Eli Bridge Company is a family-owned amusement ride manufacturer headquartered in
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the Illinois School for ...
, U.S.
History
W. E. Sullivan, owner of Eli Bridge Company in Illinois, rode the original
1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel at the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...
. Inspired by this, he collaborated with machinist James H. Clements and their first "Big Eli" wheel debuted in Central Park, Jacksonville, Illinois, on May 23, 1900. In 1955, Eli Bridge Co. produced its first non-wheel amusement ride, the
Scrambler. Eli Bridge products can be found in amusement parks around the world. Today, Eli Bridge remains a family-owned company. Lee Sullivan, chairman of the board, is the grandson of company founder W. E. Sullivan, and President/CEO Patty Sullivan is the great granddaughter of W. E. Sullivan.
Ferris wheels
*Signature Series: 16 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable
*Eagle Series: 16 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable
*HY-5 Series: 12 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable
*Aristocrat Series: 16 cars, fixed site
*Standard Series: 12 cars, fixed site
*Lil' Wheel: 6 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable and fixed site models
Scramblers
*Next Generation Series: mobile
*Standard Series: fixed site
*Lil' Scrambler: 12 seat mobile or fixed site
Family rides
*Construction Zone: mobile & fixed site
*SpiderMania: mobile and fixed site
Further reading
"Eli Bridge Co. Rides High Thanks to Wheels of Fortune," Jessy Yancey, Illinois Farm Bureau Partners"Big Eli, The First Portable Ferris Wheel (May 23, 1900)," Clint Cargile, 24 May 2021, Northern Public Radio"Points of Interest: Eli Bridge Company... Manufacturing fun," Jeff Mondlock, 8 July 2013, KHQA
References
Amusement ride manufacturers
Companies based in Morgan County, Illinois
Jacksonville, Illinois micropolitan area
Manufacturing companies based in Illinois
Family-owned companies of the United States
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