Chutes Amusement Park/Theater - Exact date of fire that destroyed the property

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My great grandfather, James Buckley, was a SF firefighter, and died in 1911 after being injured in the Chutes fire. His name appears on the memorial plaque in the lobby of the San Francisco Fire Department Headquarters, but I have not been able to determine the date of the fire. I'm an amature genealogist, and would like to have the exact date so I can find newspaper accounts of the fire. Any help appreciated. Thanks very much.

-- Marge Dieckman (rd6789@earthlink.net), June 06, 2001

Answers

Marge...you can call the SFFD Museum at (415) 558-3546. there is a web site for the SFFD but not a lot of information or links listed www.ci.sf.ca.us/fire/service.htm or better yet use google search and type in san francisco fire department and look at the links there

-- mike dempsey (mikede1087@aol.com), June 09, 2001.

Here is my reseach on the 4 Chutes. #1 - Nov. 2, 1895 - March? 1902 - Haight Street between Cole & Clayton

#2 - May 1, 1902 - ? 1909? - Fulton Street between 10th and 11th Avenues. Featured: 350 ft. long waterslide. scenic railway, 4,000 seat Vaudeville Theater, zoo, ice skating rink, dance hall, merry-go-round, shooting gallery, miniature bowling alley, penny arcade and photograph gallery. Closed after the earthquake from 4/18/06 to 1/21/07. Reopened on Jan. 22, 1907 #3 - July 14, 1909 - May 29, 1911. - Fillmore, Webster, Eddy and Turk streets. Destroyed by fire started at 1 a.m. in the restaurant.

#4 - about 1920 - 1950 - Chutes-at -the-Beach. Part of a larger amusement park. Demolished 2/15/50

The 3rd Chutes was destroyed in a fire that started in a restaurant flue about 1. a.m. Your grandfather would have lost his life fighting this fire May 29, 1911.

-- John Freeman (freeman@igc.org), July 31, 2001.


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