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This text message is used to keep the image from rotating in ocr process. Be sure to crop the top .25" off after the ocr process. 375 N. Lagoon Dr. Lagoon Flying Scooter Farington, Davis Co. -'. 111111~lml~ll~illlrlllijmm II II 3 9222 50000 9449 NOMINATION FORM Portland, 05001557, PROPOSED MOVE APPROVED, 10/24/12 PENNSYLVANIA, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District, Church, Market and Main Streets, Bethlehem, 12001016, NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATED/LISTED, 10/16/12 RHODE ISLAND, NEWPORT COUNTY, United Congregational Church, 73 Pelham St., Newport, 71000027, NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATED, 10/16/12 SOUTH CAROLINA, SPARTANBURG COUNTY, Drayton Mill, 1802 Drayton Rd ., Spartanburg vicinity, 12000882, LISTED, 10/24/12 UTAH, DAVIS COUNTY, Lagoon Carousel, 375 Lagoon Dr., Farmington, 12000883, LISTED, 10/24/12 (Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington, Utah MPS) UTAH, DAVIS COUNTY, Lagoon Flying Scooter, 375 N. Lagoon Dr., Farmington, 12000884, LISTED, 10/24/12 (Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington, Utah MPS) UTAH, DAVIS COUNTY, Lagoon Roller Coaster, 375 N. Lagoon Dr., Farmington, 12000885, LISTED, 10/24/12 (Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington, Utah MPS) VIRGINIA, ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Humpback Bridge, Spanning Dunlop Creek at bypassed section of former James River & Kanawha Turnpike (later, Midland Trail), Covington vicinity, 69000219, NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATED, 10/16/12 VIRGINIA, HAMPTON INDEPENDENT CITY, Pasture Point Historic District, Bounded by Hampton River on the E. , Bright's Creek on the N., Wine St. on the W., and Syms St. on the S., Hampton, 08000940, LISTED, 10/22/12 OMS No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural claSSification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategOries from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative Items on continuation sheets If needed (NPS Form 10-900a). 1. Name of Property historic name Lagoon Flying Scooter other names/site number Flying Aces, Flying Jets 2. Location street & number city or town state not for publication 375 N. Lagoon Drive ____F:. . a:.;",rm-'--l. . ;,·..... n gtz..;,o,;.____________________ .,n L-_---'vicinity code Utah UT county code Davis 011 zip code 84025 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the deSignated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, .x I hereby certify that this nomination _ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property 1L. meets __ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: Utah Division of State History / Historic Preservation Office State or Federal agencylbureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property _ meets _ does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government Title 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: _ entered in the National Register _ determined eligible for the National Register _ determined not eligible for the National Register _ removed from the National Register _ other (explain:) Si nature of the Kee r Date of Action United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/3112012) Lagoon Flying S~ooter Davis County, Utah County and State Name of Property 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) ~ Category of Property Number of Resources within Property (Check only one box.) private public - Local public - State public - Federal X (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ buildings _______________ district _______________ site building(s} district site structure ___-=-___________ structure _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ object object ___~l~__________________ Name of related multiple property listing To~1 Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register (Enter UN/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) Historic Resources of the Lagoon Amusement Park, 1886 -1976 N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions Current Functions RECREATION AND CULTURE: fair RECREATION AND CULTURE: fair (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) 7. Description Architectural Classification Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) OTHER: Flying Scooter Ride foundation : NO STYLE walls: N/A roof: N/A other: STEEL, IRON, WOOD, FIBERGLASS 2 CONCRETE ~~~~~----------- United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 1G-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance of the property. Explain contributing and noncontributing resources if necessary. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, setting, size, and significant features.) Summary Paragraph The Lagoon Flying Scooter, currently known as the Flying Aces, is an amusement park ride built by the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company and installed at the Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Davis County, Utah in 1941. It is one of only twelve examples of the historic ride still operating today. The ride consists often scooter cars attached by cables to a steel support tower and boom system. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is one of only two examples that rotate clockwise. The ride has been in five different locations within the park, but because it was designed for disassembly, minor location shifts within the park do not affect its historic integrity. The period of significance extends from the original installation in 1941 to 1962, which spans its first and second locations within the park. The historic period includes the in-kind replacement of the original scooter cars with the current assembly, also built by the Bisch-Rocco company, which has been the only major modification to the ride since its original construction. The Lagoon Flying Scooter meets the registration requirements of the Multiple Property Listing, Historic Resources o/the Lagoon Amusement Park, 18861976, and is a contributing historic resource at the Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah. Narrative Description Site The Lagoon Flying Scooter lies within an area of 0.17 acres out of approximately 60 acres for the park. 1 The footprint of the stationary structure is relatively small at 50 feet in diameter, which means that the ride was easily relocated to make room for more substantial attractions as the park expanded. The Flying Scooter was originally installed in 1941 at the south end of the midway approximately 100 feet east of the present location of the carousel. 2 In 1956, the park opened a five-acre kiddie-ride area east of the carousel and north of the lagoon, so the Flying Scooter was moved approximately 200 feet southwest to a location south of the Roller Coaster loading station. 3 The ride remained south of the roller coaster until an outdoor amphitheatre was built at that location in 1982. Between 1982 and 1985, the ride was installed approximately 250 feet further south of the Roller Coaster. It was moved to the north end ofthe midway in 1986. In 1999, the ride was moved 100 feet southeast to its current location when the Rocket was built. At its current location, the ride sits in the center of an oval-shaped sectioned concrete pad installed in 1999 on a former area of lawn near the picnic pavilions. The oval pad is approximately 100 feet (north to south) by 85 feet (east to west). The pad is surrounded by a square-post wrought-iron fence (circa 1999). The entry and exit gates are located at the north end ofthe oval. There is a small awning to shade the gate keeper/ride operator (circa 2005). Structure In the center of the oval, the four corners of the pyramidal tower structure sit on double base-plates bolted to the concrete footings. The tapered section of the steel tower is approximately fourteen feet high with horizontal and diagonal bracing on the lower two-thirds. The main drive shaft extends from the motor box on the ground below the center of the structure to approximately five feet beyond the top of the tower. The current motor was manufactured by the Falk Corporation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a 1976 replacement for the original motor and gear box. The change in rotation from 1 This estimate is for the operating portion only and excludes the parking lot, campground, support areas, and undeveloped land owned by the park. 2 This location is shown on the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Lagoon produced in 1950, the first map to include the Flying Scooter. 3 A circa 1957 night-time photograph of the roller coaster station shows the Rock-O-Plane ride just to the south near the spot where the flying scooter appears on a 1969 update of the Sanborn map. The Rock-O-Plane had been moved to its current location by 1969. 3 United States Department of the Interior National Par1t ServIce I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 513112012) OMB No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property counterclockwise to clockwise was made around the time the motor was replaced. 4 There is a separate electrical box under the south side of the tower. The particular tower structure at Lagoon was described by Bisch-Rocco as a Park (or Stationary) Model. Four of the six operating park models have the tower partially or completely encased in mostly non-historic materials. Lagoon is one of only two with the tower structure completely exposed.' The Lagoon model has a shield-shaped sign mounted on the tower with the words "Flying Aces" facing the gate area (circa 1985). The steel truss booms are mounted on a circular flange attached to the drive shaft in the center of the tower structure. The vertically-mounted booms are modified halfscissor trusses with doubled lower chords evenly distributed around the shaft. The booms angle outward and upward at approximately thirty degrees. At the point where the upper and lower chords meet, the ride structure is approximately twenty-five feet tall. The structure, including tower, booms, and motor, is currently painted grey (circa 1985). Scooter Cars Each scooter car is suspended between the apexes of two booms by a redundant cable system. The car is divided into three separate parts (tub, rudder, and stabilizer) mounted on a vertically hanging frame of metal (currently painted black). The two-person cab, commonly called a tub, rests on a rail at the bottom ofthe rectangular frame. 6 There is a V-shaped opening facing the central tower and a molded plastic bench seat with a restraint belt. The floor of the tub is covered with a non-skid metal sheet. The top of the tub is open except at the front where a portion is covered to provide a protected koee/leg well. The scooter car assembly also includes a stationary stabilizer mounted vertically to the frame at the rear of the tub and a moveable rudder mounted to the front of the frame. 7 The rudder moves back and forth on a pivot. The rear half of the rudder overhangs the tub with a handle at the bottom, which allows the rider to alter the trajectory of the scooter car during the ride's operation. Each scooter car is a box-style tub replacement for the original rounded tubs. s The replacements were designed and manufactured by the Bisch-Rocco company of materials that were more durable that the original cars (metal and fiberglass). The high-maintenance canvas fins and rudders were replaced with metal replicas by Lagoon (circa 1972). When the scooter cars were most recently refurbished (circa 1985), Lagoon built new frames. At the same time, each was christened for an early twentieth-century military biplane. The most recent repainting occurred in 2001-2002. Each scooter car has an individual color scheme that is the same on both the outward and inward faces of the car assembly. The Lagoon logo is printed on the tub on the outside opposite of the entry on the interior. The current names and colors are listed in a counter-clockwise order (no hierarchy intended) as follows: 1. Gloster Gladiator (orange & green vertical stripe with scalloped edges) The change in rotation was made because many of the young patrons liked to jump from the out-facing car openings while the ride was in operation. With the openings filcing the interior, there have been fewer premature exits. 4 'The other exposed tower operating model is the 10-tub park model at Knoebel's in Elyburg, Pennsylvania, which is coincidentally the only other flying scooter to rotate clockwise since a new motor was installed in 1973. The entry to the tubs for clockwise scooters is on the interior. The Fun Spot in Angola, Indiana, has a 10-tub park model with an exposed tower, but the park is closed and the ride is currently standing but not operating (SBNO). Another park model is in storage in the United Kingdom. The six other operating flying scooters are 8-tub portable models with a different tower design. All data on operating and defunct flying scooters cited in this nomination were gleaned from the flyingaddicts.com website and various amusement park websites. 6 Alvin Bisch used the term "cab" in the patent for device. The term "car" was used in promotional material. The term "tub" is used in the flying scooter census and is the physically most apt description. The current tub holds two children or two small adults comfortably. It would be a bit snug for two adults oflarger proportions. The original 1941 rounded tubs were made ofduramold. 7 The stabilizer and rudder are known by various terms, including fins, sails, wings, etc. They were originally made of stretched canvas. They would need to be repainted each year and were often repaired with duct tape. S The current scooter cars appear to be historic circa 1940s to 1950s cars in the box-tub style. Lagoon may have purchased and refurbished the used cars from decommissioned Bisch-Rocco Flying Scooter. 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. (Expires 5/31/2012) Armstrong Whitworth Siskin (silver with black & white checks; red, white & blue vertical stabilizer stripes) Curtiss Falcon (blue with white lettering; yeIlow & blue vertical stabilizer stripes, white & red horizontal stripes) Curtiss Helldiver (orange & black with flame-painted stabilizer) Arvo [sic] Avro 504 Series (red with white lettering; white & blue buIl's-eye; red, white & blue stabilizer stripes) Fokker C. V. (camouflage green & tan with red & white star on stabilizer) Vickers Vildebeast (black on bottom; silver on top; with red dividing stripe & lettering) Nieuport Type 16 (yellow with blue & red bull's-eye; blue, yellow & red vertical stabilizer stripes) Curtiss Racer R-6 (black with stylized eagle; black, red, white & blue vertical stabilizer stripes) Swordfish MK1 (green, purple & white horizontal stripes with black lettering) Ride Experience The ride experience begins with the riders waiting at the entry gate while the previous ten to twenty riders dismount and exit through a separate gate. Riders are allowed to enter the gate and select their scooter cars on a first-come basis. Riders under the height of 46 inches must be accompanied by a responsible supervising companion. The ride operator checks that the restraint belts are engaged for each one to two-passenger tub. As the ride begins, the scooter cars swing from the cables in a clockwise direction. As the speed of rotation increases, the cars lift as the centrifugal force pushes them outward. Riders move along the trajectory of the 300-foot perimeter circle for approximately two minutes at up to 30 miles per hour. Without controlling the rudder, the car will swing from side to side gently along its trajectory as it makes a circuit. Experienced riders prefer to control the rudder to make the scooter car swoop and dive within the constraints of the cable system. Flying scooter enthusiasts are known for "snapping" the cables, which refers to giving the cables some slack then snapping it back with a quick motion. 