Colorado's Historic Carousels -Kit Carson County

Out of the two to three thousand wood carousels built in America there are less than 200 left. Most of the surviving carousels are on the East and West coasts. Colorado has five that together tell a fascinating story of Americas carousels.

The Kit Carson County carousel is Colorados oldest carousel, a national landmark, often called the Jewel of American carousels." It is the only carousel in America that still has all of its original paint and the only surviving menagerie carousel from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, once the premier builder of carousels in America.

The carousels Wurlitzer Monster Military Band Organ is the only one left like it in the world-still in its original cabinet and still playing the music it played almost a century ago.


This video is shown with the permission of the Colorado Carousel Society. The Carousel Society's mission is to save and preserve America's antique wooden carousels. Contributions can be sent to the Colorado Carousel Society, 7061 South Quince Street, Englewood 80112.

Producer-Mary Brenneman

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• antique
• wooden
• carousels
• antiques
• collectibles
• WorthPoint

[WorthPoint]

waltz of the zebra isn't the real name of that song but I don't know what it is. Glad you all are enjoying the video.

mary

[woodencoasterfan]

Simply incredible. I hope one day to be able to take some time off there and visit the carousel one day. I'm a professional Truck driver and unfortunately, there's not that much truck parking in that area.

[tregnier279]

He said "100 instruments." I think he is referring to the differently voiced pipes (i.e., violins, trombones, etc.)

[oletimerocker]

my mother was born there in 1923. my great grandfather is buried there. my grand mother came there in 1906 by covered wagon from Tennessee, McDonough County Illinois

[lostnyc2]

This is a great video clip, glad to see a little more of the carvings and animals that I've been able to find thus far.

I like the "waltz of the zebras" clip on the county's web site, seems to be the only song by that name in Google's search, so I'm guessing it was composed for this particular carousel

[wurly164]

Very nice story except they were wrong about the organ, it does not have 100 pipes, more like 255.