Figure Eight Toboggan: Difference between revisions

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| built        = 1902
| built        = 1902
| opened        = 1902
| opened        = 1902
| closed        = 1937 (park closure)
| closed        = 1928
| manufacturer  =  
| manufacturer  = Morris Chute Company
| fires        =
| vehicletype  = Car
| vehicletype  = Car
| materials    = Wood
| materials    = Wood
| designer      =  
| designer      = [[E. Joy Morris]]
| replacedby    = [[Tumble Bug]] (part)
| cost          = {{Tooltip |text = $15,000|tooltip = $560,695 in 2025 dollars}}
}}
}}


The [[Figure Eight Toboggan]] was the first track-based roller coaster built at Olentangy Park and the first mechanical ride built after the Dusenbury Brothers bought the park in 1899.<ref>"Olentangy Then and Now." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' 3 May 1914. Pg. 46.</ref> It cost $15,000 ($519,788 in 2022) to build.<ref>Ad. ''Sunday Columbus Dispatch.'' 27 July 1902. Pg. 17.</ref> Opening in July 1902,<ref name="aug1">"Olentangy Park—Tassin's New Comedy." ''Friday Columbus Dispatch.'' 1 August 1902. Pg. 7.</ref> "roller coaster" was a new term for rides where riders coasted on rollers inside their toboggan "cars."<ref name=":0">"Brevities." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' 18 August 1902. Pg. 8.</ref><ref>''Clay Record.'' United States: Clay Record Publishing Company, 1903. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Clay_Record/c6pPAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0</ref> The ride was in the shape of a figure-eight and was located on the north plateau south of the location of [[Fair Japan]], the original [[Miniature Railway]], and [[Swimming Pool]].<ref>"Geisha Girls are to be Attraction." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' 2 January 1905. Pg. 5.</ref><ref name=":1">"Columbus Railway & Light Co." ''Street Railway Review. Vol. XVI. No. 2.'' Pg. 70. </ref> The ride remained operational until the park closed in 1937.
The [[Figure Eight Toboggan]] was the first track-based roller coaster built at Olentangy Park and the first mechanical ride built after the Dusenbury Brothers bought the park in 1899.<ref>"Olentangy Then and Now." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' May 3, 1914. Page 46.</ref> It cost {{Tooltip |text = $15,000|tooltip = $560,695 in 2025 dollars}} to build.<ref>Advertisement, ''Sunday Columbus Dispatch.'' July 27, 1902. Page 17.</ref> Opening in July [[1902 Season|1902]],<ref name="aug1">"Olentangy Park—Tassin's New Comedy." ''Friday Columbus Dispatch.'' Aug. 1, 1902. Page 7.</ref> "roller coaster" was a new term for rides where riders coasted on rollers inside their toboggan "cars."<ref name=":0">"Brevities." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' Aug. 18, 1902. Page 8.</ref><ref>''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Clay_Record/c6pPAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Clay Record.]'' 1903. Clay Record Publishing Company. Accessed through Google Books.</ref> The ride was in the shape of a figure-eight and was located on the north plateau south of the location of [[Fair Japan]], the original [[Miniature Railway]], and [[Swimming Pool]].<ref>"Geisha Girls are to be Attraction." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch,'' January 2, 1905. Page 5.</ref><ref name=":1">"Columbus Railway & Light Co." ''Street Railway Review.'' Vol. 26. Issue 2. Page 70. </ref><ref name="sanborn1922">''[https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_008/ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.]'' Sanborn Map Company, - 1922 Vol. 3, 1922, 1922. Map.</ref>


