| Mill Race | |
| Location: | Cedar Point |
| Status: | Removed |
| Cost: | $300,000 |
| Replacement: | Raptor |
| Type: | Log flume |
| Manufacturer: | Arrow Development |
| Height Ft: | 28 |
| Length Ft: | 1230 |
Mill Race was a log flume ride that operated between 1963[1] and 1993[2] at the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.
Opened in 1963, just months after El Aserradero [The Sawmill] at Six Flags Over Texas,[3] it was the world's second log flume ride. In 1993, it was dismantled to make room for the Raptor roller coaster.
Built for about $300,000 ($ today), [1] Mill Race opened during a period of transition at Cedar Point.[4] In 1963, when Mill Race opened, Cedar Point had no operating roller coasters besides smaller wild mouse style roller coasters.[4] Mill Race opened near the entrance of the park on the main midway[5] and it proved to be one of the most popular rides in the entire park.[6] The number of Cedar Point visitors rose following the installation of Mill Race.[4]
Although Mill Race was popular, the log flume was ultimately removed in 1993 to prepare for the addition of the inverted steel roller coaster Raptor.[2] A second log flume ride, White Water Landing, had also been built at Cedar Point in 1982. At 50feet in height,[5] White Water Landing dwarfed the 28feet tall Mill Race.[1] Snake River Falls, a third flume, opened in Mill Race's last year of operation.[5] In the year following Mill Race's removal and Raptor's installation, Cedar Point admissions went from hundreds of thousands of visitor admissions to over two million visitor admissions in a single season.[2]
Mill Race had a simple layout, only having a single lift hill of 28feet in height.[1] Mill Race had been selected as a top Cedar Point attraction in multiple years of the 1960s.[6] [7]