{"id":116351,"date":"2020-04-15T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/?p=116351"},"modified":"2020-04-14T21:49:44","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T02:49:44","slug":"the-first-ferris-wheel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Ferris Wheel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Literally nothing but a constant rise and fall, today I\u2019m going to tell you about the story of a classic theme park ride: the very first Ferris wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/pinecast.com\/player\/413ff7ea-8c1d-40b3-aaf2-5746f0b3cd1d?theme=flat\" seamless height=\"200\" style=\"border:0\" class=\"pinecast-embed\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_35_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' style='display:none'><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Intro\" title=\"Intro\">Intro<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Before_the_Ferris_Wheel_the_Eiffel_Tower\" title=\"Before the Ferris Wheel: the Eiffel Tower\">Before the Ferris Wheel: the Eiffel Tower<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Worlds_Fairs\" title=\"World\u2019s Fairs\">World\u2019s Fairs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Exposition_Universelle_of_1889\" title=\"Exposition Universelle of 1889\">Exposition Universelle of 1889<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Gustav_Eiffel_and_the_Eiffel_Tower\" title=\"Gustav Eiffel and the Eiffel Tower\">Gustav Eiffel and the Eiffel Tower<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#The_Ferris_Wheel\" title=\"The Ferris Wheel\">The Ferris Wheel<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#George_Washington_Gale_Ferris_Jr\" title=\"George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.\">George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#The_1893_Columbian_Exposition\" title=\"The 1893 Columbian Exposition\">The 1893 Columbian Exposition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#The_Somers_Wheel\" title=\"The Somers Wheel\">The Somers Wheel<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#The_Chicago_Wheel\" title=\"The Chicago Wheel\">The Chicago Wheel<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Operation_of_Ferris_Chicago_Wheel\" title=\"Operation of Ferris\u2019 Chicago Wheel\">Operation of Ferris\u2019 Chicago Wheel<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Chicago_Wheel_Post-Exposition\" title=\"Chicago Wheel Post-Exposition\">Chicago Wheel Post-Exposition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Chicago_Wheel_Moves_to_St_Louis\" title=\"Chicago Wheel Moves to St. Louis\">Chicago Wheel Moves to St. Louis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#The_End_of_the_Ferris_Wheel\" title=\"The End of the Ferris Wheel\">The End of the Ferris Wheel<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#Conclusions\" title=\"Conclusions\">Conclusions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/#References\" title=\"References\">References<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intro\"><\/span>Intro<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How\u2019s it going, theme park aficionados? Life\u2019s a lot right now, so let\u2019s distract ourselves from it. Today I\u2019m going to go narrow, and tell you the story of a single ride. A beginning, and an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So instead of talking about a theme park meeting its tragic end, let\u2019s talk about a beginning. Today, I\u2019m going to tell you about the first Ferris wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Before_the_Ferris_Wheel_the_Eiffel_Tower\"><\/span>Before the Ferris Wheel: the Eiffel Tower<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Two hundred and thirty one years ago, a French mob stormed the Bastille Saint-Antoine in Paris, France. This was the flashpoint, beginning the French Revolution, marking a period of extreme social and political upheaval in France over ten years. The French Revolution accelerated the rise of modern republics and democracies, and is widely considered one of the more significant events in human history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ONE hundred and thirty one years ago, the Exposition Universelle of 1889 was held in Paris, France, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Worlds_Fairs\"><\/span>World\u2019s Fairs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a classic world\u2019s fair. As I talked about last time during my Carousel #15 episode, a world\u2019s fair is a generic term used to describe an event where many nations come together to showcase achievements, technology, products, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consensus is that the first world\u2019s fair was held in 1851 in London, an idea of Prince Albert (Queen Victoria\u2019s husband). It was called \u201cGreat Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations\u201d and was based on an already-extant French tradition dating back to 1798, titled \u201cExhibition of Products of French Industry\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wikipedia tells me that there have been three periods of world\u2019s fairs so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Industrialization (through 1938), where the fair focused on trade, technological advances, and inventions<\/li><li>Cultural exchange (1939-1987), where the fair focused on social and cultural themes likes \u201cBuilding the World of Tomorrow\u201d and \u201cPeace Through Understanding\u201d<\/li><li>Nation branding (1988-present), where the fair focuses on improving the images of each nation, almost as in an advertising campaign.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Exposition_Universelle_of_1889\"><\/span>Exposition Universelle of 1889<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1889 Exposition Universelle, then, was about industry, trade, technology, and inventions. The last may strike a chord with you, for an invention is the reason we\u2019re bringing up this particular world\u2019s fair at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In interesting trivial tidbit time, apparently all of the European countries with monarchies officially boycotted the fair, since it was celebrating the French Revolution (otherwise known as the overthrowing of the French monarchy). (Despite being officially boycotted, however, the manufacturers from these countries still wanted to participate, and were sponsored by private industry in order to do so.)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exposition was filled with exhibits of science and technology, many located within the massive Gallery of Machines, a building with the longest interior space in the world at that time. There were showcases of improvements in telephones and phonographs, maritime navigation and military technology, and the elevator, with miraculous new safety brakes from the American Otis Elevator Company.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was the Palace of Fine Arts, the fountains and the various side streets designed to look like places around the globe. There was good food, there were hydrogen balloons in which spectators could view the fair from on high, there was a train (choo choo, Abandoned Train fans \u2013 this one was called the Decauville Railway, which utilized many different narrow-gauge steam locomotives over its short 6-month run).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"762\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Paris_1889_plakat_publicdomain.jpg?resize=762%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Paris_1889_plakat_publicdomain.jpg?resize=762%2C1024&ssl=1 762w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Paris_1889_plakat_publicdomain.jpg?resize=223%2C300&ssl=1 223w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Paris_1889_plakat_publicdomain.jpg?resize=768%2C1032&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Paris_1889_plakat_publicdomain.jpg?w=985&ssl=1 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) 100vw, 762px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>1889 promotional poster for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, featuring the Eiffel Tower. Public domain image via Wikipedia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gustav_Eiffel_and_the_Eiffel_Tower\"><\/span>Gustav Eiffel and the Eiffel Tower<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>But. All of this stood in the shadows, literally, of the spectacle of the 1889 Exhibition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The centerpiece for the exhibition was to be simply a three hundred meter tower. At the time, tall buildings were reserved only for religious buildings, and these were half the height of the proposed tower \u2013 the Notre Dame cathedral with its 40-meter high spire, for instance, claimed a total height of 151 meters. It was the mastery of iron that allowed something twice this height to even be considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The man to do it was Gustav Eiffel, born in 1832. He made a name for himself in France, building highly regarded bridges and aquaducts across the country. He firmly established himself with his successful building of several of the 1878 Exposition buildings. And of course, he was responsible for the metal interior of the Statue of Liberty, around 1881. (Beyond the scope of this story, but worth looking into if you have the time \u2013 an incredible amount of engineering went into this structure and it\u2019s one of the earliest examples of \u201ccurtain wall\u201d construction!