Old Mill (ride)

An Old Mill (Mill Chute) is a type of amusement park ride with unaccompanied boats on guided tracks floating through dark tunnels. These themed dark rides originated in the late 19th century.

A “Mill Chute” is a variation of the Old Mill, featuring roller coaster-like drops at the end, in which riders get soaked. The major difference between the Old Mill and the Mill Chute is that the Mill Chute contains a drop at the end. Mill Chutes have the same-styled grottos and caverns as Old Mills. Mill Chutes were mainly manufactured in the 1920s and 1930s, while Old Mills were mainly manufactured in the late 19th century through the 1930s. Though Old Mills have drops, they are not as steep as the last drop on a Mill Chute (Hence the name "chute"). The last drop on Mill Chute rides is steeper than its first drop: though it is typical on roller coasters to have the steepest "first drop", water rides have fiercer "last drops".

Examples

The Mill Chute at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom was installed in 1927, and lasted through the 1992 season. It was rethemed to be “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 1960 by Bill Tracy, a dark ride designer. Tracy's “Journey to the Center of the Earth” featured illuminated scenes of trolls, giant spiders, snakes, and miners. A "menacing looking monster" was added when the ride was rethemed in 1960, but the facade in overall was redone several times. Dorney's new owner, Cedar Fair, razed it due to poor safety and liability issues. They wanted rides where the operator could see the riders at all times. It was a fire hazard due to its age.Demolition pictures from 1992/1993.

In 1929, an Old Mill was installed in the Playland Park in Rye, New York. Playland Park is known for preserving their old rides, and in order to preserve their Old Mill, they hired Sally Corporation to remodel it. Their new Old Mill was ready for the 1989 season and it combined new gags along with old. Its outer structure remained similar. Windmill-styled Old Mill rides were once popular, but this is the last one. It is similar to the Red Mill, which operated at Coney Island’s Luna Park in the 1920s. The Red Mill at Coney Island was removed around 1945.

Kennywood Park is a historic park in outer Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kennywood features an Old Mill that opened in 1901. In 1956, it was made the “Around-the-World” boat ride. In 1974, it was made a western themed ride called “Hard-Headed Harrold's Horrendously Humorous Haunted Hideaway.” In 2004, it was rethemed to “Garfield’s Nightmare.” It was changed to be a boat ride featuring the Garfield and Odie comic strip characters. It is the world’s oldest operating Old Mill.

The Old Mill, “Mill Chute” at Hershey Park, was installed in 1927 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, designed by Herbert Schmeck, a coaster maker. In 1964, it was rethemed to the "Lost River", designed by Bill Tracy. "Lost River" was destroyed in 1972’s Hurricane Agnes.

Lake Winnepesaukah in Georgia, near Chattanooga, TN has a Mill Chute (with a coaster like chain lift and drop into the lake after the dark tunnel).

See also

• Incidents at independent parks