Mill Race was a

log flume A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations pre ...

ride that operated between 1963 and 1993 at the

Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Opened in 1870, it is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point is owned and op ...

amusement park in Sandusky,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Opened in 1963, just months after

El Aserradero El Aserradero (meaning The Sawmill) is a log flume located in the ''Spain'' section at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, since 1963. History 'El Aserradero' was the first ever log flume attraction in the world and the fourth oldest rid ...

he Sawmillat

Six Flags Over Texas Six Flags Over Texas is a 212-acre (86 ha) amusement park, in Arlington, Texas, east of Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth and west of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. It is the first amusement park in the Six Flags chain, and features themed areas and attracti ...

, it was the world's second log flume ride. In 1993, it was dismantled to make room for the

Raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on ...

roller coaster.

History

Built for about $300,000 ($ today) , Mill Race opened during a period of transition at Cedar Point. In 1963, when Mill Race opened, Cedar Point had no operating roller coasters besides smaller wild mouse style

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

s. Mill Race opened near the entrance of the park on the main midway and it proved to be one of the most popular rides in the entire park. The number of Cedar Point visitors rose following the installation of Mill Race. Although Mill Race was popular, the log flume was ultimately removed in 1993 to prepare for the addition of the inverted

steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...

. A second log flume ride, White Water Landing, had also been built at Cedar Point in 1982. At in height, White Water Landing dwarfed the tall Mill Race.

Snake River Falls Snake River Falls is a shoot-the-chutes water ride attraction located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Designed by Arrow Dynamics, the ride opened to the public on May 8, 1993. Its theme is loosely based on a wood packing company, and it is o ...

, a third flume, opened in Mill Race's last year of operation. In the year following Mill Race's removal and Raptor's installation, Cedar Point admissions went from hundreds of thousands of visitor admissions to over two million visitor admissions in a single season.

Layout and ride experience

Mill Race had a simple layout, only having a single lift hill of in height. Mill Race had been selected as a top Cedar Point attraction in multiple years of the 1960s.

References

{{Cedar Point Amusement rides introduced in 1963 Amusement rides that closed in 1993 Cedar Fair attractions