He Kit Carson County Carousel
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he Kit Carson County Carousel
In the gaslight era of our history, Americans of all ages worked hard for long hours; their
leisure activities at home were self-created, for the most part, and outside the family circle,
good times were found at Sunday school picnics or at infrequent dances at the school house.
But for a special few, who had the good fortune to live in major metropolitan areas with amusement
parks, there were merry-go-rounds! These weren’t the self-propelled, plain-Jane boards-with-a-handrail
that we see on school playgrounds now; these were magical rides, featuring colorful, decorated beasts
of all description that bore all riders, young and old, with the same stately decorum. They were covered,
to protect their riders from the rain, and they made their rounds to loud, soul-stirring musical
accompaniment that left everyone, at ride’s end, slightly out of breath but with a heart full of joy.
These rides with the bright colors and the exciting music were called “carousels,” and they were
the “best time of their lives” for a people living in an era that was largely quiet and subdued, otherwise.
A century later, our lives are filled with speed, light and sound, and yet we still find something
special in mounting a wooden horse on a carousel. We hold tightly to the coolness of the brass pole and
close our eyes as the air rushes to caress our faces. And we still sit a little straighter and our hearts beat
a little stronger as we ride to the
strains of John Phillip Sousa.
Unfortunately, this magnif-
icent opportunity to share our
great-grandfather’s childhood joy
is a rare one, indeed, for very few
working carousels of that era
remain. Of the nearly 4,000
wooden carousels carved in
America between 1885 and the
1930s, fewer than 150 are still in
existence. One of the finest of
these survivors, however, can be
found on the county fairgrounds
at Burlington, Colorado.
The sixth of 74 carousels
manufactured by the Philadelphia
Toboggan Company (PTC)
between 1904 and 1933, the Kit
Carson County Carousel is a
three-row, stationary (the animals
do not move up and down)
machine housed in a 12-sided
frame building. It is the only
antique carousel in America still
having original paint on both the
scenery panels and on the
animals, and PTC No. 6 is the only
surviving menagerie (having
other animals in addition to
horses) carousel made by PTC.
And it is fully operational!
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Forty-six hand-carved animals march counter-clockwise on this carousel, mounted on a 45-foot
diameter platform. The 16 outside row animals are the largest. Intricate carvings range from Cupids to
a wooden medallion with a sculpture of an Arab sheik. One giraffe has a snake twined around its neck,
and behind the saddle of a zebra is a gnome, sitting in a shell and aiming a spear at the rider’s seat! The
texture of each animal’s coat is faithfully detailed, and teeth, slathering tongues and hooves are carefully
included. Toed animals have dewclaws, and hoofed animals are shod (even the Indian pony). There are
real antlers on the deer and real horse tails on many of the horses. All of the glass eyes are of a color
and expression suitable to the temperament of their animals. Hand-painted decorations can be found
on each of the carousel figures; intricate flowers of varying design adorn many of the inside row animals.
Saddle trappings are reminiscent of those used on cavalry mounts in the 18th Century Napoleonic Wars.
Four chariots–two red chariots with elaborately carved sides and two blue ones simply painted to
appear carved–are available to ride. Each chariot has two seats and can accommodate six riders. The
back of each seat has a painted landscape.
Drive machinery and the center of the carousel are enclosed by 45 oil paintings mounted in tiers
of three. The paintings, representing subject matter from full-length portraits to landscapes, and created
with varying degrees of skill in styles varying from post-impressionist to realist, depict lifestyles and
interests of the Victorian middle class. Each is thought to have been completed in a matter of hours,
rather than days.
The carousel itself was manufactured in 1905 for Elitch Gardens, an amusement park in Denver.
At the time of the original purchase, the animals intended for PTC No. 6 were finished and in the studio,
along with animals destined for placement on machines No. 7 and No. 8, waiting to be mounted on a
turntable. The Elitch Gardens agent, rather than accepting the order as it stood, hand-picked the animals
that pleased him from all those on the factory shelves, even though several were not part of Elitch’s
original request. PTC carvers traditionally stamped the underside of each animal with the number of
its machine and row, and during restoration, it was discovered that several of the animals on No. 6 bore
machine numbers 7 and 8!
