Download File - The Six Flags Museum

SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS
50 YEARS
OF
ENTERTAINMENT
CLINT SKINNER
5

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© 2011 by Clint Skinner. All rights reserved.

PART ONE
BEGINNINGS
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CHAPTER ONE
Angus Gilchrist Wynne, Jr. was born on January 9, 1914. He was
the son of a prominent attorney who helped form the State Bar of
Texas and served as its first president. Angus graduated from High-
land Park High School in 1931. He pursued a law degree at Wash-
ington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia from 1934 to 1935.
He then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin and graduated
in 1938. However, Angus did not follow in his father’s footsteps. In-
stead, he spent three years working at oil rigs.
Wynne volunteered to join the U. S. Navy Reserve in August 1940.
The Navy accepted him for midshipman training. On August 19th, he
went on a cruise to determine who would continue special training.
After passing the test, he attended Northwestern University in Evan-
ston, Illinois for a three-month intensive course. The majority of grad-
uates went into active duty, but Angus was placed on reserve. He re-
turned home in December before Christmas.
Later the following year, he met a young woman named Joanne
Ebeling. Originally from Beaumont, Texas, she moved to Dallas in
1924. She attended Southern Methodist University, then transferred to
Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in education. Joanne moved back to Dallas, where she fell in
love with Angus. The couple married on February 25, 1941.
When the Japanese bombed Pearle Harbor, the Navy placed Angus
Wynne on active duty. He was placed aboard the U. S. S. Nicholson.
9

He served the entire war, engaging the enemy at seven major battles.
On the Western front, his superiors made him an executive officer.
Later in the war on the Eastern Front, they promoted him to Lieutenant
Commander aboard the U. S. S. Grayson. When World War II ended,
Wynne returned home without a scratch. He received two theater
ribbons, eight battle stars, and the Distinguished Unit Citation Badge.
10
Angus Wynne returned to his Dallas home in 1945. Badly needing
employment, he turned to his uncle Toddie Lee Wynne. The two rela-
tives pooled their money with B. Hick Majors. Together, they bought
the American Home Reality Company in December. Toddie Lee and
Hick Majors decided to make Angus Wynne the president.
When Angus and his partners purchased AHR, they inherited an
impressive contract. Thousands of military personnel had returned
looking for a new start in life. Dallas served as a magnet for these new
homesteaders. Unfortunately, it lacked the necessary housing facil-
ities. To meet this demand, suburbs issued large contracts with hous-
ing development firms. AHR was one of them.
Oak Cliff provided the American Home Realty Company 820 acres
for construction. The contract would lead to the largest housing devel-
opment project in the nation. Angus called the project Wynnewood.
In this expansive area, Angus planned to build 2,200 houses and 592
apartments. Estimations projected it would take five years to complete
the project, and that the cost would be 33 million dollars.
Angus Wynne completed the first 150 Wynnewood homes in De-
cember 1946. It sold them at prices ranging from 8,000 to 25,000 dol-
lars. At the end of the month, every house had been bought. Wynne-

wood construction continued at a slow but steady pace. By September
1947, 230 more houses had been completed
On October 15, 1947, Angus Wynne entered civic life. The Oak
Cliff Chamber of Commerce nominated him for Vice-President of its
industrial division. Angus Wynne accepted the offer with great en-
thusiasm.
Despite his new responsibility, Angus remained focused on the
Wynnewood project. After construction started on 108 apartments, he
announced building 700 more before the year ended. It would become
Dallas’ largest rental housing project at the cost of 2,500,000 dollars.
It was located along Zang Boulevard. Wynne named the future
complex Wynnewood Gardens and planned to finish the first phase by
March 1948. Afterwards, he would complete 348 apartments by the
end of December. Wynnewood Gardens officially opened on April 19,
1948. After it was completed, Wynne planned more rental develop-
ments. However, new zoning regulations killed the apartment pro-
jects.
Angus turned his attention toward expanding Wynnewood, starting
with a shopping center. Located near the heart of the neighborhood,
Wynnewood Village covered 27 acres at the intersection of Illinois
Avenue and Zang Boulevard. It would have three shopping outlets,
four drive-in restaurants, one gas station, a movie theatre, and an office
building. Construction began in February 1949. Wynnewood Village
opened on December 1, 1949.
In 1953, Angus Wynne became Chairman of the Dallas Chamber of
Commerce Aviation Committee. He found himself walking straight
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into a volatile situation. For several years, American Airlines pos-
sessed a monopoly of the West Coast and Northeastern routes. This
was accomplished through a small clause of the Civil Aeronautics Act
of 1938. The other airlines had enough of the monopoly and planned
to take action. Meanwhile, Carter Field Airport was crushing Love
Field with its monopoly of flights. All this came to a head after five
years of hard lobbying.
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In May 1954, six airlines filed an application with the Civil
Aeronautics Board. They wanted new routes from the Southwest to the
West Coast and Northeast. American Airlines immediately voiced op-
position to the application, but failed in its endeavors. The Civic
Aeronautics Board scheduled the hearing to take place on September
8, 1954. As the hearing proceeded, Fort Worth proclaimed that if
American Airlines was going to have competition, all the rivals should
provide exclusive service to Carter Field. Dallas argued Love Field
was needed to provide adequate service for future population increase-
es.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Chamber of Commerce got involved with
two related cases. Wynne’s aviation department led the charge in the
recently reopened Central Airlines Fayetteville Case. The Civil Aero-
nautics Board would determine if the airline could have extra routes to
Fayetteville, Arkansas; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Muskogee, Oklahoma;
and Paris, Texas. It would also decide if these flights served Carter
Field or Love Field. The CAB sided with Central Airlines, providing a
significant victory. Just as important, Dallas won the Louisville Case.

It allowed American Airlines, Eastern Airlines, and Trans World to
provide non-stop flights from Dallas to Louisville, Kentucky.
In the midst of these two victories, Fort Worth made a proposition.
The city offered Dallas the right to use half of Carter field and the right
to share its name with the airport for only four million dollars. The
Chamber of Commerce immediately rejected the offer, calling it a
blatant attempt to eliminate its budget deficits.
The hearing finally ended in September 1955, nearly a year after it
had started. The presiding examiner sent his recommendations to the
Civil Aeronautics Board. On December 16, 1955, the CAB made its
final decision. It would allow competition with American Airlines,
concerning routes to New York City and Washington, D. C. Further-
more, Dallas could provide service to Chattanooga and Pittsburgh.
This decision provided a major victory to Love Field and its future. It
also put an end to the oppressive monopoly held by American Airlines.
The battle may have been difficult, but it paled in comparison for what
laid ahead for Angus Wynne.
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CHAPTER TWO
In late 1955, Angus Wynne conceived the emergence of the ulti-
mate industrial park. The search for land and financial backing started
with Canadian businessman Milton L. Stern. He met with real estate
tycoon William Z. Zeckendorf on November 15, 1955. He claimed he
had two thousand acres in Grand Prairie and Arlington under contract.
In actuality, he only had them under option. He also said that he could
get four thousand acres for six hundred dollars each. Regarding the
land’s commercial development, William Zeckendorf would get
35,000 dollars plus one-third of the profits. William considered the of-
fer but declined over a disagreement about the contract.
Milton Stern next turned his attention toward Angus Wynne Jr.
The two men met on November 15, 1955. Stern once again offered
2,000 acres under option and the possibility of four thousand more.
Wynne showed interest until he investigated the Canadian business-
man. This interaction caused Angus to focus on the Arlington-Grand
Prairie area. Needing financial backing, he met with William Zecken-
dorf and agreed to a fifty-fifty partnership. They purchased the estate
of Paul Waggoner, located north of Milton Stern’s property. On Jan-
uary 11, 1956, Wynne and Zeckendorf signed a con-tract for the 2,387
acres. With this six-million-dollar agreement, the two men officially
announced plans for an industrial park.
Milton Stern sought a temporary order against the park’s develop-
ment. Afterwards, he filed a lawsuit for 300 million dollars. He pro-
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claimed that the defendants stole his idea to develop an industrial
center. Furthermore, he asserted that the purchased land had already
been acquired by a fruit cake company. Under Stern’s management,
the company changed its name and venue. After hearing the evidence
and testimony, the district judge rejected every claim made by Milton
Stern.
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Not satisfied with the verdict, he planned to appeal the decision.
However, he changed his mind and moved back to Canada. Before he
left, he sold his 258 acres south of Highway 80 to Angus Wynne. An-
gus bought 1,342 more in the same general region. He also purchased
2,400 acres north of Highway 180. Altogether, the land for the in-
dustrial district totaled 5,000 acres for seven million dollars.
With the land, Wynne formed a company to oversee the project.
He called it the Great Southwest Corporation. He named himself as its
president and Wesley Goyer as the vice-president.
The GSC took possession of its newly acquired land on July 1,
1956. Construction commenced almost immediately on the first nine
hundred acres. The first building erected was a distribution warehouse
covering one million square feet. Located on the Waggoner Ranch, it
would handle a maximum of 640 trucks.
Meanwhile, the Great Southwest Corporation received permission
to build and operate its own railroad line. It would cost 1,200,000 dol-
lars. It connected with the Texas & Pacific to the south and Rock Is-
land to the north. It would provide direct, efficient transportation for
the district’s residents. Construction ended on the sixteen-mile rail-
road on May 28, 1959.

