Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay in Brown County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Big Eli Ferris Wheel

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 15, 2018

1. Big Eli Ferris Wheel Marker

Inscription. George Ferris, American Engineer, designed the original Ferris Wheel while at dinner in a Chicago restaurant to be built for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Supported by two 140 foot steel towers, its 45 foot axle was the largest single piece of forged steel in the world at that time. The wheel itself was 264 feet high. It had 36 wooden cars that could each hold 60 people and cost 50 cents per ride. In 1955, Bay Beach purchased and installed The Big Eli Ferris Wheel from the Eli Bridge Company out of Jacksonville, Illinois for $5,703.10.

Erected by Bay Beach Amusement Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.

Location. 44° 31.893′ N, 87° 58.87′ W. Marker is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in Brown County. It is in Bay Beach Amusement Park. It is on Bay Beach Road north of Shore Drive. The marker is on the fence around the Ferris Wheel at Bay Beach Amusement Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1313 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay WI 54302, United States of

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America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Tilt-A-Whirl (within shouting distance of this marker); Naval Veterans Monument (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Zippin Pippin (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elvis Favorite Ride (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sea Dragon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Falling Star (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grassy Island Range Lights (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Birthplace Home of Earl "Curly" Lambeau (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Green Bay.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Big Eli Wheel #17 in Jacksonville, Illinois

Also see . . . Ferris Wheel.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn

2. Big Eli Ferris Wheel Marker

From Bay Beach's official site (Submitted on December 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

A view from atop the Ferris Wheel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 31, 2022

3. A view from atop the Ferris Wheel

Credits. This page was last revised on December 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.