Today's photo series shows a trip to
Knott's Berry Farm in the late 1970s. The photos come from our Phoenix correspondent,
Captain Tomorrow. We begin in
Ghost Town, of course, at the
Butterfield Stagecoach (above). Note how close the old loading area was to the
Bottle House.
Here's another look at
Bud Hurlbut's "
Mexican Hat Dance" ride, which still provides a better overall ride than
Disneyland's teacups.
The photos immediately above and below show
Reflection Lake and the adjacent
Fiesta Village area. The lake is now almost entirely filled in, replaced by the
Silver Bullet roller coaster. The trees and water really added a lot of beauty to Knott's.
Knott's maven and nice guy
Allen Palovik tells me the photo below is the
Fiesta Plaza Stage. By the gingerbread-y pastel decor, I (wrongly) guessed it was in the
Roaring 20s section of the park. Note that both younger and older people are in the audience. Knott's really did have something for everyone.
This next photo is definitely from the Roaring 20s, and shows what happens when the cast of
That 70s Show tries to look like a 1920s Dixieland band. The audience of four people went
wild.
The 1975 opening of the
Corkscrew at Knott's was a real taste of things to come. At that point, it was a novelty. Today, most of the park has been given over to large steel contraptions geared toward teenage boys with invincible stomachs.
Sorry this isn't exactly ancient history. Nor is there much insightful commentary today. But it is interesting to see how much Knott's has changed in just 35 years. (Haven't we all?)
Today's photo series shows a trip to Knott's Berry Farm in the late 1970s. The photos come from our Phoenix correspondent, Captain Tomorrow. We begin in Ghost Town, of course, at the Butterfield Stagecoach (above). Note how close the old loading area was to the Bottle House.
Here's another look at Bud Hurlbut's "Mexican Hat Dance" ride, which still provides a better overall ride than Disneyland's teacups.
The photos immediately above and below show Reflection Lake and the adjacent Fiesta Village area. The lake is now almost entirely filled in, replaced by the Silver Bullet roller coaster. The trees and water really added a lot of beauty to Knott's.
Knott's maven and nice guy Allen Palovik tells me the photo below is the Fiesta Plaza Stage. By the gingerbread-y pastel decor, I (wrongly) guessed it was in the Roaring 20s section of the park. Note that both younger and older people are in the audience. Knott's really did have something for everyone.
This next photo is definitely from the Roaring 20s, and shows what happens when the cast of That 70s Show tries to look like a 1920s Dixieland band. The audience of four people went wild.
The 1975 opening of the Corkscrew at Knott's was a real taste of things to come. At that point, it was a novelty. Today, most of the park has been given over to large steel contraptions geared toward teenage boys with invincible stomachs. 
Sorry this isn't exactly ancient history. Nor is there much insightful commentary today. But it is interesting to see how much Knott's has changed in just 35 years. (Haven't we all?)