9 The ability to control at least of portion of the ride experience has kept the Flying Scooter ride popular since its inception in the 1930s. The Flyer Addicts Anonymous website rates Flying Scooters for "snap-ability." The Lagoon ride has not been rated. Snapping is discouraged (by signage and staff) or prevented (by design changes during refurbishment) in some amusement parks due to maintenance and safety concerns. 99 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/3112012) Lagoon Flying Scooter Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria Areas of Significance (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) (Enter categories from instructions.) ENGINEERING Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad pattems of our history. ENTERTAINMENTIRECREATION INVENTION Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. Period of Significance 1941-1962 Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Significant Dates 1941, 1956, 1962 Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Significant Person Property Is: A Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. B removed from its original location. C a birthplace or grave. o a cemetery. E a reconstructed building , object, or structure. F a commemorative property. G less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years. (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder Alvin Bisch, Designer & Engineer Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, Manufacturer Period of Significance (justification) The period of significance includes the original installation of the Flying Scooter at Lagoon in 1941 and the subsequent relocation and refurbishment up to 1962. Criteria Considerations (explanation, If necessary) N/A 6 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance and applicable criteria.) The Lagoon Flying Scooter, installed at the Lagoon Amusement Park in 1941, is significant statewide under Criteria A and C for its association with the inventor, Alvin Bisch, and the manufacturer, the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company. The Flying Scooter was an amusement park ride invented by Alvin Bisch in 1934 and produced by him and his partner, Ralph Rocco, between 1935 and the early 1960s, and sold to parks throughout the United States. The Flying Scooter was unique among amusement park rides of the period in that it provided the rider a means to change the trajectory of the ride with a pivoting rudder. This interactivity and control over the ride experience continues to be rare for the amusement ride industry even today and contributes to the ride's ongoing popUlarity. The ride is significant in the areas ofInvention, Engineering, and EntertainmentlRecreation. Currently there are only twelve extant Flying Scooters manufactured by the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company in operation. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is the oldest example of the ride in continuous operation at the same park as its first installation. It retains its historic integrity in terms of location, design, association, and the historic ride experience. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is also significant under Criterion A for its association with the transformation of the Lagoon Amusement Park from a summer resort pleasure garden to a modern amusement park in the first half of the twentieth century. The ride meets the eligibility requirements of the Multiple Property Submission, Historic Resources of the Lagoon Amusement Park, 1886 - 1976. The period of historic significance from 1941 to the 1962 reconstruction spans three contextual periods: Mechanical Amusement Park Period, 1919 - 1945; Post-War Modernization Period, 1946 - 1955; and Theme Park Period, 1956 -1976. Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of Significance.) Early History of the Lagoon Amusement Park Lagoon's first incarnation was as a beach resort called Lake Park on the edge of the Great Salt Lake three miles west of the city of Farmington in Davis County, Utah. Lake Park was built by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad midway between Ogden and Salt Lake City. Lake Park was partially owned by Simon Bamberger, a transportation magnate and governor of Utah from 1917 to 1920. Lake Park opened on July 15, 1886. The roundtrip train fare provided admission to dancing, roller skating, target shooting, a bowling alley, and a pleasure garden. One of the few mechanical amusements at Lake Park was a "Flying Jennie," a mule-powered circular ride with swinging seats. 10 Only a few years after the opening of Lake Park, the waters of the fickle Great Salt Lake began to recede, leaving the resort beaches with a "sticky brand of blue mud" that spelled misery for bathers by the early 1890s. II In 1896, the owners moved the pavilions and attractions inland to a property at the western edge of Farmington. The new resort featured two artificial lagoons and was christened the Lagoon Summer Resort and Picnic Grounds. Lagoon opened on July 12, 1896. The 1898 Sanborn map of Lagoon shows the interurban Salt Lake & Ogden Railway line along the east side of the resort. At the beginning of the 1903 season, park owner Simon Bamberger raised its train and admission fare from 25 cents to 50 cents in order to attract "only the best class of patronage" and actively promoted the Lagoon's "beautiful grounds" with its shade trees, flowers, grass, gardens, and cool temperatures in an effort to distinguish the • resort from its lakeside rivals. 12 By 1910, Bamberger completed the conversion of his interurban railroad from steam to electricity with the Lagoon station the most popular destination during the summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. In the first decade ofthe 1900s, the management installed a collection of mechanical amusement park rides near the north end of the lagoon area: a miniature railroad, a merry-go-round, ajoy wheel, bump-the-bumps, shoot-the-chutes, and a scenic railway. By the Salt Lake Tribune, June 19, 1887: 6. John S. McConnick and Nancy D. McCormick, Saltair. (Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1985): 14-15. 12 Saltair: 73; Salt Lake Herald, April 21, 1903: 5; Salt Lake Herald, August 17,1903: 5-6. 10 11 7 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State second decade, the amusement park included a full midway, a funhouse, bumper cars, and a Waikiki Beach-themed cement swimming pool. 13 By the early 191Os, America was fascinated by the flying machines that emerged from the experiments of the Wright brothers and others. On October 11, 1914, Lagoon sponsored an exhibition race between an automobile and an aeroplane that thrilled over 2,000 spectators. 14 But the real money was in providing park patrons with the more visceral thrill of a flying ride. For the 1919 season, Lagoon built its tallest amusement device, the Captive Aeroplanes, which was pronounced the "sensation of the season.,,15 Lagoon's ride was a successor to the simple Flying Jenny of the previous generation. Around the turn-of-the-twentieth-century, there were dozens of patents filed for similar "circular swings" amusement devices consisting of tall towers with gondolas attached to cables for the riders. 16 Within a few years, many of the gondolas had been replaced by mock airplanes, including a famous example at the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair. Lagoon's version of the Captive Aeroplanes, built circa 1918-1919, consisted of an approximately 60-foot iron tower and four airplanes that swung out over the lagoon. 17 History of the Lagoon Flying Scooter Anthon C. Christensen served as the assistant manager of Lagoon between 1908 and 1916, and the general manager between 1917 and 1927. Christensen traveled frequently to other amusement parks on the east and west coasts, and became one of the first amusement park professionals in the state. IS It was during his tenure in the 1920s that the Lagoon Resort was first referred to as the Lagoon Amusement Park. 19 Christensen purchased park attractions from nationallyknown designers and manufacturers, such as a Herschell-Spillman carousel in 1918 and a John A. Miller-designed roller coaster in 1921. His successor, Simon Bamberger's son, Julian M. Bamberger, was responsible for, not only keeping the park open through the depression years, but transforming the resort into a modern amusement park by the late 1930s. Julian Bamberger kept up the tradition of adding alleasl one new allraction each year. For the May 30th opening of the 1941 season, Bamberger found one of the most unique amusement park rides of the first half of the twentieth century, the Flying Scooter. The Flying Scooter was first designed by Alvin Bisch in 1934. By 1939, Bisch and his partner, Ralph Rocco, had incorporated under the name Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, and were selling the ride throughout the United States. 20 Lagoon purchased an early version of the ride, known as the "stationary" model with "streamlined" cars, as described in a circa 1939 company brochure. 21 The management of Lagoon was likely impressed by the selling points: "Always in Top Money!" and "100% Safety Record!" But it was the assertion that "Every Car has Individual Flying Control," which set the device apart from numerous other amusement park rides on the market, a claim that the makers of 13 Description and installation dates for some ofthese rides can be found in the Multiple Property Documentation form for Lagoon. 14 Thirty-five separate exhibitions by aviator, Lincoln Beachey, and driver, Barney Oldfield, were held all over the country in 1914. 15 Salt Lake Telegram. June 25,1919: 5. 16 These rides may have been influenced by the work of the Smithsonian's Samuel Pierpont Langley, who tested the lift power of early air machines by suspending them from cables "something on the order of a merry go round with a whirling post in the center." Salt Lake Herald. September 26, 1909: 4. 17 The designer and manufacturer of the Lagoon ride are unknown. The ride was partially damaged by wind in January 1920. In a letter to a local newspaper. Mr. A. B. de Villentroy, a photographer and French immigrant living in Salt Lake City, claimed to be the owner of the ride and assured the public it was being safely repaired. Salt Lake Telegram. January 10, 1920: 3. 18 Davis County Clipper. October 21,1921: 1. Christensen served as a director of the National Association of Amusement Parks. 19 Both names were used interchangeably and intermittently depending on the source during the period between 1920s and the 1960s. 20 More information on Alvin Bisch, Ralph Rocco, and the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company can be found in the developmental history/additional context section below. 21 "Flying Scooters" trade brochure produced by Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, [Chicago, Illinois: circa 1939]. Digital copy courtesy of the Flyer Addicts Research Blog (www.flyeraddicts.com). The Stationary Model was also known as the Park Model. The streamlined tubs were more rounded than the box-like tubs produced for the prototype and a few early models. 8 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter Name of Property County and State the ever popular roller coaster could not make. A skilled rider in the Flying Scooter could make the scooter car dive downward or swoop upward at will. Lagoon's Flying Scooter was first installed approximately 100 feet east of the current location of the carousel. It was the first and remains the only Flying Scooter permanently installed in Utah. 22 Lagoon advertised its new ride as "the nearest approach to flying a plane without leaving the confines of the earth" and "the amusement thrill of the year.,,23 A tri-fold Lagoon brochure produced for the 1941 season included a photograph of delighted riders and the words: "Ride, Dive, Slide, Slip, the New Flying Scooters. Like a Real Plane! You Control the Rudder.,,24 The ride was extremely popular through the 1941 and 1942 seasons. By 1942 the ride was more than simply thrilling, it was also "a spine tingling ride.,,25 A black & white photograph of a scooter car taken on July 4, 1942, indicates that the first cars were painted a light color with a star-circle design on the rudder. Lagoon's initial investment in the Flying Scooter appeared to be short-lived. When the scooter cars were removed for winter storage in the fall of 1942, they remained there for 3 Y2 years. The Lagoon resort, along with nearly all of Utah's recreational venues, experienced a dark (non-operating) period between 1943 and 1945, due to a scarcity of gasoline, materials, and labor during World War II. By early 1946, the Lagoon Amusement Park was filled with weeds and the rides were falling apart. The Bamberger family had lost interested in running the park and considered razing it, but agreed to lease it to entrepreneurs Ranch Kimball and the Freed brothers, Robert, David, Daniel, and Peter, who came home from the war looking for a project. 26 Under the name Utah Amusement Corporation, the partners spruced up the park in time for a 1946 season opening and added nine new attractions in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the park in 1947. One of the modifications for 1947 was the replacement of the "old circle swing" captive aeroplanes with sleek, stainless steel rocket ships that could hold eight adults or twelve children. 27 On May 16, 1952, gale force winds at Lagoon "did about $500 damage to lighting signs and destroyed two flying scooter cars," but did not interfere with the park's opening. 28 Replacements were likely shipped from the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company within a few weeks. 29 At the end of that season, on September 6, 1952, the electric passenger railroad made its final stop at the Lagoon station. When the rail company shut down operations completely, the Salt Lake Tribune published this eulogy: "The Bamberger Railroad died yesterday, the victim of a 'collision' with the family automobile.,,30 On the night of November 14, 1953, as an orange glow appeared on the mountains to the east, Farmington residents got in their cars and parked along the highway to watch as half of the Lagoon Amusement Park burned to the ground. The fire destroyed the west side of the midway, the dance pavilion, the fun house, and the front portion of the roller coaster. The carousel was charred, but eventually saved by fireman continuously dousing it with water throughout the night. With only partial insurance, the park began an ambitious program of rebuilding with a $500,000 investment for the 1954 season. Lagoon's phoenix-like opening took place on May 1, 1954. The scooter cars were in storage, and the tower was not damaged during the fire. A May 13, 1954 news article featured a photograph of an operating scooter car painted a dark color with white stripes. 31 For the 1956 season, five acres were devoted to the first themed section of the park, a 22 The company introduced a portable model in the early 1940s and it is possible that some of these may have operated briefly at county fairs or traveling carnivals in the state. 23 Salt Lake Telegram, May 29, 1941: 8. 24 Advertisement, 1941, digital copy courtesy of the Lagoon Corporation. 25 Salt Lake Telegram, May 29, 1942: 6. 26 After several years of serving as the President of Lagoon, Ranch Kimball gave up his managerial interest in the park in 1970. Deseret News, January 26, 1980. 27 Davis County Clipper, April 25, 1947. 28 Salt Lake Telegram, May 16, 1952: 1. 