During this first phase of development, the GSC ran into an
enormous obstacle. The industrial district failed to produce the antic-
ipated number of tenants and revenue. Needing an extra source of in-
come, the corporation decided to build a sports center. It would cover
275 acres and cost three million dollars. The Great Southwest Sports
Center included a bowling alley, a sporting goods store, an amusement
park, and an area for testing products. It would be located on Arling-
ton Downs Road near the intersection of the Dallas-Fort Worth Turn-
pike and the Great Southwest Expressway. However, Wynne aban-
doned the plans and adopted new ones for a larger, greater project. It
would overshadow all his previous achievements.
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CHAPTER THREE
While the Great Southwest Sports Center entered the final planning
stage, Angus Wynne took his family on a vacation to Disneyland. He
became enamored with the theme park and wanted one like it in Texas.
He would not, however, try to persuade Walt to build another Disney-
land. Instead, he decided to create his own theme park and make it
completely different. He wanted a safe, clean family park. It would
educate visitors about the state’s heritage while entertaining them.
This would be accomplished by adopting the theme of Texas Under
Six Flags. It was a common teaching method used at local schools.
The park would be divided into six separate parts - Spain, France,
Mexico, Texas, The Confederacy, and Modern America. Each area
would look authentic in accordance to its designated country. The
park covered seventy-five acres, 35 of them set aside for a parking lot.
The park itself would be capable of handling 25,000 visitors at one
time. Angus Wynne decided to call the park Texas Under Six Flags
until his wife proclaimed that Texas wasn’t under anything. He then
renamed it Six Flags Over Texas.
Construction would cost 3,400,000 dollars. However, in the begin-
ning, the projected expense was seven million. It was later changed to
ten million. The price tag created great concern for Angus Wynne be-
cause the heritage theme could remove national appeal. Nevertheless,
he presented his dream before the members of the Great Southwest
Corporation. It initially met opposition because many thought the ven-
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ture would be too risky. Renting more industrial space would provide
a safer, better alternative to raise money. After several meetings, An-
gus Wynne convinced most members to support his plan. He hired C.
V. Wood, Randall Duell, and Luther Clarke to implement his park.
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Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood trained as an industrial engineer at the
University of Oklahoma. He then became the Director of Industrial
Engineering for an aircraft manufacturer. He later traveled to Califor-
nia and worked for the Stanford Research Institute. While working
there, Walt Disney hired him to help find the location for Disneyland.
Disney also assigned him the task of designing and creating the theme
park. Walt grew very close to Wood during this time and appointed
him to be the park’s vice-president.
After Disney fired him in 1956, Wood planned to apply the
knowledge he had acquired. He created Marco Engineering, which re-
ceived its first contract in the Spring of 1959.
Pleasure Island would be built in the outskirts of Wakefield,
Massachusetts, located fourteen miles north of Boston. It featured a
nineteenth-century fishing village and a replica of Moby Dick. The
construction costs reached four million dollars. The park opened in
late 1959 with high expectations. However, Pleasure Island failed to
impress and entertain the local masses. After a lackluster opening, the
theme park struggled for ten years before closing in 1969.
Marco Engineering’s second project began in May 1959. William
Zeckendorf publicly announced the construction of a new theme park
called Freedomland. It would be built in the Bronx of New York City.
The park covered 85 acres of land, capable of handling 32,000 visitors.

It contained eight miles of waterways and lakes, ten thousand plants
and trees, and eighteen restaurants and food stands. Cornelius Wood
chose American history for the main theme. He divided the park into
the Great Plains, the Old Southwest, 1871 Chicago, 1906 San Francis-
co, Old New York, New Orleans, and Satellite City. Freedomland
opened on June 18, 1960. Although it received high praise, Freedom-
land faced a series of misfortunes which sent the theme park to an ear-
ly grave.
With three theme parks on his résumé, C. V. Wood seemed the per-
fect candidate to help create Six Flags Over Texas. Angus Wynne
hired Wood and gave him the task of conceptually designing the park.
Randall Duell started his career as an architect in California. A few
years later, MGM hired him to be a set designer for the movie Romeo
and Juliet. When the film proved a success, the movie studio hired
him full–time as an art director. Duell worked for MGM throughout
the 40’s and 50’s, set designing over fifty movie classics. He con-
tinued working for MGM until 1958 when he Marco Engineering.
Because of his experience in set design and art direction, Duell was
put in charge of Six Flags’ physical design.
Luther Clarke attended the North Texas Agricultural College in Ar-
lington for two years. While working for the WPA, he taught him-self
the engineering profession. After supervising several projects, he
served as an engineer and estimator for a military contractor. Clarke
then joined an engineer regiment at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana.
After World War II, Luther joined the United Construction Com-
pany as a project supervisor. The UCC became responsible for the
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construction of Wynnewood’s apartment complex. Luther Clarke
worked closely with Angus Wynne on the project for two years. Fol-
lowing its completion, Wynne asked Clarke to join his company and
oversee the construction of Wynnewood Village. Luther accepted the
offer and the two men became lifelong friends. Unsurprisingly, Luther
Clarke was immediately picked to supervise the theme park’s con-
struction.
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Angus Wynne collaborated with C. V. Wood and Randall Duell
during the early phases of predevelopment. Wood and his crew then
moved to Dallas, where they met with Luther Clarke for the final
preparations.
Construction of Six Flags Over Texas began on September 7, 1960.
Using an old farmhouse across the street as headquarters, Luther
Clarke faced the daunting task of building the theme park by August
1961. He worked around the clock at a furious pace from the start,
bouncing back and forth throughout the park while conferring over the
ever-changing plans. It continued to be a hectic, bumpy ride till the
very end.
The Groves Lumber Company, the oldest lumberyard in Dallas,
provided the majority of wood. Rough timber logs for the France sec-
tion came from Texas. The Pacific Northwest supplied unfinished
cedar lumber. Roof shingles arrived from Canada. California sent red-
wood and fir timber for the construction of barges, docks, and bridges.
Lastly, the company received yellow pine from Arkansas to construct
building interiors. It delivered more than 250,000 boards for the forts,
bridges, buildings, and posts. It provided large oak timbers to support

the bridges and docks. Timbers would also be used to create twenty-
foot-high dikes. The dikes would separate the park sec-tions. To help
make visitors feel they had left harsh reality, builders placed a high
fence around the park’s border.
Lambert Landscaping Company acquired the contract for providing
the natural scenery. To lead this endeavor, the company chose Lee J.
Enright. He took six months to complete the basic landscaping design.
The task required over 38,000 plants, shrubs, and flowers, involving
more than four hundred varieties. Everything planted had to match the
era being represented.
Enright created a landscaping crew of one hundred men, composed
mainly of college students. Together, they planted everything from tall
trees to individual flowers. They moved at a maddening pace in the
blazing Texas heat.
Angus Wynne chose John Watson to supervise the park’s lighting
installation. Watson approached the project with a philosophy he
called “landscape lighting”. According to Watson, lighting would be
secondary to the immediate area. It would have a natural feel and
enhance the scene instead of overbearing the senses. It would be dif-
ferent for each section and every ride. It had to be relevant to the time
period, so what was good for one area would not be good for another.
John Watson worked on the lighting design months in advance.
The plans continued evolving as the construction crews built the park.
When all the trades finished their jobs, John Watson and his group had
to determine the electricity needed for hundreds of areas. Once this
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was accomplished, they worked eighteen hours a day every day until
they finished the project.
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After a park visit, Angus Wynne decided it should have indoor and
outdoor protection from the weather. He hired Irving I. Brock because
of his work on the Texas Centennial Building. Brock worked at a fast
pace, installing all the air-conditioning.
All this construction started in September 1960. By December, the
crews had finished the earthwork, foundations, and some of the build-
ings. By Mid-June, eighty percent of the park was complete. The pro-
jected opening in August seemed a realistic possibility. The work,
however, never slowed down and actually quickened. It developed in-
to an insane frenzy with carpenters, painters, and electricians toiling
around the clock.
Bob Stephens served as the personnel director of Six Flags. He
faced the daunting task of hiring four hundred workers. College stu-
dents composed the vast majority of applicants. They came in droves
for the part-time positions, filling the office with ordered chaos. After
the dust settled, Stephens acquired more than the number of required
employees.
On orientation day, the employees took a park tour then headed to
the Crazy Horse Saloon, chosen because it had the most air-con-
ditioned space. The staff stressed to each and every employee the im-
portance of park cleanliness. All were required to do their part picking
up trash, regardless of the circumstances. This included management.
Employees were taught that the park didn’t have customers, only