Jeannette Roberts
Elitch Gardens,
circa 1910
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Elitch Gardens, circa 1909
Because PTC No. 6 was stationary and didn’t have the “excitement” of a jumper carousel...where
the animals went up and down as well as around...the manufacturer made it one of the country’s fastest
merry-go-rounds. It twirls its riders at a breath-taking 12 mph, compared with the average carousel
speed of 8 mph.
The carousel was operated at Elitch Gardens every summer until 1928, when it and the band organ
were sold to Kit Carson County for $1,200 (including delivery to Burlington). The county commissioners
who approved the carousel’s purchase, C. J. Buchanan, G. W. Huntley and I. D. Messenger, were widely
criticized for this “extravagant expenditure” during hard times. As a result, Huntley did not seek re-
election in 1928. Buchanan lost in the primary that year, just three weeks before the recently purchased
carousel opened in Burlington for the first time. I. D. Messenger was not up for re-election in 1928, but
he was defeated when he ran again two years later.
The carousel was housed in a dodecagonal (12-sided) wood frame building with each side having
a large awning-style door. When all doors are lifted, the building is completely open. A 12-sided cupola
sits atop the building. It isn’t known who designed this building, but it was constructed by T. C. Punshon,
a Burlington, Colorado contractor. His low bid was for labor only; the building was constructed from
a mixture of used materials, taken from a recently demolished fairgrounds exhibit building, and new
materials. Total cost of the building was around $800.
In 1931, the Great Depression forced Kit Carson County officials to discontinue the annual county
fair. Corn stalks and hay for livestock feed, made available to local farmers through a government
assistance program, were stored in the carousel building and in other available space on the unused
fairgrounds. Mice, snakes and pigeons infested the carousel building, and piles of waste accumulated.
When the county fair resumed in 1937, the old feed was removed from the buildings and was
burned. Harley Rhoades, the county commissioner considered most responsible for resuming the fair,
said the carousel was such a mess that there was much sentiment for burning it up with the corn stalks!
But, instead, the carousel was scrubbed with soapy water, re-varnished and operated once again. Since
mice had devastated the band organ, recorded western and popular music were played for fair-goers
over the next forty years.
In 1976, with the support and encouragement of county commissioners Ted Wickham, Kenneth
Scheierman and Doug Hillman, Kit Carson County joined with the rest of the United States in celebration
of America’s Bicentennial; restoration of PTC No. 6’s band organ (which, after many years of disuse,
was a literal “basket case”) became the county’s Bicentennial project.
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Rudolph Wurlitzer, a German immigrant, founded the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company in Cincinnati,
Ohio in 1856. By the late 1890s, the firm was one of America’s largest musical instrument dealers, selling
all types of hand-played and automatic instruments, from music boxes to immense orchestrions which
simulated an entire orchestra.
In 1893, German immigrant Eugene deKleist established the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory
in North Tonawanda, New York, supplying the American amusement industry with self-playing band
organs. These were patterned after certain French fairground organs, with brass trumpets, clarinets and
piccolos featured prominently in front. They played from pinned wooden cylinders resembling huge music
box cylinders. By the late 1890s, Wurlitzer became deKleist’s exclusive distributor. By 1906, the pinned
wooden cylinders were discontinued in favor of more convenient (and much less expensive) paper music
rolls. In January, 1909, Wurlitzer bought out deKleist’s business.
One of the largest deKleist organs sold by Wurlitzer was the Style 155 “Monster Military Band Organ.”
In contrast to smaller organs, which were made in one piece to be used with traveling carousels, the Monster
has a stationary chassis surrounded by a separate cabinet, and was made primarily for use in skating rinks.
Originally advertised by Wurlitzer as “The Twentieth Century Wonder” circa 1906, the Monster
contains 255 pipes, bass and snare drums and cymbal, played by Style 155 music rolls. The leaded glass
windows in the front may be opened or closed to control the volume. The retail price was $3,250 in 1906,
when average wages were 18¢ per hour. The equivalent 2001 retail cost would be more than $250,000!
