The Destruction of Johnstown
| Other Name(s) | Johnstown Flood |
|---|---|
| Type | Exhibition |
| Park Section | Midway |
| Built | 1910 |
| Opened | April 25, 1910 |
| Closed | 1911 (Fire) |
| Fires | July 1911 |
| Frame | Wood |
The Destruction of Johnstown, mostly known as The Johnstown Flood, was a cyclorama attraction built and opened on April 25, 1910, at Olentangy Park and burned down the following summer in the Midway Fire of 1911[1][2][3] It was located in a wood-frame building along or near the Midway with burlap lining[4] north of the Dancing Pavilion and Ye Olde Mill. It was over 100 feet long and extended from the Scenic Coaster, under the tracks of the Loop-the-Loop, to the Circle Swing. The cars of the Loop-the-Loop traveled over the building.[5]
Description
Johnstown Flood was a cyclorama found in many parks depicting the Great Flood of 1889 that devastated Johnstown, Pennsylvania, when the South Fork Dam failed. The attraction had layered, moving canvases showing painted scenes from before, during, and after the disaster while pyrotechnics, electric lighting effects, water/steam effects, and moving 3-dimensional models to create an immersive storytelling experience.
Earlier versions were exhibited at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901 and New York's Coney Island from 1902-1906. They were called "the finest scenic electric production." At the Pan-American Exposition, the building that housed it was 100 feet (30.5 meters) wide by 140 feet (42.7 meters) long[6][7].
One version of the Johnstown Flood was exhibited at the 1909 Stockholm Exhibition and had an 82-foot-wide stage. It was called "our time's greatest electromechanical spectacle" and "left an indelible, fairytale-like impression." A narrator gave an "over-the-top" description, and a woman connected to the disaster claimed the facts were inaccurate. The attraction was portable and flexible enough to be altered to show other disasters. However, the effects were expensive to produce, and it took 13 employees to run[8].
Fires
In July 1911, a fire that began in the Old Mill ride spread to other attractions, destroying five buildings. Manager J. W. Dusenbury said the buildings were uninsured[4].
References
- ↑ "Fire at Olentangy Park." The News-Herald (Hillsboro, Ohio), July 27, 1911. Page 1. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1634174/fire-at-olentangy-park/
- ↑ Photographs, The Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 17, 1911. Page 1.
- ↑ "Suspect Arson in Destructive Fire at Olentangy Park." The Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 17, 1911. Page 1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Suspect Arson in Destructive Fire at Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 17, 1911. Page 1.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 10, 1910. Page 5.
- ↑ "The Johnstown Flood Show (1902-1905) and The Deluge (1906-1908)." The Heart of Coney Island. Accessed on July 22, 2022. https://www.heartofconeyisland.com/johnstown-flood-show.html
- ↑ "The Johnstown Flood." Accessed on July 22, 2022. https://panam1901.org/midway/johnstown_flood/johnstown_flood.html
- ↑ Johansson, Shelley. 2011. "First Person/The Swedish Johnstown flood." Post-Gazette.com, July 30, 2011. Accessed on July 22, 2022. https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/11211/1163861-109-0.stm