guests. Workers didn’t exist, only hosts and hostesses. All were ex-
pected to smile, be courteous, and handle com-plaints.
After the programming sessions ended, they went to the wardrobe
department. The standard dress code for men involved white pants,
white tennis shoes, a white belt, a straw skimmer hat, and a striped
shirt. Women had to wear a white skirt and blouse, a striped apron, a
big, striped bow, and white tennis shoes. This code was strictly en-
forced and all costumes had to be exactly in place at all times. At the
end of the day, employees dropped off their costumes. They got new
ones when starting the next work day.
Although Bob Stephens chose the workers, he did not pick the live
show entertainers. That job went to the entertainment chief, Stan
McIlvaine. He worked as the manager of the Dallas Rangers baseball
team when he received the offer. He saw the position as a good bus-
iness opportunity and resigned. Stan’s first challenge was auditioning
over a thousand contestants, then choosing 75 from the group. The
tryouts were held in Dallas and Fort Worth. Minstrels, jugglers, wran-
glers, actors, singers, puppeteers, and other acts appeared on the scene.
After two long evenings, McIlvaine made his final decisions.
Angus Wynne wasted no time advertising Six Flags during its
construction. In December 1960, Wynne and Cornelius Wood invited
forty news reporters to an inspection tour of the park. They provided a
running commentary as the group treaded through mud and rain. On
April 27, 1961, Arlington held its fifth annual community fair. Lasting
for three days, it included a stock show, commercial exhibits, and free
entertainment. Wynne took advantage by having the official Six Flags
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stagecoach lead a parade through the downtown area. On June 22nd,
Wynne promoted Six Flags at the Texas Press Association Conven-
tion. After an evening party and morning meeting, Wynne and Wood
provided a tour and press discussion.
26
While construction neared completion, Six Flags opened its doors
for a week of testing and dress rehearsals. During this time, Wynne
privately invited employees from Line Temeo Electronics, Texas In-
struments, Convair, and the Chance Vought Corporation. Approxi-
mately 100,000 visitors arrived to test the park’s functionality. Every-
thing ran smoothly, and Angus Wynne felt confident Six Flags was
ready for business.

CHAPTER FOUR
Angus Wynne didn’t want a repeat of Disneyland’s Black Sunday.
To control crowds on opening day, he chose the Junior League of
Dallas to sell 15,000 tickets. Four hundred volunteers sold them at
twelve stands throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The prices were
$2.75 for adults and $2.25 for children. The drive lasted from August
2nd to August 4th.
Six Flags Over Texas officially opened on August 5, 1961.
Visitors, politicians, and news stations arrived at the entrance. The
opening ceremony took place at the Star Mall. A benediction by
William Dickinson started the event. Angus Wynne and other mem-
bers of the Great Southwest Corporation made short speeches. They
were followed by the mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand
Prairie, and Irving. Afterwards, employees dressed as cowboys, ex-
plorers, pirates, and railroad workers joined together and sang The Six
Flags March. As the music played, five of the six flags were raised.
The Marine Corps then marched into position, played The Star-Span-
gled Banner, and raised the American flag. Meanwhile, the Star Mall
fountain provided a dancing waters display. The gates opened five
minutes later. Teresa Pool, a five-year-old girl from Arlington, be-
came the park’s first visitor. The entire day ran smoothly without inci-
dent. Six Flags received glowing reviews from the press and the
crowds continued coming. It seemed Six Flags would have a bright
future.
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CHAPTER FIVE
Only nine days after opening, Six Flags held its first special event.
Grand Prairie Days took place on August Fourteenth and Fifteenth.
These two days commemorated Six Flags and what it would provide
for the community. City residents could acquire discounted tickets at
various outlets. To build up anticipation, the city held a parade on Au-
gust Twelfth.
On September 3rd, Six Flags Over Texas faced its first controversy.
The Fort Worth Musicians Union placed Six Flags on its Unfair List
that Saturday. It claimed the park paid its entertainers below minimum
wage standards. These standards were set by the Fort Worth Profes-
sional Musicians Association. The union distributed over 50,000 cir-
culars about the transgressions. It suggested that people throughout
the Dallas-Fort Worth area should only attend local shows that paid its
musicians fairly. In addition, 300 letters were sent to various com-
panies. They claimed Six Flags did not employ any union musicians,
actors, or stagehands. This attempt to get Six Flags blacklisted by
local entertainment companies failed miserably. Likewise, the bro-
chure campaign accomplished nothing, and the Unfair List faded into
obscurity.
A construction project started on September Eighth. The Inn of the
Six Flags would be located near Watson School Road. The projected
opening date was May 1962.
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CHAPTER SIX
After Six Flags Over Texas proved itself a success, the Grand Prair-
ie Chamber of Commerce wasted no time taking advantage of the
park. The chamber created a welcoming committee. It was response-
ble for tapping into the possibilities of the tourist industry. All mem-
bers were on 24-hour call duty, available to answer any Six Flags
questions or make convention arrangements with the park. The cham-
ber also assisted with the distribution of brochures and pamphlets to
tourist offices and business corporations. It held seminars to educate
gas station attendants, restaurant employees, hotel staff, and the gen-
eral public on how to greet tourists, provide Six Flags advice, and give
directions to the park. Local businesses received similar sessions.
The civil government started a massive advertising campaign. It
erected signs and billboards with its new city slogan “Gateway to Six
Flags”. It also used the motto on thousands of bumper stickers and
buttons for all the citizens to display. It then mailed over 5,000
pamphlets throughout the nation, urging people to visit Grand Prairie –
the only gateway to Six Flags. These actions rekindled the old rivalry
with Arlington.
The city accused Grand Prairie of riding the coattails of Six Flags.
It pointed to the fact that the park was located in Arlington. The city
of Arlington, however, had little room for complaining about Grand
Prairie taking advantage of Six Flags. It too mailed thousands of bro-
chures and bumper stickers to prospective corporations. For its slogan,
31

the city used the phrase “Arlington - Home of Six Flags”. It erected
signs and produced special postage meter impressions. At trade shows
and conventions, the chamber of commerce held color slide shows
highlighting the theme park. In addition to its advertising and mer-
chandising campaign, the chamber handled daily information requests.
It worked closely with the park in making special arrangements for
civic and business groups. While Grand Prairie and Arlington fought
each other in the tourist business, Six Flags officials enjoyed the free
publicity.
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Grand Prairie and Arlington had much reason to clash over Six
Flags. More than 232,000 people visited in August alone. Final re-
sults estimated a total attendance of 564,000. While the vast majority
were fellow Texans, eleven percent arrived out of state. This success
gave excitement to the Great Southwest Corporation. Gross revenue
for Six Flags totaled 1,180,100 dollars, approximately 300,000 more
than forecasted. As result, the company escaped a loss of 1.6 million
dollars. This economic salvaging forever sealed the park’s future.

