An urban myth continues to circulate that the roller coaster at Excelsior Amusement Park was moved to Valleyfair and renamed High Roller. Let’s get to the truth with this article researched and written by Steve Kobs, volunteer at Lake Minnetonka Historical Society and fomer Valleyfair employee in its beginning seasons. 

1. Different Designers

The Excelsior roller coaster was designed by John Miller, a friend of the park’s owner Fred Pearce. Miller designed many roller coasters for parks all over the country. The High Roller at Valleyfair was designed by National Amusement Devices (NAD).

(Photo Lake Minnetonka Historical Society, https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/p16022coll638:21) 

In 1924, construction began at the future Excelsior Amusement Park. The roller coaster was first to go up, mostly because there was less water there. Lake Minnetonka, encroaching from the left, would be filled in to build the rest of the park. The materials were all new construction, built onsite.

2. Different Materials

Excelsior opened in 1925. The timbers for the roller coaster were the best available material, creosote-treated wood, which was painted white for appearance. Those timbers were already 49 years old when Excelsior closed for good at the end of 1973. They were not reused.

Employees of the Rauenhorst Corporation started construction of the High Roller in 1975, using never-used (and never previously painted) building materials following NAD’s design.

Valleyfair in 1975 where sections of the roller coaster structure were being built and then lifted in place.

3. Excelsior Coaster in Pieces

Many of the assets of Excelsior Amusement Park were sold at auction in 1974. The last season of operation was in 1973. The roller coaster took most of the summer to demolish and remove the debris. The contractor was Joe Gloccum & Sons.[1] Note that the photo shows that components were not carefully disassembled but broken apart.

[1] Van Gompel, Greg, Excelsior Amusement Park, Playland of the Twin Cities. History Press, 2017.

(Photo courtesy of David Pederson)

4. Different Ride

The two roller coasters were made of similar materials, had about the same peak height (65-70 feet), both had a length of about ½ mile long, and produced a ride of about 90 seconds. Excelsior had limited land. The Excelsior track had a smaller footprint than the stretched out High Roller.

(Photo courtesy of Lake Minnetonka Historical Society with directional arrows and loading station circled.)

Excelsior’s Cyclone traveled clockwise. The train leaving the station turned 180° then ccaught the chain to be pulled up hill. Before descending, the train turned left at a relatively slow speed. The second hill had a very slight dip before heading down and then banked left into the return loop. The return had two hills. Near the end of the ride, the track made a 450° underlapping circular turn going under the earlier route as it entered the braking section.

(Overhead photo of High Roller with directional arrows and loading station circled.)

At Valleyfair, the High Roller travels counterclockwise. The train leaves the station making a 90° right turn then catches the chain. The track is straight over hill 1 and immediately descends. Hill 2 has no dip and the train banks right before ascending the return. The return has three hills, a 90° left turn, one last dip, and a 180° turn into the braking section.

5. Different Trains

The High Roller at Valleyfair has a train of four cars with three rows of two passengers each; 24 passengers. The Excelsior roller coaster had three cars with the same row configuration; a capacity of 18 passengers. Considering the weight differences of the old cars vs. new, the additional fourth car, and the weight of the passengers on the fourth car, the loaded Valleyfair train is at least 5,000 pounds heavier than the Excelsior train. The Excelsior Amusement Park roller coaster was designed for the train that was going to run on it, not something about 30% heavier exerting downward, upward, and sideways force on the structure.

(Photo insert of the roller coaster being loaded at the Excelsior station. Lake Minnetonka Historical Society. Large photo: Valleyfair.)

In conclusion, both roller coasters are classic timber construction; painted white, lights to outline the ride, with metal tracks. Though roughly similar in appearance, the rides are entirely different. No piece of the Excelsior roller coaster structure or the cars were used at Valleyfair. Both coasters provided thrilling, lasting memories for thousands of guests over nearly 100 years.