Wow! That just brought me back to riding them in the early 1980s. The best coasters ever. I'm 56 and wishing I was there hitting the big drop on 'Twister' as I use to call it. Thank you for posting.😊❤
Wildcat was the perfect roller coaster. I can't believe this video exists. Thank you so much. Stupendous. I will never ride more fun of a roller coaster and this video brings that back to life.
Very nice! Good times at the old Elitches. Worked there a season in the late 80's. I just learned recently that Knobel's Amusement Resort in Pennsylvania wanted to buy Mr. Twister and move it out to Pennsylvania when Elitches moved downtown. Unfortunately, the layout was a bit too big for the piece of land Knobels wanted to put it on, so they instead bought the blueprints of Mr. Twister and build a brand new Mr Twister from the ground up. In order to make it fit they had to build it in reverse layout and the split the lift hill into two sections so the accent would fit. Basically it is Mr Twister's mirror image with two chain lifts, one on top of the other! I want to go out and ride it some day to experience Mr. Twister once again.
i made the trip to knoebel's in 2014 to pay tribute to both the phoenix and the twister, 2 coasters i rode as a kid at their original parks. what a great remake of twister and the dual lift hill is so unique. god bless the knoebel folks for their love of these rides.
Knoebels Phoenix is also a Schmeck roller coaster, so it's as if Elitch's roller coasters still exist together. I have to get to Knoebels but I'll bet anything Phoenix will not beat my memory of Wildcat which will always be a memory of perfection.
Knoebels is awesome! They have so many saved older rides throughout the years and even have some cool newer ones sprinkled in as well!! It’s only about 40 min away from my college and I go as often as I can. Definitely try and get out there if you can! I’ve never done the original twister but the one at Knoebels is a blast.
WOW! So grateful to see this. It's been since 1995 I was on The Wildcat. To see a POV of it again just brings back such great memories. Closing this park is perhaps the greatest crime against the people of Denver and of Colorado. The authentic charm well maintained park will never be recreated. Such a loss. Also who remembers the "gum wall" in teh Wildcat queue LOL!
It's hard to believe that I had the only film of the Wildcat, I wonder if other people have more of it. I did a real good search of the internet for it and found nothing. that's when I decided to put this film up.
Truly, the most amazing footage I've seen of my favorite old park I spent so many days there in the 70s and 80s!! I grew up right in the neighborhood and actually went to elementary school at Berkeley:-) What great memories of an awesome park. Unfortunately, so many cool things have been lost in this town.
WOW! Unbelievable job of preserving and presenting this amazing footage. It is a treasure and anyone involved should be very proud. I am a filmmaker, historian, and amusement park enthusiast and have rarely seen anything quite so good as a time capsule of that wonderful park. Now if I could find footage of the original haunted house my quest would be even more satisfied. Thank you so much for caring, preserving, and understanding how important a film like this is
Thanks for posting. This was right in the era I habitually visited the park and rode the coasters. Back then during the week if you got there we when it opened (10:00) you could continually ride the coasters 10 or more times before the lines started to form.
As a Colorado native who wasn't born in the time of the old Elitch's this video is incredible. Wildcat and Mr. Twister looked like great powerful wooden coasters. It's such a shame that we got stuck with the subpar Twister II to replace both of them. It's especially insulting considering that Twister II was operating while Mr. Twister sat rotting a couple miles away. I've visited the old location and seen the Elitch Theatre and the historic carousel house. The park might be gone but I could tell that there once was a bustling amusement park there. I grew up going to the Platte location and it's a part of my childhood. But the more coasters I ride the more I wish I could go back in time to see the original park and ride it's coasters. In some of these videos of the old park you can see just how jam packed with rides and plants it was. Nowadays Elitch's is often regarded as mediocre among enthusiasts. Ridden with low quality coasters you can find elsewhere. My mom often describes how the old park was, which makes the current park seem even worse. It sounds like it lost is soul when the Gurtler's stopped caring. A move was a terrible decision and many older enthusiasts I've met are loathsome. I plan to visit Knoebels this next summer in the hopes to get a taste of Mr. Twister from that park's remake. Perhaps that one will actually be "Built Wilder the Second Time Around." Maybe the time of Elitch's should come to a close or their upcoming move can be a fresh start.
I grew up with this park, just a couple of blocks from it, and I can tell you that you're right on the mark. What an incredible place, I always miss it. I refuse to go to the newer one.
As a Colorado native, these are the two coasters that sparked my love of all coasters. I've never before seen on-ride video of them. All I had was nearly 30 year old fading memories. I'm extremely grateful to to get to see the track once again. This literally brought happy tears to my eyes seeing them again.
wow, what a wonderful trip down memory lane. i only visited the original elitch's once when i was 14 y/o summer of '77...have never forgotten what a beautiful park it was. don't know the ins and outs why they moved from the original location, but it sure seems to have been a bad decision.
