originally posted on 12/21/2021
Photo: Ken Rutherford Collection. View full-sized image.
Long Live the Swamp Fox
I’d like to commemorate a very special-to-me wooden roller coaster celebrating a foxy 55 years.
With a lift height of 72 feet, a 62-foot first drop and a track length of 2,640 feet, the Swamp Fox roller coaster in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, certainly isn’t a record breaker by any means, but don’t be fooled by those stats. A journey on this classic woodie will prove delightful for any rider, and in all the right places.
What’s so special about this coaster? It exemplifies a rare breed of what was once a common entity along the U.S. coastline. Dozens of wooden seaside coasters have come and gone over the decades, but miraculously, Swamp Fox has survived more than five decades of the Myrtle Beach area’s exploding growth, sky-rocketing property values and even the wrath of Mother Nature on several occasions.
Photo: Ken Rutherford Collection. View full-sized image.
My adoration for Swamp Fox came immediately during my first visit to Myrtle Beach with my family at the age of seven in June 1968.
As we were unfamiliar with the town, we started the day at Pavilion Amusement Park because it was only a block from our motel. But after an hour of spinning rides, I was ready to tackle that Swamp Fox roller coaster I had heard about from my neighborhood pal. But where was it? I knew it was here, but it certainly wasn’t within eyeshot of the Pavilion. My parents made a vain attempt to convince me that the Pavilion’s steel Galaxi coaster was actually Swamp Fox. Good try, Mom and Dad! But I had already seen a brochure showing the big coaster, so there was no way I was going to fall for that scam. Anyway, I asked a lady at the hot dog stand where the “big” roller coaster was, and when she gestured with her hand “down that way,” my parents realized they’d been out-foxed by a seven year old.
So, onward we went, with both my eyes peeled, nose pressed against the window and an ear-to-ear smile. And suddenly, behold — there it was: this gleaming white wooden marvel unlike anything I had ever witnessed in my seven whole years! I was finally in the presence of my very first wooden roller coaster. It was here, in the shadows of this massive structure where my real love for roller coasters began.
For decades the Pavilion Amusement Park was the only game in town, until 40-year-old businessman William Parker had an idea to add a little competition to this fast-growing beach town along the coastal strip of South Carolina known as the “Grand Strand.” He needed something different, something big, to lure the tourists south to this mostly undeveloped part of town.
In 1965, Parker surveyed a vacant seven-acre plot of what was described as “swamp land” about a mile south of the Pavilion between 3rd and 4th avenues, on South Ocean Boulevard. It was there that he decided to build his new park and coaster. Construction began in October 1965, with a projected opening for June 1966. It would aptly be named Grand Strand Amusement Park.
Photo: Ken Rutherford Collection. View full-sized image.
Photo: Ken Rutherford Collection. View full-sized image.
When Parker spoke in 1965 to John C. Allen, the then-president of the coaster-building firm Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC), about designing and building his new wooden coaster, he told Allen, “Put in the best thrill you can without cutting any age group.” Allen submitted two proposals to Parker for the Myrtle Beach coaster in a letter dated August 2, 1965. Allen suggested, “Plan 2 for the reason it will present better observation from the ground for the first main dip and return spiral curve.” Allen went on to say that he believed the coaster, as drawn, will be thrilling, exciting and certainly fast.
Fifty-five miles of locally grown South Carolina long leaf yellow pine, 300 yards of concrete, 700 footers and 20 tons of steel would soon be engineered into the first major roller coaster in the Carolinas. The birth of the Swamp Fox was under way (a cleverly named ride as well, because “Swamp Fox” is also the moniker of Francis Marion, a now-very-famous military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and was a persistent adversary of the British in their occupation of South Carolina. Elusive and crafty (i.e., foxy), Marion used hit-and-run guerilla-style tactics in the swampy areas around Charleston.
When it opened on Saturday, June 18, 1966, a local newspaper wrote that Swamp Fox was “the largest single amusement ride south of Coney Island.”
Photo: Ken Rutherford Collection. View full-sized image.
Today, it represents more than just another historical wooden coaster. It represents a dying breed of seaside parks with wooden coasters, being one of only three that exist today overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1971, Allen was quoted at an amusement park convention in Chicago as saying that Swamp Fox was the best coaster he’d built to date. Many enthusiasts still consider it to be one of Allen’s finest, notable among fans and purists for its consistent pacing, smooth ride and graceful drops, resulting in Swamp Fox remaining extremely popular with coaster connoisseurs.
