Before and After Part 1
Before and After: Mill Race (1963-1993) to Raptor (1994-Present)
Do you recall the view of Cedar Point’s midway before Raptor was constructed? It seems as if Raptor has always ruled the skies at Cedar Point. I often think back to try to recall what Cedar Point looked like without the iconic roller coasters and various other rides we know and love today. I remember the days when my dad would get tickets to Cedar Point once a year to attend his company’s work picnic. Every time we would visit, we would be sure to take a ride on Mill Race. The sound of families laughing and shaking off water are memories that come “racing” back.
The Mill Race was a log flume ride manufactured by Arrow Dynamics that was in operation between 1963 and 1993. In 1963, it was the second in the world to be in operation and was voted a top attraction at Cedar Point numerous times in the 1960’s. It had a single lift hill that was 28 feet tall and had a total length of 1,230 feet. The total cost was around $300,000 to complete. In 1982, White Water Landing, Cedar Point’s second log flume ride, was built with a 50 foot lift hill. Snake River Falls became Cedar Point’s third log flume ride in 1993. At the end of the 1993 season, Mill Race was taken out for the construction of Raptor to be unveiled in May of 1994.
Raptor is a steel inverted roller coaster that was designed by Bollinger & Mabillard. It was a record breaking roller coaster with many firsts in its design. It has a 3,790 foot track layout. It was the tallest, fastest, and longest inverted roller coaster in the world when it began its operations in 1994. Raptor’s chain lift hill reaches a maximum height of 137 feet with a 119 foot drop. It reaches speeds of 57 miles per hour and has 6 inversions, including a cobra roll, which was a first for inverted roller coasters. There are 117 sections to complete the track for Raptor. The total cost to complete this record breaking roller coaster was between $11,500,000 and $12,000,000!
Raptor will forever rule my sky!
Click the link below to watch an amazing time lapse video of Mill Race’s clearing and the construction of Raptor!
Before: Mill Race
After: Raptor
By - Britt Hageman