Only three Monster organs are known to exist, of which the Kit Carson County example, No. 2,453, is the
most complete.
Wurlitzer built this Monster organ in 1909, the date which appears on newspapers glued inside the
bellows to seal the wood. Elitch Gardens probably bought the organ from Knight-Campbell, a large music
store and Wurlitzer agent in Denver, and probably installed it in a skating rink. In 1928, Elitch gardens
bought a larger carousel and sold PTC carousel No. 6 and the Monster organ to Kit Carson County. When
the organ was installed inside the carousel, it didn’t quite fit behind the inner row of paintings, so the fancy
capitals on the upper corners of the cabinet were removed.
By 1975, the organ was in deplorable condition. Certain damage was obvious, such as the torn drum
heads, missing and dented brass trumpets and trombones, and the filthy, rusty overall condition. Perishable
leather, rubberized cloth and rubber tubing had suffered the usual deterioration that is expected in a 60+-
year-old instrument. What wasn’t immediately obvious was that many wooden parts had sustained severe
water damage. The main pipe chest, which directs the flow of pressurized air into the correct pipes to play
the music, is made of hundreds of glued-together wooden parts. This was riddled with large cracks, and
its many parts were unglued, warped and twisted. Rodents had made the organ their home. Many of the
wooden organ pipes representing flutes, violins, cellos and basses had come apart, resembling kindling
wood more than the fine-sounding pipes that they once had been.
When Wurlitzer discontinued Style 155 rolls in the 1920s, the Monster was converted to play smaller
Style 165 rolls. While these featured a large selection of up-to-date 1920s music, they used only about
two-thirds of the Monster’s musical capability. To make room for the taller, narrower 165 roll mechanism,
several of the brass trumpet pipes were removed and discarded. Later, it appears that a maintenance worker
fell through the thin top panel of the organ, damaging more of the trumpets and trombones, which also
vanished.
In February, 1976, the Monster was delivered in pieces via horse trailer to renowned organ restorer
Art Reblitz, in Colorado Springs. Reblitz’s work included restoring the pumps, reservoirs, pipe chests,
self-playing mechanisms, the many wood and metal organ pipes, drums, drum mechanisms and roll
mechanism, and then assembling, tuning, testing and carefully regulating the organ. After more than 1,000
hours of work, Reblitz and his staff completed the organ in late July, just in time for the 1976 county fair.
Local craftsman Merle Worden refinished the cabinet and repaired the leaded glass windows. Since 1977,
ongoing maintenance has included tuning, cleaning, tightening leather belts, making minor repairs and
lubricating the organ annually.
The 1976 restoration brought the organ back into good playing condition, although it still played Style
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165 rolls. Seven brass trumpets and trombones and several wooden pipes were still missing, as was the
back of the cabinet. The open back was covered with Plexiglas to keep the dirt out. By the late 1980s, the
Style 165 roll mechanism no longer worked reliably, so the worn parts were replaced and the mechanism
was replated.
In 1996, the decision was made to have Reblitz restore the organ as close to its original condition as
possible, which included replacing the missing brass pipes, replacing the drum heads with antique-looking
heads and decorating them with the correct lettering, replacing the Plexiglas back with a correct wooden
back, and leveling the organ. Most importantly, the organ was converted back to play Style 155 music
rolls, to return it to its full performing capability. This required reproducing the original roll mechanism
and rolls from the Monster organ in the Black Collection. The restoration was completed by Reblitz, with
the assistance of several other internationally-known craftsmen, in July, 1999. By an amazing coincidence,
Reblitz was able to purchase the original deKleist/Wurlitzer brass spinning mandrels, which were used
once again to reproduce the
bells for the missing trumpets
and trombones.
Today, Kit Carson
County’s Monster plays just as
it did in 1909, enabling the
carousel’s 46 wooden animals
to march counter-clockwise to
the wonderful waltzes and
magnificent marches from the
turn of the 19th Century.
