#swamp fox

[am--afmil]

How low can you go!

Beauty in motion and just the incredible Mustang music to our ears...

[adventurelandia]

1959 Swamp Fox flintlock pistol ad

[tacoma-narrows]

Tac Talks Coasters - Post 3: #168

Photo Sources: All photos are mine

Swamp Fox at Family Kingdom!

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Opened: 1966 Manufacturer: Philadelphia Toboggan Company Height: 75 ft (23 m) Speed: 50 mph (80 kph) Length: 2,400 ft (730 m) My most recent ride: 2019

From what I see online at least, not a whole lot of people talk about this ride. That's understandable, as Family Kingdom is kind of out there down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, away from most major parks people hit on road trips. I believe Carowinds would be the closest major park, and that's still about 3 and a half hours away.

But maybe it's for the better that not too many people have experienced Swamp Fox though, because based on my rides from my visits to this park in 2019, this thing was BRUTALLY rough. There was jack-hammering (bouncing up and down in your seat) through pretty much the entire layout to the point that I got off the ride with a killer headache that lasted me a good half hour afterwards. This was easily the roughest coaster I've ever ridden. It goes above Corkscrew and Nighthawk because those rides beat you up in a number of different ways (mainly due to the restraints on both), where as Swamp Fox just bounces your brains out, but it's not a lot keeping this one above those two.

From reviews I've seen online that have come out more recently than when I rode Swamp Fox, it's running better now, so hopefully that means the park is taking care of it or even did some re-tracking. I sincerely hope it's running better because it's a classic beachside wooden coaster and it's always sad to lose one of those. I'd be interested to try the ride again to see if it's running better now, because those reviews also said the ride had strong airtime pops, which I do remember, but not very clearly because I was focused on not getting rattled to death.

I do really hope the best for Swamp Fox, because it's clear the ride has good bones. It's just a matter of maintaining the ride properly, as is the case with all wooden coasters really. It looks fantastic in its park with it's classic white and red color scheme and just captures that classic boardwalk feel. So I do hope it sticks around and that it's running better now for more people to experience in the future.

Thanks for checking out today's coaster post! Keep an eye out for tomorrow's coaster!

[lionofchaeronea]

General Francis Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal (aka The Swamp Fox), John Blake White, ca. 1810

[my-deer-history]

Francis Marion Papers online

The South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust has just published the first volume of the collected Francis Marion Papers – available free and online!

From the press release:

The papers, consisting of more than 600 historical documents, includes letters written both to and from General Francis Marion, famously known as the Swamp Fox for his elusive guerrilla warfare tactics against British forces. These materials, discovered in archives across the country including Harvard University and the University of Michigan, have been carefully compiled and annotated by leading historians. The first volume, complete with illustrations and battle maps, will be released on February 27 – the anniversary of Marion’s death. “This project is rewriting history,” said Rick Wise, director of SCBPT. “A lot of historians and biographers have gotten Marion wrong in some respects. These papers offer a more nuanced and personal look at his character, leadership and strategies.” For years, Marion’s legacy has been shaped by secondhand accounts and folklore, but these original documents provide firsthand insights into his thoughts and correspondences. This release will likely prompt new discussions on his contributions to the American Revolution and challenge some long-held assumptions about his life and military tactics.

[nocternalrandomness]

Swamp Fox at the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow

[musickickztoo]

Tony Joe White

July 23, 1943 – October 24, 2018

[thebeautifulbook]

THE SWAMP FOX: Young Folks’ Life of Gen. Francis Marion by John Frost. (Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1897/1904) Binding designed by Decorative Designers.

source