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 1884, three men at Eiffel\u2019s company had come up with a design for a novel tall tower, inspired by something from a previous world\u2019s fair, the 96-m tall Lassing Observatory built for the 1853 New York exposition. Eiffel bought the rights to patent the design from his workers, and began to promote the tower\u2019s design in engineering circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1886, a competition was formally announced for the centerpiece of the forthcoming fair, and it was written in such a way (a 300 meter tall four-sided metal tower!) to make the choice of Eiffel\u2019s design the foregone conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Construction began in 1887. Surprisingly to me, all of the Tower\u2019s 18,037 individual parts were prefabricated at the factory and assembled onsite. Eiffel\u2019s tower was roundly critiqued as it was built, both by people who thought it was not a feasible project and by people who thought it was going to be an ugly eyesore and a blight on the Parisian landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By March of 1889, the structure was complete, and it sounds that critics quickly changed their tune as the popularity of the structure grew. In the short period when the Tower was open to the public but before the elevators were operational, over 30,000 people climbed the twisting stairs up to the top.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of ricky-ticky details: The Eiffel Tower is said to be the most-visited paid tourist attraction in the world. The Tower is 1063 feet tall, or roughly 81 stories, and was the first manmade structure to surpass 300 m.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Tower was stunning for every visitor to the 1889 Exposition, as well as being incredible advertising for the Expo and for Paris in general.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Ferris_Wheel\"><\/span>The Ferris Wheel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you may be saying, why am I telling you about the Eiffel Tower instead of the Ferris Wheel? The reason we must care about the Eiffel Tower in this context is because of how inspirational it was \u2013 without the idea of the Eiffel Tower and how breathtaking it was for the 1889 Exposition, we wouldn\u2019t have the subsequent idea of the Ferris Wheel to try and top the Tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a guy. He wanted to \u201cOut-Eiffel Eiffel\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"George_Washington_Gale_Ferris_Jr\"><\/span>George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>His name was a real mouthful \u2013 George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. He had a very nice mustache in his prime. He was an American, born in Illinois, and he was the guy who invented the Ferris wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>George Ferris, because I\u2019m neither going to say nor type all of that, was 32 when he came up with the idea for the Ferris wheel, to really make you feel terrible about your personal accomplishments. He had some very slicked-back hair and a truly spectacular droopy mustache, perfect for his time. Prior to building one of the most iconic rides and structures ever, Ferris was a fairly typical 19th century dude. He went to military school, he went to college for engineering, he was in a frat, and then he started his own company, because they didn\u2019t have podcasts for white guys to start back then.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferris\u2019s company inspected metals in bridges, so at least tangentially, he was positioned for his big breakthrough. He also designed and built bridges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_1893_Columbian_Exposition\"><\/span>The 1893 Columbian Exposition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>1893 saw the biggest World\u2019s Fair held to date at that point, designed to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the famous voyage of Christopher Columbus. The primary \u201cDirector of Works\u201d for the Columbian Exposition was Daniel Burnham, an architect known for many skyscrapers and shopping centers, including New York\u2019s Flatiron Building. He took primary charge of the fair\u2019s development after his business partner died early in the planning process, and much of the success of the fair is contributed to Burnham\u2019s action and effort alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fair was to be held in Chicago, and the Americans desperately wanted to surpass the Eiffel Tower. That was *so* a few years ago, after all, and the Eiffel Tower was still the star of the global tourism scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1891, Burnham and his team announced a challenge for American engineers. The challenge was to come up with something which would surpass the Eiffel Tower, *so* two years ago. The directive was \u201cmake no little plans\u201d. They wanted something original, daring, and unique, something that would blow the socks off the Eiffel Tower.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A space was left blank in the map for the exhibition\u2019s exclamation point. Ferris, our friend with the long named, took to the drawing board. Or, well, to the paper nakin that accompanied a meal at a steakhouse. In a newspaper interview, he\u2019s quoted as saying \u201c\u201c[B]efore the dinner was over I had sketched out almost the entire detail, and my plan has never varied an item from that day.\u201d\u201d He had an idea for a wheel that would take guests spinning higher than even the Statue of Liberty.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Ferris wheel in general concept wasn\u2019t new, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Somers_Wheel\"><\/span>The Somers Wheel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The thing is, Ferris copied the idea of the Ferris wheel from someone else. Ferris was \u201cjust\u201d the guy who made the wheel famous.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now with our entire world in lockdown, I don\u2019t have a copy of the book I really need, \u201cFerris Wheels: An Illustrated History\u201d by Norman Anderson. So I\u2019ll have to make do with digital-only references. It seems that Ferris wheels, in fact, go back over a hundred years before even George Ferris. The earliest wheels were apparently in Bulgaria in the early 17th century, and were turned by very strong men while guests rode around. Similar contraptions existed in many different countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The connection to the US was said to have been a Frenchman named \u201cAntonio Manguino\u201d, who built a pleasure wheel for his fair in the little town of Walton Springs, Georgia. From here, the wheel caught the eye of a man named William Somers. And with names like Epicyloidal Diversion and the Cycloidal Chariot, why wouldn\u2019t they?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, there are at least two patents for Ferris wheel type devices prior to Somers\u2019 wheel, but William Somers was <a href=\"https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US489238\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the first American to patent a Ferris wheel type design<\/a>, sometimes called \u201cvertical swings\u201d or \u201cRoundabouts\u201d. Somers\u2019 first wheel was built in 1891 in Atlantic City, two years prior to his patent. It was called the Observational Roundabout, and it towered over the boardwalk. People loved it \u2013 it was the effect of looking down on the world for people who\u2019d never been near a skyscraper before.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, the wheel was made out of nice solid wood, and in June of 1892, caught fire when a gasoline lamp exploded. He rebuilt an even better \u201cdouble\u201d wheel there in Atlantic City, and then built another at Asbury Park in NJ and another at a little place called Coney Island in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The wheels were unsurprisingly immensely popular, despite their flammability and incredible noise. Being steam powered, Somers\u2019 wheels spewed smoke and were said to be as loud as a locomotive. It\u2019s said that George Ferris rode the Atlantic City Somers Wheel. Some time after his ride, Ferris came up with the idea for the Ferris wheel.