Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

The bronze sits under the palms beside the ticket booth and names the family behind two rides. Charles Looff's factory delivered the carousel in 1911; it is among perhaps a dozen in the country where riders can still reach for a brass ring. His son Arthur built the Giant Dipper in 47 days in 1924, meant, he said, to feel like an earthquake, a balloon ascension and an aeroplane drop at once. Both became National Historic Landmarks in 1987. The plaque's only-oceanside claim no longer holds: Pacific Park opened on the Santa Monica Pier in 1996.

What the plaque says

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk A local landmark since 1907, this boardwalk was one of the first amusement parks in California. It is now the only oceanside amusement park operating on the West Coast. The boardwalk is the site of two rare attractions, the 1911 carousel and the 1924 Giant Dipper roller coaster. Both were manufactured by members of the Looff family, some of the nation's earliest and most prominent makers of amusement rides. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 983 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Santa Cruz Seaside Company, May 11, 1990.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Site of Santa Cruz Mission — 1.2 mi
• Branciforte — 1.2 mi
• Camp Capitola Superintendent's Office — 3.7 mi
• The Mystery Spot — 3.7 mi