(For more information on band organs
and other musical treasures, refer to
The Golden Age of Automatic Musical
Instruments, ©2001 by Arthur A.
Reblitz,published by the Mechanical
Music Press.)
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Public interest in PTC #6 increased
during restoration of the band organ, and
soon, interested citizens were seeking grant
money and donations to continue the
restoration of the old carousel itself. After the
Bicentennial celebration was over, the local
project was continued by the newly-formed
Kit Carson County Carousel Association,
under the leadership of local farmer Bob
McClelland.
John Pogzeba, an art conservator from
Denver, was contacted regarding restoration
of the 45 oil paintings. In 1977, the oil
paintings were restored by Mr. Pogzeba and
by Will Morton VIII. Popular cosmopolitan
scenes of the Victorian era, the paintings
represent European pastoral scenes, world
wonders (i. e. pyramids and sphinx), hunting,
forest glen, a country cottage and various
humorous subjects. Because they are painted
on fragile, light cotton muslin, and because
so many of them were torn and punctured,
they were strengthened by attaching them to
new solid panels. The cleaning, which
followed, revealed the true brilliance. Most,
being in fairly good condition, were simply
inpainted in a few areas where the painting
had been harmed by punctures or minor tears.
Others required more extensive restoration
because of major tears or water damage.
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Zebra during restoration, 1980 animal 12
In 1979, PTC NO. 6 at Burlington was designated a National Historic Site. That same year, Will
Morton contracted to restore the original paint animals, the four chariots, and the outer rim. This project
was completed 18 months later. While at Elitch Gardens, the animals had not been generally over-
painted as was the case with most carousels. In fact, the wear on the saddles had been allowed to extend
even into the surface of the wood. Nevertheless, there was evidence of at least two attempts to restore
paint to the saddles and other high wear areas. Because the delicate decorative paintings on the trappings
was also wearing thin, a coat of paint was given to most saddle blankets obscuring those details from
view for perhaps 50 years. Otherwise, the original paint was visible–save for the very darkened, dirty
varnish overcoat. Realizing that the original paint was significant and of great value, the same fine art
conservation methods as were used to restore the paintings were again used to clean and restore the
animals and chariots. Empirically formulated solvent was used to remove the old varnish and coats of
park paint. Not only did much of the original brilliance of the paint return, but as a wonderful bonus,
the hidden decoration and gold leaf was revealed. By careful inpainting to replace only the paint that
was missing, the beauty of the original paint was restored. A reversible topcoat of varnish now protects
the original finish and can be replaced from time to time for future maintenance. Carousel
conservationists from around the country were so taken by the project that many came to see the work
and the ethic helped establish a new standard for carousel restoration that continues even today. PTC
No. 6 is known as a priceless treasure among America’s carousels.
The carousel building was re-faced with siding and the area around it was landscaped with an eye
for Victorian charm.
13The citizens of Kit Carson County were appalled in May, 1981 when a mid-western theft ring
specializing in antiques entered the carousel building during a heavy rainstorm and removed three small
horses and a donkey. Too “hot” to sell, the stolen animals were stored, and were recovered five months
later from a Salina, Kansas warehouse. They returned to their rightful places on the Kit Carson County
carousel turntable following a “welcome home” parade through Burlington on October 31, 1981.
Yellow ribbons, tied on the empty poles during the animals’ absence, were replaced by commem-
orative markers. And yes, the carousel’s alarm system was substantially upgraded!
PTC No. 6 at Burlington was designated a National Landmark in 1987, and became widely described
as the carousel that was “The Jewel of the Nation.”
Jewel that it is, the carousel continues to operate during the warmer seasons, bringing wonder and
joy to younger riders and welcome warm memories to the older ones. During the past decade, public
enjoyment of the carousel has resulted in a new generation of small gouges, nicks, bruises and cracks,
so a “re-restoration” of the animals was undertaken in 1992.
Additionally, the “sweeps” (the radial beams that connect the upper rim of the carousel to the center
just below the upper row of oil paintings) have been restored. Much of the original paint and design
remained on the sweeps, and restorers suspected decorative, lacy-appearing wooden valances once
adorned the sweeps before the carousel came to Kit Carson County.
