Ferris Wheel (1893)

Ferris Wheel
Ferris Wheel
	George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.'s wheel
Alternative names	Chicago Wheel
General information
Status	Demolished
Town or city	Chicago
Country	United States
Opened	June 21, 1893; 131 years ago
Demolished	May 11, 1906
Cost	$385,000
Height	80.4 metres (264 ft)
Known for	World's first Ferris Wheel

The original Ferris Wheel, sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel,^[2]^[3] was designed and built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as the centerpiece of the Midway at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Since its construction, many other Ferris wheels have been constructed that were patterned after it.

Intended as keystone attraction similar to that of the 1889 Paris Exposition's 324-metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower, the Ferris Wheel was the Columbian Exposition's tallest attraction, with a height of 80.4 metres (264 ft).

The Ferris Wheel was dismantled and then rebuilt in Lincoln Park, Chicago, in 1895, and dismantled and rebuilt a third and final time for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It was ultimately demolished in 1906. In 2007, the wheel's 45 foot, 70-ton axle was reportedly discovered buried near where it was demolished.^[4]

^ Cite error: The named reference gwr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Anderson, Norman D (1992). Ferris wheels – an illustrated history. Popular Press. ISBN 9780879725327.
^ "The Kensington Canal, railways and related developments". Survey of London. 42: 322–338. 1986.
^ orangebeanindiana (September 26, 2021). "The First Ferris Wheel Still Exists!". OrangeBean Indiana. Retrieved September 28, 2021. However, historical writings, documents, and newspaper reports indicate that the axle was taken back to "the yard" of the Chicago House Wrecking Company, and was eventually cut up for scrap when oxy-acetylene torches improved enough to cut the hardened steel. See "Demolition and Disposition" section, below.

[gwr-1] Cite error: The named reference gwr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Anderson-2] Anderson, Norman D (1992). Ferris wheels – an illustrated history. Popular Press. ISBN 9780879725327.

[3] "The Kensington Canal, railways and related developments". Survey of London. 42: 322–338. 1986.

[orangebeanindiana-4] rangebeanindiana (September 26, 2021). "The First Ferris Wheel Still Exists!". OrangeBean Indiana. Retrieved September 28, 2021. However, historical writings, documents, and newspaper reports indicate that the axle was taken back to "the yard" of the Chicago House Wrecking Company, and was eventually cut up for scrap when oxy-acetylene torches improved enough to cut the hardened steel. See "Demolition and Disposition" section, below.

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