PART TWO
THE PARK
OF
1961
33

CHAPTER ONE
Six Flags Over Texas had a parking lot covering 35 acres. It had
enough room for 5,000 vehicles. To assist those in the far reaches, the
park used a special tram for transporting visitors to the front. Each
tram used a tractor-like engine. A red cab pulled three white cars at
fifteen miles per hour. Each car had a white canopy with red stripes.
Two red benches, one facing left and the other right, provided sitting
room for six people. In addition to driving the trams, parking lot em-
ployees gathered litter and collected parking fees. While visitors en-
joyed themselves in the park, workers placed bumper stickers on the
windshields.
Six Flags offered helicopter rides in the parking area outside the
main entrance. The idea came from a man named Utah Rogers. He
had worked for the Great Southwest Railroad, and his wife was serv-
ing the park’s wardrobe department. Rogers thought a helicopter ride
around Six Flags would make a great attraction. He approached
Angus Wynne and volunteered to be a pilot after he finished flight
school. Angus loved the idea, but felt he couldn’t wait for the gradua-
tion. Wynne purchased two helicopters. The ride opened on August
31st, the day after he received approval to operate a heliport. Wynne
planned other uses for the helicopters.
Six Flags used the Ranger Bell 47G and 47J models for the rides.
The small copters were painted white with a blue underbelly. They
had long, thin tails and a bubble-like glass front. For three dollars a
35

person, they took a maximum of three visitors five hundred feet above
the ground. The copters flew for five minutes in a figure eight pattern
before safely landing.
36
To the parking lot’s right lay the main entrance. Seven evergreens
stood before it. When the park opened, the attendants had to stay in-
side the box, wearing the standard striped uniforms. Management pro-
vided a panic button under each register for the employees. When
pushed, the button would create a lock-down until the police and
security patrols arrived.
The cashiers dealt with a pricing system unique to the amusement
world. For decades, parks charged patrons using two systems. One
involved paying cash for each ride. The other required purchasing
tickets then using them for the attractions. Even Disneyland used a
pay-per-ride policy. Wynne disagreed with the establishment and cre-
ated a one-for-all admission price. A single ticket provided instant
access to all rides and attractions. Adults paid $2.75 and children un-
der twelve $2.25. When Six Flags first opened, visitors could walk
around the park for free but not ride anything. This quickly changed to
a discounted fare. And so, there existed two admission prices – one
including rides and one excluding rides. Wynne adopted this two-level
system so parents could enter at a cheaper rate to oversee their
children.
To prevent abuse, the park used an invisible hand stamp. Once the
patron paid the admission, the ticket booth employee used a
mechanical stamp. It released a sticky, yellow ink only visible under a
fluorescent light. Every ride had one of these lights. All visitors had

their hands inspected before boarding. The process had many prob-
lems. During the hot summer days, the ink often smeared. People also
had to wash their hands without removing the mark. The same threat
applied when patrons tried to wipe their hands after eating. The park
eliminated the hand stamp and two admission levels when the Log
Ride opened.
Beyond the entrance lay the Star Mall. Evergreens and flowering
shrubs surrounded the mall’s perimeter. A flower garden and green
lawn rested at the base of the landscape design. The design was a star
within a circle. An octagonal pool in the center spewed water through
three fountains. White periwinkles filled the triangles which com-
posed the star’s five points. Carefully maintained grass covered the
space between each triangle. A footpath ran around the design.
A long pool lay at the Star Mall’s uppermost region. Known as the
Dancing Waters, twelve fountains shot forth water in various patterns
at different heights. Colored lights positioned along the pool’s bottom
illuminated the Dancing Waters at night. The six flags that flew over
Texas stood proudly behind the fountains. On the left side, the Amer-
ican flag waved in the air. It was followed by the Confederate flag,
Texas flag, Mexican flag, Spanish flag, and French flag. This layout
design of the Star Mall remained the same until 1966.
37

CHAPTER TWO
Mexico’s entrance stood on the Star Mall’s left side. Bright, red
bricks composed the walkway beyond. It was bordered by flourishing
tall trees and freshly-cut lawns. Further down, triangular canopies
leaned above the path. They were tautly stretched and fastened to the
ground. Tall, metal poles joined them together in the center. The
colored canopies were surrounded by native flowers covering the land-
scape. At the end of the path, a lively Mexican street market could be
found.
The Mexican Marketplace provided plenty of shopping opportun-
ities. Small stands littered the main thoroughfare. They sold baskets,
pottery, blankets, rugs, carved glassware, and wood carvings. Shops
resembling adobe haciendas sold imports, flowers, and souvenirs.
Bouquet baskets and painted lanterns were hung everywhere.
At any moment, entertainers performed without a schedule. Maria-
chi bands played music with guitars, trumpets, and violins. Ladies
appeared in full costume and danced their partners. Some performed
acts and skits, while others answered questions about Mexico and its
history.
Three Hispanic families earned strong reputations performing in the
Mexico section. During weekdays, the Rios Family played traditional
songs with guitars. They strolled along the pathways singing for vis-
itors. Ava Alonzo and her three sons performed on weekends. During
performances, the children played modern and traditional music while
39

occasionally singing with their mother. When they weren’t playing,
the De Leon family performed. The family did songs with a Latin beat
using marimbas, claves, maracas, and bongo drums.
40
Entertainment could also be found at some of the Mexican restaur-
ants. While guitar players serenaded the patrons, waitresses in tradi-
tional attire served Hispanic dishes. Colorful tapestries covered the
walls, and Mexican designs dominated the furniture. For a lower
price, people could enjoy cuisine at El Chico. For junk food, the Mex-
ican Sidewalk Café and La Taraza Refreshment Stand provided ham-
burgers, hot dogs, French fries, and sodas. These two places stood
near the center of Mexico’s main thoroughfare. The Ferrocarril Fiesta
Train lay to the left and Las Cochese Cabras Goat Cart Ride lay to the
right.
The Ferrocarril Fiesta Train billed itself as The Gayest Train of All.
It promised to provide a humorous look at Mexico and its lifestyle. A
maze of wooden planks created the queue line. Providing protection
from the weather, a yellow red-striped canvas covered the walkway.
Visitors waiting in line listened to the ride's theme song ad nauseam.
At the queue's end, employees counted and designated the visitors.
They donned a straw sombrero, a white shirt or blouse, baggy pants, a
sash belt, and leather sandals or white tennis shoes.
The engine car in front looked like a caboose. It was painted white
with red trimmings. In the front, iron bars protected a section filled
with flowers and plants. Each side displayed a flower-bordered sign
which read, "Xochimilco Gardens". Rug trestles hung underneath the
roof around the entire caboose. Beneath the windows, a white sign

displayed the train's name. The names for the two trains were the El
Cha Cha and the El Cho Cho. A diesel-powered, narrow-gauge engine
pulled the train. Each train had eight passenger cars. The cars made
the Fiesta Train unique and memorable. Each one sported a different
color and floral design. Every car had a large, oversized sombrero for
a roof. All the hats had a different color with a unique brim and band.
For this reason, the attraction became known as The Hat Ride.
The Ferrocarril Fiesta Train started on a straight track. On the right
side, woven baskets lay scattered along the ground. Further down, the
track made a right turn. The train then traveled alongside the attractive
Xochimilco Gardens. After going by a deserted marketplace, it turned
left and passed five dancing hot tamales. A maraca band with three
musicians awaited at the next turn. The following scene involved
three men rocking back and forth on tiny, gray donkeys. After another
left curve, passengers viewed two Mexicans enjoying a siesta. One
slept on the ground while the other drank from a beer keg. The train
made a right turn past two guitarists and a singer. It then approached a
small lake. Boats with floral designs floated on the waters. Those on
board engaged in various leisure activities. On the final turn, the train
reached the final scene. A matador held a red cape for the upcoming
bull fight. Five spectators watched the matador as a big, black bull
approached. Once past the grand finale, the Ferrocarril Fiesta Train
returned to its starting point.
Las Coches Cabras Goat Ride presented itself as a kids’ attraction.
A large, white goat pulled a cart along a narrow path. The pathway
was surrounded on both sides by a wooden fence. The attraction al-
41

lowed a maximum of six carts at any time. The cart itself was ac-
tually the seat of a stagecoach attached to a firm base. Each one held a
maximum capacity of three children.
42

CHAPTER THREE
The Indian Village stood at Mexico's northernmost region. Al-
though it officially belonged to the country's section, its uniqueness
provided autonomy from it. It was built to recognize the part Indians
played in Texas history. Emphasized life before white settlement, the
village contained five grand tepees. Their structure was made from
long, wooden poles thatched together at the top. Together, these te-
pees formed a semi-circle around a stage platform. A bird symbol was
etched in the middle.
Several Indian braves performed tribal dances on this platform.
They performed the Hoop Dance, Shield Dance, and Plains Indian War
Dance. The Indian chief told the back story behind each ceremonial
dance, then played the war drum once the braves started chanting.
When the show ended, the chief and his braves remained on stage,.
They socialized with the public and answered questions about Native
American culture until the next act.
Built like a log cabin with a built-in barn, the Indian Village Trad-
ing Post stood next to the tepees. Rugs and skins decorated the front
entrance. Inside, it sold authentic artifacts, intricate jewelry, and art-
work. From the Indian Village, visitors had the choice to visit Texas
in the East or Spain to the North.
43