==Description==
Designed by [[E. Joy Morris|Edward Joy Morris]] of Philadelphia, the ride was likely built by the Morris Chute Company.<ref name="nrhp">Halterman, Tom E. "[https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/91000229_text Leap-the-Dips]." ''National Register of Historic Places Registration Form.'' November 1995.</ref><ref name="morris">Stafford,  Tom. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/springfield-news-sun-coaster-designer-mo/176657165/ "Coaster Designer Morris A Man of Joy."] ''Springfield News-Sun (Springfield, Ohio).'' Aug. 16, 2004. Page 14. Accessed through Newspapers.com.</ref><ref>Smith, Stephen M. "[https://yorkblog.com/yorkspast/highland-park-roller-coaster/ Highland Park Roller Coaster]." ''Hellam Township -- YorksPast.'' Blog post. Published Feb. 14, 2024. Accessed on Nov. 6, 2025.</ref> The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus made the Spur Haul Up Chain used to power the ride.<ref>Photograph. [https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/9127/rec/381 "Jeffrey Chain Used in Amusement Park Ride."] ''Ohio History Connection Selections.'' Photograph from the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company Collection. Original date: Sept. 14, 1910. Last modified July 29, 2011. Accessed through OhioMemory.com.</ref>
The ride had a wooden frame and was described as a "figure-eight" design and, at times, a "three-way figure eight toboggan slide."<ref name=":1" /> This described how the riders go around the loops three times. The cars would travel freely on a multi-level track, and wooden side rails were included to keep them on track.<ref>"Olentangy Park." ''Sunday Columbus Dispatch.'' 10 May 1903. Pg. 6.</ref>


The Roller Coaster Database says it was designed by Henry B. Auchy and manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC).<ref>"Forest Toboggan." ''Roller Coaster Database.'' https://rcdb.com/3156.htm</ref> However, PTC wasn't incorporated until two years after the ride was built. The RCDB and other sources often combine the Figure Eight Toboggan with the Forest Toboggan, later the [[Scenic Coaster]]/[[Red Devil]].
The ride started to suffer from "nonsupport" by 1916<ref>"Park in Full Operation." ''The Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' May 1, 1916. Page 16.</ref> and was operational until it was partially removed in 1928 to make way for the [[Tumble Bug]].<ref>"Figure Eight Gives Way to a 'Bug'." ''The Columbus Dispatch.'' April 5, 1929. Page 5.</ref><ref>"Bathrooms and Rink." ''The Columbus Dispatch.'' April 14, 1929. Page 85.</ref><ref name="historian">Barrett, Richard E. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." ''Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1.'' April 1984. Page 11.</ref>
 
== Description ==
The ride had a wooden frame and was described as a "figure-eight" design<ref>Postcard. [https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/11430/ "Olentangy Parks' Figure Eight roller coaster, postcard."] ''Columbus Metropolitan Library.'' Image from the Columbus Metropolitan Library Collection. Last modified on Jan. 6, 2021. Accessed through the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Digital Collections.</ref> and was a side-friction coaster. Morris patented the "Figure Eight Toboggan Slide" concept in the 1890s. At times, a "three-way figure eight toboggan slide."<ref name=":1" /> This describes how the riders go around the loops three times. The cars would travel freely on a multi-level track, with wooden side rails to keep them on track.<ref>"Olentangy Park." ''Sunday Columbus Dispatch.'' May 10, 1903. Page 6.</ref>
 
The design of a similar ride built by Morris in 1902&mdash;the Leap-the-Dips at Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania&mdash;was described as follows:<ref name="nrhp" />
 
<blockquote>
The track's rails consist of a pair of flat longitudinal boards laid parallel to support the weight-bearing non-flanged wheels of the cars and a pair of flat friction boards positioned vertically on each side of the track, which are contacted by separate non-flanged guide wheels mounted vertically on the sides of the cars. Both pairs of boards have thin strips of steel mounted on their surface to provide a hard wearing low-friction surface for the cars' wheels. The rails are mounted on a trestle support structure. Each bent of the trestle structure consists of a pair of upright timbers connected by one or more cross ledger boards which support the rails. Between the bents additional intermediate ties maintain the gauge of the track and provide additional support for the friction boards. The bents are connected to each other by diagonal wood bracing.
</blockquote>


== Injuries ==
== Injuries ==
A person fainted on the ride in August 1902, landing the term "roller coaster" in quotation marks in its reporting in the ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.''<ref name=":0" />
A person fainted on the ride in August 1902, landing the term "roller coaster" in quotation marks in its reporting in the ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.''<ref name=":0" />


On September 21, 1902, Albert Jenkins received several broken ribs and a broken leg on the ride. He was released from the hospital on October 30.<ref>"Jenkins Leaves Hospital." ''Thursday Columbus Dispatch.'' 30 October 1902. Pg. 6.</ref>
On Sept. 21, 1902, Albert Jenkins received several broken ribs and a broken leg on the ride. He was released from the hospital on Oct. 30, 1902.<ref>"Jenkins Leaves Hospital." ''Thursday Columbus Dispatch.'' Oct. 30, 1902. Page 6.</ref>
 
