Giant Dipper Roller Coaster
The Mission Beach Roller Coaster opened in the Mission Beach Amusement Center on July 4, 1925. As Belmont Park declined and structures were demolished in the 1970s and 80s, the coaster, then called “Earthquake,” was threatened as well. A local activist group called the Save the Coaster Committee sought to save the coaster by having it placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its preservation was, to say the least, a contentious issue as many favored a “passive” park. In 1989, the developer of the new Belmont Park retail specialty center contacted the Santa Cruz Seaside Company, responsible for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with its own Prior and Church “Giant Dipper” coaster, to see if they had interest in restoring and operating the coaster. The San Diego Coaster Company was formed and the restored “Giant Dipper” coaster opened on August 11, 1990.
San Diego, San Diego County
Photographer: Al Russell
Photographer: John Bare