CHAPTER FOUR
Spain lay north of the Indian Village. It was the smallest section
and contained only two attractions. A replica of the San Francisco de
los Tejas stood at the main entrance. It was built in 1690 by Catholic
priests. They wanted to Christianize the Indians and maintain a strong
religious presence in the region. They named the building after Saint
Francis and the Indian word for "friend". The park designers carefully
studied the original ruins and built a nine-foot-high stone replica.
An employee dressed in dark robes stood near the entrance, ex-
plaining the role of Spanish missions. Past the entrance on the right
side, visitors could embark on the Conquistadore Mule Pack Coronado
Trek. It was also called the Burro Ride. The attraction represented the
age of Spanish exploration. It ran on the premise that conquistadors
were planning another excursion through the Palo Duro Canyon. They
hoped to find the Seven Gold Cities of Cibola. However, they still
needed to recruit volunteers. The ride's queue house was formed by
wooden poles supporting a thatched roof covered with hay and straw.
Overseeing the attraction, the supervisor wore red and black pants,
long black boots, a metal helmet, and a red coat with white frills. The
mule pack leaders wore a steel helmet, a red vest, a long-sleeved shirt,
purple shorts, pink long-handle underwear, and black boots. They led
a maximum of six along a beaten dirt path. The leader rode a mule
while visitors rode burros. Throughout the journey, there was no spiel,
music, or special landscaping. Leaving the Burro Ride, visitors ap-
45

proached an intersection. The Confederacy area stood straight ahead
and the Texas section lay to the left and right.
46

CHAPTER FIVE
A frontier settlement represented the Texas section. It was named
after Johnson Creek River, which separated the region into two parts.
The northern half contained shops and two rides. The southern part
was a recreation of the Wild West.
The northern half started outside the entrance to the Spanish section.
A bridge crossed Johnson Creek. It was composed of heavy, thick
planks tightly fastened on a basic frame. To form the handrails, timber
logs were connected to fake wood posts.
Four major stores awaited on the other side. On the left side, Fan-
cies For Women and Girls stood next to Fancies for Men and Boys.
Pom-Pom Hats sold headwear across the street. Next door, Jean's
Western Wear sold boots, saddles, and guns in addition to Western
clothing and accessories.
Facing the railroad station, the Depot Café served burgers, French
fries, hot dogs, and other types of junk food. The place looked like an
old, battered, two-story house. Benches lay on both sides of the en-
trance. To the left of the building, picnic tables lay underneath a
wooden roof. A covered wagon on the side lawn was converted into a
lunch counter.
Across the street, the Texas Astrolift Station modeled itself after a
lumber mill. Inside, wood fences and posts formed a maze-like design
for the queue line. Nearby, a blacksmith produced a wide variety of
products. He used only those tools available during the pioneer days.
47

In addition to making and selling his wares, he also provided lectures
and demonstrations.
48
The Watermelon Patch was situated further down the street, almost
facing the railroad station. A long, wooden fence enclosed a large, cir-
cular area. Two wooden poles at the entrance hoisted a banner dis-
playing the area's name. Beyond the sign, picnic tables littered the
ground with big shade trees towering above. A covered stand held ice-
cold watermelons waiting to be sold. Every weekend, someone drove
a truck to an East Texas farm. Workers loaded melons and traveled
straight to the patch. This provided fresh-off-the-vine watermelons for
customers.
Visitors could ride the Six Flags Railroad at the Great Southwest
Station. It was located at the park’s northernmost point. The name la-
ter changed to Johnson Creek Station, but became known as the Texas
Depot. It looked like an old house. Gas lanterns hung on each side of
the double doors. Above them, a white sign read, "Passenger Station -
Six Flags Railroad".
The interior resembled an old-fashioned train station. To the left,
several wood benches with metal arms sat in front of each other. On
the right, schedules and notices were posted on the wall next to the
office window. A mannequin dressed as the station manager sat in-
side the office. Sitting at a desk, he was busy sending a message in
Morse code. The desk in front of him sported a half-eaten sandwich, a
large slice of chocolate cake, and a train schedule. The door leading to
the boarding area lay straight ahead. After going through a turnstile,
visitors gathered under a long roof.

When Six Flags officials started their search for train engines, they
received several phone calls. They learned about a Louisiana planta-
tion owner who possessed four engines.
Isadore Patout married Appeline Fournier in Paris, France then
traveled to America. He founded Enterprise Plantation, which was
located next to Patoutville. He stopped raising grapes when he dis-
covered that sugar cane grew more easily. After building a mill, Isa-
dore constructed a large, Southern colonial house. The plantation
thrived in these early years. The only threat came during the Civil
War when Union troops marched into the area. Isadore Patout bought
three trains from the Porter Company in 1897. He named them after
his daughters. In 1901, he bought an engine from the American Loco-
motive Company and called it the Mary Anne. The trains were used
for hauling sugar cane to Iberia. They also provided transporttation for
shopping trips, parties, and social events. Isadore's daughter Betsy la-
ter inherited the engines.
Betsy made an agreement with Six Flags representatives to rent the
Mary Ann and Lydia on a yearly basis. After the deal was completed,
the new owners renamed them. The Mary Anne became the General
Sam Houston, also known as the Green Train. The Lydia became the
Mirabeau B. Lamar, also called the Red Train.
After obtaining them, it soon became evident the train engines
needed remodeling. Both possessed wood burners which had to be
converted to burn diesel fuel. On the Red Train, they placed a cover-
ing for the engineer and added additional windows. For the Green
Train, they modified the front smokestack. Unfortunately, when Six
49

Flags opened its gates, the Red Train had not been completed. And so
the General Sam Houston served alone.
50
The Green Train reached a maximum speed of ten miles per hour.
It traveled an average of sixty to seventy miles each day. The track
itself was one-and-a-half miles long. The engine pulled four cars car-
rying over three hundred passengers. Each open-aired car was painted
solid green and had no door. The seats resembled L-shaped benches
underneath a beam-supported roof. All these features made the cars
look like oversized trolleys.
As the train started its journey, it passed a water tower before
crossing a bridge over Johnson Creek. Beyond the bridge, the train
passed longhorns and bison. After going through a tunnel and past the
Mexico section, passengers entered Indian hunting grounds. Outlaws
occasionally stopped the train, demanding money and poking fun at
the passengers. Eventually, they were thwarted and the ride continued.
The train crossed another bridge over Johnson Creek before arriving
back at the Great Southwest Station. Throughout the journey, a rail-
road worker delivered a spiel through a CB microphone.
The southern half of the Texas section had a cemetery, hotel,
courthouse, post office, saloon, tobacco shop, jailhouse, bank, barber
shop, butcher shop, and schoolhouse. Next to the Johnson Creek
bridge, lay a small cemetery behind a wooden rail. Tombstones of all
shapes and sizes covered the ground. A large, tall building housed a
tobacco shop across from the cemetery. Three steps lead to the oak
porch. A wooden Indian statue holding cigars stood beside the front
door. Inside, customers encountered a vast array of tobacco products.

The white jailhouse sat next door. It had a small porch, a sign
above the front door, and a cell window with metal bars. The window
allowed people to take a peek. A mannequin posed as an old man
taking a nap. An audio track provided the character with a loud,
continuous snore. To complete the effect, a pump allowed the chest to
rise and fall as the mouth opened and closed.
The Texas Courthouse stood next to the jail. Four steps led to a
wooden porch with a stone base. White pillars supported the ceiling.
A park bench sat in the corner next to a green door. On the other side,
a large, oak door provided entry into the courthouse. However, it al-
ways remained locked. Along the left side, a small stand sold freshly-
squeezed lemonade for only fifty cents.
A post office, butcher shop, and bank laid on the other side. The
post office was designed to have an antique look. Visitors could enter
the place and purchase postcards, stamps, envelopes, and other sta-
tionery items. The butcher shop never sold any meat. Instead, a re-
tired salesman demonstrated various meat cuts and answered ques-
tions about the trade. The shop also displayed old-fashioned tools of
the trade, including meat grinders and sausage makers. The Overton
Bank next to the butcher shop remained locked.
The Texas Gunfight took place in this area of town. The perform-
ance originally required six people - one to portray Judge Roy Bean,
one to play the sheriff, two for the outlaws, and two extras. Each
show promised to be different because the performers had three differ-
ent plots to choose from - a bank robbery, a jail break, and horse
thievery. Unlike later show performances, the story was treated with a
51

