Frontier Lift

Well, I'm showing my age again.  (Ok, 31.)  I remember being upset early in the summer I went to pick up my Season Pass (was it '86?) and noted that the Frontier Lift was no longer on the park map in the Season Pass Center.
At the time, when I asked, I was told they'd removed the ride because it was closed due to wind a great deal of the time (different angle than the Sky Ride, slightly).
Of course, the next summer, Iron Dragon appeared (thus "ruining" the "big island" of the lagoons and the Western Cruise). 
Now, Jeff and others have told us time and again that CP plans what it's doing two or three years in advance, so my guess is that the real reason for the closure was to make room for the Iron Dragon, which opened one summer after the summer with no Frontier Lift (if I remember correctly).

*** This post was edited by Western Cruiser on 12/31/2001. ***

I ws told that the Frontier Lift was taken down because people would smoke marijuana on it. You were secluded in a bunch of trees and that was the only area in the park where you were alone.

So your telling me it was closed Because of Ceech and Chong?
-----------------
One Time Me And My Friends Rode The Mine Ride 25 Times In A Row For Fun, And Gave The Ride Op's A Thumbs Up Back. I Think We Annoyed The Heck Outta Them:)

thanks Andrew but you need to correct your site too.
-----------------

Old CP'er - the Frontier Lift was taken out years after the Frontier trail opened, so I doubt it was because of the new-found ability to walk to Frontier Town.  More likely they wanted to use the space for something else (Iron Dragon, for instance) and felt the Frontier Lift was redundant.

-- Harley

-----------------
CP fan since 68.

For those of you who are lazy (Such as I am), here are some pictures of the frontier lift (So you don't have to go looking for them):

Lift 1

Lift 2

---------------
Stupid People Shouldn't Breath...
-Gonzo
Missing something slugger?

*** This post was edited by Intamin2k on 1/1/2002. ***

http://www.pointhype.com/cponle/lostrides/lift.jpg" target=_blank>Lift 2
---------------
Stupid People Shouldn't Breath...
-Gonzo
Missing something slugger?
*** This post was edited by Intamin2k on 1/1/2002. ***

---

Your "Lift2" picture looks just as it does today.

-----------------
Excuse me, where is the 10:00 Laser Show Presented by FirstEnegry??

Well time to show my age...

The Frontier Lift was removed partly to make use of the land. In additon, there was NO WAY to remove anyone from the ride in the event of a major breakdown.

Yes it is true there was some "smoking" which happened on this ride but for the majority it was a relaxing ride (about a 4 minute trip) above the hustle and bustle of the midways.

Harley (I think it was you) when did you visit CP and have a 30 minute wait in August?, I never remember the wait being that long.

It is true the cabins from the FL were painted and replace the Sky Ride cabins on the main midway.

There are two bits of CP lore which followed the Lift to the graveyard...One, had to do with the "haunted carousel woman" who was "seen" riding the Lift...the second had to do with a Monkey escaping from Jungle Larry's in 1979...but that is another story.

Maybe it's just my fading memories of childhood, but I seem to recall that Frontier Lift usually had an excessively long wait and we would usually end up walking.

In fact, I seem to recall (again, this is purely anecdotal so take it for what it's worth) that lines throughout the park used to be worse than they are now.  I have always assumed this was due to overall ride capacity increasing faster than crowd size over the years, or maybe we just choose our days to visit more wisely now, or maybe my memory is poor.

-- Harley

-----------------
CP fan since 68.

Intman2k i just tried that lift 2 pic. again and still does not work and how do you have my password
-----------------
Excuse me, where is the 10:00 Laser Show Presented by FirstEnegry??

Ok, now that I'm continuing to feel nostalgic, can someone identify the approximate year of the Frontier Lift (midway station) photograph at the CPOLE site (mentioned above),

http://www.pointhype.com/cponle/lostrides/flift.jpg

To me, the right side of the photograph makes it appear as if it were taken before the Frontier Trail opened--would that make this photograph from the first year (or two?) of Frontiertown, before the Trail was opened, when the lift (and train?) were the only way to get there?

From my childhood, I remember standing in line for the lift, watching the Western Cruise boats embark and disembark.  In that same general area of the midway, I believe the Monster stood on the Western Cruise side, and Schwabinchin and perhaps the Baryn Curve (sp?) stood on the other (where the Wildcat now sits)?

So much more attractive than that "damn" screen (Dave--are you listening?!)

Ok, I take a stab at the year of this photo...

First, since you don't see the Monster and the Western Cruise Dock is right behind the Sky Ride Sation, it is BEFORE 1970 as 1970 is the year of the "million dollar midway" which included, the Western Cruise Dock, The Monster, Bayern Kurve, and the Lovely;) Schwabinchen.

The trail then opened in 1971.

Sure looks like you have a photo from the first few years of operation of the Lift.

That photo is actually part of a pack of pre-printed photos that CP sold, and it was taken during the first year of the Frontier Lift's operation. Those boards on the ground to the right of the station are actually left over siding that was used for the botton of the station building. I'm not exactly sure what year the Frontier Lift opened, but I would guess that it was 1968.
-----------------
It's very hard to drink all day...
Unless you start first thing in the morning.

Old Timer Tim,

Thanks once again for your insight.  I'm probably the only one who cares, but you mention that the Western Cruise dock in the photo was "right behind" the Sky Ride (main midway?) station...does that mean the Western Cruise dock moved when the Million Dollar Midway opened?

(That might make sense to me, as I recall those Western Cruise pilots having a devil of a time doing almost a 180 to get the boat to the dock..this would have been mid '70s.) 

If that's true, do I see the Paddlewheel Cafe (was that the right name) in the photo?  Or did that eatery replace the older Western Cruise dock (if there was one)?

All of these discussions make me wish CP would do some digging for old photos from their offices, and perhaps even try to find and begin to sell again historical park maps.

The Paddlewheel Cafe WAS the old Western Cruise dock building (hence the name). The Western Cruise dock did move when the Million Dollar Midway opened. The Million Dolar Midway brought the flat rides Tim mentioned. In addition, the CP&LE RR was shortened and the station was relocated and rebuilt to where it is now. The Frontier Lift station was just about in the middle of the Million Dollar Midway and the Western Cruise dock was about where the Iron Dragon station is now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Western Cruise became Paddlewheel Excursions when Iron Dragon was built.
-----------------
It's very hard to drink all day...
Unless you start first thing in the morning.

Is it possible remove the north terminal of Sky Ride and have the course run back to the former Frontier Lift near CCMR?

If you start from the south terminal and ascend, level off and stay at that height almost to Frontier Town until descending to the station back there. The course of the ride can have a slight turn, at the current north terminal location, like some other sky rides do in other parks. Then maybe go through the 180 ft hill of MF like how the set up at Disneyland runs though the Matterhorn.

I know this would probably never work, but just a thought. I brought this thread back from the dead to avoid starting a new topic.

" Is it possible remove the north terminal of Sky Ride and have the course run back to the former Frontier Lift near CCMR?"
Most likely possible, but highly doubtful that it would ever happen

There are ski lifts that have mid terminals, and also ski lifts where the lift line takes a turn. Either through a turn in a mid terminal, banked sheaves on support towers or a bullwheel setup to make a sharper turn.

A great idea would be to make the Sky Ride north terminal a mid terminal, and have the lift continue to Frontier Town.

There's a reason America is the most obese country in the world...

When did the frontier trail open?