of our modern day spectacles. With backgrounds i ...

, being named as General Manager/Amusement Director. One of the principals of the company was

Hillric J. Bonn John Hillric Bonn (1829 – November 15, 1891) was the first president of the North Hudson County Railway and remained so until his death in 1891, a period of twenty-six years. He also was one of the founders of the Eldorado Amusement Park in Weeh ...

; he was the founder of street railways and he directly or indirectly owned large parcels of land in

Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...

. The Palisades Amusement And Exhibition Company also published the show program for Auguste Francioli's ''Egypt Through Centuries'' in 1892.

Attractions and themes

In 1891, Kiralfy's ''King Solomon's Mine'' was the opening production in the park's amphitheater Augusto Francioli's 'Egypt Through Centuries' was the theater's 1892 season show, one of numerous Egyptian Theaters of the 19th and 20th centuries in America. The five acts depicting 110 years of Egyptian history depicted, in some part, the virgin sacrifice to

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...

. Kiralfy's ''King Solomon'' show was also produced during the Eldorado's 1893 season. The park stated it was "the most beautiful amusement resort in the world" with the amphitheatre having a claimed seating capacity from 12,000 or 15,000 persons.

Subsequent use

The park was the location of "The Castle" which was the studio of

Karl Bitter Karl Theodore Francis Bitter (December 6, 1867 – April 9, 1915) was an Austrian-born American sculptor best known for his architectural sculpture, memorials and residential work. Life and career The son of Carl and Henrietta Bitter, he was ...

until 1898. Residential neighborhoods and commercial development now occupy the original area.

References

{{Reflist Amusement parks in New Jersey Weehawken, New Jersey 1891 establishments in New Jersey 1893 disestablishments in the United States Artists' studios in the United States Defunct amusement parks in New Jersey

Founding

Attractions and themes

Subsequent use

See also

References