Harry G. Traver

Harry G. Traver

Nationality	American
Company	Traver Engineering Company, Traver Circle Swing Company
Born	November 25, 1877
Died	September 27, 1961

Harry G. Traver was an American roller coaster designer and builder.

History

Harry G. Traver was born in Gardner, Illinois, on November 25, 1877, and later moved to Nebraska with his farming family. He graduated high school in Davenport, Nebraska, and began teaching. Traver's career shifted after attending the 1898 Omaha Exposition, where he pursued a mechanical engineering apprenticeship at General Electric.

In 1901, Traver joined Harris Safety Company in New York City, contributing to fire engine design. Aboard a ship journey to England, he conceived the Circle Swing amusement ride, inspired by circling seagulls. He established the Traver Circle Swing Company in 1903, launching his amusement ride career.

In 1919, Traver founded the Traver Engineering Company in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Traver's rides were some of the first to incorporate steel into coaster designs. Jazz Railway at Rocky Glen in 1925, using steel support structures with the standard wooden track. This would be used on most of his following rides.

Despite his success, Traver's generosity—funding employees' education and donating land—strained his finances. The Great Depression forced Traver Engineering Company to close in 1932. Ralph E. Chambers took over the company property and founded the R.E. Chambers Company.

Traver contributed to major exhibitions, including the 1939 New York World's Fair, and designed wartime devices during World War II, one of which the United States Navy awarded him for. He died on September 27, 1961, in New Rochelle, New York.