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John A. Miller
Born
August John Mueller

1872 (1872)
Died June 24, 1941(1941-06-24) (aged 77–78)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Resting place Homewood Memorial Gardens, Homewood, Illinois
Nationality American
Occupation Roller coaster engineer

John A. Miller (born August John Mueller; 1872 – June 24, 1941) was an American roller coaster designer and builder, inventor, and businessman. Miller patented over 100 key roller coaster components, and is widely considered the "father of the modern high-speed roller coaster." During his lifetime, he participated in the design of approximately 150 coasters and was a key business partner and mentor to other well-known roller coaster designers, Harry C. Baker and John C. Allen.

Biography

Early life

Miller was born in Homewood, Illinois and worked as a coaster builder at a very early age. At the age of 19, he started working with La Marcus Thompson and went on to serve as Thompson's chief engineer. By 1911, he was working as a consultant to the Philadelphia Toboggan Company He also worked with noted designers Frederick Ingersoll and Fred and Josiah Pearce.

Miller in 1910 designed a device that prevented cars from rolling backward down the lift hill in the event of pull chain breakage. It attached to the track and clicked onto the rungs of the chain. Known as the safety chain dog, or safety ratchet, it evolved into the device on the underside of cars that makes that distinctive clinkety-clank sound of wooden coasters.

Roller coaster wheels
A roller coaster wheel assembly. The underfriction wheels are on the bottom. The three sets of wheels clamp onto the track.

Miller's most important contribution to roller coaster technology, though, was the underfriction wheel. In 1919, he patented the "Miller Under Friction Wheel," also called the "upstop wheel," which consisted of a wheel that ran under the track to keep the coaster cars from flying off. This allowed the designers to use very steep drops, sharp horizontal and vertical curves and high speeds. These are found on nearly every roller coaster in operation.

Miller & Baker

Besides patenting ingenious inventions for coasters—including several types of brakes and car bar locks—Miller built his share of unusual "scream machines." In 1920 Miller went into business with Harry C. Baker as "Miller & Baker, Inc." and over the next three years, they built popular coasters all over North America. Characteristics of their roller coasters are camelback hills (multiple straight or slightly angled drops that went all the way to the ground) and large, flat turns.

Miller & Baker built other types of amusement rides and structures as well. In addition to coasters, the firm constructed mill chutes, and domed roof buildings for carousels and dance pavilions.

The John Miller Company

After 1923, Miller continued to design and build coasters for his own company, "The John Miller Company." The Dip-Lo-Docus (c. 1923), billed as "The Jazz Ride," featured revolving three-seater cars, whereas the Flying Turns (1929) consisted of cars with swiveling rubber wheels tearing through a half-cylindrical chute like a toboggan. The legendary Cyclone (1928–1958) at Puritas Springs near Cleveland, Ohio was honored with a place on the Smithsonian Institution's list of Great Lost Roller Coasters. It was hidden so much by foliage that only the boarding platform was visible to riders before they began to race through the ravine. This 1928 ride was considered one of the golden-age classics of the period.

Later life and death

Although many of his most famous roller coasters were built during the 1920s, Miller never stopped building roller coasters. He continued to travel to supervise site installations and consult on roller coaster design until his death. He died on June 24, 1941, while working on a roller coaster project at Playland Park in Houston, Texas, at the age of 69. He is interred in the Homewood Memorial Gardens in Homewood, IL.

Roller coasters

During his lifetime, Miller designed or contributed to the design of approximately 150 roller coasters.

