BATHHOUSE JOHN COUGHLIN and his PRINCESS ALICE TREASURE

Folks, sooner or later - Genealogists are going to realize that their family kinfolks are laying on some dealer's dusty shelves. If I can contribute to finding one little name or photo of that long lost ancestor you have been waiting to find,- its worth all the time I spend.

FACTUAL PRESENTATION
OF OUR WESTERN TREASURES

“BATHHOUSE JOHN” COUGHLIN
ZOOLOGICAL PARK

John J. Coughlin went to Colorado Springs for his health and made a fortune. How he got his nick-name “BATHHOUSE JOHN” is told in this story of this Chicago Politician who built an amusement park with alleged political payoffs. Needing a star attraction, he took a sick and dying elephant off the hands of the Chicago Zoo – gave it a bath a day and a pint of Jim Bean, nursed it back to health and she became:

PRINCESS ALICE

a confirmed lush and a national treasure

Folks, he was a dude to end all dudes and he was an incurable animal lover. Now this guy was a real work of art – when he had to have a star attraction for his amusement park, he maneuvered the purchase, from the Chicago Zoo, of Princess Alice, a snub-nose elephant that had developed a cold and was dying. He took her to his zoo, put her on a pint of Jim Beam daily and brought her back to health - a confirmed lush. His zoo was doing so well that he was on the lookout for more attractions. The City of Chicago had been storing for free, remnants and memorabilia from the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair, so he made a sweet deal to get them off the City’s hands and installed them in an Amusement Park. Many of the rides are described and pictured. The Flickering Flick was unique. Fifty seats sat on a rollered floor for a railroad ride. Along the way, the little engine rolled itself along until suddenly, lighting struck the bridge ahead of the train and simultaneously, the seats tilted and the audience slid, giggling, screaming to the floor. The roller coaster was 50 feet tall, 2,000 feet long and had a double figure-eight all the way down. Man, it was scary. The merry-go-round cost a nickel and the rest of the rides were a dime. There was the Happy Hooligan, the Old Mill Tunnel, a shooting gallery, a shoot-the-chutes ride, a Bicycle Water Ramp. Thousands attended. Bathhouse John Coughlin’s Amusement Park and Zoological Gardens were the forerunners of the great parks of today and what happened? How it ended. The trials and tribulations, the successes and errors. The folks involved and the heroics of the individuals.
Well, Ebay has pulled the rug out from under me and sent the curtain down so I don’t have the space to relate the story nor do I want to spoil it but you will just love it.

IT’S THE STORY OF BATHHOUSE JOHN

Please read this. There were many a western story published – the common ones about cowboy and Indians are listed on Ebay every day but the rarer ones about the guys who came along and made the most of the old west like this one are seldom found. Collectors treasure them and their price guide value rises every day. They are hard to find. I hunt them out cause really the better, untold and rarer stories were published in the rest.

Here’s one of ‘em.

FOLLOWING PURCHASE AND PAYMENT, IF YOU WILL WRITE ME OF YOUR SPECIAL NAME OR INTEREST, I WILL DO A FREE SEARCH OF MY WEBSITE AND UNINDEXED STORIES AND NAMES.
WWW.GENEALOGYIMAGESOFHISTORY.COM
IF I FIND SOMETHING THAT I THINK MERITS YOUR INTEREST, I WILL WRITE A REVIEW AND PLACE IT ON EBAY AND GIVE YOU NOTICE AND A HEAD START TO
BUYITNOW!

Following my retirement, I have dedicated my remaining hours to indexing the Genealogy of our western pioneers. During my research, I discovered that thousands of our kinfolk lay unfound and unrecognized on some book dealer’s shelf. Humbly, I am trying to keep history alive because Old Western History and Memorabilia was printed before computer indexing, I index every item I sell.

This complete index will be bound and included in this offering at no additional cost.
I hope you appreciate the effort.

BATHHOUSE JOHN’S COLORADO COME-DOWN
By A. J. Bruening as told to Hank Givens
ANCESTORS INDEXED HEREIN, CIRCA 1880s – 1930s
ANCESTOR’S LOCATION: COLORADO, ILLINOIS

GENEALOGY NAMES INDEXED w * INDICATING PICTURE:
BRUENING, Alvin J., Author
BRUENING, Arthur, brother of Alvin J. Bruening
BRUENING, Harry, brother of Alvin J. Bruening
BUFFALO BILL
COLBURN, Walter, Manager and Liquidator
COUGHLIN, “My Queen,” wife of John J. Coughlin
COUGHLIN, John J. “Bathhouse” *
FORD, Edsel
FORD, Henry
GIVENS, Hank, co-Author
JOHNSON, Mary E.

PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS w * INDICATING PICTURE:

Picture 1: Ten cents admission was required at John “Bathhouse” Coughlin’s amusement park and zoological gardens. Coughlin built his Colorado attraction with money he had accumulated from years of political payoffs in Chicago. *
Picture 2: John Coughlin was elected boss of Chicago’s first ward in 1892. *
Picture 3: One of the highlights of the July Fourth celebration was a spectacular ride by a bicyclist down the shoot-the-chutes. The bike, outfitted with flaming torches, sped down the ramp toward the water. *
Picture 4: The 110-foot high circle swing had a very “futurisic” look to it back in the early 1900s. *
Pict. 5: The prospect of traveling an unprecedented 50 mph in two minutes enticed the crowds to try out the park’s giant roller coaster. *
Picture 6: Monkeys housed in the 2,000-foot-long Old Mill ride provided additional thrill when they attacked female boat passengers. *
Picture 7: “Princess Alice,” the snub-nose elephant from Chicago, was a prime attraction at John Coughlin’s zoological park, located near Colorado Springs. *
Picture 8: One of the most popular places at Coughlin’s amusement park was the theatre where the audience “participated” in a filmed train wreck. *
Picture 9: At a time when trains brought many tourists to the Pikes Peek region, visitors could not resist a ride on the miniature train. *
Picture 10: Most Colorado Springs residents had only heard about buffaloes before John Coughlin put one in his zoological garden. *

PLACES AND THINGS PROMINENTLY MENTIONED w * INDICATING PICTURE:
100-foot tall Circle Swing *
1893 Chicago World’s Fair
Bicycle Ride down Shoot-The-Chutes (with flaming torches)
Black Range National Forest
Borax Smith’s Idora Amusement Park
Cheyenne Creek
Cheyenne School
Chicago’s First Ward
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Flickering Flick Train Ride *
Flower Festival Parade
Fourth of July Fireworks
Fun House *
Happy Houligan
Holstein Cattle
Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago
Lower Broadmoor
Mary E. Johnson Ranch
Mogollon National Forest
Monkey House in The Old Mill *
New Mexico
Old Mill Tunnel
Pikes Peak Region
Pinos Altos National Forest
Princess Alice, Elephant *
Roller Coaster, 50 feet high *
Seattle, Washington
Shoot-The-Chutes for Boats *
South Park, Colorado
U. S. Forest Service
Western League Baseball Park in Ivywild, Colorado

JOHN J. “BATHHOUSE” COUGHLIN’S
AMUSEMENT PARK AND ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

As many of you know I sit on old floors, in attics and in basements of old bookstores looking for rarely found and seldom read stories of the American West. Here is a really strange one I found entitled “Bathhouse John’s Colorado Come-Down,” by A. J. Bruening as told to Hank Givens. Here is a fairy tale western story. Seems in 1909, there was this big time Chicago politician named John Coughlin who had a yearning to get away from the Windy City for a spell from the pressure of politics. That vacation turned into a very serious business enterprise involving an Amusement and Zoological Park near Colorado Springs, Colorado.

COLORADO SPRINGS MEMORABILIA IS RAPIDLY DISAPPEARING

While others clip ads from magazines, I save history. It’s a shame that our past is being lost. It’s as simple as that.

My wife kids me that after I find a piece I like, buy it, read it, research it, take a picture, scan it, write the blurb, pay the Ebay entry fee and commission, that I end up making about 50 cents an hour. But, OH HOW I LOVE THIS OLD WESTERN HISTORY. What a story, Rare Story!!! Great Pictures. You will love it as it was published in this old complete western magazine of many years ago. The issue is in good condition, the cover is in vibrant color.
As clearly stated in my description, this is featured story in a rarely found and seldom read unusual and complete western magazine. I don't give out name of publication or date because I have caught competitors copying my index and work and trying to sell it as theirs. I hope you understand.
Buyer pays postage of $3.00 First Class Postage to U. S., $4.50 to Canada, $4.05 Priority Mail, $9.00 Par Avion (Air Mail) for International Mail. Texans must pay 8-� % sales tax. Thanks,
Tom

A GENEALOGY IMAGESOFHISTORY COPYRIGHTED PRESENTATION

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