Anyone who rode the Wildcat will remember the “gum tree.” Elitch’s (the real one, not the current pale imitation) was such a special park. It had character and a “texture” to it that made it interesting. Rides were intertwined in many cases because of the limited space, which I think made it more interesting. I think of how the Wildcat and Mr.Twister, and later the Splinter log flume, each moved around and through the structure of the others. And I still think that Mr. Twister was one of the most beautiful coasters ever built. It just looked “right.” And combined with the Wildcat the two formed a perfect visual backdrop to the park. The imposter “Twister II” at the current Elitch’s is a gigantic disappointment. While it still looks somewhat similar to the original, the ride is completely watered down and boring.
Yes, yes, yes. The gum tree. Do we have to bring that up? The Wildcat was sooo awesome. Probably one of the best roller coasters in the country. It was easy to forgive the disgusting gum covering all of the trees leading up to it.
Wasn’t the gum tree in the line to the log ride? Regardless, I probably had a pack of gum stuck on it from all the many times going to Elitches. Great memories 😊
@@orlandos2000 It was next to the line for the Wildcat, but you may be right as well. I’m trying to remember now if the lines for the Splinter (the log ride) and the Wildcat might have been close together where the gum tree was.
The Wildcat will be missed forever. When they destroyed The Wildcat, they destroyed Elitches. The delightful screams of those people became a staple in Northwest Denver
Wildcat is likely gone forever, Mr Twister is in Pennsylvania as a modified replica (as in the station and lift are modified, the heart of the layout is identical and I was there with people who rode the original who said it matched), and Cyclone at Lakeside is now SBNO, meaning Denver potentially has lost all its classic woodies in the last 30 years. Just a reminder to support your local parks, just because they're multi-generational doesn't guaruntee their survival.
I doubt Cyclone will be torn down. I think they just need to save up some money fix it up a bit and then it will be back. But I’d be shocked if it was gone forever.
Wow! That just brought me back to riding them in the early 1980s. The best coasters ever. I'm 56 and wishing I was there hitting the big drop on 'Twister' as I use to call it. Thank you for posting.😊❤
Great video!! Brought back some good memories..my last ride on Mr. TWISTER June of 93..
My beloved old home park. I grew up only a couple blocks from there. I miss it always.
Wildcat was the perfect roller coaster. I can't believe this video exists. Thank you so much. Stupendous. I will never ride more fun of a roller coaster and this video brings that back to life.
Very nice! Good times at the old Elitches. Worked there a season in the late 80's. I just learned recently that Knobel's Amusement Resort in Pennsylvania wanted to buy Mr. Twister and move it out to Pennsylvania when Elitches moved downtown. Unfortunately, the layout was a bit too big for the piece of land Knobels wanted to put it on, so they instead bought the blueprints of Mr. Twister and build a brand new Mr Twister from the ground up. In order to make it fit they had to build it in reverse layout and the split the lift hill into two sections so the accent would fit. Basically it is Mr Twister's mirror image with two chain lifts, one on top of the other! I want to go out and ride it some day to experience Mr. Twister once again.
i made the trip to knoebel's in 2014 to pay tribute to both the phoenix and the twister, 2 coasters i rode as a kid at their original parks. what a great remake of twister and the dual lift hill is so unique. god bless the knoebel folks for their love of these rides.
They probably made a better one than Twister 2
Knoebels Phoenix is also a Schmeck roller coaster, so it's as if Elitch's roller coasters still exist together. I have to get to Knoebels but I'll bet anything Phoenix will not beat my memory of Wildcat which will always be a memory of perfection.
Knoebels is awesome! They have so many saved older rides throughout the years and even have some cool newer ones sprinkled in as well!! It’s only about 40 min away from my college and I go as often as I can. Definitely try and get out there if you can! I’ve never done the original twister but the one at Knoebels is a blast.
WOW! So grateful to see this. It's been since 1995 I was on The Wildcat. To see a POV of it again just brings back such great memories. Closing this park is perhaps the greatest crime against the people of Denver and of Colorado. The authentic charm well maintained park will never be recreated. Such a loss. Also who remembers the "gum wall" in teh Wildcat queue LOL!
It's hard to believe that I had the only film of the Wildcat, I wonder if other people have more of it. I did a real good search of the internet for it and found nothing. that's when I decided to put this film up.
Truly, the most amazing footage I've seen of my favorite old park I spent so many days there in the 70s and 80s!! I grew up right in the neighborhood and actually went to elementary school at Berkeley:-) What great memories of an awesome park. Unfortunately, so many cool things have been lost in this town.
WOW! Unbelievable job of preserving and presenting this amazing footage. It is a treasure and anyone involved should be very proud. I am a filmmaker, historian, and amusement park enthusiast and have rarely seen anything quite so good as a time capsule of that wonderful park. Now if I could find footage of the original haunted house my quest would be even more satisfied. Thank you so much for caring, preserving, and understanding how important a film like this is
Thank You for your nice comments. Unfortunately I have nothing of the Haunted House.
