By Kori Rumore | krumore@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune and Marianne Mather | mmather@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Great America's newest ride, the Tidal Wave, was inaugurated at the Gurnee amusement park, May 6, 1978. Hailed as the world's largest roller coaster, the 76-foot high vertical loop catapults riders at 55 miles an hour into a 142-foot incline that is banked at 70 degrees. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
In spite of the fog and light rain, several cars were waiting at the parking lot gate at Great America on May 29, 1976, in Gurnee. Three Chicago kids, Richard Bee, 18, Jim Gengler, 19, and Michael Quinn, 21, had been the first to arrive at 1 a.m., the opening day for Marriott's Great America. (Michael Budrys/Chicago Tribune)
In spite of fog and light rain, people showed up for opening day at Marriott’s Great America on May 29, 1976. The carousel greeted the crowds. (Michael Budrys/Chicago Tribune)
The final touches are being put on Marriott’s Great America on April 15, 1976, before opening day on May 29, 1976. (Quentin C. Dodt/Chicago Tribune)
Visitors to Marriott's Great America Theme Park in Gurnee had the chance to scout all the rides at once from the Sky Trek Tower in 1977. The ride, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty and took four months to build, made its first 300-foot ascent over the 200-acre park. On clear days, riders in the revolving cabin can see Lake Michigan and portions of Chicago's skyline. (William Yates/Chicago Tribune)
Thelma Dietmyer, shown with her son, Steve, and daughter, Cheryl, on Sept. 3, 1976, live right across from Great America's south entrance had this to say about the new amusement park: "I can picture a lot worse things there, like a bunch of high rise condominiums or apartments." Editors note: this historic print shows a crop mark midway through the print. (Mary Perlstein/Chicago Tribune)
A three-wheeled Ferris wheel is almost ready for opening day at Marriott’s Great America on April 15, 1976, in Gurnee. The park was putting on the finishing touches before opening later on May 29, 1976. (Quentin C. Dodt/Chicago Tribune)
Crowds ride on roller coasters during opening day for year two of Marriott’s Great America on May 7, 1977, in Gurnee. (Quentin C. Dodt/Chicago Tribune)
Functioning like a huge roller coaster ride but on water, Great America's Logger's Run is under construction and stands six stories tall in October 1975. (James O'Leary/Chicago Tribune)
Work continues on a double tiered carousel at Marriott's Great America amusement park in Gurnee on April 15, 1976, in preparation for next months opening. (Quentin C. Dodt/Chicago Tribune)
Construction continues on the New England Village and the log flume at Marriott’s Great America amusement park on Oct. 9, 1975. The park opened in May 1976. (James O’Leary/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. Dan Walker and his wife, center, along with U.S. Rep. Robert McClory, left, Mr. and Mrs. J. Willard, the Marriott senior chairman of the board, second and third from left, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Marriott, president of the Marriott Corp., right, pose with cartoon characters at the opening ceremony for Marriott's Great America on May 28, 1976, in Gurnee. (John Bartley/Chicago Tribune)
An aerial view shows Marriott’s Great America amusement park on May 6, 1978, in Gurnee. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
Two young park workers wearing hard hats pass the Yukon Territory area at Marriott’s Great America on April 15, 1976, a month before the amusement park was set to open in Gurnee. (Quentin C. Dodt/Chicago Tribune)
Electricians at Marriott’s Great America amusement park in Gurnee return to the ground in a work car on Jan. 13, 1976, after checking the electrical system of the 1852-foot cable-car ride. Officials of the $50 million family-theme park had scheduled a topping-out ceremony for the complex, but bad weather forced its cancelation. The park eventually opened on May 29, 1976. (Carl Hugare/Chicago Tribune)
Employees plant evergreens beneath Great America's two high-drop flume rides, the "Loggers Run" and "Yankee Clipper,” on April 15, 1976. The park would open a month later on May 29, 1976. (Quentin C. Dodt/Chicago Tribune)
The Centennial Circus show performs on June 25, 1976, which included trapeze flyers, acrobats, jugglers, clowns and tight rope walkers. (Carl Hugare/Chicago Tribune)
An aerial view shows Logger’s Run at Marriott’s Great America amusement park in Gurnee on May 6, 1978. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
People leave a ride with smiles on their faces at Marriott’s Great America on Aug. 15, 1980, in Gurnee. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
The Centennial Circus show performs on June 25, 1976, which included trapeze flyers, acrobats, jugglers, clowns and tight rope walkers. (Carl Hugare/Chicago Tribune)
