A Carousel for Missoula
About Us
The Carousel
“Basswood” is the answer to the question most frequently asked about the ponies on the Carousel. Basswood comes from linden trees; it is durable, but soft enough to be easily carved. Each of the 38 ponies and two chariots on the Carousel was meticulously carved, sanded and painted by volunteers. A single pony requires approximately 800 hours to complete from glue-up to final application of paint and, depending upon size, weighs anywhere from 120-200 pounds. Miniatures of the ponies are available in the gift shop.
Chariots are designed to allow easy access for wheelchairs. The wheelchairs and the ponies in their rows on the Carousel are stationary, but the other 36 ponies are on poles which move up and down into a pit beneath the platform.
The Carousel’s frame was built in 1918 by the Hershell-Spillman Company of North Tonawanda, New York. It was last operated at the Ponderosa Ranch where “Bonanza” was filmed.
The frame weighs approximately 10-1/2 tons fully loaded with the platform, ponies and chariots. Over 16,066 parts (not including screws and other fasteners) were painstakingly sandblasted, cleaned and repainted by a volunteer mechanical crew, and every bolt was replaced. A new ten-horse power motor with fluid clutch replaced the steam powered, leather belt-driven motor which originally drove the mechanical works.
Adorning the canopy of the Carousel are 966 light bulbs requiring 90 amps of power, along with 14 hand-carved gargoyles in frames and 14 handcarved frames holding etched mirrors.
Just short of $70,000 was spent on the ponies, frame, gearing and platform of the Carousel.
The Building:
The 4,700 square foot building which was conceived and constructed to house A Carousel for Missoula has been referred to as “a jewel box flanked by diamonds.” The Carousel sits within the circular central part of the building with roll-up doors which allow access to the outdoors -- and the Carousel’s plaza area -- when weather allows. A gift shop is housed in a diamond at one end of the circle, and a restoration shop to facilitate repair and rejuvenation of the ponies when needed is housed at the other. The six foot metal weathervane on top of the building was a gift from the Carousel’s mechanical crew.
J. Kirby and Associates of Missoula are the architects responsible for the creative design of the building; construction was done by Structural Systems, Inc., also of Missoula. Total cost of the building is over $381,000, and an additional $58,000 worth of materials and labor were donated.
The largest beams overhead are three feet by eight-and-one-quarter inches with a clear span of 123 feet. The ceiling panels are made of Kalwall, a translucent material which is three inches thick and strong enough to support a man’s weight. The building is heated by vents under the Carousel platform so it can be used year-round. The building, the restrooms and the Carousel itself are all fully accessible to people with disabilities.
During public hours, horsehead stantions holding chains keep crowds safely away from the spinning platform. During non-public hours, the building can be rented for a variety of events and celebrations. The building can accommodate around 90 guests for a sit-down dinner, or up to 200 for a stand-up reception. If the weather is fair, additional seating can be arranged on the plaza. Birthday parties and small gatherings can be scheduled during public hours to take place in our birthday party alcove near the restoration shop.
The Carousel building sits in Missoula’s Caras Park along the banks of the Clark Fork River.
The Gift Shop:
A Carousel for Missoula has a wonderful gift shop which features toys, games, candy and other just-for-kids items. In addition, the Gift Shop carries local artwork, souvenirs, carousel collectibles and Made-in-Montana selections. Proceeds from the Gift Shop help support the Carousel.
The Band Organ:
In addition to being the first completely hand-carved carousel to be built anywhere in over 60 years, A Carousel for Missoula has the distinction of having the largest band organ in continuous use in the United States. The band organ was built by the Stinson Organ Company of Bellefontaine, Ohio to our specifications and with the help of one of our volunteers. Construction of the band organ took over 1-1/2 years with a total cost of $65,000. To help with its price, groups and individuals have adopted songs on the band organ.
The organ contains over 400 hand-made wooden pipes and has the sound capacity of 23 different instruments including trombones, saxophones, xylophones and percussives. The organ works like a player piano using paper song rolls. Holes in the paper rolls signal specific pipes to create music. There are ten songs to a roll and each roll plays for approximately 40 minutes.
The band organ’s facade shows a cliff-top castle under siege by dragons. To either side, knights on charging stallions rush to the rescue while in the sky more dragons arrive to join the fight.The facade was crafted to allow viewers to enjoy the movement of some of the instruments included in the organ. Watch for the xylophone visible in the shear walls of the cliffs, and the tiny mallets ringing bells and playing wood blocks amidst the doors and windows of the castle. Look for the carver’s version of ‘the sword and the stone’ within the design of the facade.
The Ticket Booth:On special occasions, Carousel riders purchase tokens at a ticket booth, designed and created by local stained glass artists. The scene on the ticket booth reflects the dragons and castles of the band organ facade. The same stain glass artists have designed and will be creating windows to be placed in the gift shop above the band organ viewing window.
Technical Specifications for the Carousel
Diameter at rim -- 37 feet, 4 inches
Weight -- 10.5 tons (fully loaded)
Speed -- 6.5 rpm/7.82 miles per hour on the outside row
Height -- 18.6 feet
Motion -- horses jump six times per revolution
Figures -- 36 jumpers/2 standers/2 chariots
Horsepower -- 10 horse electric
Lighting -- 966 light bulbs