Our Rich History
Former Amusement Park a Roller Coaster of a Story
Pat Torrance tells us about a long-forgotten part of Montgomery's history: the story of Riverview/Fox Valley Park.
In the early 1900s, Montgomery was known as the home of a large and popular amusement park. Known as Riverview Park (and later Fox River Park), it was built in 1899 and dedicated in 1900, and it flourished for 25 years. The park was a brainchild of Senator Henry Evans of Aurora. Evans was an entrepreneur who built the electric railroad to connect Aurora to Elgin. His plan was to continue the line south through Montgomery, eventually ending in Morris. He ran into a snag when a farmer refused to sell him a strip of land for a right of way. So, after two years of haggling, he purchased the entire farm. But then he was left with another problem… what to do with the rest of the property? The more he looked, the more impressed he was with the …
Debbie Buchanan
8:32 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Jeff, there is a display in our Settler's Cottage museum with about 20 different photos of the park and a drawing that shows the layout. If you live in the area, you might want to stop in and see it once the museum opens again in the spring. Or if you want to email me I can send you the layout photo. vomadmin@ci.montgomery.il.us more ›