certain amount of gravitas. After the crime was committed, the sheriff
always confronted the bad guys. The outlaws then retreated toward
the Johnson Creek Bridge. Judge Roy Bean rounded up a posse, pur-
sued the outlaws, and engaged them in a heated, final gunfight. The
show ended with Roy Bean's victory over the bad guys.
52
Yet, the actors didn't always follow the script. The Texas Court-
house became the favorite spot for ending the show because it was
near opening scene’s location. Additionally, the actors portraying the
outlaws deliberately tried to defeat the good guys. On one of many
occasions, a bad guy tried to outdraw the sheriff before he finished his
line. The lawman saw the intention and fired first. This scared the
outlaw so badly, the gun accidentally went off. To prevent such inci-
dents, the actors were supposed to only wear loaded guns if they were
scripted to fire a shot. They also had to use careful aiming to ensure
no one got injured by the blanks. After the gunfight show, the actors
signed autographs and posed for pictures. They also sat on the court-
house porch, socializing with visitors until the next performance. The
Texas Gunfight proved an enormous success and became one of the
most popular shows at Six Flags.
Further down the street, a horse buggy was parked next to the Do-
gie Hotel and Boarding House. The white building had an angular,
shingled roof. Above the door, a sign declared the low price of 25
cents a bed. Inside, visitors saw what hotels were like in the Old West.
A birdcage near the doorway contained a large parrot. It talked to
people as they walked by, teasing and flirting with the gals while kid-
ding and insulting the guys. In actuality, a man hiding behind a two-

way mirror served as the parrot's voice. The parrot act became a pop-
ular mini-attraction for a long time.
A red schoolhouse stood at the end of the street. A sign hanging
near the entrance read, "Skool closed, gone cotton pickin’". The
school, however, was never closed. It served as a place for lost chil-
dren. They played with toys, read books, wrote on the blackboard, and
worked on projects. The children remained there under the super-
vision of Linda Gullino and her two assistants.
The L-shaped Crazy Horse Saloon provided musical entertainment
next door. The long section ran parallel to the walkway. It was paint-
ed brown with a yellow border. The building had large, stable-like
awning over the main entrance. A long, red sign between two pillars
displayed the show’s name. The light-blue section extending to the
main pathway resembled a small store. It sported two small pos-ters
advertising Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Pepsi. An old, bare tree with
only one limb held the saloon’s main sign. The central feature of the
sign was a smiling cartoon horse.
Customers entered the saloon at any time. They ordered soft drinks
and sandwiches from small, circular tables. When no empty ones
existed, standing room was permitted. The saloon provided an almost
continuous live show. The wait staff was dressed in white and red uni-
forms. They performed every thirty minutes, singing and dancing a
wide variety of songs. The repertoire ranged from Traditional and
Country to Broadway and Jazz. Once they finished, the group cleaned
tables, took orders, and performed acts between shows. When the pi-
anos started, it signaled the beginning of the next performance. The
53

staff had to stop what they were doing and get on stage. This cycle
repeated itself throughout the day.
54

CHAPTER SIX
Located east of the Texas schoolhouse, four Roman pillars marked
the entrance to the Confederacy section. A two-story Southern home
provided an outlet for portrait artists. They provided their services us-
ing pastels, acrylics, charcoal, and ink. The painters hung examples of
their work on the inside walls and displayed them along the front yard.
The Old Fashioned Coffee House next door served coffee, tea, pre-
pared sandwiches, and pastries.
Across the street, Mrs. Goff's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor of-
fered a wide variety of flavors. It became one of the most popular
places to stop and eat. The U-shaped parlor was painted white. In-
stead of walls, the builders used window panes. Large, red-and-white
striped canvases formed awnings over the antique tables and chairs.
Near the ice cream parlor, the Six Flags Gazette sold its newspaper
for ten cents. Each issue carried articles on the shows and attractions.
Advertisements displayed shops and restaurants available to patrons.
Despite its useful, the newspaper didn’t last very long.
On the right side, a tall, blue building was home to Leonard's
General Store. A large, red emporium with a barn-like structure sold
goods next door. Further down, a candy store and print shop sold their
products to customers.
Visitors had three directions to follow at the end of the street. To
the left, patrons dined at Naler's Plantation House. Willis Naler owned
many poultry joints in Oak Cliff when he founded the park's largest
55

estaurant. It mainly served fried chicken, pies, cola, and coffee. It
was a large, two-story house modeled after plantation homes of the
South. In front of the porch, an assortment of tables littered the
grounds underneath the shade of cypress trees.
56
Further down on the right side laid the entrance to the Butterfield
Overland Stagecoach. Passengers went on a mail run to the town of
Butterfield, facing all sorts of dangers along the way. The six Concord
held a maximum of fifteen passengers - three on top facing backward,
three on top facing forward, six sitting inside, two sitting shot-gun, and
the driver. Only adults sat on the roof while the children rode inside.
One lucky kid had the privilege of sitting with the driver. Four palo-
minos pulled the stagecoach along a natural dirt trail.
During the first segment, the stagecoach traveled across prairie
land. Suddenly, a gang of outlaws belonging to Sam Bass stopped the
coach. Passengers had to get out as the gang poked fun at them and
fired their guns. The outlaws then started debating who they would
rob first. At this juncture, the driver frightened them away and every-
one got back inside.
At the midpoint of the half-mile track, the coach passed a tiny herd
of four bison. Further down, the stagecoach splashed across a water
inlet and passed the remains of a covered wagon. The rest of the trip
remained uneventful until the coach finally arrived back to its base.
The performing stage for the Six Flags Confederate Drill Team lay
to the right of the main thoroughfare's end. The idea came from Sam
Nesmith, who wanted to display his Civil War artifact collection for
the public. Although the offer was turned down, park officials adopted

his suggestion to form a Confederate troop. It consisted of seven
privates and a general. The soldiers wore gray uniforms, small gray
caps, and leather boots. The leader donned a gray uniform, a sword-
carrying sash, knee-high leather boots, and a hat with an upturned side.
Together, the men marched down the main street and halted at a de-
signated stop. They performed routines and maneuvers before an aud-
ience. Near the end of the show, a strolling minstrel started acting like
a nuisance. When the drill team finished, the leader exposed the min-
strel as a Yankee spy. The soldiers marched the spy toward the Con-
federate camp, where they tied him to a tree and shot him dead.
The camp contained four tents, a seating area, two large cannons,
and a rifle depository. In front of it, enlistment rallies were held. Tall
poles hoisted illustrated banners with messages like “Enlist Texas
Calvary", and "Join The Texas Brigade”. After the Six Flags March-
ing Band and Confederate Drill Team performed, the general made a
speech. He encouraged people to volunteer for the armed forces to
protect family and property. The spectating children then stood in line
for recruitment. The boys joined the Confederate Army while the girls
entered the Nurse Corps. Once everyone had been sworn in by the
general, the boys practiced drill maneuvers and the girls learned first
aid.
Heading right, visitors encountered the Lil' Dixie Carousel. Unlike
modern ones, it relied upon the strength of a mule. Because the fe-
males operating the carousel were called jennies, the ride was nick-
named "The Flying Jenny". A central pole had several smaller ones
extending from it. Bars suspended riders from these poles. The mule
57

was attached to the central pole. So whenever it moved, the benches
holding the passengers moved as well.
58
Next to the Lil' Dixie Carousel, the Six Flags Amphitheater provid-
ed live entertainment. Construction of the Amphitheatre began on July
13, 1961. A farm's water hole was chosen for the location because it
was situated on the slant of a hill. This made the construction easier
and cheaper. The stage of the Amphitheatre was a square block of
concrete. It had two wings on each side and a fence around the back-
stage area. Instead of chairs, visitors sat on rows of long, concrete
benches. They were capable of seating 900 guests. However, there
was no roof of any kind. The Amphitheatre boasted outdoor air condi-
tioning and a large speaker system. Unlike other entertainment ven-
ues, performances only occurred during the evening. They had to be
canceled if foul weather descended upon the park. In the beginning,
the Amphitheatre had no lighting. There were no spotlights or spot
platforms, just the lights shining from the surrounding trees. The only
time Six Flags provided proper lighting was during rare special events.
On such occasions, a spotlight was rented.
The Amphitheater presented the Six Flags Revue during its first
season. It was performed three times every evening. The show started
with the Six Flags Marching Band playing the park’s theme song.
After the Six Flags Over Texas March ended, Javonne and Vicki
Braga performed song and dance routines. Jack Hines displayed his
talents of puppetry. Afterwards, an accordionist played a few songs.
The Dixieland Band took modern tunes and adapted them to its genre.