Name Park Location Opened Closed Ref(s)
Greyhound Lakewood Fairgrounds Atlanta, GA 1915 1974
Jack Rabbit Riverview Park Des Moines, IA 1915 1919
Dip-Lo-Docus Olympic Park Irvington, NJ 1923  ?
Cyclone Puritas Springs Cleveland, OH 1928 1958
Greyhound Celoron Park Jamestown, NY 1924 1959
Flying Turns Euclid Beach Park Cleveland, OH 1929 1969
Ravine Flyer Waldameer Park Erie, PA 1922 1938
Thunderbolt Revere Beach Revere, MA 1921 1930
Thunderbolt Coney Island New York, NY 1925 1982
Beach Coaster Ocean View Pavilion Amusement Park Jacksonville, FL 1928 1949
Screechin' Eagle LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park Middletown, OH 1928 2002
Legend Arnolds Park Arnolds Park, IA 1930 N/A
Racer Kennywood Pittsburgh, PA 1927 N/A
Jack Rabbit Kennywood Pittsburgh, PA 1920 N/A
Thunderbolt Kennywood Pittsburgh, PA 1924 N/A
Big Dipper Blackpool Pleasure Beach Blackpool, England 1923 N/A
Big Dipper Geauga Lake Aurora, OH 1925 2007
Classic Coaster Washington State Fair Puyallup, WA 1935 N/A
Jack Rabbit Seabreeze Amusement Park Rochester, NY 1920 N/A
Roller Coaster Lagoon Amusement Park Farmington, UT 1921 N/A
Zippin Pippin Bay Beach Amusement Park Green Bay, WI 1912 N/A
The Wild One Six Flags America Largo, MD 1917 N/A
Jack Rabbit Clementon Park Clementon, NJ 1919 2002
Dips Buckroe Beach Park Hampton, VA 1920 1985
Screem Machine Splash Zone Water Park Wildwood, NJ 1919 1984
The Big Beast Edgewater Park Detroit, MI 1927 1981
Speed Hound Don Hanson's Amusement Park Harveys Lake, PA 1931 1980
Roller Coaster Riverview Park Des Moines, IA 1920 1978
Alps Willow Grove Park Willow Grove, PA 1905 1975
Comet Silver Beach Amusement Park St. Joseph, MI 1924 1971
Thriller Riverside Park Indianapolis, IN 1924 1970
Derby Racer Euclid Beach Park Cleveland, OH 1913 1969
Flying Dragon Walled Lake Park Walled Lake, MI 1929 1968
Jack Rabbit Natatorium Park Spokane, WA 1920 1968
Big Dipper Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1920 1967
Fireball Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1923 1967
Flying Turns Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1935 1967
Humming Bird Riverview Beach Park Pennsville, NJ 1923 1967
Pippin Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1921 1967
Sea Serpent Pacific Ocean Park Santa Monica, CA 1925 1967
Dips Buckeye Lake Amusement Park Buckeye Lake, OH 1924 1958
Giant Winnipeg Beach Manitoba, Canada 1919 1964
Skyrocket Fairyland Park Kansas City, MO 1923 1966
Aero Dips Euclid Beach Park Cleveland, OH 1909 1965
Jet Star Olympic Park Irvington, NJ 1925 1965
Deep Dip Coaster Fair Park Nashville, TN 1924 1964
Gee Wiz Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1912 1963
Crystal Flyer Crystal Beach Park Vermilion, OH 1926 1962
Big Dipper Jefferson Beach St. Clair Shores, MI 1927 1959
Comet Chain of Rocks Amusement Park St. Louis, MO 1926 1958
Cyclone Lake Ariel Amusement Park 1928 1955
Derby Racer Central Park 1912 1951
Rocket Lakeworth Park 1930 1951
Sky Rocket Steeplechase Island - 1921 1951
Velvet Racer Ghost Town on the River 1936 1951
Pippin Coaster Rocky Glen Park Moosic, PA 1924 1950
Mountain Dips Coaster Rocky Glen Park Moosic, PA 1920 1939
Cyclone DandiLion Park 1929 1949
Deep Dipper Carlin's Park 1919 1949
Racer Dip Bay Shore Park 1920 1947
Skyrocket Meyer's Lake Park 1924 1946
Triple Racing Coaster State Fair of Texas 1936 1946
Skyrocket Palisades Amusement Park Fort Lee, NJ 1926 1944
Giant Coaster Central Park 1921 1942
Jack Rabbit Keansburg Amusement Park 1931 1941
Wildcat Enna Jettick Park 1921 1941
Flying Turns Steeplechase Park 1934 1939
Greyhound Hazle Park 1923 1939
Thunderbolt Moxahala Amusement Park 1928 1939
Whoopee Baby Scenic Neptune Beach 1927 1939
Whoopee Coaster Neptune Beach 1929 1939
Wildcat Merrimack Park 1921 1938
Derby Racer Lakeside Amusement Park 1911 1937
Jack Rabbit Capital Beach Park 1918 1936
Racing Derby Ghost Town on the River 1910 1936
Gorge Ride Cascade Park New Castle, PA 1922 1935
Flying Turns Century of Progress 1933 1934
Cyclone Chester Park 1927 1935
Some Kick Venice Amusement Pier 1923 1934
Big Dipper Roton Point 1914 1933
Comet Pacific City 1923 1933
Flash Riverside Park Indianapolis, IN 1924 1970
Flash White City Chicago, IL 1928 1933
Greyhound Riverside Amusement Park Agawam, MA 1915 1933
Lightning Riverside Amusement Park Agawam, MA 1920 1933
Racing Coaster White City Chicago, IL 1910 1933
Devil Liberty Pier 1925 1932
Jack Rabbit Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1914 1932
Derby Racer Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1910 1931
Big Dipper Krug Park 1918 1930
Jack Rabbit Racer Queens Park 1915 1930
Jack Rabbit Paxtang Park Harrisburg, PA 1923 1929
Pippin Luna Park Cleveland, OH 1923 1929
Roller Coaster Arnolds Park 1922 1929
Big Dipper Idora Park Oakland, CA 1922 1928
Giant Coaster Harlem Park 1912 1928
Greyhound Island Beach Park 1922 1928
Jack Rabbit Playland Park 1928 1928
Skyrocket Idora Park Oakland, CA 1927 1928
Thriller Exposition Park 1926 1928
Big Dipper Gordon Gardens 1922 1927
Jack Rabbit Rocky Springs Park 1918 1927
Racer Kennywood Pittsburgh, PA 1910 1926
Cannon Ball Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1919 1925
Comet Palisades Amusement Park Fort Lee, NJ 1921 1925
Jack Rabbit Revere Beach Revere, MA 1916 1924
Zip Lick Pier 1922 1924
Blue Streak Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1911 1923
Chase through the Clouds Silver Beach Amusement Park 1905 1923
Speed-O-Plane Kennywood Pittsburgh, PA 1911 1923
Deep Dipper Frederick Road Park 1920 1922
Giant Coaster Dips East End Park 1913 1922
Leap the Dips Forest Park 1907 1922
Great Mountain Ride Forest Park Highlands 1912 1921
The Gorge Cascade Park New Castle, PA 1903 1921
Royal Gorge Scenic Railway Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1908 1920
Jack Rabbit Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1915 1919
Velvet Coaster Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1909 1919
Scenic Railway White City Chicago, IL 1905 1916
Figure Eight Seabreeze 1903 1915
Royal Dip Coaster Playland Park 1915 1915
Dip The Dips Clyffside Park 1909 1913
Pikes Peak Scenic Railway Riverview Park Chicago, IL 1907 1911
Scenic Railway Kennywood Pittsburgh, PA 1904 1910
Scenic Railway Erie Beach Park 1910 1930
Deep Dips Olympic Park 1920  ?
Derby Racer Electric Park  ?  ?
Dips Liberty Park  ?  ?
Figure 8 Hague Park  ?  ?
Giant Coaster Lakewood Park 1923 1982
Greyhound Stanley Park  ?
L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway Lake Erie Park & Casino  ?  ?
Pippin Wildwood Park  ?  ?
Racer Dips Forest Park Highlands 1920 1940
Roller Coaster Woodlawn Park 1922  ?
Scenic Railway Ghost Town on the River 1905  ?
Sidewinder Legend City 1968 1983
Sky Rocket Coney Island Cincinnati, OH 1921 1944
Skyline Twister Rolling Green Park 1928 1972
Velvet Coaster Woodside Park 1925  ?
Velvet Coaster Lakeside Amusement Park 1908  ?
Skyrocket Playland Park Houston, TX 1924 1963