29 It is not known whether the ride operated with missing cars for any amount oftime, or if the replacements were identical in design. 30 Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1959. The railroad continued with limited passenger service form Ogden to Hill Air Force Base in the 1950s and some freight service through December 1958. 31 Deseret News, May 13, 1954: 8. It is not known precisely when the cars were painted, but probably between 1946 and 1954. 9 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property kiddie-ride area known as Mother Goose Land. The Flying Scooter was moved from its original location, now the center of Mother Goose Land, to a new location south ofthe roller coaster loading station. 32 The Lagoon Flying Scooter stayed in the same location at the south end of the midway from 1956 until 1982. During that time, the ride remained essentially the same, but underwent several enhancements. Around 1962, the scooter cars were replaced with refurbished Bisch-Rocco box-style tubs, likely from a decommissioned ride. The original canvas rudder and stabilizer, which had several layers of paint by the 1950s, were also replaced. The refurbished scooter cars were painted white, with red and blue accents, and renamed the Flying Jets. In the spring of 1972, the ride was repainted to "resemble the World War I Flying Aces. The Red Baron, The Sopwith Camel and others are represented and the ride has been renamed The Flying Aces.,,33 In 1982, Lagoon decided to build an outdoor amphitheater for musical shows. The chosen location was just south of the roller coaster, where Flying Scooter riders had spent nearly thirty years skimming the tops of the trees on the ride's perimeter. The Flying Aces was moved further south where the midway had been extended when one of the lagoons was filled in. In 1983, the Freed family, under the name Lagoon Corporation, purchased the amusement park from the Bamberger family.34 The Flying Aces was moved to the north end of the midway in time for the 1986 season opening. The scooter cars were painted in primary colors and provided with sturdier frames. In 1998, the ride was moved approximately 100 feet southeast to a former picnic lawn so that 207-foot Rocket tower ride could be built. The Flying Aces has operated at its current location since 1999. In 2001, the scooter cars were sanded and painted with their current individual colors; however, the names of the biplanes were left off. 35 Lagoon received numerous comments about the missing names, and within a year, the names had been repainted on the rudders. 36 The Flying Aces continues to be one of the most popular lower-volume rides at Lagoon today. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is significant in the area of Entertainment/Recreation ac; the third oldest ride at the Lagoon Amusement Park. In Gary Kyriazi's history of American amusement parks published in 1976, Lagoon was described as "one of those older amusement parks which through constant renovation somewhat resembles a modern theme park, although it is basically traditional.,,3? The history of Lagoon's amusement park rides parallels the cultural interests of its patrons through the years. For example, in 1919, the Captive Aeroplanes ride captured the imagination of a public fascinated by the concept of flight. By 1947, when air travel was commonplace, the mock aeroplanes were replaced with stainless-steel rockets. For Lagoon's 100th anniversary in 1987, in the age of routine space travel, the Rockets ride was replaced by the Turn of the Century, a 48seat version of a musical Flying Jenny. Most recently for the 2012 season, Lagoon had added yet another flight-themed ride, the Air Race. The significance of the Flying Scooter is a bridge from one era to the other. Whether they remember it as the Flying Scooter, Jets, or Aces, most of Lagoon's patrons have no idea the ride is over seventy-years old. The ride with the biplane theme still looks very modern. What is more important is that having control over the ride experience is a concept that most people, including the inventor, would agree is timeless. 32 The Rock-O-Plane was installed near the coaster as a new ride in 1954, but was later moved to its current location on the west side ofthe lagoon. 33 Provo Daily Herald, March 19, 1972: 5-A. 34 The company was later reorganized as the Lagoon Investment Company. 35 Deseret News, February 23, 2001: Col. 36 "Flying Aces" at www.lagoonisfun.com. 37 Gary Kyriazi, The Great American Amusement Parks: A Pictorial History, (Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1976): 253. 10 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State Developmental history/additional historic context information (if appropriate) The Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company and the Flying Scooter The Lagoon Flying Scooter is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is significant in the areas of Invention, Engineering, and Entertainment/Recreation for its association with the work of the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company. It is the first amusement park ride of its kind to be nominated to the National Register, and the first to represent the important contributions of Alvin Bisch and Ralph Rocco to the amusement park industry. Alvin Bisch was born on January 28, 1888, in Bridgeport, Ontario, Canada. He spent time (and registered for the draft) in both the United States and Canada, where his occupation was mechanic and chauffer. Alvin Bisch eventually settled in the Chicago area after his marriage to Ada M. Dargert in 1920. Alvin and Ada Bisch had three children. On the 1930 census enumeration, Alvin Bisch listed his occupation as a garage mechanic. Like many mechanics of his time, his tinkering led him to the patent office. In 1929, he filed two patents: one for an "air-pilot-training-device" that the operator could in theory "guide, dip, dive, or bank" an "airplane" attached to a rotating structure; and a second patent for a device similar to a circle swing with four planes that Bisch posited could be used "to train aviators or for amusement purposes.,,38 Although never built full-scale, Alvin Bisch was photographed in 1930 with a scale model for a four-plane device in Modern Mechanics, a magazine for inventors. All through his experimentation, Bisch strived for the perfect rider-controlled device. With a patent filed on July 21, 1934, and approved five years later on January 3, 1939, Bisch finally found a working design that could deliver on the promise of a "revolving cab [that] may deviate from its normal path by the control within the hands of the operator." Patent #2142169 for a tub with rear stabilizer and pivoting front rudder did not resemble an actual airplane in a sense ofthe word, but Bisch probably didn't care. With this patent, he had also narrowed his focus to a particular market. The design was labeled simply "amusement device." It was around this time that Alvin Bisch started a partnership with Ralph Rocco, another Chicago area auto mechanic. Ralph Rocco was born in Italy on December 19, 1891. His family immigrated to the United States in 1902. He worked in the stock yards before becoming a mechanic in the 1920s. He is listed living with his wife Anna, his children, and a brother on the 1930 census of Chicago. The partners organized the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company around the time the first prototype scooter ride was installed at Chicago's Riverview Park in 1935. On February 6, 1939, Alvin Bisch filed a patent for an improved design for his "amusement device." Patent #2163360 was approved on June 20, 1939, and was the essential design for what became the company's Park (Stationary) Model: a pyramidal tower, ten-boom assembly, and three-piece scooter car. A shop drawing produced by structural engineer, W. Bermann, for the BischRocco Amusement Company in December 1937 shows a few enhancements on the tower design of the patent. 39 By the time the ride was installed in the amusement area of the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco in 1939, the name on the ticket was the Flying Scooter. The publicity surrounding the ride's appearance at various fairs and expositions may have brought the ride to the attention of Lagoon's management. 40 The Bisch-Rocco Company also advertised the Flying Scooter and other rides in Billboard, the trade magazine for the amusement industry.41 Around 1939, the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company had produced a two-color, four-page brochure for the ride. Alvin Bisch's daughter, June, was photographed for the front cover riding in a scooter car with a friend. The brochure The first device (#1791655) was patented on February 10, 1931, the second (#1912174) on May 30 1933. The third (#1906443) for a similar device was patented on May 2, 1933. 39 The shop drawing (#3) was part of a set given to the Lagoon management when the flying scooter was installed. The drawing is labeled Job #3709 (probably the ninth job of the year). The 1937 job date may mean that Lagoon had acquired a partially used ride in 1941. It is not known what happed to the remaining drawings. The draftsman was probably William Bermann, a Swedish immigrant and civil engineer, living in Chicago in 1930. 40 The ride was also featured at the Canadian National Exposition of 1939 and the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland 1936-1937. 41 Billboard magazine was established in 1894 and represented the amusement industry until 1961 when it transitioned to representing mostly jukeboxes and the music industry. 38 11 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property contained several photographs of crowds lining up near the ride that was described as "Entertaining to Ride and Amusing to Watch." According to the brochure, the scooter was breaking records, taking in $927.90 in a single day." If normal takes were even close to "$12,647.90 in 10 consecutive days" the company boasted, the ride would more than pay for itself after only one season of weekend operation. The brochure also claimed of "the millions that have ridden Flying Scooters there has never been on single accident," including a ninety-one year-old man and mothers with babies in their arms. On the 1940 census, Alvin Bisch, the inventor, listed his occupation as "Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturer of Amusement Park Rides." His daughter June was a clerk for the company.42 Ralph Rocco, who became the spokesperson for the company, was perhaps not ready to give up his day job in 1940. He gave his occupation as proprietor of an auto repair shop.43 Ralph Rocco later embraced his engineering skills and was featured in the 1954 edition of Who's Who in Engineering? By the time the company was in full manufacturing mode, the scooter tubs had been "streamlined" to a more rounded shape that the prototype box-style tubs. The tubs were made of duramold, a composite material made from birch and resin. The first stabilizers and rudders were canvas. While the company boasted that the entire ride could be loaded onto one truck, they also developed a portable model in the early 1940s with a low-profile tower structure based on Bisch's 1934 patent. Production was probably nonexistent during World War II, but after the war Bisch-Rocco recycled surplus aviation fuel tanks that resulted in longer rounded tubs. 44 When fuel tanks were no longer available, the company reverted to the original look of the box-style tubs, but sturdier with better production qualities. The post-war box-style tubs are found on the majority of currently operating Flying Scooters. In the late 1940s, the Bisch-Rocco company also produced other rides, such as the Flying Disk and a Kiddie Jet ride, one of which was purchased by the Lagoon Amusement Park in 1949. 45 By the late 1950s, the company was producing fewer full rides, but still doing a good business in upgrades and replacement parts. Alvin Bisch died in November 1965 and Ralph Rocco died ten years later in June 1975. With the death of the principals, the company faded into obscurity. In 2003, the ride experienced a renaissance when Larson International, Inc. bought the rights and a working model of the Bisch-Rocco Flying Scooter. After a few structural and safety revisions, Larson began producing new Flying Scooters that have been installed all over the country.46 Of the twenty-four currently operating flying scooters, ten are the newer Larson models. In 2004, a group of Flying Scooter enthusiasts organized Flyer Addicts Anonymous with a mission to document the history of and promote the continuing operation of Flying Scooter rides. The Flyers Addicts have documented twelve historic rides currently operating, three in storage, two standing-but-notoperating, and ninety-three defunct (demolished) flying scooters. Six of the currently operating historic rides are portable 8-tub models, two of which have retained the name Flying Scooter. 47 The Lagoon Flying Scooter is one of six operating 10-tub Park Models. The Lagoon example does not have the most original components (three have older tub designs and at least two have older stabilizer-rudders), but Lagoon's Flying Scooter is the oldest existing ride to be in continuous operation in the same amusement park. 48 June's future husband, Donald H. Parkerson Jr., also worked for the company in the 1940s, as did her younger brother, Alvin G. Bisch. 43 Chris Clark, Flying Scooter Historian, Correspondence and Notes. 44 Ibid. 45 The Billboard Outdoor Equipment Review, April 9, 1949: 14. It is unclear whether this ride was actually installed at Lagoon. It does not appear labeled on the 1950 Sanborn map and is not listed with the rides damaged by the fire in 1953. 46 The Premier Rides Company has produced at least one new flying scooter. The Martin & Vieminckx Rides LLC, an amusement park ride construction company, is also credited with one. 47 The total does not include possible examples of portable models that are only in operation a few days out of a year. The only currently documented example is owned by the Wichita County Fair in Kansas. 48 The second oldest Park Model is the Hurricane in Denver, Colorado (early 1940s). The Butterfly in North Little Rock, Arkansas, is the oldest permanent installation of a portable model. 42 12 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property The Lagoon Flying Scooter is perhaps the best representative of the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company as an example of the continuity of design from the company's early pre-war production model to a meticulously maintained upgrade using the best of Bisch-Rocco's post-war replacement components. The Bisch-Rocco product was promoted in the 1939 company brochure as "constructed with the best known materials," "low maintenance" and "few wearing parts." The Lagoon example is proof of durability for a ride that is over seventy years-old. But the Flying Scooter has endured and even increased in popularity because of the inventiveness of its engineering. In the words of the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company: "The Colorful Ride With Lots of Snap" continues to give the rider self-control and the ability to "sail and climb and dive through the air," proving the thrill of the ride that "never grows 0Id.,,49 49 "Flying Scooters" trade brochure, circa 1939: [4]. 13 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 1(}-9oo OMS No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 513112012) Davis County, Utah County and State Name of Property 9. Major Bibliographical References Bibliography (Cite the books. articles. and other sources used in preparing this form.) Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company. Flying Scooters" trade brochure produced by Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, [Chicago, Illinois: circa 1939]. Digital copy courtesy of the Flyer Addicts Research Blog (www. tlyeraddicts.com). Clark, Chris. Flyer Addicts Anonymous Research Blog and Website (www.tlyeraddicts.com). correspondence with author. Notes and Davis County Clipper. Various issues. Deseret News. Various issues. Knowlton, George Quincy. A History ofFarmington, Utah. Kaysville, Utah: Inland Printing, 1965. Kyriazi, Gary. The Great American Amusement Parks: A Pictorial History. Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1976. Lagoon Amusement Park and Utah biographical clippings file. Available at the Utah State History Research Center. Lagoon. Clippings file. Available at the Salt Lake City Public Library, Main Branch. McCormick, John S. "Lagoon." In Utah History Encyclopedia, ed. Allen Kent Powell, 311-312. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1994. McCormick, John S. and Nancy D. Saltair. Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1985. Ogden Standard Examiner. Various issues. Provo Daily Herald. Various issues. Salt Lake Herald. Various issues. Salt Lake Telegram. Various issues. Salt Lake Tribune. Various issues. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Salt Lake City, 1898, 1911, 1927, 1950 & 1969. United States Census Enumerations, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, 1920 - 1940. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991. 14 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Lagoon Flying Scooter Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67 has been --requested) previously listed in the National Register --previously determined eligible by the National Register --designated a National Historic Landmark --recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # _ _ _ __ --recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # _ _ __ --recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # X State Historic Preservation Office --Other State agency ====Federalagency Local govemment --University --Other Name of repository: Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property 0.17 acres ~~~~~-~--- (Do not include previously listed resource acreage.) Latitude/Longitude References (Place additional references on a continuation sheet.) Latitude: 40.987110° Longitude: -111.893319° Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) The boundaries ofthe Lagoon Flying Scooter include everything within the fenced area around the perimeter of the ride, including the waiting area. Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.) The boundaries are those currently associated with the property since 1999. 11. Form Prepared By name/title Korral Broschinsky, Preservation Documentation Resource organization prepared for the Lagoon Amusement Park date August 2, 2012 street & number 4874 Taylors Park Drive telephone city or town Taylorsville state e-mail [e-mail] 15 801-913-5645 Utah zip code 84123 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31 /2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form : • Maps: A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map. • Continuation Sheets • Additional Items: (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items.) Photographs: Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Name of Property: Lagoon Flying Scooter City or Vicinity: Farmington County: Davis Photographer: Korral Broschinsky Date Photographed: 2011-2012 State: Utah Description of Photograph(s) and number: Photograph 1 of 7. View of Lagoon Flying Scooter. Camera facing southeast. Photograph 2 of 7. View of Lagoon Flying Scooter with landscape. Camera facing northwest. Photograph 3 of 7. View of Lagoon Flying Scooter. Camera facing south. Photograph 4 of 7. View of Lagoon Flying Scooter, detail of three scooter cars. Camera facing south. Photograph 5 of 7. View of Lagoon Flying Scooter, detail of scooter car. Camera facing southeast. Photograph 6 of 7. View of Lagoon Flying Scooter, detail of scooter car. Camera facing northwest. Photograph 7 of7. View of Lagoon Flying Scooter, detail of support structure and motor box. Camera facing southwest. 16 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Lagoon Flying Scooter Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State Property Owner: (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Lagoon Corporation (Contact: David W. Freed) street & numbe=r_ _. . :3:. 7:. .: 5. . :N:;. ;.:. .: ;L.: ;ags;;z.o=-o::.: n.: . . =:.D. :.;ri:. :v. :.e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ telephone city or town state Fannington 801-451-8000 Utah zip code 84025 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW. Washington. DC. 17 NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5-31-2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Name of Property Davis Co., Utah County and State National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Maps MPS Boundaries \ ~ a CJ z ~ c ~ ~ rn Z --\ \S fG ..~ ~ 1G ~ z s:\ CS .z '::3 ~ \J\ a c () z ~ ~ Page __~_~_9_~~_~_~_~~_~~_~_~!]_!_~~_~_~__~_~~____________ _ Name of multiple listing (if applicable) 1 NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMS No.1 024-0018 (Expires 5-31-2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Name of Property Davis Co ., Utah County and State National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number -=-M.:...:.a=D=s"--__ Page Flying Scooters Latitude/Longitude r- 91 ;:;: I: a. ~ :Ii m*z III ~ 0 ~0 & b :::I (Q ;:;: t:: a. 0 g: ~ !I! ....... I ~ a, S w 0 ....; '" ...~ '~" ---~~-g-~~-~-~-~~-~~-~-~~-!-~~-~~--~-~~------------Name of multiple listing (if applicable) 2 lACAOON AMU5~M~Nf PARK) fARMINCAfON) DAVI5 COUNfY) Ufm LAG,OON LYING SCOOTER Lag,oon Amusement Park armingt,orl, D,avis County, Utah w E o 00 100 200 [Feet LI______~I______~I LatiJtude: 40.987045 Longitude: -1111.800307 PHOTOGRAPHS & SLIDES Lagoon Flying Scooter. 375 N. Lagoon Dr, Farmington, Davis county. Photo 1 Photo 2 Lagoon Flying Scooter. 375 N. Lagoon Dr, Farmington , Davis county. Photo 3 Photo 4 Lagoon Flying Scooter. 375 N. Lagoon Dr, Farmington , Davis county. Photo 5 Photo 6 Lagoon Flying Scooter. 375 N. Lagoon Dr, Farmington , Davis county. Photo 7 MAPS & DRAWINGS lACAOON AMU5~M~Nf PARK fARMINCAfON DAVI5 COUNfY Ufm J J J LAGOON FLY~NG SCOOTER Lag,oon Amusement P,ark Farmingt,on Davis C ounty1 Utah 1 1 .•. .. .·· N W . - . .E o I 50100 I :200 I feet s LongitlJ.d· e: -111 , 8n~3Qt7· ~~ RESEARCH NOTES/MISCELLANEOUS RIDE SLIDE DIVE Y DAY - Y 30 D Y SLIP THE NEW UK[ n YING SCOOTERS A REAL PLANE I You Control the Rudder • • • WIM YOU W TO H ALTH Leu t CQntinuo y r' R £ SH • WAT AMUSEMENT Your Choice of ~ POPULAR RIDES • • • FREE Jolly J rry Jon 12 ~ PIECE LAGOO OIlCHES SPECIAL FAaLmES EcoDomical waa..... bu......... AD h s. r e e ·s n 's II - .'~ s e d '8 S e o o r iI n ,r ;- e h d , - e e st iff-collar rOles In nor ·weatneI· : . , . H elen Broderick m an unpopular glamour nam e after muffing a th pn explaining it's th as a c urse word . .. F i g irl: "Look at Miss ~ h e dotlsn look a day 1." S ecorU;l extra gi sho uld l'h e ?" , .. Set I I'i ll e Ball giving a f o Hu~band Desi Arn !I tbefo re he en ters a Lagoon 'Fun Spot' Opening Today t I The Hollywood Edward!', Apostle ne rs. No other · ca n mat ch the hai with which Mr. his ff'dora, now t cpeded in growing of hair on. his on ... Mickey Roopey er, Mr. Rooney 's ing on the hi,he n iture In any ro ering over· p int rigued promo ing about reviving f lagpole sitting . . . ry , Screen Veter brags that he's long he can re "Cohens and Kell what the "Hardy ing today. i 'What's News. t Nancy Kelj'h one yly-Edmond O'Bri moo n," whi ch mni sts said rltf\J lItatll s, wll.~ to sett le their r e goin g w or k ed out ~ Wp.Il; t e rn rHl on ano th e r through e-pen ci l t ional parks, . . . Blowing the · ltd off the 1941 SE-ason, Lagoon, Utah'. popular amusement place, will open Memorial day amidst a hlaze of color ot. blossom in" flower bed. and new decorative IIchemel, and with many Improvements . . This season Introauce. a .ensation amusement feature ·in 'the "Flying ·Scooters," which offer .a spine-tingling ride in modem manner, the "Flyln" Scootera" . ' belng the nearest thing to actual flying a plane while .till an- .. chored to the ground. ~ A new "Fun House," with thrills, chill. and spill. to bring laugha aplenty · i. another feature attraction. . Again Lagoon offen swimming In its large fresh water pool, the largest pool of filtered water In the west, ~hich has been enlarged for the season\ and ~our latest mod e I diving bo~!td. added. i~ ; Jerry · Jones' Lagoon orchestra will again supply the latest music for the modernized "Danceland ," while new decorations and improvements wll1 add to the dan c e r s' enjoyment. Clean, wholesome, economical amu.em e nts for young and old w\lJ again he t.he policy ot the relIort., according to It. B. Needham , traffic manager for the ownership. y at Salt Lake PR versi rent! deported, "Come Live With M e" T is the comedy drama which will be presented on the screen -It II Friday. It pairs James Stewart G~m ma il. The porter had . II lovely daughter, a streetcar motorman, (Hedy), whom he wants to send to the safety ot the U. S . A. In this mad-paced ~m·edy, Oscar Homolka , Fefix Breslart and Eve Arden are found . Ann Sher.idan and George Brent are romantically paired in "Honeymoon for Three," in which the third patty is an old sweetheart, Dsa Masen, w If0 claims him as the only man for her , although she has a husband . Charles Ruggles, in the husband's role , furnishes much of the comedy. and Hedy Lamarr as the roman t ic team involved , It is Hedy w h o p roposes to a penn iless y oung author (Stewart) a business ma r riage that will giv e her o a n umber, in return the author e to be paid his living expe nses n un t il he 'can sell a novel. g Naturally , complications re1sult from the arrangement, in which the author sees a good plot for a story, when it comes :- I . to the hands of Ian · Hunter, a I publisher ready to divorce his w ife so that he can marry the 1beautiful refugee . Verree Teas..., dale , Donald Meek, "pDrt"T"I 1\6",,_ W ith Ronald Colman and .' !n Lane and others are ~ ~ L _ ~/·L ·llar duo, st ~~ ~ I' le unique h r ld ry al .~~~2n~!' To m j'" _ M .... 3 0 , '#I'll "If V. I Star I 1'.7 11 be the th e of 2: tlsts the the mair nex t Prot man Tl $25 any mar ·his ~ric mer age: for and Gre tor 'I nUE an) An: ------,..• • ._- --- - - _---_--.--.----------~,.--- --- ~ AfLogoon Annual Outing H~ld by Utah Deaf and Blind .! " By MAXINE MARTZ Lagoon had its quietest picnic . . of the year Wednesday, but if . ' . sign language could be translated into sound, it would probably have been the noisiest. The occasion was the annual outing for students from the School for the Deaf and Blind at Ogden. Approximately 130 students, mostly from the upper division of the deaf school, but also including about 30 of all ' ages from the blind school, had more fun than anybody at their annual outing. Picnic tables, where faculty members served students plates heaped with bam, turkey, rolls, potato salad, donuts and j .y'! cream, were "buzzing" with fl,;ing fingers as the youngsters discussed what they were going to ,do and see after lunch. As soon as the food was gone, they scattered like leaves to go swimming and take tage of half-price rates on the roller coaster, flying scooter, . rock-o-plane, dodgem and other ~ GREAT FUN-Ruby Jensen, left, tells Reva Foote in sign language that riding the flying scooter is great sport, as they enjoy the annual Lagoon outing of the School for the Deaf and ·Blind. vV/, ~vV~ /S/ /1~'-I: ? • Fly I NOW BUILDING S'fAnoNMY IUVATm !'oUK liCI t. STANDMD PAll( awl. 10 CAas SlAT iC n 9 ~1.n. )0 KtDOCeS POa".AIU IUl)I • CA1.S WT AbtJl.tt. ~ KJ01)I£S "'"' Wfnl ,," ~LlNa) CARS Scooters S'I1It ....ML1Nm X.DOlE ]IT aIDa n.A.S1tIM:i - STVId)Y - """"""NC - eAU. ""~ :fnlOUCiHCXlt -AUTO NA!1C CoUTOe - UZcnlCAL!Y O!'EaATtC - Ci)OD CA":\C!TY IAn LOADIr'IG ... ,. -.. ~~- ... --- ~,..ftUAl\CLIHID MOOG. CAll rJU: ""IN M. .S IJIfLfIr 'AItOQS IPCIl NPlAT NODI .AlWAYS Of 10ft ~ ~~~~ MUD DI'OOCK !I!J(I. 1AeU:S AND 0lD1iI fOUS i' ATnAa'lIIG aow1)S OWl. SVC~ cnaAlV'fG ~NS 9"01 .CIt Jt.YIItG 5COO1D. ~ ~ OMtA11Off B I 5 C H lCJgOq ]O' ama A HIT wrI'H TIlE KJDS J\"'ITl\Acreo 2436 KIDDIE RlDERS IN A SIl'fGLE DAY ROCCO SoUl COTTAGE GKOVEA VI PlIONE: PL.UA Z90IJ o <::> CAl 0') 'Ou CAli OM'LITI t• •'DU '" HOUR ~ECIFICATIDNSd etionory FLYING SCOOTER structure it 'eot in diomot er and 25 feet high to t he top h. boom.. The boo"" are revolved by • 30 '. electric motor uuting the SC OOTERS to . 1 .t 33 milos per hou r formin g., circle about feet in diamet.r. There i • • rudder in t he It of uch SCOOTER CAR moving on a well Incod piyo' ""h ich when turned from sid. to , directs the flight of the SCOOTER. Each r •• il. in I grea t 100 foot circle. r• • r. t en ~ml with one two-pa nong or JOTER CAR suspended from u ch boom , cables th.t .r. fr ee to wil in end out. You vary the .ttitude from. few inc he, of the und to the very top. of the boom. with oIut • •• fety. P AT E:N'T9 ,,,, 1'''''.(01l110L ! 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II ... . '.100,,"..... PEND I NQ liSCH-ROCCO AMUSEMENT (0. QfrvU Office 3900 S. PARKWAY I. • .J._.. 11;;;1 AJ rflTTAr.~ r.Dnvr: Atlantic 1"314 CHICAGO ,ILL. n ..... ~'\, •• ~ .... O')')h CHIC.AGO.ILL. :t MAN ~ WITHIN OF CIRCLE ·-·--·-_- .-.--.-..-- -._._._. -.- --_. _. ,. . E it"kYI I NG' 5coa.,r.e"-''.-4'M US..!! tv! J:.u -r i(;:~'.:: Aie:~ · ,,co.e &/SCH-.focco :l¥(/$l',+fe,Vi (ol1a~ .tJy I: 5t1~/ C(J""~Ir . ... :JfA:(iv.: . ,4n~.-CIIIC ~~o. \hL. Iw. ~t:('M,n/AJ I . . (r"lql.~E~: $;...t(J'rv(AI. Ftlti/AlEre., 1'?3 Wr8SiE~4Y,!I . ' J,.;r~ /'2~I1- /.P: 1.. . .,. . Ul08 it' -" . .:;7?'l:: L~~~~~~~. __~_ . _ ,;,_e1.4'f~~ June 20, 1939: 2,163,360 A. BISCH AMUSEMENT DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inuen:lbr;'- Gluiru Bi5c1u, .~ p.~0!5. ' NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 5/31/2012) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented , enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions , architectural claSSification , materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategOries from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative Items on continuation sheets If needed (NPS Fonn 10-900a). 1. Name of Property historic name Lagoon Flying Scooter other names/site number Flying Aces, Flying Jets Draft #2 2. Location street & number city or town state not for publication 375 N. Lagoon Drive ____F_arrn __in.-Jg"'-t_o_n____________________ '-_---' vicinity code Utah county UT code Davis 011 zip code 84025 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination _ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion , the property .L meets __ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: .x.. national - statewide l local Signature of certifying officiailTitle Date Utah Division of State History / Historic Preservation Office State or Federal agencylbureau or Tribal Govemment In my opinion , the property _ meets _ does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Title Date State or Federal agencylbureau or Tribal Government 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: _ entered in the National Register _ determined eligible for the National Register _ determined not eligible for the National Register _ removed from the National Register _ other (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 5/31/2012) OMB No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) ~ Number of Resources within Property Category of Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) (Check only one box.) building(s) private public - Local public - State public - Federal Contributing Noncontributing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ buildings X ----------------------------- district ----------------------------- site structure ----------------------------_____________________________ object district site structure object ----------------------------- Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) Historic Resources of the Lagoon Amusement Park, 1886 - 1976 N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions Current Functions RECREATION AND CULTURE: RECREATION AND CULTURE: amusement park ride amusement park ride (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) 7. Description Arch itectural Classification Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) OTHER: Flying Scooter Ride foundation : NO STYLE walls: N/A roof: N/A other: STEEL, IRON, WOOD, FIBERGLASS 2 CONCRETE ~~~~~------------------- United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 5/31/2012) OMS No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance of the property. Explain contributing and noncontributing resources if necessary. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, setting, size, and significant features.) Summary Paragraph The Lagoon Flying Scooter, currently known as the Flying Aces, is an amusement park ride built by the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company and installed at the Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Davis County, Utah in 1941. It is one of only twelve examples of the historic ride still operating today. The ride consists often scooter cars attached by cables to a steel support tower and boom system. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is one of two examples that rotate clockwise. The ride has been in four different locations within the park, but because it was designed for disassembly, minor location shifts within the park do not affect its historic integrity. The period of significance extends from the original installation in 1941 to 1962, which spans its first and second locations within the park. The historic period includes the in-kind replacement of the original scooter cars with the current assembly, also built by the Bisch-Rocco company, which has been the only major modification to the ride since its original construction. The Lagoon Flying Scooter meets the registration requirements of the Multiple Property Listing, Historic Resources of the Lagoon Amusement Park, 18861976, and is a contributing historic resource at the Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah. Narrative Description Site The Lagoon Flying Scooter lies within an area of 0.17 acres out of approximately 60 acres for the park.] The footprint of the stationary structure is relatively small at 50 feet in diameter, which means that the ride was easily relocated to make room for more substantial attractions as the park expanded. The Flying Scooter was originally installed in 1941 at the south end of the midway approximately 100 feet east of the present location of the carousel. 2 In 1956, the park opened a five-acre kiddie-ride area east of the carousel and north of the lagoon, so the Flying Scooter was moved approximately 200 feet southwest to a location south of the roller coaster loading station. 3 The ride remained south of the roller coaster until an outdoor amphitheatre was built at that location in 1982.4 Between 1983 and 1985, the ride was refurbished during a three-year hiatus. It was reinstalled at the north end of the midway in 1986. In 1999, the ride was moved 100 feet southeast to its current location when the Rocket was built. At its current location, the ride sits in the center of an oval-shaped sectioned concrete pad installed in 1999 on a former area of lawn near the picnic pavilions. The oval pad is approximately 100 feet (north to south) by 85 feet (east to west). The pad is surrounded by a square-post wrought-iron fence (circa 1999). The entry and exit gates are located at the north end of the oval. There is a small awning to shade the gate keeper/ride operator (circa 2005). Structure In the center of the oval, the four corners of the pyramidal tower structure sit on double base-plates bolted to the concrete footings. The tapered section of the steel tower is approximately fourteen feet high with horizontal and diagonal bracing 1 This estimate is for the operating portion only and excludes the parking lot, campground, support areas, and undeveloped land owned by the park. 2 This location is shown on the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Lagoon produced in 1950, the first map to include the Flying Scooter. 3 A circa 1957 night-time photograph of the roller coaster station shows the Rock-O-Plane ride just to the south near the spot where the flying scooter appears on a 1969 update of the Sanborn map. The Rock-O-Plane had been moved to its current location by 1969. 4 One source indicates the ride was moved south for the 1982 season (www.lagoonisfunwebsite.com). 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State on the lower two-thirds. The main drive shaft extends from the motor box on the ground below the center of the structure to approximately five feet beyond the top of the tower. The current motor was manufactured by the Falk Corporation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a circa 1985 replacement for the original motor. The change in rotation from counterclockwise to clockwise was made with the new motor. There is a separate electrical box under the south side of the tower. This particular tower structure at Lagoon was described by Bisch-Rocco as a Park (or Stationary) Model. Four of the six operating park models have the tower partially or completely encased in mostly non-historic materials. Lagoon is one of only two with the tower structure completely exposed. 5 The Lagoon model has a shield-shaped sign mounted on the tower with the words "Flying Aces" facing the gate area (circa 1985). The steel truss booms are mounted on a circular flange attached to the drive shaft in the center of the tower structure. The vertically-mounted booms are modified halfscissor trusses with doubled lower chords evenly distributed around the shaft. The booms angle outward and upward at approximately thirty degrees. At the point where the upper and lower chords meet, the ride structure is approximately twenty-five feet tall. The structure, including tower, booms, and motor, is currently painted grey (circa 1985). Scooter Cars Each scooter car is suspended between the apexes of two booms by a redundant cable system. The car is divided into three separate parts (tub, rudder, and stabilizer) mounted on a vertically hanging frame of metal (currently painted black). The two-person cab, commonly called a tub, rests on a rail at the bottom of the rectangular frame. 6 There is a V-shaped opening facing the central tower and a molded plastic bench seat with a restraint belt. The floor of the tub is covered with a non-skid metal sheet. The top of the tub is open except at the front where a portion is covered to provide a protected knee/leg well. The scooter car assembly also includes a stationary stabilizer mounted vertically to the frame at the rear of the tub and a moveable rudder mounted to the front of the frame. 7 The rudder moves back and forth on a pivot. The rear half of the rudder overhangs the tub with a handle at the bottom, which allows the rider to alter the trajectory of the scooter car during the ride's operation. Each scooter car is a circa 1962 replacement for the original car. The replacements were designed and manufactured by the Bisch-Rocco company of materials that were more durable that the original cars (metal and fiberglass vs. wood and canvas). When the scooter cars were most recently refurbished (circa 1985), each was christened for an early twentiethcentury military biplane. The most recent repainting occurred in 2001-2002. Each scooter car has an individual color scheme that is the same on both the outward and inward faces of the car assembly. The Lagoon logo is printed on the tub on the outside opposite of the entry on the interior. The current names and colors are listed in a counter-clockwise order (no hierarchy intended) as follows: 1. 2. Gloster Gladiator (orange & green vertical stripe with scalloped edges) Armstrong Whitworth Siskin (silver with black & white checks; red, white & blue vertical stabilizer stripes) 5 The other exposed tower operating model is the IO-tub park model at Knoebel's in Elyburg, Pennsylvania, which is coincidentally the only other flying scooter to rotate clockwise since a new motor was installed in 1973. The entry to the tubs for clockwise scooters is on the interior. The Fun Spot in Angola, Indiana, has a IO-tub park model with an exposed tower, but the park is closed and the ride is currently standing but not operating (SBNO). Another park model is in storage in the United Kingdom. The six other operating flying scooters are 8-tub portable models with a different tower design. All data on operating and defunct flying scooters cited in this nomination were gleaned from the flyingaddicts.com website and various amusement park websites. 6 Alvin Bisch used the term ~cab: in the patent for device. The term ~car: was used in promotional material. The term ~tub: is used in the flying scooter census and is the physically most apt description. The current tub holds two children or two small adults comfortably. It would be a bit snug for two adults of larger proportions. The original 1941 tubs were made of duramold and were more rounded. 7 The stabilizer and rudder are known by various terms, including fins, sails, wings, etc. They were originally made of stretched canvas. 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. (Expires 5/31/2012) Curtiss Falcon (blue with white lettering; yellow & blue vertical stabilizer stripes, white & red horizontal stripes) Curtiss Helldiver (orange & black with flame-painted stabilizer) Arvo [sic] Avro 504 Series (red with white lettering; white & blue bull's-eye; red, white & blue stabilizer stripes) Fokker C. V. (camouflage green & tan with red & white star on stabilizer) Vickers Vildebeast (black on bottom; silver on top; with red dividing stripe & lettering) Nieuport Type 16 (yellow with blue & red bull's-eye; blue, yellow & red vertical stabilizer stripes) Curtiss Racer R-6 (black with stylized eagle; black, red, white & blue vertical stabilizer stripes) Swordfish MK1 (green, purple & white horizontal stripes with black lettering) Ride Experience The ride experience begins with the riders waiting at the entry gate while the previous ten to twenty riders dismount and exit through a separate gate. Riders are allowed to enter the gate and select their scooter cars on a first-come basis. Riders under the height of 46 inches must be accompanied by a responsible adult. The ride operator checks that the restraint belts are engaged for each one to two-passenger tub. As the ride begins, the scooter cars swing from the cables in a clockwise direction. As the speed of rotation increases, the cars lift as the centrifugal force pushes them outward. Riders move along the trajectory of the 300-foot perimeter circle for approximately two minutes at up to 30 miles per hour. Without controlling the rudder, the car will swing from side to side gently along its trajectory as it makes a circuit. Experienced riders prefer to control the rudder to make the scooter car swoop and dive within the constraints of the cable system. Flying scooter enthusiasts are known for "snapping" the cables, which refers to giving the cables some slack then snapping it back with a quick motion. 8 The ability to control at least of portion of the ride experience has kept the Flying Scooter ride popular since it's inception in the 1930s. The Flyer Addicts Anonymous website rates Flying Scooters for "snap-ability." The Lagoon ride has not been rated. Snapping is prevented discouraged (by signage and staff) or (by design changes during refurbishment) in some amusement parks due to maintenance and safety concerns. 88 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMS No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/3112012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria Areas of Significance (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) (Enter categories from instructions.) ENGINEERING Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. ENTERTAINMENTIRECREATION INVENTION Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. Period of Significance 1941-1962 Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Significant Dates 1941 , 1956, 1962 Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) Property is: A Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. B removed from its original location. C a birthplace or grave. D a cemetery. E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. F a commemorative property. G less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years. N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder Alvin Bisch, Designer & Engineer Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, Manufacturer Period of Significance (justification) The period of significance includes the original installation of the Flying Scooter at Lagoon in 1941 and the subsequent relocations and refurbishment up to 1962. Criteria Considerations (explanation, if necessary) N/A 6 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance and applicable criteria .) The Lagoon Flying Scooter, installed at the Lagoon Amusement Park in 1941, is nationally significant under Criteria A and C for its association with the inventor, Alvin Bisch, and the manufacturer, the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company. The Flying Scooter was an amusement park ride invented by Alvin Bisch in 1934 and produced by him and his partner, Ralph Rocco, between 1935 and the early 1960s, and sold to parks throughout the United States. The Flying Scooter was unique among amusement park rides of the period in that it provided the rider a means to change the trajectory of the ride with a pivoting rudder. This interactivity and control over the ride experience continues to be rare for the amusement ride industry even today and contributes to the ride's ongoing popularity. The ride is significant in the areas of Invention, Engineering, and EntertainmentlRecreation. Currently there are only twelve extant Flying Scooters manufactured by the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company in operation. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is the oldest example of the ride in continuous operation at the same park as its first installation. It retains its historic integrity in terms of location, design, association, and the historic ride experience. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is also significant under Criterion A for its association with the transformation of the Lagoon Amusement Park from a summer resort pleasure garden to a modern amusement park in the first half of the twentieth century. The ride meets the eligibility requirements of the Multiple Property Listing Submission, Historic Resources of the Lagoon Amusement Park, 1886 - 1976. The period of historic significance from 1941 to the 1962 reconstruction spans three contextual periods: Mechanical Amusement Park Period, 1921-1945; Post-War Modernization Period, 1946 - 1953; and Theme Park Period, 1954 -1976. Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) Early History of the Lagoon Amusement Park Lagoon's first incarnation was as a beach resort called Lake Park on the edge of the Great Salt Lake three miles west of the city of Farmington in Davis County, Utah. Lake Park was built by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad midway between Ogden and Salt Lake City. Lake Park was partially owned by Simon Bamberger, a transportation magnate and governor of Utah from 1917 to 1920. Lake Park opened on July 15, 1886. The roundtrip train fare provided admission to dancing, roller skating, target shooting, a bowling alley, and a pleasure garden. One of the few mechanical amusements at Lake Park was a "Flying Jennie," a mule-powered circular ride with swinging seats. 9 Only a few years after the opening of Lake Park, the waters of the fickle Great Salt Lake began to recede, leaving the resort beaches with a "sticky brand of blue mud" that spelled misery for bathers by the early 1890s. \0 In 1896, the owners moved the pavilions and attractions inland to a property at the western edge of Farmington. The new resort featured two artificial lagoons and was christened the Lagoon Summer Resort and Picnic Grounds. Lagoon opened on July 12, 1896. The 1898 Sanborn map of Lagoon shows the interurban Salt Lake & Ogden Railway line along the east side of the resort. At the beginning of the 1903 season, park owner Simon Bamberger raised its train and admission fare from 25 cents to 50 cents in order to attract "only the best class of patronage" and actively promoted the Lagoon's "beautiful grounds" with its shade trees, flowers, grass, gardens, and cool temperatures in an effort to distinguish the resort from its lakeside rivals. ll Salt Lake Tribune, June 19, 1887: 6. John S. McCormick and Nancy D. McCormick, Saltair, (Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1985): 14-15. 11 Saltair: 73; Salt Lake Herald, April 21, 1903: 5; Salt Lake Herald, August 17, 1903: 5-6. 9 10 7 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/3112012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property By 1910, Bamberger completed the conversion of his interurban railroad from steam to electricity with the Lagoon station the most popular destination during the summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. In the first decade of the 1900s, the management installed a collection of mechanical amusement park rides near the north end of the lagoon area: a miniature railroad, a merry-go-round, a joy wheel, bump-the-bumps, shoot-the-chutes, and a scenic railway. By the second decade, the amusement park included a full midway, a funhouse, bumper cars, and a Waikiki Beach-themed . . pooI .12 cement sWlmmmg By the early 191Os, America was fascinated by the flying machines that emerged from the experiments of the Wright brothers and others. On October 11, 1914, Lagoon sponsored an exhibition race between an automobile and an aeroplane that thrilled over 2,000 spectators. 13 But the real money was in providing park patrons with the more visceral thrill of a flying ride. For the 1919 season, Lagoon built its tallest amusement device, the Captive Aeroplanes, which was pronounced the "sensation of the season.,,14 Lagoon's ride was a successor to the simple Flying Jenny of the previous generation. Around the turn-of-the-twentieth-century, there were dozens of patents filed for similar "circular swings" amusement devices consisting of tall towers with gondolas attached to cables for the riders. 15 Within a few years, many of the gondolas had been replaced by mock airplanes, including a famous example at the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair. Lagoon's version of the Captive Aeroplanes, built circa 1918-1919, consisted of an approximately 60-foot iron tower and four airplanes that swung out over the lagoon. 16 History of the Lagoon Flying Scooter Anthon C. Christensen served as the assistant manager of Lagoon between 1908 and 1916, and the general manager between 1917 and 1927. Christensen traveled frequently to other amusement parks on the east and west coasts, and became one of the first amusement park professionals in the state. 17 It was during his tenure in the 1920s that the Lagoon Resort was first referred to as the Lagoon Amusement Park. ls Christensen purchased park attractions from nationallyknown designers and manufacturers, such as a Herschell-Spillman carousel in 1918 and a John A. Miller-designed roller coaster in 1921. His successor, Simon Bamberger's son, Julian M. Bamberger, was responsible for, not only keeping the park open through the depression years, but transforming the resort into a modern amusement park by the late 1930s. Julian Bamberger kept up the tradition of adding at least one new attraction each year. For the May 30th opening of the 1941 season, Bamberger found one of the most unique amusement park rides of the first half of the twentieth century, the Flying Scooter. The Flying Scooter was first designed by Alvin Bisch in 1934. By 1939, Bisch and his partner, Ralph Rocco, had incorporated under the name Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, and were selling the ride throughout the United States. 19 Lagoon purchased an early version of the ride, known as the "stationary" model with "streamlined" cars, as Description and installation dates for some of these rides can be found in the MUltiple Property Documentation form for Lagoon. Thirty-five separate exhibitions by aviator, Lincoln Beachey, and driver, Barney Oldfield, were held all over the country in 1914. 14 Salt Lake Telegram, June 25, 1919: 5. 15 These rides may have been influenced by the work of the Smithsonian's Samuel Pierpont Langley, who tested the lift power of early air machines by suspending them from cables "something on the order of a merry go round with a whirling post in the center." Salt Lake Herald, September 26, 1909: 4. 16 The designer and manufacturer of the Lagoon ride are unknown. The ride was partially damaged by wind in January 1920. In a letter to a local newspaper, Mr. A. B. de Villentroy, a photographer and French immigrant living in Salt Lake City, claimed to be the owner ofthe ride and assured the public it was being safely repaired. Salt Lake Telegram, January 10, 1920: 3. 17 Davis County Clipper, October 21, 1921: 1. Christensen served as a director of the National Association of Amusement Parks. 18 Both names were used interchangeably and intermittently depending on the source during the period between 1920s and the 1960s. 19 More information on Alvin Bisch, Ralph Rocco, and the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company can be found in the developmental history/additional context section below. 12 \3 8 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State described in a circa 1939 company brochure. 2o The management of Lagoon was likely impressed by the selling points: "Always in Top Money!" and "100% Safety Record!" But it was the assertion that "Every Car has Individual Flying Control," which set the device apart from numerous other amusement park rides on the market, a claim that the makers of the ever popular roller coaster could not make. A skilled rider in the Flying Scooter could make the scooter car dive downward or swoop upward at will. Lagoon's Flying Scooter was first installed approximately 100 feet east of the current location of the carousel. It was the first and remains the only Flying Scooter permanently installed in Utah. 21 Lagoon advertised its new ride as "the nearest approach to flying a plane without leaving the confines of the earth" and "the amusement thrill of the year.'.22 A tri-fold Lagoon brochure produced for the 1941 season included a photograph of delighted riders and the words: "Ride, Dive, Slide, Slip, the New Flying Scooters. Like a Real Plane! You Control the Rudder.',23 The ride was extremely popular through the 1941 and 1942 seasons. By 1942 the ride was more than simply thrilling, but-it was also "a spine tingling ride."24 A black & white photograph of a scooter car taken on July 4, 1942, indicates that the first cars were painted a light color with a star-circle design on the rudder. Lagoon's initial investment in the Flying Scooter appeared to be shortlived. When the scooter cars were removed for winter storage in the fall of 1942, they remained there for 3 Y2 years. The Lagoon resort, along with nearly all of Utah's recreational venues, experienced a dark (non-operating) period between 1943 and 1945, due to a scarcity of gasoline, materials, and labor during World War II. By early 1946, the Lagoon Amusement Park was filled with weeds and the rides were falling apart. The Bamberger family had lost interested in running the park and considered razing it, but agreed to lease it to entrepreneurs Ranch Kimball and the Freed brothers, Robert, David, Daniel, and Peter, who came home from the war looking for a project. 25 Under the name Utah Amusement Corporation, the partners spruced up the park in time for a 1946 season opening and added nine new attractions in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the park in 1947. One of the modifications for 1947 was the replacement of the "old circle swing" captive aeroplanes with sleek, stainless steel rocket ships that could hold eight adults or twelve children. 26 On May 16, 1952, gale force winds at Lagoon "did about $500 damage to lighting signs and destroyed two flying scooter cars," but did not interfere with the park's opening. 27 Replacements were likely shipped from the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company within a few weeks. 28 At the end of that season, on September 6, 1952, the electric passenger railroad made its final stop at the Lagoon station. When the rail company shut down operations completely, the Salt Lake Tribune published this eulogy: "The Bamberger Railroad died yesterday, the victim of a 'collision' with the family automobile.',29 On the night of November 14, 1953, as an orange glow appeared on the mountains to the east, Farmington residents got in their cars and parked along the highway to watch as half of the Lagoon Amusement Park burned to the ground. The fire destroyed the west side of the midway, the dance pavilion, the fun house, and the front portion of the roller coaster. The carousel was charred, but eventually saved by fireman continuously dousing it with water throughout the night. With only partial insurance, the park began an ambitious program of rebuilding with a $500,000 investment for the 1954 "Flying Scooters" trade brochure produced by Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, [Chicago, Illinois: circa 1939]. Digital copy courtesy of the Flyer Addicts Research Blog (www.flyeraddicts.com). The Stationary Model was also known as the Park Model. The streamlined tubs were more rounded than the box-like tubs produced for the prototype and a few early models. 21 The company introduced a portable model in the early 1940s and it is possible that some of these may have operated briefly at county fairs or traveling carnivals in the state. 22 Salt Lake Telegram, May 29, 1941: 8. 23 Advertisement, 1941, digital copy courtesy of the Lagoon Corporation. 24 Salt Lake Telegram, May 29, 1942: 6. 25 After several years of serving as the President of Lagoon, Ranch Kimball gave up his managerial interest in the park in 1970. Deseret News, January 26, 1980. 26 Davis County Clipper, April 25, 1947. 27 Salt Lake Telegram, May 16, 1952: 1. 28 It is not known whether the ride operated with missing cars and or if the replacements were identical in design. 29 Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1959. The railroad continued with limited passenger service te-form Ogden to Hill Air Force Base in the 1950s and some freight service through December 1958. 20 9 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State season. Lagoon's phoenix-like opening took place on May 1, 1954. The scooter cars were in storage, and the tower was not damaged during the fire. A May 13, 1954 news article featured a photograph of an operating scooter car painted a dark color with white stripes. 30 For the 1956 season, five acres were devoted to the first themed section of the park, a kiddie-ride area known as Mother Goose Land. The Flying Scooter was moved from its original location, now the center of Mother Goose Land, to a new location south ofthe roller coaster loading station. 3) The Lagoon Flying Scooter stayed in the same location at the south end of the midway from 1956 until 1982. During that time, the ride remained essentially the same, but underwent several enhancements. The entire scooter car assembly was replaced by the Bisch-Rocco company, which had stopped making rounded tubs and was exclusively using the box-style tubs. The original canvas rudder and stabilizer, which had several layers of paint by the 1950s, were also replaced. The new scooter assembly represented the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company's most popular state-of-the-art model at the time. The refurbished scooter cars were painted white, with red and blue accents. In the spring of 1972, the Flying Jets was repainted to "resemble the World War I Flying Aces. The Red Baron, The Sopwith Camel and others are represented and the ride has been renamed The Flying Aces.,,32 In 1982, Lagoon decided to build an outdoor amphitheater for musical shows. The chosen location was just south of the roller coaster, where Flying Scooter riders had spent nearly thirty years skimming the tops of the trees on the ride's perimeter. At the end ofthe 1982 season, the Flying Aces was disassembled for storage. During the time the ride was on hiatus, the Freed family, under the name Lagoon Corporation, purchased the amusement park from the Bamberger family.33 The return of the Flying Aces at a new location at the north end of the midway occurred in time for the 1986 season opening. The scooter cars were painted in primary colors with new hardware attaching them to the frames. In 1998, the ride was moved approximately 100 feet southeast to a former picnic lawn so that 207-foot Rocket tower ride could be built. The Flying Aces has operated at its current location since 1999. In 2001, the scooter cars were sanded and painted with their current individual colors; however, the names of the biplanes were left Off. 34 Lagoon received numerous comments about the missing names, and within a year, the names had been repainted on the rudders. 35 The Flying Aces continues to be one of the most popular lower-volume rides at Lagoon today. The Lagoon Flying Scooter is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is significant in the area of EntertainmentlRecreation as the third oldest ride at the Lagoon Amusement Park. In Gary Kyriazi's history of American amusement parks published in 1976, Lagoon was described as "one of those older amusement parks which through constant renovation somewhat resembles a modem theme park, although it is basically traditional.,,36 The history of Lagoon's amusement park rides parallels the cultural interests of its patrons through the years. For example, in 1919, the Captive Aeroplanes ride captured the imagination of a public fascinated by the concept of flight. By 1947, when air travel was commonplace, the mock aeroplanes were replaced with stainless-steel rockets. For Lagoon's 100th anniversary in 1987, in the age of routine space travel, the Rockets ride was replaced by the Tum of the Century, a 48seat version of a musical Flying Jenny. Most recently for the 2012 season, Lagoon had added yet another tlight-themed ride, the Air Race. The significance of the Flying Scooter is a bridge from one era to the other. Whether they remember it as the Flying Scooter, Jets, or Aces, most of Lagoon's patrons have no idea the ride is over seventy-years old. The ride with the biplane theme still looks very modem. What is more important is that having control over the ride experience is a concept that most people, including the inventor, would agree is timeless. Deseret News, May 13, 1954: 8. It is not known precisely when the cars were painted, but probably between 1946 and 1954. The Rock-O-Plane was installed near the coaster as a new ride in 1954, but was later moved to its current location on the west side of the lagoon. 