Sierran Created Famous "Ferris Wheel"

© Craig MacDonald

"Ferris Wheels" have always been "the big draw," the exciting symbols of County Fairs, Amusement Parks and other places where enthusiastic riders enjoy going "round and round, up and over, down and around." It's an exhilarating experience you never forget.

Amusement wheels have been in existence for centuries but it was a Sierra man's ingenuity that created the first Giant Observation Wheel, which made his name synonymous with "wheel" attractions today.

In 1864, 5-year-old George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., left Galesburg, Illinois with his family in search of greater opportunities in the West. They stopped their wagon in the fertile valley, south of Carson City, NV.

George's father, George W.G. Ferris, Sr., was a horticulturalist who "saw gold" in the bountiful, rich soil of Carson Valley, where he built a ranch near present day Minden. He even planted trees, including American Elms and Blue Spruce on the Nevada State Capitol grounds. (Some of these trees are still standing.)

George loved to explore the Carson Valley area and he reportedly became fascinated by discovering a "turning wheel" that hoisted water up to troughs for thirsty livestock. Some say he lay on a riverbank, hypnotized by the motion of the wheel lifting the water. He also apparently liked to study the waterwheels which caused sawmills to turn.

The motion of wheels was something Ferris would never forget, even when he went east to earn an Engineering Degree from the prestigious Rensselaer Polytecnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

He worked for a railroad (that had its own type of "turning wheels") and eventually formed his own structural steel-testing company.

When planners for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago asked America's top designers to create something "original, daring and unique," Ferris was more than up to the task.

Remembering the "wheels" he had seen in Carson Valley, Ferris was inspired to create a gigantic observation wheel that would rise higher than any buildings. It would be 250 feet in diameter, 825 feet in circumference, 30 feet wide, elevated 15 feet, with 36 gondola cars (each with 40 revolving chairs). The center of the wheel featured an iron axle, 32 inches thick and 45 feet in length.

Some engineers thought he was crazy. Nobody had ever attempted anything like this before and critics warned that it could not be done. They predicted the wheel would collapse under its own weight.

But Ferris had an Old West "spirit" that everything was possible. Overcoming naysayers, mechanical and financial challenges, he and others in the brilliant, creative, hardworking team miraculously completed it in less than six months.

The "buzz" about the eye-catching project, which would cost about $400,000, started even as it was being built. "People were wild to ride it and extra guards were required to keep them out," wrote Luther Rice, the incredibly competent Construction Superintendent.

At 3:30p.m., on June 21, 1893, Ferris blew a whistle to officially make his dream a reality for the excited Expo visitors. Newspaper reporters would call the magnificent, mechanical marvel, "The Eighth Wonder of the World."

It became the "Superstar of the Exposition," attracting eager guests like a magnet. More than 1 ½ million people rode "round and round" on his huge Ferris Wheel. Tickets usually cost 50-cents for an unparalleled 20-minute adventure.

For 132 days, visitors enjoyed the thrilling view of the Expo grounds and buildings in Chicago. The experience caused many to ride it again and again, helping gross more than $736,000.

The Expo's Star—featured in newspaper articles, advertisements, photos and on pins, postcards as well as additional memorabilia—captured the "awe" of the nation and inspired others to "wheel and deal," creating their own observation rides, which became known to the public as "Ferris Wheels."

In 1895, the first Giant Observation wheel, which had been carefully dismantled, was rebuilt near Lincoln Park on Chicago's North Clark Street (where it remained until 1903).

Unfortunately, in 1896, its 37-year-old inventor died of typhoid. He had sold most of his interest in the Ferris Company to his partners.

His epic invention was brought back to life and transported by rail to Missouri, where it was painstakingly reassembled for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. It once again stole the show.

Ironically, one of its main assets (its size) was a liability. Being expensive to dismantle, store, transport, along with other issues, led it, like its founder, to an untimely demise.

There was talk of moving it elsewhere but nothing developed. With nobody willing to "foot the bills," this incredible, mechanical pioneer met its fate on May 11, 1906, when it was blown up with 200 pounds of dynamite and sold as scrap—an unfitting end for the undisputed "Queen of the Midway."

Fortunately, "Ferris Wheels" still provide magic and magnetism for Fairs (and more) throughout the West and throughout the world, keeping "alive" the name of the curious kid, fixated by the wheels he once saw in Carson Valley.