The Noah's Ark
By Joel Styer
Long before the theming of parks became popular, many amusement rides had a theme. This was done mostly with scenic railways, old mills and dark rides. While the Noah’s Ark is a walk through attraction, it is still part of the dark ride "family". In a sense, the Noah’s Ark is a ride more so than other funhouse attractions due to the constant rocking of the vessel. |
 The original Noah’s Ark
is a familiar bible story that almost everyone knows. Noah was to build an ark capable of
carrying two of each animal (more in some cases). He was to then board the ark with his
family and animals, while it would rain for forty days and forty nights. It is said that
after the rains had stopped, the ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat. It is the popularity of
this story that led to one of the most duplicated funhouse style attractions ever.
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 left and above: Photos of the Noah's Ark attraction at Blackpool
Pleasure Beach in the UK. |
 To the left is
the Noah's Ark at Frontierland in the UK. This and the Blackpool Ark above are the two
remaining Noah's Ark attractions in addition to Kennywood's. All three parksshould be
commended for keeping these rides. |
| Footnotes: 1 Forced Perspective is the illusion of making something seem bigger than it really is. In the case of the Noah’s Ark, the far end of the hallways were smaller to make them appear longer.
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Exclusive Feature A Photo Tour of Kennywood's Ark Photographs of the ride including the seldom seen mechanical room |
I would like to thank the following who have contributed to this article: George LaCross For historical information on the Arks and for his memories of the Old Orchard Beach Noah's Ark Mike Costello for information on the Arks and for a list of parks that once owned one. Rick Davis for providing many postcards and the extraordinary photographs of the Kennywood ride and its mechanical components. Dennis Atkinson for the photos of the Blackpool, UK Ark. |
| Photos are © Rick Davis, Dennis Atkinson and Joel Styer as noted. Postcards are from the Rick Davis collection unless noted. This article is © 1999 by Joel Styer. All used with permission. |
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Laff In The Dark unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
Laff In The Dark is not affiliated in any way with the Amusement Parks listed
at this site
This page was last updated Thursday,
August 12, 1999
www.laffinthedark.com
The first Noah’s Ark appeared at Venice Pier
(California) in 1919. The ride was designed and built by Leroy Ramond who sold the
manufacturing rights to William Dentzel the following year. After that, the ride was
duplicated many times by Dentzel’s Noah’s Ark Company at amusement parks
throughout the United States and other countries. In 1928, William Dentzel died and the
company changed it’s name to the American Amusement Construction Company. The
original ride burned in the 1940s and one by one all but three of the rides disappeared.
The only ride remaining in the North America is at Kennywood Park in
Pittsburgh, PA. They originally wanted to build an Ark in the 1920’s but the great
depression delayed their plans until 1935. Kennywood’s Ark was built by the
Philadelphia Toboggan Company (now Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters), who had acquired the
rights to build the Arks. The Kennywood Ark was the last one ever produced. It was
completely refurbished in 1969 with new scenes, animals and stunts. The famous whale
entrance was also added at that time along with a new, larger mountain. The 1996-97 season
saw another major refurbishment to assure that the Ark will last for another generation.
The only other two operating rides are in the United Kingdom at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
and Frontierland.
The ride is a wooden boat placed upon what appears to be a jagged
pile of rocks. This is to simulate its supposed resting-place on Mt. Ararat. The animals
gander out the windows, looking over those who enter. The walking pattern within the Ark
varied by installation. Some Ark’s were entered at the bottom level and others a ramp
or steps to the top. The current Kennywood Ark uses an elevator. The Ark is not one large
room but long winding passageways. At one point the passage would lead to another level.
The exit of the ride could have been a simple doorway or a slide from the upper level. A
number of "stunts" or ‘gags’ were used throughout the ride. The number
of stunts also varied by installation. Some were static such as the animals or Noah’s
family members sitting in a diorama. 
An operator triggered some gags when
unsuspecting guest gets close enough. This is the case with the blast of air that would
blow the skirts of women up into the air. Usually done in full view of the park patrons,
this was a common stunt in many funhouses. Crowds would gather just to watch. Another
popular stunt used was the shaker boards or barrels. These were vibrating boards (or
barrel tops) on the floor that caused a loss of balance. In the old days, you had to
transverse these in order to continue with the ride. In these modern litigious times, a
bypass is now provided for those who choose not to participate.Another impediment to walking through the ride is the balancing
walk. This is where you seemingly have to walk on small stones or narrow board to complete
your journey. It appears that there is a large drop with vicious critters waiting to
devour you if you should slip. And in the pit below you are the skeletal remains of those
who should have been more careful. Of course it is only your imagination that puts you in
danger, a clear piece of glass (now PlexiglasTM) prevents the catastrophe that
appears so real.
Between these highly active moments are a multitude of
dioramas and displays. In older days, there were more mechanical stunts than static
displays to provide thrills but many have disappeared due to safety concerns. Sound also
played an important part in the Arks. Whether it be the soothing sound of rain, thunder
and lightning or Noah himself barking at you to move, the sounds added one more dimension
to all that was happening. Small details also played an important part. Many of the
corridors use "forced perspective"1 to create the illusion that the pathway is longer than it
is or to give you the feeling that it will become too small to pass through. All the while
you experience these effects, the entire boat is slowly rocking back and forth just to
keep you a bit more off balance and reinforce the notion that you are indeed on a boat.
While
much of this information is based on Kennywood’s Ark, most of
the stunts were common to many funhouse attractions. For the 1986
rebuilding, they made several unique additions. As you enter, no longer
do you have to walk up the steps but you must now take the elevator.
This is no ordinary elevator but the "elevator of doom".
The effect is of an elevator plunging out of control. Just before
exiting the ride, you enter the flooding chamber. As you stand there,
a quite large amount of water is poured just inches away and gives
the illusion that the room will be flooded.
But
there is more to Noah’s Ark than meets the eye. There is the
mechanism that rocks the boat as well as those for the other mechanical
gags. There also has to be ducts for electric, air ventilation and
water throughout the ride. These are ingeniously woven in between
the pathways that you follow. The boat rocking mechanism though is
by far the largest. It consists of a large motor that drives a set
of gears. The gears drive a shaft, which pushes or pulls on wooden
supports that are designed for the rocking motion. The setup is quite
ingenious and simple.
Upon
your next visit to Kennywood or one of the two UK parks, take the
time to go back in time and ride the Noah’s Ark. It is bound
to bring a smile to your face.