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Chicago_Wheel\"><\/span>The Chicago Wheel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferris\u2019 idea for the Columbian Exposition was a great wheel. The directors weren\u2019t immediately convinced, reportedly fearing that it would topple over in the middle of the park on the guests. Director Burnham took one look at the slender spokes and described the whole thing as \u201ctoo fragile\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, the country was in the middle of a severe financial Depression with 25-40% unemployment, depending on the city, so financing for such a project wasn\u2019t the easiest to come by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, the directors relented, putting their faith in Ferris and his network of connections. Ferris began construction on his massive wheel right away.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And massive it was.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferris\u2019s Great Chicago Wheel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Was 250 feet in diameter<\/li><li>Had an 89,000 lb axle, 45.5 feet long<\/li><li>Carried 36 cars<\/li><li>Carried over 2,000 people at once<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When the directors finally gave Ferris the green light, it was the middle of winter, and Ferris was already under a tight deadline. It was the middle of one of the most severe winters Chicago had experienced in years. The ground there in Chicago was already frozen something like three feet deep, and underneath were another 20 feet of slushy quicksand-like sand, adding another manufacturing dilemma to be solved. And the fair would open in four months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Engineers used dynamite to begin excavation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(There\u2019s actually a really great children\u2019s picture book that details the whole process, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/video\/childrens-bookshelf-mr-ferris-and-his-wheel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">available in video format from PBS here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pumps were running constantly. Hot steam was piped in to thaw the frozen sand, and to keep the newly-poured concrete from freezing before it set. March 20, 1893: with the tall towers prepped, the massive 89 thousand pound axle, six times larger than strictly necessary for safety reasons, was hoisted 140 feet in the air to its resting place. The wheel was nowhere near complete, but it was a good step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893axle_publicdomain_mohistoryorg.jpg?resize=800%2C630&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893axle_publicdomain_mohistoryorg.jpg?resize=1024%2C807&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893axle_publicdomain_mohistoryorg.jpg?resize=300%2C237&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893axle_publicdomain_mohistoryorg.jpg?resize=768%2C606&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893axle_publicdomain_mohistoryorg.jpg?resize=1536%2C1211&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893axle_publicdomain_mohistoryorg.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893axle_publicdomain_mohistoryorg.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>1893 image of the axle of the first Ferris wheel, prior to its installation. Public domain image, mohistory.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The power plant which drove the wheel was located 700 feet away from the wheel itself, and the steam to power the wheel\u2019s engine was carried through long pipes. For the wheel, there were many parts to be added before the big wheel would be anywhere near recognizable. And time was ticking, for the 1893 Columbian Exhibition opened to the public on May 1, with the Ferris wheel still incomplete, steelworkers atop the growing structure barely pausing to watch the influx of new crowds nearby.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parts were manufactured all over: Detroit, Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Cleveland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, it wasn\u2019t until June that the structure was fully assembled, but it was indeed finally complete, and on the evening of June 9th, the great Chicago wheel, san cars, was turned on for the first time. It\u2019s said the wheel moved with only the soft clink of metal upon metal, nearly silent in the twenty minutes it took to make a full revolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sight of this great wheel, finally slowly moving on a warm early summer\u2019s evening\u2026it must have been something else for the patrons of the world\u2019s fair and the locals. Two hundred and sixty four feet up in the air, nearly the height of the Statue of Liberty, with two concentric circles. Despite the notion Ferris had liberated from Somers, there was little similarity between Somers\u2019 angular design and Ferris\u2019 sleek circular design \u2013 more like a bicycle wheel than the triangular shapes of the smaller design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferris, by the way, was ecstatic about the successful test, and immediately ordered the cars hung. Now when we think of modern Ferris wheel cars, we might think of two to five people per car. Ferris\u2019 wheel? Huge. The cars were like buses, holding upwards of 60 people each.\u00a0 Inside, 40 chairs. Plate glass windows, and steel mesh on the doors. Firefighting equipment, just in case. And a personal conductor was stationed in each car. To speed loading and unloading, platforms were designed and arranged such that six cars were loaded and unloaded at a time. Efficient!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between June 10th and Jun 13th, the majority of the cars were attached to the wheel. On June 11, when there were only six cars attached, Director Daniel Burnham and Ferris\u2019 wife Margaret took a ceremonial ride on the wheel. By June 21st, all 36 cars were on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"577\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/june1893-underconstruction-pubdom-LC-USZ62-51865.jpg?resize=577%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/june1893-underconstruction-pubdom-LC-USZ62-51865.jpg?w=577&ssl=1 577w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/june1893-underconstruction-pubdom-LC-USZ62-51865.jpg?resize=270%2C300&ssl=1 270w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>June 1983 image of the first Ferris wheel nearing completion at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Public domain image via Library of Congress, USZ62-51865.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Operation_of_Ferris_Chicago_Wheel\"><\/span>Operation of Ferris\u2019 Chicago Wheel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>On June 21st, 1893, with the Columbian Exposition already seven weeks open, the Ferris wheel was given its grand opening. There were speeches galore, the band played, and a golden whistle marked the official opening of this giant wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was an incredible experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I noted earlier, the cars were gigantic, and you could board at one of six platforms. The ride consisted of a single revolution with six stops, as cars were loaded and unloaded. Then came nine minutes of non-stop revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guests could see incredible distances. On cloudy or dark days, Edison\u2019s fancy new electric lightbulbs kept the wheel illuminated in cheerful patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And millions rode the wheel. During the roughly six months in operation, approximately 1.5 M people were marked as riding on the wheel, simply enjoying the novelty of the amusement ride, so very high up in the air. It cost the same to ride the Ferris Wheel as it did to even enter the Expo.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"530\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893-wheel-pubdomain-LC-USZ62-51867.jpg?resize=530%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893-wheel-pubdomain-LC-USZ62-51867.jpg?w=530&ssl=1 530w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1893-wheel-pubdomain-LC-USZ62-51867.jpg?resize=248%2C300&ssl=1 248w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>1893 image of the first Ferris wheel at the Columbian Exposition. Public domain image, LOC USZ62-51867.