One of the only rides I’ll do at the Bulkley Valley Exhibition is the Ferris wheel. There is something fun and nostalgic about it. I appreciated last year that the Ferris wheel brought up had covered cars. As much as I love to feel the wind in my hair, with young children and only a small, very loose seatbelt, and cars that move easily back and forth, this mama liked the safety of an enclosed cab.
The Ferris wheel is the only ride I can jump on without feeling terribly sick afterward. It moves slowly enough and gives great views. It is an amazing attraction and looks so cool standing in the middle of the midway. The sight of one screams fair.
Exactly 131 years ago today the original Ferris wheel made its debut.
It was designed and built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as the centre piece of the Midway at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
It was dismantled and then rebuilt in a nearby park and dismantled and rebuilt a third and final time for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It was then demolished in 1906.
The idea was to make a keystone attraction similar to that of the 1889 Paris Exposition's Eiffel Tower. The first Ferris wheel was 80 metres tall and cost US$385,000 (the equivalent of approximately $13.5 million in 2024 dollars). Each ride was 50 cents, which is to about $17 now and took about 20 minutes to go around twice. Almost 1.5 million people paid to ride on the wheel at the exhibition.
It was a great engineering feat at the time and it has a latest legacy today.
While the first Ferris Wheel was 264 feet high, the Ferris Wheel that Shooting Stars Amusement brings to the Bulkley Valley stands only 46’ high. And that is high enough for me.
The original Ferris wheel could carry 60 passengers in each of the 36 cars, for a total capacity of 2,160 passengers per rotation. Shooting Star’s can carry up to 36 passengers per rotation in 12 cars.
Thinking about it makes me so excited about this year’s BVX. It will be the 105th anniversary. It will be held August 22-25th. And you can catch me on the Ferris wheel!
