From Ice Slide to Roller Coaster

16th Century Russian Ice Slides. Public Domain

by Anita Mae Draper

While researching for my posts on sledding, toboggan runs and playground slides, I discovered the fascinating world of Russian ice slides. Not for the faint-of-heart, these slides were built at a 50 degree angle which enabled people to reach speeds of 50 miles an hour from a height starting at 60-80 feet. It was all the more thrilling because they sat on a block of ice set on a wooden sleigh, with only a slip of burlap to warm their bottom and no way to steer their downward slide.

Although the ramps were first built in one direction, smart craftsmen soon built the ramps facing each other so participants wouldn't waste time and energy running back to the start.

17th Century Russian Ice Slides. Public Domain

The thrill of the ice slide spread into France where cities were quick to create ice mountains which they called "roller coasters". One of the first rides was in 1817, when the Promenade Aeriennes, Jardin Baujon (Folie Beaujon Aerial Walks Roller Coaster) opened for business. Riders would start at the central tower and coast down either side on a curved track before ascending back up the central incline. Locked onto the track, the cars reached speeds of 40 mph. 

Promenade Aeriennes, Jardin Baujon, Paris, c 1820. Public Domain, wikimedia

This 1817 illustration from the French periodical, Le Bon Genre shows a close up of the base of the Promenades Aeriennes. 

"Promenades Aeriennes",1817 illustration from the French periodical Le Bon Genre. Public Domain

Compared to the safety features of today's roller coasters, the carts of early roller coasters were dangerous and often spilled their occupants if they weren't on guard, but the thrill and romance of the sport was too heady to keep people of all ages away. 

Early Roller Coaster. Public Domain, wikimedia

From my research, Russians of all stations were fascinated by sliding, including Catherine the Great (1729-1796) who had a giant ice slide built on the River Neva near the Winter Palace. In 1788, the artist, Benjamin Patersson (1748-1815) signed this watercolour of Catherine the Great being led across the frozen River Neva.

Catherine the Great Visiting the Ice Mountain, Neva River. Public Domain

In fact, Catherine's love of sliding was so great that she built a roller coaster at Katalnaya Gorka, also known as Sliding Hill, on the Oranienbaum estate among the series of royal palaces and pavilions. A pavilion resembling a wedding cake was built at the pinnacle of her sliding ice hill. In this pavilion, the court and principal nobility could take rest and refreshment after amusing themselves on the slides and tracks, regardless of the season.

Katalnaya Gorka Pavilion, Oranienbaum, Russia. Public Domain wikimedia

The slides, called the 'flying mountain' was dismantled in the mid-19th century after it fell into disrepair and was deemed too dangerous to leave standing. With an eye to beauty, the grounds were cleared and planted with fir trees, but leaving the impression of where the slides had once stood. 

Katalnaya Gorka Pavilion, Oranienbaum, Russia. Public Domain wikimedia

However, the pavilion has been preserved and today's visitors can tour the elaborate building and catch a glimpse of Catherine's world from the interior where they'll also find a scale model of what the switchback roller coaster looked like in its glory days. 

Katalnaya Gorka Pavilion, Oranienbaum, Russia. Public Domain wikimedia

If you had a chance to see Catherine II's ice mountain pavilion, would you be more interested in the decorated interior, or the scale model of the slide?

If you're interested in sliding sports, check out my post, Romance on a Toboggan.

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Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are written under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details.  Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, The American Heiress Brides Collection, and The Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience.  Discover more at:

Website - www.anitamaedraper.com, Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/

Derby Race Carousel-Type Rides

As I promised in my last post, Hang on for Steeplechase Rides, this month I'm going to show you carousel rides that feature a derby race as part of the rotation. 

As a refresher, on the right is a 1926 image taken at Calgary, Alberta and shows a young girl on an ordinary carousel. While the deer itself is different, the animals have the usual pole fixed to the top supports, as well as to the carousel floor. Any movement will only be up and down, in time with the music. 

As most people know, however, horses don't move up and down in real life...they run forward.

I was curious to see if I could find an old video of horse racing and was surprised when I found, Race Horse First Film Ever 1878 Eadweard Muybridge. (Edward Maybridge)  Mr. Muybridge's motion photography was one of the earliest forms of videography and showed the action of a horse in motion proving that all four hooves do indeed leave the ground at one time.

I also found footage of 1897 Horse Racing at Sheepshead Bay, and although the quality isn't the best and there's no sound, it was filmed by the Thomas Edison Company with the copyright of Thomas A Edison, July 31, 1897 ...

Unlike steeplechase rides, derby races ran on rotating platforms with operating chains that moved the horses moved forward and back as well as up and down to simulate the movement of real horses in a derby. 

If you look at this 1910 image, the pole of each horse goes down into a long slot on the floor. During the course of the race, each horse moves forward and back in random order, and whoever is farthest ahead at the end of the race is the winner. 

People Riding on a Carousel, about 1910. Courtesy of
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

According to the Carousel History website, Derbies were used to teach riding skills to untrained World War I soldiers. The next two photos show a publicity photo shot at the Great American Racing Derby at Ocean Park.

World War I Soldiers mount up for photo shot at Ocean Park Great American Racing Derby. Courtesy of carouselhistory.com

If you read the original caption on the above photo, it mentions the Looff carousel in the center of the derby. Apparently, the idea was for the children to ride the 4-row Looff carousel, while their parents rode the faster, and more thrilling, derby. Apparently, the Derby rides rotated three times faster than the speed of a carousel.

World War I Soldiers publicity photo taken at Ocean Park Derby. Courtesy of carouselhistory.com

To get a sense of what it's like to ride in a derby, check out this video, which was filmed using a Go-Pro at CedarPoint in Sandusky, OH.

If the horses look familiar, it's probably because it's the same derby used in the publicity shot above when it was called The Great American Racing Derby. In 1969, it was sold to Cedar Point and now races under the name of Cedar Downs.

If you look closely at images of carousels today, you'll see that some of them started out as derby races, but the racing mechanism has been disengaged and the slot boarded up so that only one hole for the pole remains as in this photo: 

The Prior & Church Racing Derby at Playland, Rye, NY, c2014. Courtesy of carouselhistory.com 

The Carousel History website is the best place for information on this subject. Included on the page for Derby Racers is a first hand account about riding Playland's Derby, including this statement, "...Most riders do want to sit on the outside…the best thrill. You cannot be weak, you have to hold on. My arms were tired after the ride.”

The chains that operate the racing mechanism on the derby rides are still in operation at only one amusement park - Cedar Downs, Cedar Point, Ohio. To get a sense of a derby ride without the chains in operation, here's a Derby Racer video uploaded in 2011 from Blackpool, Pleasure Beach, UK. Note that the poles are not lined up side-by-side so it looks like they are racing, but they no longer move. 

I have never had the opportunity to ride in a Derby Racer. Have you?

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Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are woven under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yields fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details.  Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, and The American Heiress Brides Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience.  Discover more at:

Website - www.anitamaedraper.com

Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/