The original valances and crestings on the carousel when it was in Denver probably were destroyed
when the carousel was dismantled in 1928 so it could be moved by train to Kit Carson County. In the
Fall of 1995, Elitch’s historian Betty Hull discovered a photograph of the carousel taken at Elitch’s
around 1910.
The photograph, and an earlier “find” by George Roberts of a photograph of his sister riding the
goat in 1909, verified the existence of the elaborately decorated valances on the carousel originally, and
were the primary catalysts for the restoration project to follow. In 1997, grants from the State Historic
Fund of the Colorado Historical Society and from the Boettcher Foundation financed research, patterns
and reconstruction of the valances, restoration of the carousel’s original lighting, and additional
restoration work on the machinery room, the moldings on the paintings, and the Wurlitzer Monster
Military Band Organ.
Will and Marlene Morton of Morton Carousel, Inc. of Lakewood again had charge of the restoration
project. They purchased more than 1,000 board feet of one-inch poplar to construct the 18 upper sweep
valances, 18 lower sweep valances and 18 crown rim pieces. The pieces were constructed and hand-
painted at Morton’s studio, then were delivered and installed at the carousel.
Each valance is adorned with four lights mounted on the bottom of brass poles, and the crown rim
cresting is adorned with 36 lights. The challenging electrical work, required to meet present-day electrical
codes but designed to preserve the historical integrity of the carousel, was completed by Steve Daniel
of Daniel Electric, Burlington.
In partnership with the Kit Carson County Carousel Association, National Park Service architect
Rick Cronenberger completed an historical structure assessment of the building housing the famous
merry-go-round in 1999. This assessment substantiated the need to undertake structural and stabilization
work on the carousel building to assure that it would stand another seventy-five years.
Final plans for the work were developed by Gary Petri of SLATERPAUL ARCHITECTS, who stated the
building’s simple details “are representative of the ‘National’folk style which followed the development
of the railroads across the country. The style reached Colorado in the late 1880s. The building’s design
and structural system are representative of the straight-forward agricultural buildings constructed in the
first part of the 20th Century.”
The small cupola which tops the shingled roof has a small window in each of its twelve sides. The
building has exposed rafter tails with simple decorative cutouts at both the cupola and main eaves. The
building’s structural system consists of six-inch square timber columns at each of the twelve corners;
14the columns support a simple but elegantly framed roof system of dimension lumber.
Richardson Construction, a Burlington contracting firm, replaced the rotted and termite-damaged
wood in the support beams, lowered the grade around the carousel building, and installed a complex
drainage system to alleviate future moisture problems. The aluminum siding was removed and the
building was re-sided with historically correct wood novelty drop siding (identical to that on the building
in 1928). The front entrance was rebuilt with glass enabling the carousel to be viewed year around, since
it is open to the public only between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
To maintain the historic appearance of the area, a hand-crafted, wrought-iron fence constructed by
Hitchcock, Inc. of Burlington was installed on top of the concrete retaining wall and along the south
side of the park.
The completion of the work on the building in 2001 marked the completion of the overall restoration
of the carousel which began some 25 years earlier.
Substantial amounts of money have been donated by county citizens, businesses and service
organizations to help with the carousel’s restoration. Grants from the Boettcher Foundation, the Gates
Foundation, the Baughman Foundation, the Colorado Historical Society, the National Carousel
Association, the Colorado Carousel Society, the American Carousel Society and the Colorado
Department of Local Affairs also were instrumental in the project’s success, as was support from the
City of Burlington and Kit Carson County.
Continuing maintenance and operations of the carousel are funded through ride proceeds and various
fund-raising projects. Proceeds from the sale of this publication also help preserve the beauty and
splendor of PTC No. 6 for generations to come.
The carousel is open as a museum from 1 to 8 p.m. daily, from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Admission is 25¢ and includes a 20-minute tour and a magical four-minute ride.
Carousel prior to restoration, circa 1975
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