In May 1906, Thomas Callis, a pipe organist and insurance salesman, was spooked by the flashing lights and accidentally stepped off a nearby platform and injured his right ankle badly enough that amputation was considered. He was sent to Grant Hospital for treatment.<ref>"Peculiar Accident." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' May 20, 1906. Page 6.</ref>
 
== Related Patent ==
* Toboggan slide. (June 26, 1894) U.S. Patent No. 522,025 [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JE2GCCqxFfatGiyZuQaywUrWElPnVcmZ/view?usp=sharing PDF]<ref>Morris, E. J. 1894. "Toboggan slide." U.S. Patent No. 522,025. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JE2GCCqxFfatGiyZuQaywUrWElPnVcmZ/view?usp=sharing PDF]</ref>


In May 1906, Thomas Callis, a pipe organist and insurance salesman, was spooked by the flashing lights and accidentally stepped off a nearby platform and injured his right ankle bad enough that amputation was considered. He was sent to Grant Hospital for treatment.<ref>"Peculiar Accident." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch''. 20 May 1906. Pg. 6.</ref>
==Notes==
The Roller Coaster Database says the ride was designed by [[Henry B. Auchy]] and manufactured by [[Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC)]],<ref>[https://rcdb.com/3156.htm "Forest Toboggan."] ''Roller Coaster Database.'' Last modified in 2016. Accessed on July 22, 2021.</ref> but under [[E. Joy Morris]] is reported to have built a "roller coaster" or "toboggan" at the park by 1903, when he sold the manufacturing side of his business to the men who founded PTC. It is unknown which roller coaster. Morris also built the first [[Merry-Go-Round (1)|Merry-Go-Round]].<ref name="morris" />


==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />


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[[Category:Rides]]
[[Category:Rides]]
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[[Category:Track Rides]]
[[Category:Track Rides]]
[[Category:Added in 1902]]
[[Category:Added in 1902]]
[[Category:Closed in 1937]]
[[Category:Closed in 1928]]
[[Category:Rides by E. Joy Morris]]
 
{{#seo:|description=The Figure Eight Toboggan was opened in 1902 and was the first track-based roller coaster built at Olentangy Park after the Dusenbury Brothers bought the park.}}
{{#seo:|keywords=Figure Eight, Figure Eight Toboggan, Figure 8, roller coaster, E. Joy Morris, Edward Joy Morris, Morris Chute Company, Olentangy Park, Olentangy Amusement Park, Columbus, Clintonville}}

Latest revision as of 06:36, 6 December 2025

Figure Eight Toboggan
Other Name(s) Figure Eight Toboggan
Figure 8
Type Roller Coaster
Track Rides
Park Section North
Built 1902
Opened 1902
Closed 1928
Manufacturer Morris Chute Company
Designer E. Joy Morris
Materials Wood
Vehicle Type Car
Cost $15,000$560,695 in 2025 dollars
Replaced By Tumble Bug (part)

The Figure Eight Toboggan was the first track-based roller coaster built at Olentangy Park and the first mechanical ride built after the Dusenbury Brothers bought the park in 1899.[1] It cost $15,000$560,695 in 2025 dollars to build.[2] Opening in July 1902,[3] "roller coaster" was a new term for rides where riders coasted on rollers inside their toboggan "cars."[4][5] The ride was in the shape of a figure-eight and was located on the north plateau south of the location of Fair Japan, the original Miniature Railway, and Swimming Pool.[6][7][8]

Designed by Edward Joy Morris of Philadelphia, the ride was likely built by the Morris Chute Company.[9][10][11] The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus made the Spur Haul Up Chain used to power the ride.[12]

The ride started to suffer from "nonsupport" by 1916[13] and was operational until it was partially removed in 1928 to make way for the Tumble Bug.[14][15][16]

Description

The ride had a wooden frame and was described as a "figure-eight" design[17] and was a side-friction coaster. Morris patented the "Figure Eight Toboggan Slide" concept in the 1890s. At times, a "three-way figure eight toboggan slide."[7] This describes how the riders go around the loops three times. The cars would travel freely on a multi-level track, with wooden side rails to keep them on track.[18]

The design of a similar ride built by Morris in 1902—the Leap-the-Dips at Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania—was described as follows:[9]

