# @cmcalgary on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DaEURL1Acbi
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/67137218-cmcalgary-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/1f11e029aa.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-06-26T23:25:01.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** CMcalgary (@cmcalgary) — https://gondola.cc/cmcalgary

## Caption

The Ferris wheel is up 🎡

There’s actually some interesting history between the Calgary Stampede, a Ferris wheel, and Heritage Park. Not directly, but still, kinda sorta.

Remember Conklin? They used to run the midway at the Stampede. The name used to be all over the park, ticket booths, rides, etc. Conklin Shows was founded in 1916 by James Wesley “Patty” Conklin, who spent his entire life in the midway/amusement/carnival business until he passed away in 1970. His son Jim Conklin then took over and continued shows all over North America.

From 1934 until 1975, a company called Royal American Shows ran the Calgary Stampede midway. It was owned by Carl J. Sedlmayr Jr. In 1975, while in Regina for Buffalo Days (now Queen City Ex), the company was raided by Revenue Canada and the RCMP, and Sedlmayr was arrested for tax evasion. He was released after paying what he owed, then left Canada and vowed never to return, which he didn’t. Royal American Shows never came back either, and went under in the late 90s.

After the tax evasion drama, Conklin Shows won the Stampede midway contract and operated it until 2004, when they were sold to North American Midway Entertainment (N.A.M.E.) for 
$100 million dollarydoos. N.A.M.E. still runs it today.

In 2015, Townsquare Media, a radio company, acquired N.A.M.E. for $75.5 million dollars. In 2018, they sold it to North American Fairs, LLC, for $23.5 million dollars. They still own it today.

Anyway, back to Conklin Shows and Ferris wheels.

In 1984, Jim Conklin donated many antique midway rides from his collection to Calgary’s Heritage Park Historical Village. These restored rides now make up most of the rides at Heritage Park’s Conklin Lakeview Amusement Park. That includes “Big Eli” #5, the Ferris wheel still in use at the park today (free with admission!).

The Eli Bridge Company sold this No. 5 Big Eli Wheel to Alonzo Palmer of St. Thomas, Ontario, in 1923, and later owners used it at carnivals around Ontario. Jim Conklin, of Conklin and Garrett Ltd., bought the wheel for his antique midway display in 1977, then donated it to Heritage Park in 1984.

Those were quite the rabbit holes to go down. Fun!

#Calgary #ferriswheel

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## Tags

calgary, 5, ferriswheel

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