.gif)
John Miller (entrepreneur)
Encyclopedia
John A. Miller was a roller coaster
designer and builder. He held over 100 patents, many of which were for roller coaster safety devices (e.g. the safety chain dog), that remain key components of present-day roller coasters. He designed over 60 coasters in his lifetime.
. He also worked with noted designers Frederick Ingersoll
and Fred and Josiah Pearce.
Miller in 1910 designed a device that prevented cars from rolling backward down the lift hill
in the event of pull chain breakage. It attached to the track and clicked onto the rungs of the chain. Known as the safety chain dog, or safety ratchet, it evolved into the device on the underside of cars that makes that distinctive clinkety-clank sound of wooden coasters.
Miller's most important contribution to coaster technology, though, was the underfriction
wheel. In 1919, he patented the "Miller Under Friction Wheel," also called the "upstop wheel," which consisted of a wheel that ran under the track to keep the coaster cars from flying off. This allowed the designers to use very steep drops, sharp horizontal and vertical curves and high speeds. These are found on nearly every roller coaster in operation.
Besides patenting ingenious inventions for coasters--including several types of brakes and car bar locks--Miller built his share of unusual "scream machines." In 1920 Miller went into business with Harry Baker as "Miller & Baker, Inc." and over the next three years, they built popular coasters all over North America. Characteristics of their roller coasters are camelback hills (multiple straight or slightly angled drops that went all the way to the ground) and large, flat turns.
After 1923, Miller continued to design and build coasters for his own company, "The John Miller Company." The Dip-Lo-Docus (c. 1923), billed as "The Jazz Ride," featured revolving three-seater cars, whereas the Flying Turns (1929) consisted of cars with swiveling rubber wheels tearing through a half-cylindrical chute like a toboggan. The legendary Cyclone (1928-1958) at Puritas Springs near Cleveland, Ohio was honored with a place on the Smithsonian Institution's list of Great Lost Roller Coasters. It was hidden so much by foliage that only the boarding platform was visible to riders before they began to race through the ravine. This 1928 ride was considered one of the golden-age classics of the period.
Although many of his most famous coasters were built during the 1920s, Miller never stopped building coasters. He continued to travel to supervise site installations and consult on roller coaster design until his death. He died on June 24, 1941, while working on a coaster project in Houston, Texas
.
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
designer and builder. He held over 100 patents, many of which were for roller coaster safety devices (e.g. the safety chain dog), that remain key components of present-day roller coasters. He designed over 60 coasters in his lifetime.
Biography
For a time in his early career, he worked for La Marcus Adna Thompson and then as a consultant to the Philadelphia Toboggan CompanyPhiladelphia Toboggan Company
The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world.Mack Rides of Germany dates back to 1781, but it did not start building coasters until 1921 Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B...
. He also worked with noted designers Frederick Ingersoll
Frederick Ingersoll
Frederick Ingersoll was an inventor, designer, and builder who created the world's first chain of amusement parks and whose manufacturing company built 277 roller coasters, fueling the popularity of trolley parks in the first third of the Twentieth Century...
and Fred and Josiah Pearce.
Miller in 1910 designed a device that prevented cars from rolling backward down the lift hill
Lift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
in the event of pull chain breakage. It attached to the track and clicked onto the rungs of the chain. Known as the safety chain dog, or safety ratchet, it evolved into the device on the underside of cars that makes that distinctive clinkety-clank sound of wooden coasters.
Underfriction
On a roller coaster train, the underfriction, up-lift, or up-stop wheels are a device to keep the train from jumping off the track under intense movement. The design was patented in 1919 by John Miller....
wheel. In 1919, he patented the "Miller Under Friction Wheel," also called the "upstop wheel," which consisted of a wheel that ran under the track to keep the coaster cars from flying off. This allowed the designers to use very steep drops, sharp horizontal and vertical curves and high speeds. These are found on nearly every roller coaster in operation.
Besides patenting ingenious inventions for coasters--including several types of brakes and car bar locks--Miller built his share of unusual "scream machines." In 1920 Miller went into business with Harry Baker as "Miller & Baker, Inc." and over the next three years, they built popular coasters all over North America. Characteristics of their roller coasters are camelback hills (multiple straight or slightly angled drops that went all the way to the ground) and large, flat turns.
After 1923, Miller continued to design and build coasters for his own company, "The John Miller Company." The Dip-Lo-Docus (c. 1923), billed as "The Jazz Ride," featured revolving three-seater cars, whereas the Flying Turns (1929) consisted of cars with swiveling rubber wheels tearing through a half-cylindrical chute like a toboggan. The legendary Cyclone (1928-1958) at Puritas Springs near Cleveland, Ohio was honored with a place on the Smithsonian Institution's list of Great Lost Roller Coasters. It was hidden so much by foliage that only the boarding platform was visible to riders before they began to race through the ravine. This 1928 ride was considered one of the golden-age classics of the period.
