Belmont
Park is a beach amusement park reminiscent of
traditional thrill parks that Americans enjoyed in the
early 1900s. Filled with
fun kiddie boat rides and colorful entertainment
especially suited for youngsters, Belmont Park is
located at Mission
Beach, a San Diego beach popular with roller bladers,
swimmers, surfers, and volleyball players. Situated at the north end
of the beach where the ocean currents are stronger,
you'll discover
historic Belmont Park. Roller coaster rides, arcades and a
variety of amusements provide thrills and
views of the Pacific Ocean.
Giant
Dipper Roller Coaster opened to the public on July 4, 1925
and celebrated its 75th birthday on July 4, 2000. It
was originally built as a key attraction for the
33-acre Mission Beach Amusement The 2600 ft.
long coaster was created by the noted design team of
Prior and Church. It was built in less than two
months by local suppliers and a crew of between 100
and 150 workers. The original cost to build the
coaster was $150,000.00, including the two, 18
passenger trains.
The
Mission Beach Amusement Center was popular through the
1930's and 40's and in later years it was renamed,
Belmont Park. From all accounts and records, the
Giant Dipper Roller Coaster was an extremely popular
attraction. By the late 60's and early 70's Belmont Park
fell into disrepair and the park and coaster finally
closed in December 1976. A
group of concerned citizens called
"Save The Coaster Committee," had the
coaster designated as a National Landmark and
asked that the ownership be transferred to
them. By doing so, they saved the coaster and
are responsible for ensuring that the Giant Dipper
Roller Coaster exists today for future
generations to enjoy. The committee was
given a preservation grant, raised funds locally,
and donated their time to work on the
coaster, however they were not able to raise
the amount needed to restore the coaster to an
operating condition.
In
1989, the developer of the new Belmont Park retail specialty
center contacted the Santa Cruz Seaside Company in Santa Cruz,
California to see if they might have some interest in restoring
and operating the Belmont Park Roller Coaster in San Diego. The
Santa Cruz Seaside Company is the owner and operator of the Santa
Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park. San Diego Seaside Company,
now called the San Diego Coaster Company, was officially formed to
restore and operate the Giant Dipper. Over $2,000,000.00 was spent
on the restoration of the Giant Dipper and one new train that was
built for the ride. The new train had six, 4-person cars. The nostalgic
look of yesterday and the strict safety standards of today are combined
in Belmont Park's Giant Dipper.