32 Provo Daily Herald, March 19, 1972: 5-A. 33 The company was later reorganized as the Lagoon Investment Company. 34 Deseret News, February 23, 2001: C-l. 35 "Flying Aces" at www.lagoonisfim.com. 36 Gary Kyriazi, The Great American Amusement Parks: A Pictorial History, (Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1976): 253. 30 31 10 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 5/3112012) OMS No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property Developmental history/additional historic context information (if appropriate) The Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company and the Flying Scooter The Lagoon Flying Scooter is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is significant in the areas of Invention, Engineering, and EntertainmentlRecreation for its association with the work of the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company. It is the first amusement park ride of its kind to be nominated to the National Register, and the first to represent the important contributions of Alvin Bisch and Ralph Rocco to the amusement park industry. Alvin Bisch was born on January 28, 1888, in Bridgeport, Ontario, Canada. He spent time (and registered for the draft) in both the United States and Canada, where his occupation was mechanic and chauffer. Alvin Bisch eventually settled in the Chicago area after his marriage to Ada M. Dargert in 1920. Alvin and Ada Bisch had three children. On the 1930 census enumeration, Alvin Bisch listed his occupation as a garage mechanic. Like many mechanics of his time, his tinkering led him to the patent office. In 1929, he filed two patents: one for an "air-pilot-training-device" that the operator could in theory "guide, dip, dive, or bank" an "airplane" attached to a rotating structure; and a second patent for a device similar to a circle swing with four planes that Bisch posited could be used "to train aviators or for amusement purposes.,,37 Although never built, Alvin Bisch was photographed in 1930 with a scale model for a four-plane device in Modern Mechanics, a magazine for inventors. All through his experimentation, Bisch strived for the perfect ridercontrolled device. With a patent filed on July 21, 1934, and approved five years later on January 3, 1939, Bisch fmally found a working design that could deliver on the promise of a "revolving cab [that] may deviate from its normal path by the control within the hands of the operator." Patent #2142169 for a tub with rear stabilizer and pivoting front rudder did not resemble an actual airplane in a sense of the word, but Bisch probably didn't care. With this patent, he had also narrowed his focus to a particular market. The design was labeled simply "amusement device." It was around this time that Alvin Bisch started a partnership with Ralph Rocco, another Chicago area auto mechanic. Ralph Rocco was born in Italy on December 19, 1891. His family immigrated to the United States in 1902. He worked in the stock yards before becoming a mechanic in the 1920s. He is listed living with his wife Anna, his children, and a brother on the 1930 census of Chicago. The partners organized the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company around the time the first prototype scooter ride was installed at Chicago's Riverview Park in 1935. On February 6, 1939, Alvin Bisch filed a patent for an improved design for his "amusement device." Patent #2163360 was approved on June 20, 1939, and was the essential design for what became the company's Park (Stationary) Model: a pyramidal tower, ten-boom assembly, and three-piece scooter car. A shop drawing produced by structural engineer, W. Bermann, for the BischRocco Amusement Company in December 1937 shows a few enhancements on the tower design of the patent. 38 By the time the ride was installed in the amusement area of the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco in 1939, the name on the ticket was the Flying Scooter. The publicity surrounding the ride's appearance at various fairs and expositions may have brought the ride to the attention of Lagoon's management. 39 The Bisch-Rocco Company also advertised the Flying Scooter and other rides in Billboard, the trade magazine for the amusement industry.40 37 The first device (#1791655) was patented on February 10,1931, the second (#1912174) on May 301933. The third (#1906443) for a similar device was patented on May 2, 1933. 38 The shop drawing (#3) was part of a set given to the Lagoon management when the flying scooter was installed. The drawing is labeled Job #3709 (probably the ninth job of the year). The 1937 job date may mean that Lagoon had acquired a partially used ride in 1941. It is not known what happed to the remaining drawings. The draftsman was probably William Bermann, a Swedish immigrant and civil engineer, living in Chicago in 1930. 39 The ride was also featured at the Canadian National Exposition of 1939 and the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland 1936-1937. 40 Billboard magazine was established in 1894 and represented the amusement industry until 1961 when it transitioned to representing mostly jukeboxes and the music industry. 11 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/3112012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property Around 1939, the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company had produced a two-color, four-page brochure for the ride. Alvin Bisch's daughter, June, was photographed for the front cover riding in a scooter car with a friend. The brochure contained several photographs of crowds lining up near the ride that was described as "Entertaining to Ride and Amusing to Watch." According to the brochure, the scooter was breaking records, taking in $927.90 in a single day." If normal takes were even close to "$12,647.90 in 10 consecutive days" the company boasted, the ride would more than pay for itself after only one season of weekend operation. The brochure also claimed of "the millions that have ridden Flying Scooters there has never been on single accident," including a ninety-one year-old man and mothers with babies in their arms. On the 1940 census, Alvin Bisch, the inventor, listed his occupation as "Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturer of Amusement Park Rides." His daughter June was a clerk for the company.41 Ralph Rocco, who became the spokesperson for the company, was perhaps not ready to give up his day job in 1940. He gave his occupation as proprietor of an auto repair shop.42 Ralph Rocco later embraced his engineering skills and was featured in the 1954 edition of Who's Who in Engineering? By the time the company was in full manufacturing mode, the scooter tubs had been "streamlined" to a more rounded shape that the prototype box-style tubs. The tubs were made of duramold, a composite material made from birch and resin. The first stabilizers and rudders were canvas. While the company boasted that the entire ride could be loaded onto one truck, they also developed a portable model in the early 1940s with a low-profile tower structure based on Bisch's 1934 patent. Production was probably nonexistent during World War II, but after the war Bisch-Rocco recycled surplus aviation fuel tanks that resulted in longer rounded tubs. 43 When fuel tanks were no longer available, the company reverted to the original look of the box-style tubs, but sturdier with better production qualities. The post-war box-style tubs are found on the majority of currently operating Flying Scooters. In the late 1940s, the Bisch-Rocco company also produced other rides, such as the Flying Disk and a Kiddie Jet ride, one of which was purchased by the Lagoon Amusement Park in 1949.44 By the late 1950s, the company was producing fewer full rides, but still doing a good business in upgrades and replacement parts. Alvin Bisch died in November 1965 and Ralph Rocco died ten years later in June 1975. With the death of the principals, the company faded into obscurity. In 2003, the ride experienced a renaissance when Larson International, Inc. bought the rights and a working model of the Bisch-Rocco Flying Scooter. After a few structural and safety revisions, Larson began producing new Flying Scooters that have been installed all over the country.45 Of the twenty-four currently operating flying scooters, ten are the newer Larson models. In 2004, a group of Flying Scooter enthusiasts organized Flyer Addicts Anonymous with the mission document the history of and promote the continuing operation of Flying Scooter rides. The Flyers Addicts have documented twelve historic rides currently operating, three in storage, two standing-but-notoperating, and ninety-three defunct flying scooters. Six of the currently operating historic rides are portable 8-tub models, two of which have retained the name Flying Scooter.46 The Lagoon Flying Scooter is one of six operating 10-tub Park Models. The Lagoon example does not have the most original components (three have older tub designs and at least June's future husband, Donald H. Parkerson Jr., also worked for the company in the 1940s, as did her younger brother, Alvin G. Bisch. 42 Chris Clark, Flying Scooter Historian, Correspondence and Notes. 43 Ibid. 44 The Billboard Outdoor Equipment Review, April 9, 1949: 14. It is unclear whether this ride was actually installed at Lagoon. It does not appear labeled on the 1950 Sanborn map and is not listed with the rides damaged by the fIre in 1953. 45 The Premier Rides Company has produced at least one new flying scooter. The Martin & Vieminckx Rides LLC, an amusement park ride construction company, is also credited with one. 46 The total does not include possible examples of portable models that are only in operation a few days out of a year. The only currently documented example is owned by the Wichita County Fair in Kansas. 41 12 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property two have older stabilizer-rudders), but Lagoon's Flying Scooter is the oldest existing ride to be in continuous operation in the same amusement park.47 The Lagoon Flying Scooter is perhaps the best representative of the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company as an example of the continuity of design from the company's early pre-war production model to a meticulously maintained upgrade using the best of Bisch-Rocco's post-war replacement components. The Bisch-Rocco product was promoted in the 1939 company brochure as "constructed with the best known materials," "low maintenance" and "few wearing parts." The Lagoon example is proof of durability for a ride that is over seventy years-old. But the Flying Scooter has endured and even increased in popularity because of the inventiveness of its engineering. In the words of the Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company: "The Colorful Ride With Lots of Snap" continues to give the rider self-control and the ability to "sail and climb and dive through the air," proving the thrill of the ride that "never grows 0Id.'.48 47 The second oldest Park Model is the Hurricane in Denver, Colorado (early 1940s). The Butterfly in North Little Rock, Arkansas, is the oldest permanent installation of a portable model. "Flying Scooters" trade brochure, circa 1939: [4]. 48 13 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Lagoon Flying Scooter (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Name of Property County and State 9. Major Bibliographical References Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.) Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company. Flying Scooters" trade brochure produced by Bisch-Rocco Amusement Company, [Chicago, Illinois: circa 1939]. Digital copy courtesy of the Flyer Addicts Research Blog (www. flyeraddicts.com ). Clark, Chris. Flyer Addicts Anonymous Research Blog and Website (www.flyeraddicts.com). correspondence with author. Notes and Davis County Clipper. Various issues. Deseret News. Various issues. Knowlton, George Quincy. A History ofFarmington, Utah. Kaysville, Utah: Inland Printing, 1965. Kyriazi, Gary. The Great American Amusement Parks: A Pictorial History. Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1976. Lagoon Amusement Park and Utah biographical clippings file. Available at the Utah State History Research Center. Lagoon. Clippings file. Available at the Salt Lake City Public Library, Main Branch. McCormick, John S. "Lagoon." In Utah History Encyclopedia, ed. Allen Kent Powell, 311-312. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1994. McCormick, John S. and Nancy D. Saltair. Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1985. Ogden Standard Examiner. Various issues. Provo Daily Herald. Various issues. Salt Lake Herald. Various issues. Salt Lake Telegram. Various issues. Salt Lake Tribune. Various issues. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Salt Lake City, 1898, 1911, 1927, 1950 & 1969. United States Census Enumerations, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, 1920 - 1940. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991. 14 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Fonn NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 513112012) OMB No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: preliminary detennination of individual listing (36 CFR 67 has been - -requested) previously listed in the National Register --previously detennined eligible by the National Register --deSignated a National Historic Landmark = recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #_ _ _ __ __recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # _ _ __ recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # X State Historic Preservation Office - -Other State agency = Federal agency __Local govemment __University Other Name of repository: Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property 0.17 acres ----------~----- (Do not include previously listed resource acreage.) UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) 1 3 112 Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing 4 2 Latitude: 40.987110 Longitude: -111.893319 Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) The boundaries of the Lagoon Flying Scooter include everything within the fenced area around the perimeter of the ride, including the waiting area. Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected .) The boundaries are those current associated with the property since 1999. 11. Fonn Prepared By name/title Korral Broschinsky, Preservation Documentation Resource organization prepared for the Lagoon Amusement Park date June 21, 2012 street & number 4874 Taylors Park Drive telephone city or town Taylorsville state e-mail [e-mail] 15 801-913-5645 Utah zip code 84123 United States Department of the Interior National Par!( Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 (Expires 513112012) OMB No. 1024-0018 Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: • Maps: A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map. • Continuation Sheets • Additional Item.: (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items.) FiRat phorogt:afJh& will oe GROSeR by the Utah SHPO pROf to suomissioR. Photographs: Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Name of Property: Lagoon Flying Scooter City or Vicinity: Farmington County: Davis Photographer: Korral Broschinsky Date Photographed: 2011-2012 State: Utah DeSCription of Photograph(s) and number: Photograph 1 of 10. ???? elevation of Lagoon Flying Scooter. Camera facing ???? Property Owner: (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Lagoon Investment Company (Contact: David W. Freed) street & number 375 N. Lagoon Drive telephone city or town Farmington state 801-451-8000 Utah zip code 84025 P.perwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). 