On July 4, 1897, Hubinger Pastime Park opened. The park featured a variety of activities and facilities which included the ride "Shoot the Chutes," an auditorium and theatre, race track, and athletic field. Shoot the Chutes was an amusement park ride sixty-seven feet high and three hundred feet long. People would ride a flatboat down the chute and into a shallow pond. Of the events at the Casino (auditorium and theatre), some highlights were the speakers William Jennings Bryan and Carrie Nation. The John Phillips Sousa Band, the United States Marine Band, and the U.S. Army Band also performed there. The athletic field was home to the Keokuk Central Association baseball team and the Keokuk High School football games.

15th and Grand Avenue, Hubinger Park Casino Fire 1905

CREDITS: City of Keokuk