Wild Cat (Hersheypark)
Encyclopedia
The Wild Cat was the name of a wooden roller coaster
located in Hersheypark
, Hershey, Pennsylvania
. Milton S. Hershey
had the ride built at a cost of $50,000, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the town of Hershey. It was the first roller coaster built in Hersheypark. However, unlike all other roller coasters build at the park since, Wild Cat was owned by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company
(PTC) and the land the ride was built on was leased to PTC on an agreement that expired in 1945.
Wild Cat was Herbert Schmeck's
first roller coaster design. When the ride opened on June 16, 1923, it was called The Joy Ride, but it was shortly after renamed Wildcat. The ride stood approximately where the Trailblazer
and Storm Runner's double roll and snake dive are currently, and the ride went through a tunnel near the present-day Country Grill. The first woman to ride the roller coaster is Miss Marion Murrie, the daughter of Hershey baseball coach and Hershey Chocolate
factory worker William Murrie.
The roller coaster operated through the 1945 season. It had been decided that Wild Cat would be torn down and replaced with a new wooden roller coaster. It had fallen in to significant disrepair as a result of the Second World War economy requiring most wood and supplies to go to the United States' war effort. Schmeck designed the replacement roller coaster, Comet
, which was Milton Hershey's last purchased ride (he died before Comet's completion), and is still in operation as of the 2011 Hersheypark season.
In 1995, Hersheypark announced they were building a new wooden roller coaster for the 1996 season. They chose the name Wildcat in honor of the Wild Cat, and used the slogan, The Cat is back!
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
located in Hersheypark
Hersheypark
Hersheypark is an amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, near the Hershey Chocolate Factory.Hersheypark was opened on April 24, 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company, an American confectionery company. Later, the company decided to open the park to the...
, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
. Milton S. Hershey
Milton S. Hershey
Milton Snavely Hershey was an American confectioner, philanthropist, and founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company and the "company town" of Hershey, Pennsylvania....
had the ride built at a cost of $50,000, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the town of Hershey. It was the first roller coaster built in Hersheypark. However, unlike all other roller coasters build at the park since, Wild Cat was owned by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company
Philadelphia 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...
(PTC) and the land the ride was built on was leased to PTC on an agreement that expired in 1945.
Wild Cat was Herbert Schmeck's
Herbert Paul Schmeck
Herbert Paul Schmeck was an American roller coaster designer. From 1923 to 1955, Schmeck designed 84 coasters for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company...
first roller coaster design. When the ride opened on June 16, 1923, it was called The Joy Ride, but it was shortly after renamed Wildcat. The ride stood approximately where the Trailblazer
Trailblazer (roller coaster)
Trailblazer is a family roller coaster at Hersheypark amusement park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The ride is notable for being the second-oldest operating coaster in the park, after the Comet, and for its family-friendly height requirement of 36 inches and above with an adult.-Description:The...
and Storm Runner's double roll and snake dive are currently, and the ride went through a tunnel near the present-day Country Grill. The first woman to ride the roller coaster is Miss Marion Murrie, the daughter of Hershey baseball coach and Hershey Chocolate
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
factory worker William Murrie.
The roller coaster operated through the 1945 season. It had been decided that Wild Cat would be torn down and replaced with a new wooden roller coaster. It had fallen in to significant disrepair as a result of the Second World War economy requiring most wood and supplies to go to the United States' war effort. Schmeck designed the replacement roller coaster, Comet
Comet (Hersheypark)
The Comet is a wooden roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Built in 1946 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the coaster features a double out and back track layout...
, which was Milton Hershey's last purchased ride (he died before Comet's completion), and is still in operation as of the 2011 Hersheypark season.
In 1995, Hersheypark announced they were building a new wooden roller coaster for the 1996 season. They chose the name Wildcat in honor of the Wild Cat, and used the slogan, The Cat is back!