16 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service I National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Davis County, Utah Lagoon Flying Scooter County and State Name of Property Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form . Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington , DC. 17 CORRESPONDENCE Department of Heritage and Arts Julie Fisher Executive Director State of Utah State History GARY R. HERBERT Wilson G. Martin Director Governor GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor November 2,2012 LAGOON INVESTMENT COMPANY A TfN: DAVID W. FREED 375 N. LAGOON DRIVE FARMINGTON, UT 84025 Dear David: It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that the historic property listed below, nominated by the State Historic Preservation Review Board and the Utah State Historic Preservation Officer, was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on October 24,2012. LAGOON CAROUSEL, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON LAGOON FLYING SCOOTE~ 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON LAGOON ROLLER COASTE~ 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON In recognition of the listing of your property, we would like to present to you an official National Register certificate, for which there is no charge. Please contact Cory Jensen in our Historic Preservation Office if you would like to receive this certificate. Listing on the National Register is intended to encourage preservation as well as provide recognition of a property's significance. A major benefit of listing on the National Register is the availability of tax credits for qualified restoration work (see attached fact sheets). We would be pleased to assist you with the application process should you wish to apply. Also, we would invite you to become a member of the Utah State Historical Society and enjoy the benefits of the various activities and publications the membership has to offer (see enclosed brochure). Please contact Cory Jensen at 8011533-3559, or bye-mail at [e-mail] if you have any questions or if we may be of assistance to you. ~.1-~ Wilson G. Martin State Historic Preservation Officer Enclosures 300 S. Rio Grande Street Salt Lake City, U1ah 84101 • (SOl) 245-7225 olilcsimiJe(801) 533-3503' www.history.u1ah.gov 0 Department of Heritage and Arts Julie Fisher Executive Director State of Utah State History GARY R. HERBERT Governor Wilson G. Martin Director GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor November 2,2012 DAVE MILLHEIM FARMINGTON CLG FARMINGTON CITY 160 S. MAIN STREET FARMINGTON, UT 84025 Dear Mr. Millheim: We are pleased to inform you that the historic properties listed below, nominated by the State Historic Preservation Review Board and the Utah State Historic Preservation Officer, was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on October 24, 2012: LAGOON CAROUSEL, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON LAGOON FLYING SCOOTER, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON LAGOON ROLLER COASTER, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON Listing on the National Register is intended to provide recognition of a property's significance. A major benefit oflisting on the National Register is the availability of tax credits for qualified restoration work along with other financial incentives that are intended to encourage preservation of our historic buildings. Please contact Cory Jensen at 8011533-3559, or bye-mail at [e-mail] if you have any questions or if we may be of assistance to you. /nJr-? SincerelY'7 () Wilson G. Martin State Historic Preservation Officer 300 S. Rio Grande Street· Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 • (SOl) 245-7225 • filcsimile [phone] • www.histay.utah.gov Department of Heritage and Arts Julie Fisher Executive Director State of Utah State History GARY R. HERBERT Governor Wilson G . Martin Director GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor November 2,2012 MAYOR SCOTT HARBERTSON FARMINGTON CITY 160 S. MAIN STREET FARMINGTON, UT 84025 Dear Mayor Harbertson: We are pleased to inform you that the historic properties listed below, nominated by the State Historic Preservation Review Board and the Utah State Historic Preservation Officer, was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on October 24, 2012: LAGOON CAROUSEL, 375 N. LAGOON I)R., FARMINGTON LAGOON FLYING SCOOTER, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON LAGOON ROLLER COASTER, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON Listing on the National Register is intended to provide recognition of a property's significance. A major benefit oflisting on the National Register is the availability of tax credits for qualified restoration work along with other fmancial incentives that are intended to encourage preservation of our historic buildings: Please contact Cory Jensen at 8011533-3559, or bye-mail at [e-mail] if you have any questions or if we may be of assistance to you. Sincerel" ;J (/., Wilson G. Martin State Historic Preservation Officer 300 S. Rio Grande Street· Saltl.ake City, Utah 84101· [phone] • fucsimile [phone] · www.history.utah.gov Department of Community and Culture JULIE FISHER Executive Director State History State of Utah WILSON G . MARTIN Acting Director GARY R. HERBERT Governor June 29, 2012 GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor LAGOON INVESTMENT COMPANY ATTN: DAVID W. FREED 375 N. LAGOON DRIVE FARMINGTON, UT 84025 Dear Mr. Freed: We are pleased to infonn you that the historic properties listed below will be considered by the State Historic Preservation Review Board for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: LAGOON CAROUSEL, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON LAGOON FLYING SCOOTER, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON LAGOON ROLLER COASTER, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON mSTORIC RESOURCES OF LAGOON AMUSEMENT PARK MPS The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government's official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing on the National Register provides recognition and assists in preserving our Nation's heritage. Listing of a property provides recognition of its historic significance and assures protective review of federal projects that might adversely affect the character of the historic property. If the property is listed on the National Register, tax credits for rehabilitation and other beneficial provisions may apply. Listing on the National Register does not place limitations on the property by the federal or state government. Public visitation rights are not required of owners. The government will not attach restrictive covenants to the property or seek to acquire them. Enclosed please find a notice that explains, in greater detail, the results of listing on the National Register. It also describes the rights and procedures by which an owner may comment on or object to listing on the National Register. You are invited to attend the State Historic Preservation Review Board meeting at which the nominations will be considered. The Board will meet on Thursday, August 2, at 1:00 p.m., at This Is the Place Heritage Park - Atkins Home, Salt Lake City. Should you have any questions about these nominations before the meeting, please contact Cory Jensen of the Historic Preservation Office at 801/533-3559 or at [e-mail]. ::eSTATE SHIS1DRY UTAH STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANTIQU ITIES State Historic Preservation Officer HISTORIC PRESERVATION Enclosure RESEARCH CENTER & COLLECTIONS 300 s. RIO GRANDE STREET, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84101-11 82 · TELEPHONE [phone] · FACSIMILE 801 533-3503 . HISTORY.UTAH.GOV Department of Community and Culture JULIE FISHER Executive Director State History WILSON G. MARTIN State of Utah Acting Director GARY R. HERBERT Governor June 29, 2012 GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor MAYOR SCOTT HARBERTSON FARMINGTON CITY 160 SOUTH MAIN ST FARMINGTON, UT 84025 Dear Mayor Harbertson We are pleased to infonn you that the historic properties listed below will be considered by the State Historic Preservation Review Board for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: LAGOON CAROUSEL, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON LAGOON FLYING SCOOTER, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON LAGOON ROLLER COASTER, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON mSTORIC RESOURCES OF LAGOON AMUSEMENT PARK MPS The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government's official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing on the National Register provides recognition and assists in preserving our Nation's heritage. Listing of a property provides recognition of its historic significance and assures protective review of federal projects that might adversely affect the character of the historic property. If the property is listed on the National Register, tax credits for rehabilitation and other beneficial provisions may apply. Listing in the National Register does not place limitations on the property by the federal or state government. Public visitation rights are not required of owners. The government will not attach restrictive covenants to the property or seek to acquire them. Enclosed please find a notice that explains, in greater detail, the results of listing in the National Register. It also describes the rights and procedures by which an owner may comment on or object to listing on the National Register. You are invited to attend the State Historic Preservation Review Board meeting at which the nominations will be considered. The Board will meet on Thursday, August 2, at 1:00 p.m., at This Is the Place Heritage Park - Atkins Home, Salt Lake City. Should you have any questions about these nominations before the meeting, please contact Cory Jensen of the Historic Preservation Office at 801/533-3559 or at [e-mail]. Sincerely, l:srATE SHISIDRY State Historic Preservation Officer UTAH STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANTIQUITIES HISTORIC PRESERVATION RESEARCH CENTER & COLLECTIONS Enclosure 300 S. RIO GRANDE STREET, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 64101-1182 . TELEPHONE [phone]· FACSIMILE 801 533-3503 . HISTORY.UTAH.GOV Department of Community and Culture JULIE FISHER Executive Director State History WILSON G. MARTIN State of Utah Acting Director GARY R. HERBERT Governor June 29, 2012 GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor DAVE MILLHEIM FARMINGTON CLG FARMINGTON CITY 160 SOUTH MAIN ST FARMINGTON, UT 84025 Dear Mr Millheim: We are pleased to inform you that the historic properties listed below will be considered by the State Historic Preservation Review Board for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: LAGOON CAROUSEL, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON LAGOON FLYING SCOOTER, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON LAGOON ROLLER COASTER, 375 N LAGOON DR, FARMINGTON mSTORIC RESOURCES OF LAGOON AMUSEMENT PARK MPS The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government's official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing on the National Register provides recognition and assists in preserving our Nation's heritage. Listing of a property provides recognition of its historic significance and assures protective review of federal projects that might adversely affect the character of the historic property. If the property is listed on the National Register, tax credits for rehabilitation and other beneficial provisions may apply. Listing in the National Register does not place limitations on the property by the federal or state government. Public visitation rights are not required of owners. The government will not attach restrictive covenants to the property or seek to acquire them. One of your responsibilities as a Certified Local Government (CLG) is to review pending National Register nominations of properties within your community. This is required, in part, to detect any errors in fact, but also to provide local insight or knowledge concerning the property. Please have your historic preservation commission review the enclosed draft nomination and return the enclosed review form with the appropriate signatures. We would appreciate hearing back from you prior to the board meeting. You are invited to attend the State Historic Preservation Review Board meeting at which the nominations will be considered. The Board will meet on Thursday, August 2, at I :00 p.m., at This Is the Place Heritage Park - Atkins Home, Salt Lake City. Should you have any questions about these nominations before the meeting, please contact Cory Jensen of the Historic Preservaf n Office at 801/533-3559 or at [e-mail]. ::eSTATE SHISIORY S· UTAH STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANTIQUITIES HISTORIC PRESERVATION RESEARCH CENTER & COLLECTIONS Enclosure State Historic Preservation Officer 300 S. RIO GRANDE STREET, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84TOl-1182 . TELEPHONE [phone]· FACSIMILE 801 533-3503 . HISTORY.UTAH.GOV Department of Heritage and Arts Julie Fisher Executive Director State of Utah State History GARY R. HERBERT Wilson G . Martin Director Governor GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor August 31, 2012 CAROL SHULL KEEPER NATIONAL REGISTER OF mSTORIC PLACES 1201 "I" (EYE) STREET, NW, 8th FLOOR (MS 2280) WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please fmd the registration forms and documentation for the following National Register nominations that have been approved by the State Historic Preservation Review Board and the Utah State Historic Preservation Officer for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: Lagoon Carousel Farmington, Davis Co. Lagoon Flying Scooter Farmington, Davis Co. Lagoon Roller Coaster Farmington, Davis Co. Historic Resources of Lagoon Amusement Park MPSFarmington, Davis Co. Thank you for your assistance with these nominations. Please contact me at 8011533-3559, or at [e-mail] if you have any questions. ·storian National & gister Coordinator Office of Historic Preservation Enclosures 300 S. Rio Grande Street· Salt Lake City, Utah 84101' [phone]' facsimile [phone]' www.history.utah.gov Department of Heritage and Arts Julie Fisher Executive Director State of Utah State History GARYR. HERBERT Governor Wilson G. Martin Director GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor August 6, 2012 LAGOON INVESTMENT COMPANY ATTN: DAVID W. FREED 375 N. LAGOON DRIVE FARMINGTON, UT 84025 Dear David: We are pleased to report that the following properties have been approved by the Utah Board of State History for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: LAGOON CAROUSEL, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON LAGOON FLYING SCOOTERS, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON LAGOON ROOLER COASTER, 375 N. LAGOON DR., FARMINGTON Within the next few weeks, we will submit the nominations and documentation to the National Register office in Washington, DC, for final approval. This review typically occurs within six to eight weeks. If you have any questions or concerns about this National Register nomination, please contact Cory Jensen of the Historic Preservation Office at 801/533-3559 or at [e-mail]. We appreciate your interest in and support of historic sites in Utah. Wilson G. Martin State Historic Preservation Officer 300 S. Rio Grande Street· Salt Lake City, Utah 84101· [phone]· facsimile [phone]· www.histoIy.utah.gov