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rideonPoint's challenge isthe Corkscrew coasterThe sound of a roller coaster is unmistakable. It!te 5 cll;clac*l*clac*1 as tr®*n l?oos opthe mil On the downhill plunge the sound reaches itscrescendo with screams and yells that take your breath away.The world blurs. Colors run together in a montage.rhe blinking lights along the track might be thepumping m your heart. It seems you are riding a bullet shot out of a crooked barrel.Holler coasters are a part of America s popular culture Like games of tag. Saturday morning car* toons, and the Easter bunnv. roller coasters are part of the American childhood Not that they’re just for children, f or many, the fascination extends well into adulthood America has had a long-standing love affair with the roller coaster.The first successful coasters appeared in the UnitedStates around the beginning of this century, according to Robert M. Ca rtmell. a noted authority on roller coaster history. They were called “scenic railways” in those daysCedar Point researchers believe the first coaster inthe park was built in 1893. only 23 years after the resort was established with a bathhouse and picnic grounds in 1870 The coaster is believed to have been located on the beach, next to the Grand Pavillion.But the first well-known coaster at Cedar Point was the Racer, built in 1906 as part of the park's new amusement section The electric midway with rides was built when the first powerhouse was put into operation by George A Boeckling — the major developer of the park from 1897 through 1931.The Racer, also known as the Figure 8 Roller Toboggan, was damaged by a severe storm in the early 1900’s. It was rebuilt, however, and remained part of the park until the early 1920 s.By 1910, Cedar Point had two additional coasters, the Scenic Railway, and Leap-TheDips An early map of Cedar Point shows all ihree coasters running rallel to the beach, with the Racer the closest, thermc Railway in the middle, and Lcap-The-Dipsdown near the Sandusky Bay shaft.Cedar Point records a (so show that a coaster called the Cyclone was built in the early 1920’s, on the original site of the Racer, probably using part of the old structure It had the same figure-eight shape, with higher hills and bigger bumps The Scenic Railway was the longest of the three coasters and was distinguished by its cars that were carved wooden chariots with ornate dragon heads on the front erf each car. The coaster, which was a side by-side racing coaster, had several different names during its time, including the Scenic Leap Frog in the twenties and the High Frolics in the forties Leap-TheDips was the most challenging of the coasters, with a hill that was higher than that of the modern-day Blue Streak (90 feet).All of the early Cedar Point coasters were taken down in the 1950's. The Wild Mouse, one of the most memorable coasters to park visitors in the early 1960's, was operated by a private ride concession The first of five coasters operating in the park today was built in 1964 The Blue Streak, a traditional wooden coaster with a devastating first hill, is still« «• ** *a *• * *9 #• I*aHBSP*1'* • ***\*»y iTHE CORKSCREWconsidered one erf America’s best coasters (Esquiremagazine. March. ’77).In 1969. the Cedar Creek Mine Ride was opened inFrontierstown Built of a w ooden structure w ith a steeltrack, the Mine Ride features a long hill which dips almost into the lagoons.*1THE BLUE STREAKinfigure-eight s. w as pu rr the Future 8 RcToboggan lt;Racer i originally stood The Jumbo Jet. a spiraling metal coaster, was opened in 1972. and claims the record as the fastestcoaster in the parkAnd last, but certainly not least, is the Corkscrew, which opened in 1976 This untaue variation of the looping coasters features a 360-oegrce loop and two upside-down corkscrew turns,The Corkscrew, the most popular version of the coaster in the current country-wide roller coaster craze, completes a circle in history The forefatherof the looping coaster was successfullyrun in 1904, at Coney Island Named theLoopthe-Loop, the ride was an immediatehit but for one’flaw** low capacity The cars carried only four passengers in five minutes and couldn't make enough money. By 1914, all loop-the-loops were dismantledWith Cedar Point’s Corkscrew carrying 24 passengers per run. with a capacity for 1,530 passengers an hour, the fatal flaw is resolved, and one of the earliest versions of the coaster is revivedCedar Point is located on Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio,
Newspaper Details
Hamilton Journal News
Hamilton, Ohio, US
Sun, Jun 19, 1977
Page 29
Full Page
Clipped by
Cincinnati A.
OH, USA 10 Mar 2023
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