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Famous people rode the wheel, even our fierce friend Helen Keller, who wrote to a friend of her experience at the fair, saying \u201cI saw a great many of the most wonderful and interesting things at the Fair. \u201d and \u201c Of course I rode in the Ferris-wheel. Just think of being swung two hundred and fifty feet in the air \u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Columbian Exposition closed after six months of operation, on November 1, 1893. The great Ferris wheel had a perfect safety and mechanical record during this time, despite gale-force winds, storms, and lightening strikes, and reportedly made approximately $400,000 net profit.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chicago_Wheel_Post-Exposition\"><\/span>Chicago Wheel Post-Exposition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferris had high hopes for the future of his wheel. Weather wasn\u2019t on his side yet again, with another Chicago winter coming on. The wheel stood silent and shuttered until the end of April, 1894, after the thaws had begun. From there, it took 18 days and almost $15,000 to disassemble the wheel. The pieces were kept in flatcars off a Chicago railroad siding. (Interestingly, I read that some of this original concrete foundation was still present as late as 2015, according at a Hyde Park History article. Long time!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was another year before the company found a new home for their disassembled giant wheel. They began reassembling the wheel in July of 1895, adjacent to Lincoln Park, some 11 miles away from the Expo site on the other side of Chicago\u2019s city center. By October 1895, the wheel was open to guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company\u2019s directors had grand plans for the new site. It was about 20 minutes (at the time) away from railway stations and hotels, and the directors began selling bonds in an attempt to finance additional development. Things like painting the wheel and cars, landscaping the area, adding a bandstand and restaurant, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One contemporaneous article did describe its location as \u201can amusement park at North Clark Street and Wrightwood Avenue\u201d. I was all set to tell you that I couldn\u2019t find any info on this, but Google made me a quick liar. It was actually called \u201cFerris Wheel Park\u201d \u2013 a name we might think generic today, but pretty groundbreaking back then.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"583\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1897-ferriswheel-pubdomain-LC-USZ62-46101.jpg?resize=583%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1897-ferriswheel-pubdomain-LC-USZ62-46101.jpg?w=583&ssl=1 583w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1897-ferriswheel-pubdomain-LC-USZ62-46101.jpg?resize=273%2C300&ssl=1 273w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 583px) 100vw, 583px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>1897 image taken from the first Ferris wheel in its second location at Ferris Wheel Park. Public domain image, LOC USZ62-46101.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferris Wheel Park was\u2026a trolley park. It was the end of the line for the nearby streetcars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, it seems as though the site was poorly chosen. See, it was in the middle of a residential neighborhood, a wealthy one. And the wealthy neighborhood wasn\u2019t particularly excited to have an amusement park nearby, nor were they big fans of the streetcar owner Ferris had partnered with. \u201c Charles Tyson Yerkes, Jr., who owned the Chicago Electric Street Railway\u201d was Ferris\u2019 partner in the endeavor. Legal battles held up the project, and community votes banned the sale of alcohol, dooming on of the major sources of revenue in a proposed beer garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, too, we have the legal side of things.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Somers sued Ferris for copyright infringement. The legal suit went on for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferris sued (or discussed suing, it\u2019s not clear) the directors of the Columbian Exposition, saying that they\u2019d robbed him of his share of the profits from the fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a personal level, Ferris\u2019 wife left him in 1896. Ferris was said to be hugely depressed as a result, and his life quickly went downhill. He died alone in November of 1896, penniless and bankrupt, effectively ending all his legal battles.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, most of them. His ashes stayed in the care of a local funeral director for more than a year, because no one wanted to pay the money for his ashes and funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 1900, the small Ferris Wheel Park had to file for bankruptcy, now under the ownership of the unpopular Yerkes. Vocal opposition from the community meant that patrons never turned up to the park in the numbers needed to make it a success. The wheel continued to operate even as it went through several rounds of receivership. At one point, local William Boyce, who later founded the Boy Scouts of America, filed a lawsuit against the wheel. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lakeviewhistoricalchronicles.org\/2012\/03\/ferris-wheel-park.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This page goes into detail of the various suits, including original newspaper articles. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The wheel lingered there at Ferris Wheel Park, with its quite charming castle facade entrance, as Yerkes tried to wrest control from the locals one way or another. But ultimately, it was put up for sale.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Interesting sidebar: during its time here, the Lumiere brothers, the famed groundbreaking filmmakers responsible for the first motion pictures, took some footage of Chicago, including the wheel. Their film here <a href=\"https:\/\/catalogue-lumiere.com\/grande-roue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">was 1896\u2019s Grande roue<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/catalogue-lumiere.com\/grande-roue\/\">.)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chicago_Wheel_Moves_to_St_Louis\"><\/span>Chicago Wheel Moves to St. Louis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In July of 1903, the Chicago Tribune wrote a story about the old wheel. Headline: \u201cFerris Wheels Lives Anew\u201d Subtitle: \u201cThough sold as junk it will revolve again\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See, the wheel was doing worse and worse and worse. By 1903, the company was $400,000 in debt. All those lawsuits, not enough visitors from a hostile neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I liked this quote from the article: \u201cOnce the incarnation of a wondrous feat of engineering, the old World\u2019s Fair relic now seems to be inevitably approaching the final dissolution which has threatened it periodically for ten years\u2026 A wrecking company has agreed to remove the structure. Immediately? 0 not they-in five months. Sentimental persons who would drop a tear for the passing of the wheel, and other citizens who have procrastinated the adventure of a run about its axle may take heart. It is understood that rural excursionists in search of thrills may still be accommodated if they can guarantee 30 cents in receipts and wait for the engineer to get up steam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The wheel was sold at auction for a junk price: $1800. Remember, it made over $400,000 in profit back in the World\u2019s Fair days. But still, it had one more life left in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the $1,800 price tag, it\u2019s said to have taken over $150,000 to move the wheel, in pieces, in 178 freight cars, down to its final home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-container-2 wp-block-gallery-1 wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"730\" height=\"586\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/april12_1904_wheel_stlouispubliclibrary_publicdomain.jpg?resize=730%2C586&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"116357\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/april12_1904_wheel_stlouispubliclibrary_publicdomain.jpg?resize=730%2C586&#038;ssl=1\" data-link=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/april12_1904_wheel_stlouispubliclibrary_publicdomain\/\" class=\"wp-image-116357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/april12_1904_wheel_stlouispubliclibrary_publicdomain.jpg?w=730&ssl=1 