originally posted on 8/11/2025
All photos: Jackie Edwards. View full-sized image.
Living in a seaside community certainly has its advantages: the sun, beach, food and most important, roller coasters! The California coast has two of the most iconic wooden seaside roller coasters. Both are named Giant Dipper, and now both are 100 years old. On July 4, 1925, a seaside park (initially named the Mission Beach Amusement Center and developed by John Spreckels) opened with a wooden coaster and an indoor saltwater pool called The Plunge. On July 1 of this year, Belmont Park (San Diego, California) brought together folks from around the area along with city and state officials to celebrate the coaster’s centennial!
Steve Thomas, general manager of Belmont Park, welcomed the crowd and talked about the history of the park and Giant Dipper. The roller coaster was designed by Frank Prior and Frederick Church and has a storied history. It closed briefly from 1955 until 1956 owing to a fire that broke out in the engine room and burned the loading area and several cars. The coaster was also famously closed from 1976 through 1990.
Belmont Park General Manager Steve Thomas (l.) and Tim Cole showing off Cole’s lifetime pass (r.) were integral parts of the ceremony.
Thomas gave a huge shoutout to the Save the Coaster Committee and the many committee members who were in attendance. One member in attendance was ACE honorary member Tim Cole, who helped found this group in the 1970s after Belmont Park closed and the city wanted to use the land for other purposes. The group continued to maintain pressure on the city, and Giant Dipper was reopened in 1990 after a $2 million investment to restore the coaster (it had been closed for 5,000 days). Cole was one of the first test riders after this refurbishment.
One of the coaster’s original lead cars on display at Belmont Park.
Today both Giant Dipper and The Plunge still stand as a legacy to the tenacity of Cole and the Save the Coaster Committee. Recently in ACE News Switchback, the May 1989 article about this committee was highlighted on the front page. Enthusiasts are all so grateful that Giant Dipper was saved and, thanks to some new trackwork, will be enjoyable for years to come. Thomas brought Cole onto the stage and presented him with the first lifetime pass to Belmont Park. Cole was touched by this honor and even asked the author to pinch him to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
City of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria then spoke and announced that July 1, 2025, was officially Belmont Park Day. Other local and state government officials presented Belmont Park with documents of congratulations. The author of this article also spoke about the coaster and about how exciting it is to have this landmark coaster in her own backyard, after which she gave the group a lesson on how to ride a wooden coaster — hands up all the way!
Difficult as it may be to believe, Giant Dipper has been a part of the San Diego skyline for a century and counting.
Attendees to this event were given all-day wristbands to Belmont Park as well as some amazing new “Belmont 100” merchandise. This author took advantage of the wristband to take multiple rides and can report that the coaster is running very smoothly, even with hands up for the entire ride.
The pride that employees have in their park is very apparent. The park is excited to be hosting the ACE Preservation Conference in August and is happy to receive the newly designed ACE Centennial Coaster plaque.
— Jackie Edwards, ACE Southwest Regional Representative
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