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The Wild One (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
The Wild One is a wooden roller coaster
at Six Flags America
in Prince George's County, Maryland
. It is a classic style woodie with a series of bunny hills for a large amount of air time and a 450° spiral helix.
The ride was originally known as "Giant Coaster" when it was re-located in 1985 from Paragon Park
in Hull, Massachusetts
, where it had operated since 1917.
The ride often surprises both guests and enthusiasts alike with its smoothness, something not expected from a wooden ride of its age. The Wild One's only consistently rough part is a sharp turn made under the Skull Mountain.
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...
at Six Flags America
Six Flags America
Six Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations...
in Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. It is a classic style woodie with a series of bunny hills for a large amount of air time and a 450° spiral helix.
The ride was originally known as "Giant Coaster" when it was re-located in 1985 from Paragon Park
Paragon Park
Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. It closed in 1984.-Rides:Among the amusement rides in operation during Paragon Park's history was a traditional-style Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel with hand-crafted horses, a bumper cars ride known as...
in Hull, Massachusetts
Hull, Massachusetts
Hull is a peninsula town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,293 at the 2010 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state...
, where it had operated since 1917.
The ride often surprises both guests and enthusiasts alike with its smoothness, something not expected from a wooden ride of its age. The Wild One's only consistently rough part is a sharp turn made under the Skull Mountain.
History
- 1917: The roller coaster opened as "The Giant Coaster" at Paragon ParkParagon ParkParagon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. It closed in 1984.-Rides:Among the amusement rides in operation during Paragon Park's history was a traditional-style Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel with hand-crafted horses, a bumper cars ride known as...
in Nantasket BeachNantasket BeachNantasket Beach is a beach in Hull, Massachusetts. The shore has fine, light gray sand and is one of the busiest beaches in Greater Boston. At low tide, there are acres of tide pools.-Name:...
, Massachusetts, just under 25 miles (40.2 km) south of Boston. - 1932: Herbert Paul SchmeckHerbert Paul SchmeckHerbert Paul Schmeck was an American roller coaster designer. From 1923 to 1955, Schmeck designed 84 coasters for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company...
redesigned much of the ride after it was partially destroyed by fire. - 1963: In April 1963 another fire destroyed the station, trains, double helix finale and part of the lift hill. The park wanted John C. AllenJohn C. AllenJohn C. Allen was a roller coaster designer who was responsible for the revival of wooden roller coasters which began in the 1970s. He attended Temple University. He started working for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1934 as a coaster operator and rose to become president of the company by...
to rebuild the coaster as it was, but his estimate proved too high for the traditional park. Instead he left out two bunny hops and the helix finale in order to create an angled approach into the brake run. Although nowhere near as exciting as Miller's finish, Allen gave the park an affordable option to tearing down the coaster. On July 19, 1963, Forest Park Highlands (and its 1941 Herb Schmeck designed terrain coaster known as "The Comet") burned to the ground. Paragon Park bought the used trains from Forest Park Highland's Comet because they were much cheaper than buying new ones from Philadelphia Toboggan CompanyPhiladelphia Toboggan CompanyThe 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...
. For the remaining years the park was open, the Giant Coaster's trains ran with the name "Comet" emblazoned across the front of the car. - 1985: "The Giant Coaster" closed at Paragon ParkParagon ParkParagon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. It closed in 1984.-Rides:Among the amusement rides in operation during Paragon Park's history was a traditional-style Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel with hand-crafted horses, a bumper cars ride known as...
and was sold to Wild World when Wild World came to the rescue of this wooden beast, buying "The Giant Coaster" in a last minute bid at auction. - 1986: The coaster reopens at Wild World (now known as Six Flags AmericaSix Flags AmericaSix Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations...
in Largo, MarylandLargo, MarylandLargo is an unincorporated area and census designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States. The population was 8,408 at the 2000 census....
) under the new name, "The Wild One". The park completely restored the coaster to its original condition reincorporating the original helix at the end of the ride. - 1991: "The Wild One" does not open for the 1991 season as the park faces financial difficulties.
- 1992: "The Wild One" reopens for the 1992 season and has been operational ever since.
Records
- When "The Giant Coaster" opened in 1917, at 98' tall, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world. Its record was not surpassed until 1925 when the 100' tall Revere BeachRevere BeachRevere 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...
Cyclone opened.
Awards
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster | ||||||||||||||
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| Year | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Ranking | ||||||||||||||