730w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/april12_1904_wheel_stlouispubliclibrary_publicdomain.jpg?resize=300%2C241&ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 730px) 100vw, 730px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">A partially assembled Ferris wheel at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. April 12, 1904 image, public domain via the St. Louis Public Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"729\" height=\"586\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_4_15_1904_publicdomain_stlouislibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C586&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"116361\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_4_15_1904_publicdomain_stlouislibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C586&#038;ssl=1\" data-link=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wheel_4_15_1904_publicdomain_stlouislibrary\/\" class=\"wp-image-116361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_4_15_1904_publicdomain_stlouislibrary.jpg?w=729&ssl=1 729w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_4_15_1904_publicdomain_stlouislibrary.jpg?resize=300%2C241&ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">April 15, 1904: the first Ferris wheel being assembled at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. Public domain image via the St. Louis Public Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"729\" height=\"584\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_5_3_1904_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C584&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"116362\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_5_3_1904_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C584&#038;ssl=1\" data-link=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wheel_5_3_1904_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary\/\" class=\"wp-image-116362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_5_3_1904_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?w=729&ssl=1 729w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_5_3_1904_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=300%2C240&ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">May 3, 1904: the first Ferris wheel being assembled at at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. Public domain image via the St. Louis Public Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>By July of 1904, the wheel was again turning at a World\u2019s Fair, this time the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition down in St. Louis, MO. The theme for this fair was another celebration, nominally for the centennial of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. It was located on the present-day grounds of Forest Park, near the Saint Louis Zoo and the Saint Louis Art Museum. (In fact, the Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the original buildings from the fair, the former Palace of Fine Arts. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:View_of_the_construction_of_the_Palace_of_Art_at_the_1904_World%27s_Fair_site_from_the_southwest,_7_January_1904.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Image then<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:StLouisArtMuseumMO.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">image now<\/a>. This fair was to a much larger scale than Chicago\u2019s Columbian Exposition, but the great wheel still stood out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s said that the wheel recouped its moving costs handily in less than four months. People loved the wheel once again \u2013 there were over 50 weddings performed on the wheel, and reportedly there was enough of a market that they installed a piano in one car for the express purpose of ceremonies. One daredevil named Maud Nicholson actually rode on top of one of the cars as the wheel revolved.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Louisiana Purchase Exposition ran until December of 1904.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"582\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1904-LC-USZ62-57681pubdom.jpg?resize=582%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1904-LC-USZ62-57681pubdom.jpg?w=582&ssl=1 582w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1904-LC-USZ62-57681pubdom.jpg?resize=273%2C300&ssl=1 273w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 582px) 100vw, 582px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption>1904 image of the wheel at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. Image is now public domain, via Library of Congress, USZ62-57681.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_End_of_the_Ferris_Wheel\"><\/span>The End of the Ferris Wheel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>After the Exposition, it\u2019s said that there was some talk of moving the Ferris wheel to Coney Island in New York. After all, a huge wheel, a huge amusement area, and the wheel had already demonstrated that it could be moved once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the move ultimately never occurred. It was determined that it would simply be too expensive to move the wheel all the way to New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, the wheel needed to come down, destined solely for the scrap heap and the metal shop. It was too expensive. It couldn\u2019t stay there, but it had no other home to go to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From a 1906 Chicago Tribune article titled \u201cFerris Wheel is Blown Up\u201d we have a blow by blow account: \u201cIt required 200 pounds of dynamite to put it out of business. The first charge\u2026 wrecked its foundation and the wheel dropped to the ground\u2026 as it settled it slowly turned, and then, after tottering a moment like a huge giant in distress, it collapsed slowly. It did not fall to one side, as the wreckers had planned\u2026 it merely crumpled up slowly. Within a few minutes it was a tangled mass of steel and iron thirty or forty feet high. The huge axle, weighing 45 tons, dropped slowly with the remnants of the wheel, crushing the smaller braces and steel framework.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-container-4 wp-block-gallery-3 wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"729\" height=\"583\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo2_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C583&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"116364\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo2_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C583&#038;ssl=1\" data-link=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wheel_1905demo2_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary\/\" class=\"wp-image-116364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo2_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?w=729&ssl=1 729w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo2_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=300%2C240&ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">The first Ferris wheel, demolished in St. Louis. Public domain image via the St. Louis Public Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"729\" height=\"583\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C583&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"116363\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=729%2C583&#038;ssl=1\" data-link=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wheel_1905demo_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary\/\" class=\"wp-image-116363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?w=729&ssl=1 729w, https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wheel_1905demo_publicdomain_stlouispubliclibrary.jpg?resize=300%2C240&ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">The first Ferris wheel, demolished in St. Louis. Public domain image via the St. Louis Public Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For many years, the whereabouts of the huge axle was unknown. Did they chop it into pieces? Unlikely, it was simply too big \u2013 remember that this was the largest single piece of forged steel at the time. Did they drag it to the river? Maybe. Did they just bury it? Maybe. There are two sets of rumors after this point. One story says that the giant axle was put on the train back to Chicago, where it was taken to a scrap shop and cut into tiny pieces.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other story is that the axle was buried in place, or buried in a nearby landfill.<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.breiner.com\/sheldon\/papers\/Magnetometer%20survey%20for%20buried%20Axle%20in%20St%20Louis%20May,%202007.