Cleveland's Forgotten Coaster

Cleveland was once the home of one of the most dangerous roller coasters in the country: the Puritas Springs Cyclone. The Cyclone was built in 1928 by John Miller. Other area coasters built by Miller include the Derby Racer at Euclid Beach and the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake. Of these coasters, the Cyclone was by far the most violent.

With the Cyclone, Miller utilized the terrain of Puritas Springs. The coaster traversed dense forest, plunging in and out of a ravine at exhilarating speeds. The Cyclone became notorious for causing spinal injuries. These injuries because so common that the ride was shut down for a time by the Cleveland Police Department. The ride eventually re-opened and operated until 1958 when Puritas Springs closed. Most of the park including the Cyclone burned to the ground.

Today Kathryn took me on an adventure to search out the remains of the Cyclone. We searched all over for the Cyclone, climbing up and down ravines in the area. All we found were bricks and vintage beer bottles from the 50's.

After 2 hours of searching, we finally stumbled upon the ruins of Cleveland's mighty Cyclone. Not much was left of the coaster. The largest intact piece of track was about 30 yards long. Most of the coaster had long since succumbed to the elements and tumbled down the ravine.

The track we did find was pretty neat. Above is picture of me being a geek, explaining under-friction wheels to Kathryn. As I told her, John Miller was the one who invented under-friction wheels. This type of wheel alignment allowed roller coasters to go at high speeds without flying off the rails.

Looking at the coaster ruins, it was hard to believe that our grandparents had ridden the coaster half a century earlier. The overgrown ravine gave little hint that an amusement park once stood there.

If you're interested in checking out the ruins yourself, don't look here for help. I wouldn't dare deprive you of your own adventure.