Some Of America’s Finest Carousels Are, Or Have Always Been, Canadian
From Looff to Dentzel, from C. W. Parker to Spillman and on to the Newly Carved
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Reprinted from the February 2007 Carousel News & Trader READ THE FULL ISSUE ONLINE >>>
GREAT CANADIAN CAROUSELS – The fact that they come up at the end of many lists of great American carousels is not a slight,
1912 C. W. Parker, Burnaby Village
it is just the way things work. In the U.S., the states come first in alphabetical order, and then the neighboring provinces, including Canada, Mexico, and others, depending on the list. This is true of carousels or any other historical landmark. In the case of historic carousels, Canada may appear at the end of the lists, but in many cases, they deserve to be at the top. Not only do they retain and maintain some of the greatest American carousels of all time, in many cases, the Great Canadian Carousels have enjoyed extended longevity at their current site.
The 1903 Kremers Carousel Works, Looff-Illions in St. Catharines has had its eye on Lake Ontario since 1921.
1907 Dentzel Menagerie, Centreville, Toronto
Thunder Bay’s Parker was all but abandoned. It sold for less that $600 in 1934 and remains a prize possession of Chippeway Park. Though it has probably increased a bit in value, I doubt it is for sale.
Although it has experienced a number of locations, Burnaby’s Parker #119 has been a Canadian resident since 1936.
The Roseneath Fairgrounds has treasured its 1906 Parker/Herschell-Spillman since 1932.
In the case of Riverside Park’s Spillman, little is known about its early history, but it has been Canadian since 1965 for certain.
Heritage Park’s 1904 Herschell-Spillman in Calgary has been in Alberta since 1906.
CA 1903 Kremers/Looff Menagerie, Lakeside Park, St. Catharines
Centreville Island’s 1907 Dentzel menagerie left Bushkill Park in Pennsylvania for Toronto in 1965.
And though it may seem to be the most recent addition, Paramount Wonderland’s PTC #84, though only at its current location since 1981, took its first spin at Happyland Hastings Park in Vancouver in 1928.
Canada’s carousel enthusiasm isn’t limited to classic carousels. Most recently, Ft. Edmonton Park unveiled their newly carved wooden carousel in July of 2006. They have another smaller children’s carousel planned.
Heritage Bay also recently completed two new wooden carousels. Their grand carousel rides a restored 1908 Herschell-Spillman frame. They also carved a smaller, more whimsical Winter Wonderland Carousel.
In this issue, we celebrate all of these carousels and the carousel enthusiasm of our northern neighbors in general. In many cases you will find more in-depth stories on these great carousels in the following pages. In the case of those in which we did not round up lengthier articles, here is some brief information and some photos.
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Reprinted from the February 2007 Carousel News & Trader
READ THE FULL ISSUE ONLINE >>>
