Neptune Beach, California

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Neptune Beach was an amusement park on the shore of San Francisco Bay in the city of Alameda, California. The park was served by the Southern Pacific Railway and ferries from San Francisco.

Opened in 1917, Neptune Beach occupied a beach front zone now known as Crab Cove. Originally owned by the Strehlow family, Though many do not know it, both the snow cone and the popsicle were invented at Neptune Beach. The Kewpie doll, handpainted and dressed in unique hand-sewn dresses, became the original prize for winning games at the beach -- another Neptune Beach invention. The Strehlows owned and operated the beach on their own, even filling in a section of the Bay to add an additional olympic-size swimming pool and an exceptional roller coaster which must have given riders a tremendous view of the Bay. Its two huge outdoor pools hosted swimming races and exhibitions by famous swimmers like Olympian Johnny Weismuller, who later starred as the original Tarzan and Jack LaLane who started a chain of health clubs.

The park closed down in 1939 because of the Great depression, the completion of the Bay Bridge, people circumventing paying the admission price and in general, the rise of car culture. Once the Bay Bridge was complete, the rail lines that ran right past the entrance to Neptune Beach on the way to the Alameda Mole and the Ferry, lost riders in droves. People began using their cars to escape the city and the immediate suburbs like Alameda and travelling further afield in California. Alameda lost its resort status as more distant locations became more attractive to cash-rich San Francisco tourists. Youngsters in town became aware of ways to avoid paying the dime for admission to the park. Strong swimmers or even waders could sneak in on the bay side, just by swimming around the fence. While some of the resort homes from Neptune beach still exist and can be seen near Crab Cove, the vast majority of the structures -- the hand-carved carousel from the world-famed Dentzel Company, the ferris wheel, roller coaster and other rides were auctioned off in 1940 for mere pennies on the dollar of their original cost.

[edit] links

http://www.alamedainfo.com/Alameda_CA_Postcards_2.htm