The track's rails consist of a pair of flat longitudinal boards laid parallel to support the weight-bearing non-flanged wheels of the cars and a pair of flat friction boards positioned vertically on each side of the track, which are contacted by separate non-flanged guide wheels mounted vertically on the sides of the cars. Both pairs of boards have thin strips of steel mounted on their surface to provide a hard wearing low-friction surface for the cars' wheels. The rails are mounted on a trestle support structure. Each bent of the trestle structure consists of a pair of upright timbers connected by one or more cross ledger boards which support the rails. Between the bents additional intermediate ties maintain the gauge of the track and provide additional support for the friction boards. The bents are connected to each other by diagonal wood bracing.

Injuries

A person fainted on the ride in August 1902, landing the term "roller coaster" in quotation marks in its reporting in the Columbus Evening Dispatch.[4]

On Sept. 21, 1902, Albert Jenkins received several broken ribs and a broken leg on the ride. He was released from the hospital on Oct. 30, 1902.[19]

In May 1906, Thomas Callis, a pipe organist and insurance salesman, was spooked by the flashing lights and accidentally stepped off a nearby platform and injured his right ankle badly enough that amputation was considered. He was sent to Grant Hospital for treatment.[20]

  • Toboggan slide. (June 26, 1894) U.S. Patent No. 522,025 PDF[21]

Notes

The Roller Coaster Database says the ride was designed by Henry B. Auchy and manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC),[22] but under E. Joy Morris is reported to have built a "roller coaster" or "toboggan" at the park by 1903, when he sold the manufacturing side of his business to the men who founded PTC. It is unknown which roller coaster. Morris also built the first Merry-Go-Round.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Olentangy Then and Now." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 3, 1914. Page 46.
  2. ↑ Advertisement, Sunday Columbus Dispatch. July 27, 1902. Page 17.
  3. ↑ "Olentangy Park—Tassin's New Comedy." Friday Columbus Dispatch. Aug. 1, 1902. Page 7.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Brevities." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Aug. 18, 1902. Page 8.
  5. ↑ Clay Record. 1903. Clay Record Publishing Company. Accessed through Google Books.
  6. ↑ "Geisha Girls are to be Attraction." Columbus Evening Dispatch, January 2, 1905. Page 5.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Columbus Railway & Light Co." Street Railway Review. Vol. 26. Issue 2. Page 70.
  8. ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, - 1922 Vol. 3, 1922, 1922. Map.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Halterman, Tom E. "Leap-the-Dips." National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. November 1995.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stafford, Tom. "Coaster Designer Morris A Man of Joy." Springfield News-Sun (Springfield, Ohio). Aug. 16, 2004. Page 14. Accessed through Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Smith, Stephen M. "Highland Park Roller Coaster." Hellam Township -- YorksPast. Blog post. Published Feb. 14, 2024. Accessed on Nov. 6, 2025.
  12. ↑ Photograph. "Jeffrey Chain Used in Amusement Park Ride." Ohio History Connection Selections. Photograph from the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company Collection. Original date: Sept. 14, 1910. Last modified July 29, 2011. Accessed through OhioMemory.com.
  13. ↑ "Park in Full Operation." The Columbus Evening Dispatch. May 1, 1916. Page 16.
  14. ↑ "Figure Eight Gives Way to a 'Bug'." The Columbus Dispatch. April 5, 1929. Page 5.
  15. ↑ "Bathrooms and Rink." The Columbus Dispatch. April 14, 1929. Page 85.
  16. ↑ Barrett, Richard E. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1. April 1984. Page 11.
  17. ↑ Postcard. "Olentangy Parks' Figure Eight roller coaster, postcard." Columbus Metropolitan Library. Image from the Columbus Metropolitan Library Collection. Last modified on Jan. 6, 2021. Accessed through the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Digital Collections.
  18. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Sunday Columbus Dispatch. May 10, 1903. Page 6.
  19. ↑ "Jenkins Leaves Hospital." Thursday Columbus Dispatch. Oct. 30, 1902. Page 6.
  20. ↑ "Peculiar Accident." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 20, 1906. Page 6.
  21. ↑ Morris, E. J. 1894. "Toboggan slide." U.S. Patent No. 522,025. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  22. ↑ "Forest Toboggan." Roller Coaster Database. Last modified in 2016. Accessed on July 22, 2021.


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