Passion, dedication and commitment have ensured this treasure continues to thrill riders after 55 years!
On June 14, 1976, a world record of 72 hours continuous riding was set on Swamp Fox by two riders. Future American Coaster Enthusiast (ACE) co-founder Roy Brashears was one of the two riders attempting to break this world record. Sadly, after about four hours, vertigo took its toll and Brashears had to drop out. His friend Jim Bruse continued on with a park employee joining in. After three days of riding more than 900 miles on the rails, the two boys had broken the old world record of 58 hours previously set at King’s Island in 1974.
But that record was short lived. On July 4, 1979, another world endurance record was set on Swamp Fox by 21-year-old Richard Rodriguez, who started riding on June 28 and doubled the previous record with 148 hours of continuous riding.
Photo: Ken Rutherford Collection. View full-sized image.
By 1983, Parker, now 57, considered that it might be time to retire from park ownership. In April 1984, US Capital Corp. secured an option to buy Grand Strand Amusement Park with the intention of demolishing the park and building condos. It appeared the end was near for the great Swamp Fox, but luckily the fear was short lived, when Parker announced that he would keep the park going with help from his son Tom. A future sell was on the horizon though.
Mother Nature dealt a heavy blow to the entire South Carolina coast when Hurricane Hugo hit on September 21, 1989. Although the mighty Swamp Fox stood firm against the sustained category four winds, the park was flooded and some of the coaster’s structure and mechanical parts were damaged. Grand Strand remained closed for the following two seasons while insurance companies sorted out the cost of repairing the amusement park.
Photo: Ken Rutherford Collection. View full-sized image.
Photo: Ken Rutherford. View full-sized image.
Finally in June 1991, a $500,000 renovation of Swamp Fox was under way. John Hinde, who had previously worked with Allen, was in charge of the coaster’s rebuild. It was basically a brand new coaster, built from the ground up. The long-awaited reopening of Swamp Fox took place on April 15, 1992. The park also had new owners, the Ammons family, and a new name − Family Kingdom Amusement Park (and Splashes Water Park). The complex was now home to three coasters among the park’s 38 attractions: Swamp Fox, Twist ‘n Shout (a Wild Mouse-style steel thriller) and Kiddie Coaster (a family ride).
Photo: Ken Rutherford. View full-sized image.
Photo: Ken Rutherford. View full-sized image.
Two other notable weather events occurred in Myrtle Beach that caused disruption at Family Kingdom. A massive waterspout came ashore just one block north of the coaster on July 6, 2001. A hotel next to the park was damaged, and debris was scattered within the park, but thankfully, Swamp Fox was spared. Hurricane Matthew gave the park a glancing blow in October 2016. Parts of Family Kingdom were under three feet of water, but thankfully the damage was minimal.
On April 29, 2016, American Coaster Enthusiasts celebrated the 50-year-old Swamp Fox by declaring it an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, a special designation reserved for rides of historical significance.
And then on March 28, 2017, Swamp Fox was recognized as a historic structure and was given a historic designation by the City of Myrtle Beach. Councilman Randal Wallace said the coaster was “emblematic of Myrtle Beach’s unique history.”
Swamp Fox is not just historic in terms of its own history. A little known fact is that one of the trains that operates on it today was saved from one of Allen’s other coasters, Shooting Star, from Lakeside Park in Salem, Virginia, which closed in 1986. This train was recently refurbished and is still in use on Swamp Fox today according to General Manager Donnie Sipes.
Long live the Swamp Fox!
— Kenny Rutherford, Charlotte, North Carolina
Special thanks to Mike Funyak for his historical contributions.
American Coaster Enthusiasts is a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion, appreciation and safe enjoyment of roller coasters. With 6,000 members worldwide, ACE is the largest and longest-running enthusiast organization in the world. Members of ACE receive exclusive park benefits, newsletters, magazines and the opportunity to attend national, local and even international tours at parks. You can enjoy the benefits of members today! Join at join.aceonline.org.
Photo: Ken Rutherford. View full-sized image.
Photo: Ken Rutherford. View full-sized image.
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