For the grand finale, everyone appeared on stage as the Six Flags
Marching Band played the theme song once more.
The Six Flags Marching Band performed throughout the entire
park, playing music relevant to the current section. At any time, it ap-
peared in the unlikeliest of places. The band often served as a crowd
control tool. Wherever traffic thickened, it appeared and led guests
into less populated areas.
The band consisted of fourteen members. Each one wore white
pants and white dress shoes. A long-sleeved blue jacket fitted over a
red shirt. To complete the attire, members wore a red cap with a white
visor. These fourteen musicians worked under the directorship of Har-
ry Bartan. Through his guidance, the band became a popular feature
of Six Flags.
59

CHAPTER SEVEN
Straight ahead from the main thoroughfare lay the port to Skull
Island. Although it was part of the Confederacy section, most visitors
considered it a separate entity. A wooden queue house with a straw
roof led to the loading zone below. The Skull Rafts were the only way
to and from the island. They carried visitors along the western shore
and down the other side. Powered by hidden gas engines, the hand-
railed transports looked like a bunch of logs tied together.
Originally called Outlaw Island, the attraction promoted itself as an
playground for all ages. The theme behind Skull Island surrounded the
Juan Lafayette and other Gulf Coast pirates. According to the back
story, Skull Island served as one of Lafayette's hideouts. It was also
the place where he buried a vast fortune in treasure. Workers dressed
in pirate costumes. The outfit included white, baggy pants, a red-
striped shirt, a bandanna, and tennis shoes.
A black pirate flag displaying a cartoon skull waved at the entrance
where the guests disembarked. Employees greeted visitors, spinning
tales about the place and its fictional past. Nature trails ran throughout
the forested island. At one juncture, a wooden bridge crossed over a
river inlet. The Tree Slide stood on the other side. The fiberglass tree
towered forty feet high. A steel spiral staircase led to the top. Once
there, visitors received a burlap sack. Because the sack had no
handles, riders had to grab it by the edges. This sometimes caused peo-
ple to burn their hands when contacting with the slide. Inside the hol-
61

low tree, flickering lights gave the sensation that riders were descend-
ing at a faster rate. At the bottom, they flew out the tree, often landing
backwards or upside-down.
62
Skull Rock served as the central attraction of the island. Located
on the southern-most tip, it stood on a hill two stories high. At night,
the skull was illuminated by a pale-blue light. Little lights twinkled in
the trees around it. Skull Rock had two enormous holes for the eyes.
An elongated indentation served as a nose. A long, rectangular gap
became the mouth. Uneven, crooked, and broken teeth filled the bot-
tom right section. Only two teeth remained on the top's left side. Af-
ter climbing a wooden staircase, visitors could enter the skull's back
and peer through the eye sockets. They zigzagged to the hill’s bottom
using the Skull Slide.

CHAPTER EIGHT
The France section lay directly east of the Six Flags Amphitheater.
It contained two attractions. A replica of Fort St. Louis marked the
entrance. It represented the age of French exploration and coloniza-
tion. Sieur de la Salle established the original fort in 1685. Named af-
ter the ruling king, it was located along the Lavaca River near Mata-
gorda Bay. Settlers abandoned the place four years later af-ter suffer-
ing from Indian raids.
The replica was built using seven truckloads of rough timber. It
stood fifteen feet high. Three long poles formed a door-like frame at
the gate entrance. Inside the fort, a lookout post stood across from a
cannon. A stairway inside the post allowed kids to view the river be-
low. The entrance road split into two directions at this juncture. The
pathway heading right led to the Modern America section. The other
went to the star attraction.
La Salle's Riverboat Expedition followed the premise that passen-
gers would travel down the Lavaca River. Afterwards, they would
meet with La Salle for one of his expeditions. The ten-minute ride dis-
embarked from a large, concrete dock. After making a turn down the
river, the boat passed a gray wolf on an outstretched log. It drove to-
ward an abandoned campsite destroyed by Indians. The boat then ap-
proached a Spanish fort. It had three canons extending from its win-
dows. A conquistador rose from the fort wall and waved his sword.
Immediately, the canons fired, each one blasting three times.
63

64
After escaping from the Spanish fort, passengers saw two French
scouts hanging from a tree. The captain stopped further down the river
to seek advice from a fur trader. The voyage continued and people
found themselves in the middle of a gun battle. On one side, the Indi-
ans shot their rifles. On the other, the French hid behind leaking bar-
rels, occasionally rising to fire a quick shot.
The boat continued down the river and passed an angry alligator. It
laid on the shore and opened its mouth threateningly. The boat then
arrived at an Indian village. A medicine man danced around a fire in
front of the main dwelling. Young maidens spent their time washing
their clothes in the river. After an encounter with a cougar, passengers
viewed live flamingos and alligators. Passengers then viewed a beaver
colony responsible for collapsing a tree near the boat.
The ride came to a halt when the riverboat reached a dead end at a
waterfall. As the captain stopped the boat, the water parted and a rock
wall opened. Once the riverboat entered the cave, the wall resealed
itself and trapped the passengers. After a short period of complete
darkness, lights illuminated the cave. They exposed a treasure trove
filled with gold, jewelry, and human remains. Another cave wall
opened in exchange for not attempting to steal the treasure. Leaving
the cave, passengers found themselves headed toward the main dock.
La Salle's River Boat Expedition experienced several changes
throughout the years. One of the first was the removal of the live alli-
gators and flamingos. The birds started disappearing without a trace
while others tried to leave the area. Officials quickly discovered the
gators had found an escape route from their cage. Management decid-

ed to get rid of the alligators and sent the flamingos to the Animal
Kingdom section.
The hanging scene existed for a long time until growing public sen-
timent led to its dismissal. At the campsite, the park added a captain
hunched over a treasure chest. An entire pack joined the lone gray
wolf near a pile of bones. Past the wolf pack, an incomplete log
mission stood in the background as Indians carried logs for its
construction. Meanwhile a friar read a scroll and gave an occasional
nod.
After passing the animated alligator, passengers encountered an as-
sortment of new additions. An Indian war canoe appeared then moved
behind some bushes. A wild boar on the left side gazed at the river,
and a growling bear on the right side rose from its hiding spot. Next to
an Indian burial ground, a bear leading its cubs was stealing some
honey. After the cougar scene, a bear swung its paws to fight off five
timber wolves. Visitors next witnessed a hand reaching out of a
whirlpool, grasping a tree limb. A warrior band of Indians gathered on
both sides of the river near the waterfall.
As the visitors traveled on the cruise, they listened to the captain
deliver a running commentary. In the beginning, the spiels were filled
with historical facts. Employees had to follow them exactly. How-
ever, as time went by, the employees were allowed to improvise as
long as it was clean.
The captains took heart in the spiel, changing and adjusting it to
suit their sense of humor. They held contests on who could endure the
most performances without a break. They also competed for who
65

could deliver the best spiel. Each crew member wore a striped pull-
over shirt, a straw skimmer hat, white pants, and white tennis shoes.
The foreman donned a dark-blue admiral coat, a black Hornblower hat,
white pants, and white tennis shoes.
66
Opening procedures involved placing the boats onto the main track
and making sure all the animations worked. All problems were report-
ed to the maintenance crew. During these few hours, new workers un-
derwent training for their first two days. They learned how to drive
the boat, received a copy of the spiel, and taught how to perform it.
The closing duties involved storing the boats. All the vessels were
placed at a dry dock. It was located behind a locked gate next to the
Spanish fort. Moving the river boats to the dock required two people -
one to drive and the other to switch the track. Afterwards, the boat
entered reverse and floated in the water. The workers tied the boat to a
dock and plugged it into a battery charger. The maintenance crew held
the responsibility of turning off the animations.
The riverboats moved past these animations along an artificial
river. The water level only reached three feet high. During the off-
season, workers completely drained the river to remove the debris and
muck. The sides and bottom were composed completely of concrete.
Construction workers built a channel inside the river bottom.
Each boat had two rods attached to its hull. These rods reached
into the channel. A car tire was mounted on each one. The tire would
roll against the sides of the channel as the riverboat moved forward.
Even with this design, many of the boats occasionally jumped out of
the track, or they got jammed at the bottom of the river bed.

