P.O Box 19535, Cleveland, Ohio 44119-0535 United States
Prior and Church Racing Derby History
Reprint of an article from The Arch, Euclid Beach Park Now's quarterly newsletter. Volume 28, Issue 1, Winter 2016-2017 by John Frato: President, Euclid Beach Park Now, Board Secretary, Cleveland's Euclid Beach Park Carousel Society
In 1921, a new carousel was introduced to park patrons at Euclid Beach Park. Its "proper" name was The Great American Racing Derby, but frequent park visitors called it simply The Racing Derby. It was designed to become a park favorite until its removal in 1965 when it was sold and relocated to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The Great American Racing Derby was located right next to the park's grand carousel, manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, installed in 1910.
Patent drawing shown here on the right.
The design of the hand carved wooden horses created by the Williams Amusement Device Company of Denver, Colorado added to the mystique. The horses outstretched legs and elongated stance gave the illusion the horses were in full stride even when the ride was not spinning. There was a sense of excitement just looking at the ride before it began. At full speed, leaning into the wind as the ride turned you couldn't help but feel you were in a horse race.The mechanism was an "upside down" version of a standard carousel with the mechanics tucked under the platform instead of operated from above by poles and cranks. The intricate mechanism that allowed the horses to operate consisted of a series of pulleys and cables that drew the horses along an undulating steel track. The ride design was patented by Thomas W. Prior and Frederick A Church in 1913. The two gentlemen originally met in Chicago and moved to California. The company they formed not only built their patented Racing Derby but also roller coasters. At least eighteen Prior and Church Racing Derbies were installed in various amusement parks between 1916 and 1927. They are also credited with the manufacture of about ten roller coasters.
The four photos below, show some of the mechanism below the platform
Derby Racer, Blackpool Preasure Beach, United Kingdom
Derby Racer, Blackpool Preasure Beach, United Kingdom
Derby Racer, Blackpool Preasure Beach, United Kingdom
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Derby Racer, Playland Park, Rye, New York
Derby Racer, Blackpool Preasure Beach, United Kingdom
Derby Racer, Blackpool Preasure Beach, United Kingdom
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Great American Racing Derby, Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio
Great American Racing Derby, Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio
Great American Racing Derby, Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio
Only two Prior and Church Racing Derbies exist today in North America. The one that was originally installed at Euclid Beach Park, which now is at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio with the name changed to Cedar Downs. The second, a later model (1927), operates at Playland Park in Rye, New York. Theirs is called the Derby Racer, with fifty six horses that operates at twenty five miles per hour. There is also one operating at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the United Kingdom.
At Euclid Beach Park, some of the ride operators had a special way of showing off their agility on the spinning platform for the riders, and possibly to impress the girls. While the ride was turning, standing on the loading area, they would face the oncoming horses, lean back, step onto the moving platform, then step off. and repeat the on and off motion during the ride. The performance appeared to be a dance which became known as the "Derby Shuffle". It took a great deal of practice to perform the "shuffle" but the agile ride operators made it seem effortless.
Cedar Downs, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
Great American Racing Derby, Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio
Great American Racing Derby, Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio
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The horse in the lead at the end of the ride in each row was considered the winner. In the early days, the ride operator would have a bunch of small American flags in his back pocket. At the end of each "race", a flag would be placed in a hole behind the left ear of the lead horse in each row at the end of the ride. This signifying the horse the winner and thus it's rider who would receive a free ride. I questioned Dudley Humphrey about why his family abandoned this popular practice and his answer was a bit of a surprise. They were forced to discontinue giving the free rides because the Ohio Gaming Commission looked at the practice as a form of gambling. No skill was involved to win the free ride . . . it was purely by chance . . . like pulling the lever on a slot machine.
Note:Another ride at Euclid Beach Park was called The Derby Racer in 1921. Its name was changed after the installation of the Great American Racing Derby to the Racing Coaster to avoid confusion.