Shoot-the-Chutes

Shoot-the-Chutes is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. The first of this type of amusement ride was built by J.P. Newberg in 1884 down the side of a hill at Watchtower Park in Rock Island, IL. The ride traveled along a 500-foot greased wooden track, skipping across the Rock River at the bottom. It was then poled back to the ramp by an on-board ride attendant. Newberg took this unique ride concept next to Chicago, where more flumes were built and the rides grew in popularity. [ [http://www.captainerniesshowboat.com/watchtoweramusementpark Watchtower Park] Article by Rock Island Historical Society. Retrieved 30 April 2008.]

Paul Boyton and Thomas Polk built another example in 1895 for Sea Lion Park at Coney Island. The ride was widely copied and "Chutes" rides were found at many amusement parks throughout the United States [ [http://sfpl.org/news/onlineexhibits/amusing/splishsplash.htm Amusing America] Exhibits of the San Francisco Public Library. Retrieved 4 August 2007.] , and even became the name of several amusement parks. While the original form of the ride is largely obsolete, modern log flume rides work on similar principles.

Historical ride

On the earliest chutes rides, the flat bottom boat was pulled up the ramp by cable, sometimes with a turnaround on a small turntable. In the ride at Sea Lion Park, the passengers arrived at the top by elevator. The bottom of the ramp curved upwards, causing the boat to skip across the water until it came to a stop. The boat was guided to a landing by a boatman on board. [Stanton, Jeffrey (1998) [http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/sealionpark.htm Coney Island-Sea Lion Park] . Retrieved 4 August 2007] The oldest ride of this type still in operation is the Boat Chute, constructed in 1926 and 1927 located at Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park in Chattanooga Tennessee. [cite web| url=http://www.lakewinnie.com/LWwebA/btcht.htm| title=The Boat Chute| author=Lake Winnepesaukah| accessdate = May 17| accessyear=2006| ] An operating modern reproduction, The Pittsburg [sic] Plunge, is currently in operation at Kennywood amusement park in Pennsylvania.

Modern ride

The Shoot-the-Chute concept has evolved over time in the amusement park industry. All modern Shoot-the-Chute rides today feature a guide track after the descent down the chute into the pool of water that allows the boats to return to the loading platform -- completing a closed circuit track. Most modern Shoot-the-Chute rides usually consist of (though not limited to) an oval shaped layout or a figure-eight layout.

The most technologically advanced ride based on the Shoot-the-Chute concept is Perilous Plunge at Knott's Berry Farm. It is presently the tallest and steepest water flume ride in the world. 24-passenger boats climb a 121-foot (36.8 m) lift-hill, round a curve, and descend a 115-foot (35 m) water chute at a staggering 77.8 degree slope. Upon landing in the lagoon below, each of the ride's three seven-ton boats are capable of generating an amazing 180-degree, 45-foot (13.7 m) high splash that drenches riders as well as spectators standing on an observation bridge overlooking the ride. It was the first water-based amusement park ride in the world to utilize an adjustable electromagnetic braking system to control the volume of the splash. Most rides require passengers to be at least 36 inches or taller.Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Ind., announced plans on August 26, 2008 to build an even larger Shoot-the-Chute ride named "Pilgrims Plunge". The plans for Pilgrims Plunge call for a 135 open elevator lift leading to a 131 foot drop at a 45' angle which will propel the boat to speeds approaching 50 miles per hour. The resulting splash is anticipated to be a 90 foot wide wall of water 45 feet high. Plans call for construction completion in time for 2009 season. []

Locations and names of modern chutes ride

*Adventure Falls--Michigan's Adventure US
*Aquaman (previously Splashwater Falls)--Six Flags Over Texas US
*Boston Tea Party--Canobie Lake Park US
*Congo Falls--Kings Island US
*Dragon Falls--Chessington World of Adventures UK
*Diamond Falls--Kings Dominion US (1985-2002)
*Escape from Pompeii--Busch Gardens Europe US
*Hydro--Oakwood Park UK
*Jurassic Park River Adventure--Universal Studios Hollywood, Hollywood, CA, US; Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL, US; Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan
*Lost River Ride--Flamingoland UK
*Monsoon--Worlds of Fun US
*Monsoon Falls---Six Flags Discovery Kingdom US
*Perilous Plunge--Knott's Berry Farm US
*Pittsburg Plunge--Kennywood US
*Plummet Summit-- Magic Springs US
*Mile High Falls--Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom US
*Movietown Water Effect--Six Flags Great Adventure US (closed in 2007 offseason)
*Shipwreck Falls--Darien Lake US; Elitch Gardens US; Six Flags New England US
*Shoot the Chute--Nagashima SpaLand Japan
*Snake River Falls--Cedar Point US
*Splash Mountain--Disneyland, Anaheim, CA, US; Magic Kingdom, Orlando, FL, US; Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo, Japan
*Splashwater Falls--Six Flags Great America US (1986-2007); Six Flags Over Georgia US
*Tanganyika Tidal Wave--Busch Gardens Africa US
*Tidal Force--Hersheypark US
*Tidal Wave--Adventure Island UK; Six Flags AstroWorld US (1988-2006); Six Flags Magic Mountain US; Six Flags St. Louis US; Thorpe Park UK
*Timberwolf Falls--Canada's Wonderland Canada
*The Wave-- Valleyfair! US
*White Water Landing--Dorney Park US
*Whitewater Falls--Great America US

Locations and names of historical chutes ride

* [http://www.captainerniesshowboat.com/watchtoweramusementpark Shoot the Chutes] , Watch Tower Amusement Park, Rock Island, Illinois. Invented by J. P. Newberg of Rock Island in 1884.
*Chutes Park, Los Angeles, California
*Crescent Park, Riverside, Rhode Island
*Idora Park, Oakland, California
*Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington, Utah. This was Lagoon's first thrill ride [ [http://www.lagoonpark.com/explore_history.php History of Lagoon] ]
*Lewis and Clark Exposition (1905), Portland, Oregon Chute-the-Chutes [ [http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/lewis___clark_2.html PDXHistory.com] ]
*Luna Park, Cleveland (1906-1929) [ [http://home.nyc.rr.com/johnmiller/luna.html Luna Park article by Russell Allon Hehr from "The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History"] ] [ [http://www.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=LP2 History of Luna Park] - Case Western Reserve University]
*Playland, San Francisco, California, originally known as Chutes-at-the-Beach
*Sea Lion Park, Coney Island
* [http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/early_1900/roar20_4.shtml White City Amusement Park, Chicago, Illinois]

References

External links

* [http://www.hopkinsrides.com/ O.P. Hopkins Rides] Manufacturer
* [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/awal.1863 Film of Shoot-the-Chutes from the Library of Congress]
* [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/edmp.4040 Another film of Shoot-the-Chutes from the Library of Congress]