Audubon-Downriver in Spokane in Spokane County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
A Legacy of Joy and Wonderful Memories
Amusement Park Owners
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, August 30, 2025
1. A Legacy of Joy and Wonderful Memories Marker
Emma F. Looff Vogel 1879-1938
Lloyd L. Vogel 1907-1965
Pauline M. Palmars Vogel 1879-1938
Louis Vogel was born on February 17, 1879, in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of German immigrants, John and Happel Vogel. Louis had an older sister, two younger brothers, and two younger sisters. Emma F. Looff was the second of five children. She was born on June 28, 1879, in Brooklyn to Charles I.D. and Anna Dolle Looff. Charles Looff, also a German immigrant and a master wood carver, was the builder of hand-carved carrousels and amusement rides. He built the first carrousel in the United States, located at Coney Island.
Louis was pursuing a banking career in Brooklyn, when he met Emma Looff, and on February 22, 1904, they married. They had two sons, Charles Harold and Lloyd Louis.
In 1907, Emma's father, Charles Looff, visited Spokane and was commissioned to design a carrousel for Natatorium Park. The hand-carved carrousel took two years to craft, and featured 54 unique horses, a giraffe, a tiger, and two chariots, all carved by Looff himself. In 1909, when Looff notified Natatorium Park that the $20,000 carrousel was complete, he found that Washington Water Power had taken over the park from the owner who had skipped town. They could not honor the contract, Looff then, negotiated to provide the carrousel and have his son-in-law operate it and other concessions on a percentage basis. Looff gifted the carrousel to Louis and Emma as a wedding present and the couple moved to Spokane. On July 18, 1909, the carrousel made its first revolution in Natatorium Park and Louis Vogel worked as the concessions director. The park flourished with the carrousel averaging 100,000 passengers per year.
On April 13, 1929, the Vogels purchased Natatorium Park for $137,500. Under their ownership,
this page online
Emma Vogel passed away on April 3, 1938. On September 9, 1939, Louis married Lilla T. Winters Penfield in Portland, Oregon. After Louis passed away on June 17, 1952, his son, Lloyd, took over Natatorium Park and operated it until its sale in 1962. Lilla Vogel passed away on October 1, 1976, in Spokane.
Lloyd Vogel was born in Brooklyn on July 25, 1907. He married Pauline M. Palmars of Spokane on December 14, 1929. Pauline passed away at the age of 41 on December 4, 1948. On August 8, 1950, Lloyd married Stella J. Featherly, the daughter of Gilbert and Irene Peone Carraber, in Great Falls, Montana. The couple eventually divorced.
Lloyd
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, August 30, 2025
2. A Legacy of Joy and Wonderful Memories Marker
Since 1975, Looff's carrousel resides in Riverfront Park. It is beautiful, well-preserved, and still true to the Vogel family legacy of creating wonderful memories for Spokane families.
Emma Vogel on the carrousel. The boy on the left is her son, Lloyd.
Erected 2022 by Fairmount Memorial Association, Spokane Regional Law Enforcement Museum, Spokane Historical Monument Committee, Jonas Babcock Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and the Westerners Spokane Corral.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 17, 1879.
Location. 47° 42.062′ N, 117° 29.269′ W. Marker is in Spokane, Washington, in Spokane County. It is in Audubon-Downriver. It is on Wellesley Ave west of North Hartley Street, on the left when traveling west.
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, August 30, 2025
3. A Legacy of Joy and Wonderful Memories Marker
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Matsutaro and Hatsume Kawaguchi (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Herbert Bolster (about 700 feet away); Byron C. Riblet (about 700 feet away); Thomas Redding Tannatt / Elizabeth Forster Tappan (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elizabeth Tappan Tannatt Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jesse Ray Drowley (approx. half a mile away); Never Forget Garden (approx. half a mile away); Whist-Alks Way (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spokane.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Col. George Wright (was approx. 2.2 miles away but has been permanently removed).
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, August 30, 2025
4. A Legacy of Joy and Wonderful Memories Marker
Courtesy of Jonas Babcock Chapter DAR
5. Dedication: A Legacy of Joy and Wonderful Memories Marker
Courtesy of Jonas Babcock Chapter DAR
6. Poster at the dedication ceremony
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. This page has been viewed 64 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on February 15, 2026, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 24, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. 5, 6. submitted on February 15, 2026, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