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> In 2007, a man named Sheldon Breiner decided to put it to the test<\/a>, building on an earlier 1996 study that just looked for the former Ferris wheel base. He used a cesium magnometer and simply walked around Saint Louis, scanning for anomalies in the ground. Being made of steel (therefore permanently magnetized) and likely being in one piece, the axle would probably register even from such a crude search. And it did. In the middle of a modern day road, roughly 200 feet south of where the wheel once stood, Breiner noted the presence of a 45 foot anomaly, which would correspond exactly to that gigantic hunk of steel. Take a look at the link above for some cool photos showing the original wheel location and the presumed modern axle location, worth checking out<a href=\"https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2019\/07\/ferris-wheel-axle-from-1893-worlds-fair-found-in-forest-park-in-st-louis-missouri-buried-after-1904-world-fair-was-over.html\">.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusions\"><\/span>Conclusions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Ferris personally met a disappointing end, his legacy is incredible. Literally everyone knows what a Ferris wheel is, and they stand across the globe as a testament to his attitude in pursuing and expanding on ideas he thought valuable. The original Ferris wheel was 80.4 meters (264 feet); today, the current tallest wheel is the Las Vegas High Roller (167.6 m \/ 550 ft), over double the height of the original wheel. (Despite the size, the Vegas wheel has a max capacity of 1120 people, compared to the 2160 of the original wheel.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a eulogy, his former business partners wrote of Ferris: \u201cHe was always bright, hopeful and full of anticipation of good results from all the ventures he had on hand. These feelings he could always impart to whomever he addressed in a most wonderful degree, and therein lay the key note of his success. In most darkened and troubled times\u2026 he was ever looking for the sunshine soon to come\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a personal note \u2013 I know it is a time of uncertainty right now, to say the least. Even if you\u2019re healthy and stable, everything is hard. Do you find things harder to focus on? I do. Everything is harder to focus on \u2013 the research for this episode took twice as long as usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are listening to this or reading this, please know that I am wishing you continued good health and happiness. Remember too that although things might be scary, take time to enjoy yourself, even in the smallest way. Be kind to yourself, follow health guidelines, and take it easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background has-light-gray-background-color\">Remember that what you\u2019ve read is a podcast! A link is included at the top of the page. Listen to more episodes of <em>The Abandoned Carousel<\/em> on your favorite platform: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/applepodcasts\" target=\"_blank\">Apple Podcasts<\/a> | <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/GooglePlay\" target=\"_blank\">Google Podcasts<\/a> | <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/spotify\" target=\"_blank\">Spotify<\/a> | <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/radiopublic\" target=\"_blank\">RadioPublic<\/a> | <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/tunein\" target=\"_blank\">TuneIn<\/a> | <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/overcast\" target=\"_blank\">Overcast<\/a> | <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/pocketcasts\" target=\"_blank\">Pocket Casts<\/a> | <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/castro\" target=\"_blank\">Castro<\/a>. Support the podcast <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"on Patreon for extra content (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/patreon.com\/theabandonedcarousel\" target=\"_blank\">on Patreon for extra content<\/a>! Comment below to share your thoughts \u2013 as Lucy Maud Montgomery once said, nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"References\"><\/span>References<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>1893 Columbian Exposition Ferris Wheel Axle Before Installation. | Missouri Historical Society. <a href=\"https:\/\/mohistory.org\/collections\/item\/N33207\">https:\/\/mohistory.org\/collections\/item\/N33207<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Bastille. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Bastille&oldid=947624356\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Bastille&oldid=947624356<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Biggest wheel on earth (240 ft. diam.) with heaviest axle ever forged (56 tons), World\u2019s Fair, St. Louis, U.S.A. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2005677972\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2005677972\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Captive balloon and Ferris wheel, World\u2019s Columbian Exposition, Chicago. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/99400269\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/99400269\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li><em>Chicago Ferris Wheel in 1895<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=T3slE2LZQIY\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=T3slE2LZQIY<\/a>. Accessed March 31, 2020. <\/li><li>Chicago\u2019s Ferris wheel story\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0Chicago Architecture Center \u2013 CAC. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.architecture.org\/news\/evolving-chicago\/chicagos-ferris-wheel-story\/\">http:\/\/www.architecture.org\/news\/evolving-chicago\/chicagos-ferris-wheel-story\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Weingardt RG. <em>Circles in the Sky: The Life and Times of George Ferris.<\/em> Reston: American Society of Civil Engineers; 2014. <a href=\"http:\/\/qut.eblib.com.au\/patron\/FullRecord.aspx?p=3115326\">http:\/\/qut.eblib.com.au\/patron\/FullRecord.aspx?p=3115326<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Construction of the Ferris wheel for the 1904 World\u2019s Fair. <a href=\"https:\/\/cdm17210.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/lpe\/id\/2041\/\">https:\/\/cdm17210.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/lpe\/id\/2041\/<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Daniel Burnham. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Daniel_Burnham&oldid=946307721\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Daniel_Burnham&oldid=946307721<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>Daniel Burnham \u2013 The World\u2019s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Encyclopedia Britannica. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Daniel-Burnham\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Daniel-Burnham<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>Decauville railway at Exposition Universelle (1889). In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Decauville_railway_at_Exposition_Universelle_(1889)&oldid=927805702\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Decauville_railway_at_Exposition_Universelle_(1889)&oldid=927805702<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Eiffel Tower. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Eiffel_Tower&oldid=947700002\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Eiffel_Tower&oldid=947700002<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li><em>Engineering News and American Railway Journal<\/em>. G. H. Frost.; 1889. <\/li><li>Exposition des produits de l\u2019industrie fran\u00e7aise. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Exposition_des_produits_de_l%27industrie_fran%C3%A7aise&oldid=945802245\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Exposition_des_produits_de_l%27industrie_fran%C3%A7aise&oldid=945802245<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Exposition Universelle (1889). In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Exposition_Universelle_(1889)&oldid=948486848\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Exposition_Universelle_(1889)&oldid=948486848<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Exposition universelle de Paris de 1889. In: <em>Wikip\u00e9dia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Exposition_universelle_de_Paris_de_1889&oldid=169051998\">https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Exposition_universelle_de_Paris_de_1889&oldid=169051998<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Ferris wheel and corner of California State Building, World\u2019s Fair, St. Louis, Mo. