Giant Dipper (San Diego)
Description
The Giant Dipper is located at the northeast corner of Belmont Park, a waterfront amusement park at the junction of Mission Boulevard and West Mission Bay Drive. The coaster occupies an irregular area about 100 by 500 feet (30 m × 152 m) in size, and is accessed via a terminal structure on its west side. It has a track length of 2,800 feet (850 m), and its highest hills, located roughly at opposite ends of the area, reach 75 feet (23 m) in height. A sign with the name "Belmont" is affixed to the wooden trestle structure at its northeast edge.
History
The coaster was built in 1925 as part of a major real estate development led by John D. and Adolph Spreckels to attract visitors and residents to the Mission Beach area. The Mission Beach Amusement Center was built at a cost of $2.5 million and opened in 1925, with the coaster as one of its main attractions. It was designed by Frank Prior and Frederick Church, coaster designers based in Venice, California, who also oversaw its construction. The Spreckels' bequeathed the attraction to the city, which in 1954 was leased to Jack Ray. He renamed the park Belmont Park, after another park in Montreal. The roller coaster was severely damaged by fire in 1955, and Ray subsequently declared bankruptcy.
Threatened with demolition by the city in 1978, local citizens banded together to rescue it and a few surviving attractions of the defunct park. It underwent a full restoration in 1989–90.
Events
In 1997, the Giant Dipper held a coaster–riding marathon sponsored by a local radio station, Star 100.7. The marathon consisted of 11 consecutive days riding the coaster for more than 12 hours per day. The radio station arranged a second marathon in 1998, which was eventually won by contestants who split a check for $50,000 in cash prize after riding the coaster for 70 days.
Popular culture
The Giant Dipper and Belmont Park are included in author Stephen M. Silverman's 2019 book The Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "California Historical Landmark: San Diego County". Office of Historic Preservation. California State Parks. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ "Historical Landmarks Designated by the San Diego Historical Resources Board" (PDF). City of San Diego. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ "Mission Beach Roller Coaster". National Historic Landmarks Quick Links. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "NHL nomination for Mission Beach Roller Coaster". National Park Service. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- ^ "Company History". Belmont Park Company. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2019). The Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal. p. 265. ISBN 978-0316416481.
External links
Media related to Giant Dipper (San Diego) at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website