ALTON - On September 17, 1924, the Alton Telegraph announced that the Ocean Wave driving track had officially closed.
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A year before, Chester A. Murphy, Metropolitan Life Insurance agent and car salesman, had decided to build an ocean wave road on a strip of property near Bethalto. With the help of property owner Ed Balster, on Balster’s land, he built a half mile of mounds meant to be driven up and down at about 30 miles per hour for a thrill. The road resembled an ocean wave in that it had a series of elevations and depressions, the difference of which was about the height of a Ford car. Murphy, who left Metropolitan Life to dedicate all of his time to the amusement business, also constructed a dancing pavilion and planned to erect a Ferris wheel. In June 1924, the Ocean Wave opened and Murphy began charging a dime to automobile owners to drive the bumpy track.
However, the wave was not as popular as expected, and by the end of August, no one was monitoring the attraction or charging admission. Drivers could go on the Ocean Wave for free once they got to the right spot. “All one [had] to do is drop off the road just a few feet, get on the ocean wave tracks, and ‘step on it.’ Up and down you go and the thrill you get is similar to that experienced by going up and down the steepest hills in Alton.” Murphy had left town, first for Chicago and then Gary, Indiana, without paying Balster anything for the lease of his land, the hauling of cinders, or the assistance with grading the land to create the waves. Balster got tired of waiting for his money and secured an attachment suit in court. Constable Hoffmann took possession of a dancing floor, lunch stand, bandstand, and piano, which were all sold at auction on October 7, 1924, to pay Balster’s claim. Then all that was left was “the bump-e-ty-bumps.”
Sources
“Big Dances Every Wednesday Night…” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), June 4, 1924.
“City News Briefs.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), October 6, 1924.
“Ocean Wave is Rough on Owner Who Quits City.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), August 29, 1924.
“Ocean Wave is Too Rough and Resort Closes.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), September 17, 1924.
“Ocean Wave Road Privately Made for Automobiles.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), July 10, 1923.
“Ocean Wave Run for the Autoist Near Bethalto.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), June 3, 1924.
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