Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster

Infobox_nrhp | name =Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
nrhp_type =nhl


caption =
location= 400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz, California
lat_degrees = 36
lat_minutes = 57
lat_seconds = 53
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 122
long_minutes = 0
long_seconds = 56
long_direction = W
locmapin = California
area =
built =1911
architect= Charles I. D. Looff; Arthur Looff
architecture= Other
designated= February 24, 1987cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1978&ResourceType=Structure
title=Santa Cruz Looff Carousel & Roller Coaster On The Beach Boardwalk |accessdate=2007-11-18|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = February 27, 1987cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Private
refnum=87000764

Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster On The Beach Boardwalk is a National Historic Landmark composed of two parts, a Looff carousel and the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, on the boardwalk at Santa Cruz, California.

Looff Carousel

The Looff Carousel includes a brass ring dispenser, which riders can reach out and try to collect. It is one of the only ones in the world, where riders can grab a ring from a dispenser and aim at a target. Sometimes people take the rings to remember there ride on the Carousel. You can sometimes find people selling the rings at Ebay.

The Looff family was one of the major early manufacturers of carousels, including this 1911 example. Only five other intact Looff carousels remain in the United States. The 1924 Giant Dipper roller coaster is the older of the two large, wooden scaffolded roller coasters remaining on the West Coast.

The carousel and roller coaster together were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/87000764.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Roller Coaster ("The Big Dipper") and Carousel] |480 KB|date=October 15, 1984 |author=James H. Charleton |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/87000764.pdf "Accompanying 3 photos, from 1985."] |628 KB]

Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster

The Giant Dipper is a classic wooden roller coaster that still provides a thrilling experience over 80 years after it first debuted. It was built in 1924. It used 327,000 feet of lumber, 743,000 nails, 24,000 bolts, and 63,000 pounds of steel track and safety iron to build. It was build so good that it only had minor damage when the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake hit.

References

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