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Of the nearly 4,000 wooden carousels carved in America between 1885 and the 1930s, fewer than 150 are still in existence. One of the finest of these survivors can be found on the county fairgrounds in Burlington, Colorado.
The sixth of 74 carousels manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) between 1904 and 1933, the Kit Carson County Carousel is a three-row, stationary (the animals do not move up and down) machine housed in a 12-sided frame building. It is the only antique carousel in America still having original paint on both the scenery panels and on the animals, and PTC No.6 is the only surviving menagerie (having other animals in addition to horses) carousel made by PTC. And it's fully operational!
Because PTC No.6 was stationary and didn't have the "excitement" of a jumper carousel...where the animals went up and down as well as around...the manufacturer made it one of the country's fastest merry-go-rounds. It twirls its riders at a breath-taking 12 mph, compared with the average carousel speed of 8 mph.
The carousel itself was manufactured in 1905 for Elitch Gardens, an amusement park in Denver. The carousel was operated at Elitch Gardens every summer until 1928, when it and the band organ were sold to Kit Carson County for $1,200 (including delivery to Burlington). The county commissioners who approved the carousel's purchase, C.J. Buchananm, G.W. Huntley and I.D. Messenger, were widely criticized for this "extravagant expentiture" during hard times. As a result, Huntley did not seek re-election in 1928. Buchanan lost in the primary that year, just three weeks before the recently purchased carousel opened in Burlington for the first time. I.D. Messenger was not up for re-election in 1928, but he was defeated when he ran again two years later.
Forty-six hand carved animals march counter-clockwise on this carousel, mounted on a 45-foot diameter platform. The 16 outside row animals are the largest. Intricate carvings range from cupids to a wooden medallion with a sculpture of an Arab sheik. One giraffe has a snake twined around its neck, and behind the saddle of a zebra is a gnome, sitting in a shell and aiming a spear at the rider's seat!
The texture of each animal's coat is faithfully detailed, and teeth, slathering tongues and hooves are carefully included. Toed animals have dewclaws, and hoofed animals are shod (even the Indian pony). There are real antlers on the deer and real horse tails on many of the horses. All of the glass eyes are of a color and expression suitable to the temperament of their animals. Hand-painted decorations can be found on each of the carousel figures; intricate flowers of varying design adorn many of the inside row animals. Saddle trappings are reminiscent of those used on cavalry mounts in the 18th Century Napoleonic Wars.
The Kit Carson County Carousel Museum is open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day - 10am – 6pm. The museum interprets the carousel, the band organ, and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and is located on the fair grounds adjacent to the carousel. Admission is one dollar – those under 9 years are free.
FUN FACTS TO KNOW AND TELL Only surviving menagerie (which is an assortment of animals) carousel made by Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1905, 6th one built.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT 1) Beecher Island Battlefield Monument - Yuma County2) World's Wonderview Tower, Genoa, CO - a promotional invention of P.T. Barnum who boasted that on a clear day you could see 6 states from the tower. 3) Old Town Museum - Burlington, CO
BEST TIMES TO VISIT Open 11:00 - 6:00pm Memorial Day to Labor Day
RELATED WEBSITES http://ourjourney.info/
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