With the roar of the Tidal Wave cars and the frightened screams of their riders, Great America's newest thrill was inaugurated on May 6, 1978, at the Gurnee park. Hailed as the world's largest roller coaster, the 76-foot high vertical loop catapults riders at 55 miles an hour into a 142-foot incline that is banked at 70 degrees. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
Fort Fun at Marriott’s Great America opened in 1978 with the Midwest’s largest children’s play area, June 23, 1978. (Karen Engstrom/Chicago Tribune)
A young person reacts while strapped into a roller coaster at Great America in Gurnee on Aug. 15, 1980. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
The Demon at Great America in Gurnee in August 1980. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
An aerial view of Marriot's Great American amusement park on May 6, 1978. Logger's Run can be seen in the photo. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
A woman rests near the carousel at Marriott’s Great America on Aug. 15, 1980, in Gurnee. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
A crane maneuvers the last section of the giant loop into place on Feb. 16, 1978, at Marriott’s Great America amusement park in Gurnee. The 76-foot-high vertical loop will whisk riders upside down and up a 142-foot incline where the car will pause, then descend and go through the loop backward. (Luigi Mendicino/Chicago Tribune)
Fort Fun at Marriott’s Great America opened in 1978 with the Midwest’s largest children’s play area, June 23, 1978. (Karen Engstrom/Chicago Tribune)
Kids ride the Demon roller coaster at Great America in Gurnee on Aug. 15, 1980. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
The 100-foot high American Eagle roller coaster stretches the entire length of the grounds at Marriott’s Great America on Dec. 9, 1980, the largest wooden roller coaster in the world.
A woman watches as riders twist upside down on the Demon at Marriott’s Great America on Aug. 15, 1980, in Gurnee. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
High above Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, Jerry Stockdale takes a break from painting the American Eagle roller coaster in April 1981, which was scheduled to roar to life in May. At least 9,000 gallons of white paint were needed to spruce up the 127-foot tall ride, which took more than 20,000 hours to construct. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
Bill Baareman, of Michigan, gets his height checked by Marcy Pauley, left, so he can ride the Roaring Rapids at Great America on July 6, 1990. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)
The building of the American Eagle roller coaster on Dec. 9, 1980. The Eagle debuted in 1981 and is one of the largest wooden roller coasters. (Karen Engstrom/Chicago Tribune)
Steelworkers assemble a new ride called the Edge at Marriott's Great America amusement park in Gurnee April 21, 1983. The ride, no cheap thrill at $2.5 million construction cost, will lift the willing in a container to the top of a 131 foot tower before they are dropped in a 60 foot free fall, which speeds up to 55 miles an hour. The Edge premiered in May 1983, when the park opened for its eighth season. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
Splashwater Falls, shown here in July 1989, opened in 1987. The ride closed in 2007 and was replaced by X Flight. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)
Physics students from Glenbrook North High School are plastered against the wall of the Cajun Cliffhanger by centrifugal force as they take a field trip to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee in May 1989. (Ernie Cox Jr./Chicago Tribune)
People wait in line to ride the Rolling Thunder, a bobsled-style trackless roller coaster, on July 6, 1990, at Great America in Gurnee. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)
Robert Evans, of Chicago, looks over a park map while Tricia Evans tries to get water out of her ears after riding the Roaring Rapids ride at Great America in Gurnee on July 6, 1990. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)
People line up for Whizzer at Great America on July 6, 1990. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)
A group of ice skaters show off a little fancy foot and leg work during an ice show at Great America in Gurnee on June 27, 1990. The international Ice Shows, Inc. put on the performance. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)
Deejays Mark Czerniek, left, and Alex Michaels of Great America Radio at the amusement park on Aug. 17, 1989. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)
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Great America's newest ride, the Tidal Wave, was inaugurated at the Gurnee amusement park, May 6, 1978. Hailed as the world's largest roller coaster, the 76-foot high vertical loop catapults riders at 55 miles an hour into a 142-foot incline that is banked at 70 degrees. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
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