Shoot The Rapids, a name from the past

Pretty cool strategy to use an old ride name from the past. Does anyone remember the old Shoot the Rapids? It was over where the antique cars are in the back of the park if my memory serves me right. It was a dual log flume. I have some old pics I will try to post.

Would love to see them. I used to love Mill Race and White Water Landings but I'm not sure I was around to see the original Shoot the Rapids.

Shoot the Rapids was running 1968-1981 and was replaced by White Water Landing. White Water Landing was a bigger ride than Shoot the Rapids, if I remember correctly; I remember thinking in 1982 that White Water Landing had really made it hard to get around Frontiertown...I think there was once a path between the Antique Cars/Wave Swinger area and the end of the midway near Maverick which got cut off by White Water Landing and continues to be cut off by Maverick.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I know this is an old name, but I think it's a great idea. It's like they're bringing a ride back from the dead. Only they're making it better!

I think bringing the name is a great idea, not only is it nostalgic but it is an excellent name for a water ride. It will be like old times saying "let's ride Shoot The Rapids!"

Bring back Jumbo Jet baby!!!!

Wasn't Shoot the Rapids right where WWL was? I remember seeing demolition pictures of WWL that showed old Shoot the Rapid cement and/or footers beneath it.

Yes, Shoot The Rapids was in the Maverick location. The double drop was parallel to the Frontier Town midway, right up against it. The station was very close to the train tracks, with the entrance about where the caboose by Maverick is now.

Ah - my old ride. I worked her in 77-78. When she was torn down, I was a saddened. Now she's coming back, but it won't be the same. After all, its using clean water.

How long did in CP history did Shoot the rapids exist?

If anyone is interested. Certain angles under the birds eye view tab on maps.live.com still has White Water Landing visible.

Would be nice to see a picture or a post card of the original Shoot The Rapids.

So will they still have STR in the ride grave yard? ;)

They should have an open grave, with footprints leading away from it.

Rapids 77-78 said:
Ah - my old ride. I worked her in 77-78. When she was torn down, I was a saddened. Now she's coming back, but it won't be the same. After all, its using clean water.

Yea, that water certainly was disgusting. I worked the Rapids during its last season in 1981 (and got to ride in the very last boat). My shoes were constantly soaked with that sewer water and smelled horrid. The catwalks were always slimy and dangerous to walk on.

Just curious, how large was the original Shoot The Rapids?

The old STR was a large ride. It was a double flume that extended all the way from the railroad back to the antique cars and frontier inn.in the back to the midway on the side. The loading/unloading area was near the railroad (about where the caboose is on display for Maverick). The electrical building is still standing in that area near the train tracks. It doubled as a crew/supervisor shack.

There was a small lift at the beginning of the ride to get you high enough for the run down the rest of the flume toward the big double drop hill. That hill had a neat "rapids" effect between the flumes of water falling over "rocks" with trees and shrubs. You did get wet, but generally not soaked (although there was a way to soak a guest if the unload attendant wanted to).

The flume itself was wood, although later a fiberglass lining was added (didn't hold up well). I used to walk that flume in the morning before open to look for damage or debris. Had to walk on the edge or risk slipping in the slime on the bottom of the flume.

The whole ride area was filled with trees and the setting was very peaceful. Although Maverick is a great ride, the ambience that STR brought to that area of frontier town has been diminished.

Break Trims said:
They should have an open grave, with footprints leading away from it.

Now that is an outstanding idea.

I do wish I could have been around during the time the original Shoot The Rapids was around.

I posted some of this over at CoasterBuzz but maybe it bears repeating here.

Shoot the Rapids originally had a mobius track- what appeared to be two courses was really one. Toward the end of the lower portion of the ride the two would split away from each other with one track heading under the lift hill. When they met back up at the lift the left track had become the right and vice versa. A few seasons later the "duck under" was removed and the two tracks became separate. I think this allowed for one track op when necessary, and also allowed a little more room on the Frontier Town midway.

The lift, which looked like a large green wooden coaster structure, ran parallel to the midway, right behind the Roundup where Maverick's queue starts now. The drops ran out toward the train station. Remnants of STR were visible from WWL - the concrete channels of the station continued to live under WWL's first lift, the one just before the cave/tunnel.

Shoot the Rapids wasn't a particularly thrilling ride and the lower portion was kind of slow and close to the ground. It's winding course through the trees took up a lot of space. The drops were separated by a slight turn to the right and then a small lift. The little turn was more abrupt on the right side and water would dump in the left side of the boat. Whenever I rode I always made sure I sat on the right! The splashes were ok, not soakers, about like what you find on any standard log flume. I loved the little wooden boats, painted different bright colors - they reminded me of the boats from Euclid Beach's Over the Falls.

My CP roomie and best friend Greg Jones worked one year on Mill Race then moved to Shoot the Rapids for the second. He liked STR, but had the same complaint as Bill Abele's above. There was a position on the drop section where the operator sat, literally, with water flowing around their legs. His shoes and pants never ever dried out. He was horrified when STR was removed.

Greg is now deceased, and when the announcement was made he was the first person I thought of - I could imagine him smiling devilishly at us from somewhere!

For a glimpse of the ride look at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq50mRF_bzY

About 2:20 in. (also watch "Mom" jump out of the Scrambler before it comes to a complete and final stop!) This is a pretty good vid - you get to see things like the original Western Cruise and the Frontier Lift in action. I think it was not 1968, though, as the Cedar Creek Mine Ride is visible and it didn't open till '69.