Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Nope, the first log ride was at Six Flags Over Texas and opened in 1963, six years before Timber Mountain.>> I've been on that one. Very underwhelming.
Originally Posted By jonvn I remember when the log ride first opened at knott's it was a big freakin deal. As big as anything Disney put into their parks. It was an instant classic, all the kids loved it. It had a line that was gigantic, and it was so very well done. All of Knott's was really lovingly done, well taken care of, and so nice. I still think of the place anytime I smell eucalyptus. It is so sad what has happened to it. Really sad.
Originally Posted By monorailblue I actually have a friend who believes that someone her parents knew fell out of her rocket on Space Mountain and burned to death on the star lights therein. This would have been in the late 80's. It is probably the same lady. She really is a troublemaker!
Originally Posted By jonvn No one fell out of the Space Mountain rocket and burned to death. The ride did have a breakdown where a rocket derailed, and someone's ankle got broken, I think this was in the 90s.
Originally Posted By ni_teach Hans Reinhardt said: Nope, the first log ride was at Six Flags Over Texas and opened in 1963, six years before Timber Mountain. Really, my mistake. I had always heard that Knotts was first.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Really, my mistake. I had always heard that Knotts was first." No biggie. Certainly understandable given the misconception that Knott's is the first theme park.
Originally Posted By Grumpy Pete I have good memories of the log ride when I was a teenager. When Splash opened I loved it. Just before I visited DL earlier ths month, I had the chance to visit Knotts again and just had to go on the log ride again. It had been so long since I had been on it that it was like going on it for the first time. It was still enjoyable; not on the level of Splash, but enjoyable never-the-less. If you want to go a truly poor log ride, try the one at Lagoon in Utah--ugh. I'd rather travel 700 miles to go on Splash than go 50 miles to the one at Lagoon.
Originally Posted By Nobody "Really, my mistake. I had always heard that Knotts was first." It was the first log ride to be ridden by "Machine-Gun Kelly" several times in a row. So it's got that going for it.
Originally Posted By oneyepete I agree with you Grumpy Pete. I would rather, and do, travel the 700 miles to DL than do Lagoon.
Originally Posted By markymouse I'm not sure exactly what people are referring to in the "first log ride" question. I thought "shoot the chutes" was a classic ride from the turn of the century (or at least early 20th century) amusement parks. Is the question about themed log rides? Sadly, I visited Knott's Berry Farm as a child, and had very fond memories of it. But then we left southern California. And I've never been back. From everything I've read, there's no reason to. A shame.
Originally Posted By dresswhites don't you board the logs on timber mountain while they are still moving? i can't recall. i don't remember being that impressed by the ride though. splash mountain is a flume, but all the AAs make it so much more.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 "No, she fell out of the Perilous Plunge attraction. " Oh, sorry, I was mistaken.
Originally Posted By monorailblue Lagoon does have one thing going for it, though: their raft ride has no rider restraints, so you can be rather crazy in your raft (assuming no demure other riders are seated with you). This makes the experience quite enjoyable. I do not recommend the Train Ride Through The Tired Zoo Area, however. It is not quite so fun. And I know no one burned to death on Space Mountain. Sheesh. Though haven't we all wondered just who is *really* buried behind Fort Wilderness? Especially in the unmarked grave? It could be they were trying to cover up the folks who have been decapitated and who keep losing arms and legs all over the place. !!!!
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "I'm not sure exactly what people are referring to in the "first log ride" question." I took it to mean the first in a long series of flume attractions designed by Arrow Development with ride vehicles that look like hollowed out logs. I could be wrong but I don't think Shoot the Chutes was really the same thing.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd I thought this was the first log ride... <a href="http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/fhc/images/riverpigs.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.mnhs.org/places/sit es/fhc/images/riverpigs.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Shoot the Chutes more closely resembled rides like Perilous Plunge than log rides. The boats were bigger and didn't look like logs, and the big hill basically WAS the ride. No snaking around like log rides. <a href="http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/mapsdocs/con06-map36.htm" target="_blank">http://www.westland.net/coneyi sland/mapsdocs/con06-map36.htm</a>
Originally Posted By Nobody I was thinking that "Old Mill" rides would probably count as the first of this kind. Per your questionable friend, Wikipedia: "The Old Mill is a boat ride that used to be common at amusement parks from the late 1800s to around 1975. They still exist, but are becoming rarer every summer. It is a dark ride, which features a boat going through themed tunnels and drops. Two Old Mills that are still operating are the 1901 Old Mill at Kennywood in Pittsburgh and the 1929 Old Mill at Playland Park in Rye, New York." A later and closer relative to our log rides in question was the Mill Chute type ride: "A “Mill Chute†is a variation of the Old Mill, which featured rollercoaster-like drops at the end of the ride, in which riders got soaked. Mill Chutes were mainly manufactured in the 1920s and 1930s, while Old Mills were mainly manufactured in the late 1800s through the 1930s." The first one of these to get log themed boats might very well be the Arrow manufactured ride at Six Flags over Texas in 1963.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Obviously these types of water rides have a long history, but I think it's safe to say that the log flume attraction that is a theme park fixture today originated at Six Flags Over Texas.