Although many of his most famous coasters were built during the 1920s, Miller never stopped building coasters. He continued to travel to supervise site installations and consult on roller coaster design until his death. He died on June 24, 1941, while working on a coaster project in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Defunct
| Name | Location | Operational |
|---|---|---|
| Greyhound | Lakewood Fairgrounds Lakewood Fairgrounds Lakewood Fairgrounds, established in 1916 in Lakewood Heights, Atlanta, was built to be the home of the Southeastern Fair. The Lakewood Fairgrounds was located on of former Creek Indian land, which was situated around a lake.-The Southeastern Fair:... , Atlanta, Georgia |
1915-1974 |
| Coaster | Riverview Park Riverview Park (Iowa) Riverview Park was an amusement park in Des Moines, Iowa, from 1915 to 1978. What began in pre-1915 as a zoological garden and trolley destination in an area of Des Moines known as Highland Park would become Riverview Amusement Park, a popular family entertainment oasis in early Iowa history... , Des Moines, Iowa |
1920-1978 |
| Dip-Lo-Docus | Riverview Park, Des Moines, Iowa | ca. 1923-? |
| Cyclone | Puritas Springs, Cleveland, Ohio | 1928-1958 |
| Greyhound | Celeron Park, Jamestown, NY | 1924-1959 |
| Flying Turns | Euclid Beach Park Euclid Beach Park Euclid Beach Park was a popular amusement park located on the shores of Lake Erie in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio.... , Cleveland, OH |
1929-1969 |
| Ravine Flyer | Waldameer Park Waldameer Park Waldameer Park and Water World is an amusement / water park in Erie, Pennsylvania located at the base of Presque Isle. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, and the tenth oldest in the United States. The park is admission-free, with a busy midway, well-appointed grounds,... , Erie PA |
1922-1938 |
| Thunderbolt | Revere Beach Revere Beach Revere Beach is a public beach in Revere, Massachusetts. Located about 4 miles north of downtown Boston, the beach, founded in 1895, is the first public beach in the country. In the past, it was known as the Coney Island of New England... |
1921-1930 |
| Thunderbolt Thunderbolt (Coney Island) The Thunderbolt was a wooden roller coaster located at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. It operated from 1925 until 1982 and was finally demolished in autumn 2000. It was designed by John Miller.- History :... |
Coney Island Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill.... , New York NY |
1925-1982 (torn down 2000) |
| The Beach Coaster | Ocean View Pavilion Amusement Park, Jacksonville, FL | 1928-1949 (torn down/dismantled 1950) |
Surviving
- Including Standing But Not Operational
Name Location Built Racer Racer (Kennywood)The Racer is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It is a racing, moebius loop coaster; one of only three in the world.-Beginnings:...
Kennywood KennywoodKennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
1927 Jack Rabbit Jack Rabbit (Kennywood)Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.Designed and built by John Miller in 1920, it is one of the oldest still-running roller coasters in the world, opening on June 18, 1920. The ride's three trains were manufactured by...
Kennywood KennywoodKennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
1921 Thunderbolt Thunderbolt (Kennywood)The Thunderbolt is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Originally built by John A. Miller in 1924, the ride's name was Pippin until 1967, when it changed to Thunderbolt beginning with the 1968 season, coinciding with an expansion of the...
Kennywood KennywoodKennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
1924 Screechin' Eagle Americana Park/
LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park,
Middletown, OH1927(Currently SBNO) Big Dipper Blackpool Pleasure Beach 1923 Big Dipper Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom Geauga Lake's Wildwater KingdomWildwater Kingdom is a waterpark located in Aurora, Ohio, United States, originally founded in 1888 as Geauga Lake.Geauga Lake had operated primarily as an amusement park...
1925 (Currently SBNO) Coaster Thrill Ride Western Washington State Fair 1935 Jack Rabbit Jack Rabbit (Seabreeze)Jack Rabbit, is an "out and back" wooden roller coaster located at Seabreeze Amusement Park in Irondequoit, New York. At its opening in 1920, it was the fastest roller coaster in the world, the Giant Dipper superseded it in 1924. It is the fourth oldest operating roller coaster in the world...Seabreeze Amusement Park Seabreeze Amusement ParkSeabreeze Amusement Park, known locally as Seabreeze, is an historic amusement park in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, New York, United States.Seabreeze is in northeast Irondequoit, where Irondequoit Bay empties into Lake Ontario...
1920 Roller Coaster Roller coasterThe roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
Lagoon Amusement Park Lagoon Amusement ParkLagoon is an amusement park in Farmington, Utah, United States located about seventeen miles north of Salt Lake City. It is privately owned...
1921 Zippin Pippin Bay Beach Amusement Park Bay Beach Amusement ParkBay Beach is a municipal amusement park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The park is situated near the mouth of the Fox River as it flows into Green Bay, on the east bank. It features rides, concessions, and a roller coaster. The park's history dates to the 1890s, when entrepreneur Mitchell Nejedlo...
, former located in LibertylandLibertylandLibertyland was Memphis, Tennessee's only amusement park. Opened on July 4, 1976, it was located at 940 Early Maxwell Blvd. It was structured under the nonprofit 5014 US tax code. It closed due to financial reasons in 2005.-History:...
, Memphis, TN1923