"Dubbed by its owners in the late 1950s as the 'Disneyland of the East Coast', Pleasure Island was a fantasyland for children of all ages. Although it was in operation for less than a decade, thousands of local youngsters and their parents passed through the gates to ride on 'Old Smokey', the Pleasure Island and Western Raildroad and spend the day watching the shows and riding the amusements - over and over again! For the price of admission ($2.25 plus tax for 'grown-ups' and $1.75 plus tax for children under 12), everyone could take rides on the Wreck of the Hesperus, Continental Carousel, Moby Dick Hunt, the Skyscraper Slide, the antique cars in the Horseless Carriage Land, Pirate Cove Adventure, and see the shows throughout the day at the Show Bowl, Magic Land, the Chisholm Trail, and Indian Village. Children could also pet the animals at Baby Animal Land, Monkey Island, and even take a burro ride through 'the Old West.' There was something for everyone at Pleasure Island - food pavilions, shopping areas for souvenirs, and big name entertainment at the Show Bowl. Many youngsters had the opportunity to see Ricky Nelson, the Lone Ranger, Rin Tin Tin and Lassie, to name only a few. Today the site where Pleasure Island once stood is now home to several office complexes. The area is dotted with an apartment complex and several industrial and commercial buildings." -- Text from calendar. Captions: 1. The Pleasure Island and Western Railroad stations was originally the Greenwood station. The building was dismantled and transported to Pleasure Island. -- 2. An aerial view of Pleasure Island as depicted by this artist's rendering. -- 3. The entrance to Pleasure Island. -- 4. An aerial view of the former site of Pleasure Island. Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1988 Photos courtesy of Bourdon Studios.