Patents

Number Date Description
13,588 1913, July 1 reissue
979,875 1910, December 27
979,982 1910, December 27
979,983 1910, December 27 Braking Apparatus
979,984 1910, December 27 Chain Dog
1,037,957 1912, September 10
1,037,958 1912, September 10
1,038,174 1912, September 10
1,038,175 1912, September 10
1,062,838 1913, May 27
1,062,839 1913, May 27
1,076,779 1913, October 28
1,319,888 1919, October 28 Underfriction Wheel
1,373,754 1921, April 5
1,380,730 1921, June 7
1,380,731 1921, June 7
1,380,732 1921, June 7
1,409,750 1922, February 14
1,409,751 1922, February 14
1,415,187 1922, May 9
1,438,452 1922, December 12
1,448,763 1923, May 20
1,448,764 1923, May 20
1,476,995 1923, December 11
1,501,060 1924, July 15
1,501,061 1924, July 15 Track construction
1,536,122 1925, May 5 Track construction
1,536,448 1925, May 5 Coaster with tight turns
1,539,094 1925, May 26 Ferris Wheel
1,562,035 1925, November 17 Pleasure Railway Car
1,562,036 1925, November 17 Pleasure Railway Structure
1,591,722 1926, July 6 Amusement Structure
1,593,587 1926, July 27 Pleasure Railway Structure
1,605,369 1926, November 2 Truck for Pleasure Railway Cars
1,606,769 1926, November 16 Roof Structure
1,606,770 1926, November 16 Handle-bar Structure
1,607,771 1926, November 23 Water-chute Structure
1,613,118 1927, January 4 Pleasure Railway Structure
1,629,520 1927, May 24 Pleasure Railway Structure
1,645,202 1927, October 11 Roof Structure
1,656,218 1928, January 17 Pleasure Railway Car
1,825,468 1931, September 29 Pleasure Railway Structure
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