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2002706249\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2002706249\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Ferris wheel at the World\u2019s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2002718798\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2002718798\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Ferris Wheel in the 1893 Chicago World\u2019s Fair \u2013 Hyde Park Historical Society. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hydeparkhistory.org\/2015\/04\/27\/ferris-wheel-in-the-1893-chicago-worlds-fair\/\">http:\/\/www.hydeparkhistory.org\/2015\/04\/27\/ferris-wheel-in-the-1893-chicago-worlds-fair\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Historical L. Ferris Wheel Park. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lakeviewhistoricalchronicles.org\/2012\/03\/ferris-wheel-park.html\">https:\/\/www.lakeviewhistoricalchronicles.org\/2012\/03\/ferris-wheel-park.html<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Ferris Wheel Patents. <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20140225223641\/http:\/\/www.personal.psu.edu\/faculty\/v\/a\/vac3\/flat2.html\">https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20140225223641\/http:\/\/www.personal.psu.edu\/faculty\/v\/a\/vac3\/flat2.html<\/a>. Published February 25, 2014. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>Ferris Wheel, Chicago, Ill. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2007678221\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2007678221\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Anderson ND. <em>Ferris Wheels: An Illustrated History<\/em>. Popular Press; 1992. <\/li><li>Salom\u00e9 \u210denry. <em>Fran\u00e7ais\u00a0: Panneau d\u2019information Sur La Maison de Fer \u00e0 Dampierre-En-Yvelines (Yvelines, France)<\/em>.; 2007. <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Dampierre_78_Maison_de_Fer_panneau.jpg\">https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Dampierre_78_Maison_de_Fer_panneau.jpg<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>French Industrial Exposition of 1844. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=French_Industrial_Exposition_of_1844&oldid=945802158\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=French_Industrial_Exposition_of_1844&oldid=945802158<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>George Ferris. <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20100507032023\/http:\/\/pabook.libraries.psu.edu\/palitmap\/bios\/Ferris__George.html\">https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20100507032023\/http:\/\/pabook.libraries.psu.edu\/palitmap\/bios\/Ferris__George.html<\/a>. Published May 7, 2010. Accessed April 5, 2020.<\/li><li>George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=George_Washington_Gale_Ferris_Jr.&oldid=931153064\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=George_Washington_Gale_Ferris_Jr.&oldid=931153064<\/a>. Accessed April 5, 2020. <\/li><li>Grande roue. Catalogue Lumi\u00e8re. <a href=\"https:\/\/catalogue-lumiere.com\/grande-roue\/\">https:\/\/catalogue-lumiere.com\/grande-roue\/<\/a>. Published December 3, 2013. Accessed April 13, 2020.<\/li><li>Gustave Eiffel. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Gustave_Eiffel&oldid=948515489\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Gustave_Eiffel&oldid=948515489<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Gustave Eiffel: Engineer Behind Famous Paris Tower, Framework for Statue of Liberty | ASCE News. <a href=\"https:\/\/news.asce.org\/gustave-eiffel-architect-of-famous-paris-tower-framework-for-statue-of-liberty\/\">https:\/\/news.asce.org\/gustave-eiffel-architect-of-famous-paris-tower-framework-for-statue-of-liberty\/<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Histoire de la tour Eiffel. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Histoire_de_la_tour_Eiffel&oldid=168649025\">https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Histoire_de_la_tour_Eiffel&oldid=168649025<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Parker T. History of the Ferris Wheel. <em>All Here<\/em>. <a href=\"http:\/\/allhere.co.uk\/2016\/03\/history-of-the-ferris-wheel\/\">http:\/\/allhere.co.uk\/2016\/03\/history-of-the-ferris-wheel\/<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>History of the Ferris wheel; 1893 original was taller than Navy Pier\u2019s \u2013 Chicago Tribune. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/opinion\/commentary\/ct-ferris-wheel-navy-pier-flashback-perspec-0515-jm-20160513-story.html\">https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/opinion\/commentary\/ct-ferris-wheel-navy-pier-flashback-perspec-0515-jm-20160513-story.html<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Large ferris wheel at the World\u2019s Columbian Exposition [Chicago, Ill.]. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2006680018\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2006680018\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Latting Observatory. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Latting_Observatory&oldid=931878716\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Latting_Observatory&oldid=931878716<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li> Let the Spinning Wheel Spin \u2013 Lichtenberger Engineering Library. <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/eng\/let-the-spinning-wheel-spin\/\">https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/eng\/let-the-spinning-wheel-spin\/<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>Letter from Helen Keller to Mabel Hubbard Bell, August 20, 1893. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/magbell.12400303\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/magbell.12400303\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Press JGFT. Look back: Atlantic City\u2019s almost famous \u201cSomers Wheel.\u201d Press of Atlantic City. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressofatlanticcity.com\/news\/look-back-atlantic-citys-almost-famous-somers-wheel\/article_289d2b62-27a5-59d4-b1a0-44821117ed61.html\">https:\/\/www.pressofatlanticcity.com\/news\/look-back-atlantic-citys-almost-famous-somers-wheel\/article_289d2b62-27a5-59d4-b1a0-44821117ed61.html<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Louisiana_Purchase_Exposition&oldid=949278085\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Louisiana_Purchase_Exposition&oldid=949278085<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Magnetometer survey for buried Axle in St Louis May, 2007.pdf. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.breiner.com\/sheldon\/papers\/Magnetometer%20survey%20for%20buried%20Axle%20in%20St%20Louis%20May,%202007.pdf\">http:\/\/www.breiner.com\/sheldon\/papers\/Magnetometer%20survey%20for%20buried%20Axle%20in%20St%20Louis%20May,%202007.pdf<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020.<\/li><li>oampl. February 1886. <a href=\"https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US336696\/en\">https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US336696\/en<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>Palaces. <a href=\"https:\/\/atthefair.homestead.com\/pkeatt\/ObversationWheel.html\">https:\/\/atthefair.homestead.com\/pkeatt\/ObversationWheel.html<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Panic of 1893. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Panic_of_1893&oldid=944614845\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Panic_of_1893&oldid=944614845<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>[Panormic view of a section of the Chicago World\u2019s Fair with Ferris wheel]. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2018695424\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2018695424\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>Paris Exposition, view from ground level of the Eiffel tower with Parisians promenading. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/pictures\/item\/2002723520\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/pictures\/item\/2002723520\/<\/a>. Published 1887. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li><em>PITTSBURGH ENGINEERING:\u00a0 Ferris & His Wheel<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Vc-gaTQPfWA\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Vc-gaTQPfWA<\/a>. Accessed March 31, 2020. <\/li><li>Roundabout. January 1893. <a href=\"https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US489238\/en\">https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US489238\/en<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>Statue of Liberty. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Statue_of_Liberty&oldid=946178750\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Statue_of_Liberty&oldid=946178750<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>Storming of the Bastille. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Storming_of_the_Bastille&oldid=946993442\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Storming_of_the_Bastille&oldid=946993442<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>The birth of the Eiffel Tower \u2013 Official Eiffel Tower Website. La Tour Eiffel. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toureiffel.paris\/en\/the-monument\/history\">https:\/\/www.toureiffel.paris\/en\/the-monument\/history<\/a>. Published October 30, 2017. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>The Brief History of the Ferris Wheel | History | Smithsonian Magazine. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/history\/history-ferris-wheel-180955300\/\">https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/history\/history-ferris-wheel-180955300\/<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>The Chinese Pavilion [large pagoda], Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2005684834\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2005684834\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>The Day a Woman Rode on top of a Ferris Wheel Gondola at the 1893 World\u2019s Fair. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagonow.com\/chicago-strange-haunted-history\/2019\/03\/the-day-a-woman-rode-on-top-of-a-ferris-wheel-gondola-at-the-1893-worlds-fair\/\">http:\/\/www.chicagonow.com\/chicago-strange-haunted-history\/2019\/03\/the-day-a-woman-rode-on-top-of-a-ferris-wheel-gondola-at-the-1893-worlds-fair\/<\/a>. Accessed March 31, 2020. <\/li><li>Ph.d NG. The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup>: Ferris Wheel Park at the 1200 block of N. Clark St. (today, 2600 block of N. Clark St.), in Chicago, Illinois. (1896-1903). <em>The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup><\/em>. December 2016. <a href=\"https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/ferris-wheel-park-1298-n-clark-street.html\">https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/ferris-wheel-park-1298-n-clark-street.html<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li> Ph.d NG. The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup>: The Eighth Wonder of the World: Ferris\u2019 Wheel at the Chicago 1893 World\u2019s Fair. <em>The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup><\/em>. November 2016. <a href=\"https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2016\/11\/the-eighth-wonder-of-world-ferris-wheel.html\">https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2016\/11\/the-eighth-wonder-of-world-ferris-wheel.html<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Ph.d NG. The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup>: The Ferris wheel axle from Chicago\u2019s 1893 World\u2019s Fair found in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri, buried after their 1904 World\u2019s Fair was over. <em>The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup><\/em>. July 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2019\/07\/ferris-wheel-axle-from-1893-worlds-fair-found-in-forest-park-in-st-louis-missouri-buried-after-1904-world-fair-was-over.html\">https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2019\/07\/ferris-wheel-axle-from-1893-worlds-fair-found-in-forest-park-in-st-louis-missouri-buried-after-1904-world-fair-was-over.html<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>Ph.d NG. The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup>: The History of George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., inventor of the 1893 World\u2019s Columbian Exposition Observation Wheel. <em>The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal<sup>TM<\/sup><\/em>. November 2017. <a href=\"https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2017\/11\/the-history-of-george-washington-gale.html\">https:\/\/drloihjournal.blogspot.com\/2017\/11\/the-history-of-george-washington-gale.html<\/a>. Accessed April 13, 2020. <\/li><li>The song of the Ferris Wheel. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/ihas.100008815\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/ihas.100008815\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020. <\/li><li>What you think you know about the Ferris wheel is probably wrong. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northjersey.com\/story\/news\/new-jersey\/2019\/05\/06\/history-of-the-ferris-wheel-new-jersey-william-somers-george-ferris\/1116618001\/\">https:\/\/www.northjersey.com\/story\/news\/new-jersey\/2019\/05\/06\/history-of-the-ferris-wheel-new-jersey-william-somers-george-ferris\/1116618001\/<\/a>. Accessed April 7, 2020. <\/li><li>World\u2019s fair. In: <em>Wikipedia<\/em>. ; 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=World%27s_fair&oldid=948226400\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=World%27s_fair&oldid=948226400<\/a>. Accessed April 1, 2020. <\/li><li>World\u2019s Fair, St. Louis: The great ferris wheel. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2005686728\/\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2005686728\/<\/a>. Accessed March 29, 2020.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Literally nothing but a constant rise and fall, today I\u2019m going to tell you about the story of a classic theme park ride: the very first Ferris wheel. Intro How\u2019s&#8230; <a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/the-first-ferris-wheel\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"This is the story of the very first Ferris wheel. 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Better known for its abandoned state than its operational years, this is the theme park in Elektrenai, Lithuania.\u00a0 Listen or watch this episode below, or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Abandoned Theme Park&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2876,"url":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/trinity-loop\/","url_meta":{"origin":116351,"position":2},"title":"Trinity Loop","date":"August 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This week, I\u2019m talking about Trinity Loop in Newfoundland. Once an engineering marvel of the Newfoundland Railroad, the Loop found second life as an amusement park when the railroad closed. The amusement park didn\u2019t last, and was itself closed, and today the remains sit abandoned in the forest. This is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Abandoned Theme Park&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16187,"url":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/little-amerricka\/","url_meta":{"origin":116351,"position":3},"title":"Little Amerricka","date":"September 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This week, I\u2019m talking about the still-operational small family theme park in southern Wisconsin, with connections to dozens of now-defunct amusement parks. It\u2019s time for the story of Little Amerricka. When one is trying to visit Little Amerricka, the first impression is always along the lines of \u201cAre you sure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Episodes&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/web.archive.org/web/20230103084457/i0.wp.com\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/LA-YT-JeremyThompsonFlickrCCBY20.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":170,"url":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/joyland-part-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":116351,"position":4},"title":"Joyland, Part One","date":"May 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Joyland was a family-run amusement park in Wichita, KS, with a long history. This post is the first of two parts diving deep into the history of the park. In this post, I look at the history of the Ottaway family, the steam engine that started it all, and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Abandoned Theme Park&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":308,"url":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/magic-forest\/","url_meta":{"origin":116351,"position":5},"title":"Magic Forest","date":"May 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to The Abandoned Carousel, the show where I tell the story of the most interesting abandoned amusements and theme parks in the world. This week, we\u2019re returning to the Adirondacks for our intermittent miniseries on the parks in the area. I\u2019m talking about the Gillette family and the Magic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Abandoned Theme Park&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116351"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116351"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116406,"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116351\/revisions\/116406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theabandonedcarousel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}