Thanks for posting. This was right in the era I habitually visited the park and rode the coasters. Back then during the week if you got there we when it opened (10:00) you could continually ride the coasters 10 or more times before the lines started to form.
As a Colorado native who wasn't born in the time of the old Elitch's this video is incredible. Wildcat and Mr. Twister looked like great powerful wooden coasters. It's such a shame that we got stuck with the subpar Twister II to replace both of them. It's especially insulting considering that Twister II was operating while Mr. Twister sat rotting a couple miles away. I've visited the old location and seen the Elitch Theatre and the historic carousel house. The park might be gone but I could tell that there once was a bustling amusement park there. I grew up going to the Platte location and it's a part of my childhood. But the more coasters I ride the more I wish I could go back in time to see the original park and ride it's coasters. In some of these videos of the old park you can see just how jam packed with rides and plants it was. Nowadays Elitch's is often regarded as mediocre among enthusiasts. Ridden with low quality coasters you can find elsewhere. My mom often describes how the old park was, which makes the current park seem even worse. It sounds like it lost is soul when the Gurtler's stopped caring. A move was a terrible decision and many older enthusiasts I've met are loathsome. I plan to visit Knoebels this next summer in the hopes to get a taste of Mr. Twister from that park's remake. Perhaps that one will actually be "Built Wilder the Second Time Around." Maybe the time of Elitch's should come to a close or their upcoming move can be a fresh start.
Well said and agreed!
I grew up with this park, just a couple of blocks from it, and I can tell you that you're right on the mark. What an incredible place, I always miss it. I refuse to go to the newer one.
I was so sad when they left 38th and Tennyson. I miss the log ride (the splinter), wild cat, Mr twister, the casino.
As a Colorado native, these are the two coasters that sparked my love of all coasters. I've never before seen on-ride video of them. All I had was nearly 30 year old fading memories. I'm extremely grateful to to get to see the track once again. This literally brought happy tears to my eyes seeing them again.
Amazing...I miss these days!
wow, what a wonderful trip down memory lane. i only visited the original elitch's once when i was 14 y/o summer of '77...have never forgotten what a beautiful park it was. don't know the ins and outs why they moved from the original location, but it sure seems to have been a bad decision.
This is a fantastic video! Thank you for the visit to Elitch's memories!
What a RIDE! Thanks for posting. Takes me back to Riverview Park in Chicago (Belmont at Western) which closed in 1967.
I am a big coaster fan. Always good to see the coasters of yesteryear. Well done.
Thank you for Posting this, I worked in the Major Rides Dept. in 85', great memories!!
I loved that place. Anyone remember the 'gum chew tree" waiting in line for the log ride?
Thank you!
Anyone who rode the Wildcat will remember the “gum tree.” Elitch’s (the real one, not the current pale imitation) was such a special park. It had character and a “texture” to it that made it interesting. Rides were intertwined in many cases because of the limited space, which I think made it more interesting. I think of how the Wildcat and Mr.Twister, and later the Splinter log flume, each moved around and through the structure of the others.
And I still think that Mr. Twister was one of the most beautiful coasters ever built. It just looked “right.” And combined with the Wildcat the two formed a perfect visual backdrop to the park.
The imposter “Twister II” at the current Elitch’s is a gigantic disappointment. While it still looks somewhat similar to the original, the ride is completely watered down and boring.
The gum tree! Yes!
Yes, yes, yes. The gum tree. Do we have to bring that up?
The Wildcat was sooo awesome. Probably one of the best roller coasters in the country. It was easy to forgive the disgusting gum covering all of the trees leading up to it.
And yes, Twister 2 is a horrible imposter. Nothing more.
Now, the best roller coaster in Colorado is once again the great Cyclone at Lakeside
Wasn’t the gum tree in the line to the log ride? Regardless, I probably had a pack of gum stuck on it from all the many times going to Elitches. Great memories 😊
@@orlandos2000 It was next to the line for the Wildcat, but you may be right as well. I’m trying to remember now if the lines for the Splinter (the log ride) and the Wildcat might have been close together where the gum tree was.
Never forgive them!
EVER.
The Wildcat will be missed forever. When they destroyed The Wildcat, they destroyed Elitches. The delightful screams of those people became a staple in Northwest Denver
My speed stops running the Twister were to perfection. Leo Wolf, Brad Steiner, John Barnes, will attest to this……T
The great days of yore
Wildcat is likely gone forever, Mr Twister is in Pennsylvania as a modified replica (as in the station and lift are modified, the heart of the layout is identical and I was there with people who rode the original who said it matched), and Cyclone at Lakeside is now SBNO, meaning Denver potentially has lost all its classic woodies in the last 30 years. Just a reminder to support your local parks, just because they're multi-generational doesn't guaruntee their survival.
I doubt Cyclone will be torn down. I think they just need to save up some money fix it up a bit and then it will be back. But I’d be shocked if it was gone forever.
@@coasterknowledge1982 I grew up going to Lakemont Park and Conneaut Lake. Call my synical.