The employees had two solutions for this problem. First, the cap-
tain could blow an emergency whistle until the supervisor came. After
explaining the situation, the other employees pushed the boat back into
the channel. Second, the captain could put the riverboat into reverse.
This placed the front wheel back into the channel because the back
wheel would act as a guide for the other one.
La Salle's Riverboat Expedition used a total of six boats. They
were named Elizabeth, Marguerite, Annabell, Nadine, Suzanne, and
Belle. Rules required the operation of two boats at all times. As
crowds increased, more were added from the dry dock. If a busy day
was anticipated, workers pulled extra vessels before the park opened.
Each boat was 25 feet long and carried a maximum of thirty guests. A
PA system hung from the ceiling. At the front, a control box allowed
the captain to control the speed and direction. Pushing the lever up
propelled the boat forward. Pulling it down served the dual purpose of
reversing the vessel and slowing it down. The New York Boat Com-
pany originally designed the cypress riverboats. The vessels were
powered by inboard diesel engines positioned in the middle of the
boat. The park later replaced them with outboard gasoline engines and
positioned them near the front. On the roof, a little trip wire extended
outward like an antenna. This device set off the various animations as
the boat approached. The captain could prevent all the animations
from starting by bending the antenna down. This practice became use-
ful when driving the boats to the dry dock.
67

CHAPTER NINE
The passageway moving through France led to the Modern
America section. Borrowing from Disneyland, the theme featured ele-
ments of the future and the existing present day. Straight ahead from
the entrance lay the Astrolift station. The park painted the metal struc-
ture red and white.
The Astrolift provided a grand view of the park. It allowed visitors
to travel between the Texas and Modern America sections. The ride
was based upon the gondola transportation system used in Europe.
The Swiss company Von Roll, Ltd. constructed the ride. Its final cost
was 300,000 dollars. Von Roll finished producing the towers, cars,
and cables in July 1961. Seven hundred semi-trucks unloaded the im-
ported contents. A massive workforce built fifty-foot-high towers and
installed 2,100 feet of cable. The cables were secured by a twenty-ton
counterweight located at the Texas station.
Workers painted the gondola cars a variety of colors. They also
added numbers for identification and maintenance. The Astrolift had a
total of 25 cars. Each one weighed 550 pounds and traveled five to six
miles per hour. A single car held a maximum capacity of five passen-
gers.
In the morning, the supervisors carefully inspected the ride. Any
problems or discrepancies were immediately sent to maintenance. Af-
ter a confirmation all was well, the foreman called the workers to turn
on the ride. The employees accomplished this by turning a large crank
69

in the motor room. Once the ride started, the supervisor ordered some-
one to retrieve ice water for the day.
70
The Astrolift group consisted of four positions - the catcher, swing-
er, loader, and tripper. The catcher caught the incoming car. After
slowing it down, the catcher opened the door for the passengers. As
the guests left the gondola, he held the car steady by grabbing the back
bumper. The catcher also made sure no cars entered the station while
the present one was unloading.
The swinger had a much easier job. He mainly caught the door as it
opened and assisted people out of the cars. After grabbing the door
and front bumper, he swung the gondola to the loading zone. The
swinger also pursued the car to slow it down and open the door for the
loader.
The loader designated the guests so each car was full. After
inserting a handle, the loader made certain the car was against the
inner railing. Afterwards, he pulled the car forward, closed the door,
and removed the handle. He then caught up with the gondola to slow
it down. This was done to prevent it from bumping into the car ahead
of it.
The tripper position double-checked the gondola’s door. He
positioned the car into a mechanism which allowed it to ride the cable.
The car remained there until the trip button was pushed. If it got stuck,
the employee pulled a large handle to release it. He also had the re-
sponsibility to space the cars and prevent enormous bottlenecks. The
tripper accomplished this by observing the previous car's ascent to-
ward the first tower. He also communicated with the other station’s

tripper. When the cable or one of the stations had too many cars, they
released empty ones to clear the jam. The trippers temporarily shut
down the ride if a gondola derailed, a guest was in danger, or workers
failed to keep up with the flow of incoming cars.
The closing process started thirty minutes before the Astrolift shut
down. The Modern America station always started first. It asked the
Texas station to widen the intervals between the gondolas. This al-
lowed the crew to place the cars into a holding area. After the last car
made its final journey, the ride was completely shut down.
During this time and on slow nights, the crew occasionally pulled
pranks on each other. A favorite involved hiding inside a car, then
jumping out to scare the hapless victims. Another one was filling a car
with ice water and sending it to the other station. In addition to the
pranks, the two teams often boasted who worked the hardest and held
contests to prove it.
Between seasons, the maintenance crew cleaned and repainted the
cars. They then greased the wheels that rolled along the cable. The
workers traveled to the towers by using a wire maintenance cart. They
climbed upon the towers, greased and oiled the wheels, and checked
the other mechanisms. When they finished, the Astrolift was ready for
a new season.
Originally sponsored by Humble Oil, the Happy Motoring Freeway
existed next door to the Astrolift. The attraction was built by Arrow
Development. Started in 1946, the company began as a machine shop.
It was founded by World War II veterans Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon.
The duo slowly built their business around the amusement park indust-
71

y. They concentrated on ordinary, standard rides. The company got
Walt Disney’s attention in 1953 when it designed a carousel for San
Jose, California. Disney hired Arrow Development that same year to
help design and build several rides. They helped create Dumbo’s Fly-
ing Elephants, Snow White’s Adventures, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
72
The entrance to the Happy Motoring Freeway’s queue house looked
like a gas station. A large, red sign read "Happy Motoring!". When
the sponsoring company changed its name to Exxon, the park added a
smiling tiger on top of the sign. Employees dressed as service station
attendants greeted visitors and divided them into pairs.
The vehicles were futuristic sports cars traveling along a turnpike.
They actually looked like everyday automobiles traveling along a
small street. Surrounded by towering trees and overflowing bushes,
the track had a metal strip to prevent the cars from leaving the road.
The ride had 23 vehicles. Using a twelve-horsepower engine, they
drove four to five miles per hour. Each one was painted red, white, or
blue. For safety, mechanics added special bumpers to cushion the im-
pact of colliding cars. They also installed a mechanism which protect-
ed the wheels whenever they hit the metal strip.
The Sidewinder stood near the Happy Motoring entrance. It was
designed as a wild mouse rollercoaster. The first one was created by a
German designer named Franz Mac. The park originally wanted the
Sidewinder to have a wooden structure like those made in Europe.
However, officials turned to the Allen Herschell Company, which
favored a steel design. Alan Hershel established his business during
1915 in North Tonawanda, New York. It specialized in making rides

for carnivals. It also mass-produced carousels on a large scale. The
company soon became an international sensation with a strong reputa-
tion for quality.
The Sidewinder’s track made a steep incline. It then moved back
and forth, steadily descending to the ground. It made one tight turn
after another with an occasional dip along the straight sections. The
cars only held two passengers and were barely wider than the track.
The two front wheels remained underneath the car near the middle.
These features helped create the illusion that the passengers would fall
off the track at any moment.
A series of stores lay north at the Modern Exhibits Building. The
Pom-Pom Hat Shop earned a strong reputation for selling flamboyant
headgear. Sun-and-fun hats became the most popular because they
looked adventurer hats. Each one had a large plume feather extending
from the band. Miss Abigail’s Gift Shop sported an old spinning
wheel in the display window. It specialized in antiques and homemade
candy treats. The biggest store in the area was the Highlands His-
torical Press Bookshop. Guarded by members of his family, Ted May-
born displayed a rare collection of state literature. He also had old
Texas books, prints, and documents available for sale.
To the left of the Exhibits Building along a small path, the Missile
Chaser awaited patrons. The Missile Chaser was a scrambler ride, first
built in 1955 by the Eli Bridge Company. It became a wild sensation
that year with over two hundred orders. The scramblers became pop-
ular with operators. The ride attracted patrons, required little main-
73

tenance, and operated at a low price. Other manufacturers saw the
ride's success and created their own versions.
74
The Missile Chaser had three long arms. Four cars were attached to
each arm by a mechanism called a cluster. When the ride started, the
arms and clusters rotated. The outermost part moved slowly while the
innermost part moved quickly. The difference in speed created the il-
lusion one car would collide with another. Eventually, all the cars
slowed down as the ride came to an end.

CHAPTER TEN
The extremely popular Animal Kingdom was a section unto itself.
Sponsored by Southwestern Life Insurance, it existed south of the Mo-
dern Exhibits Building. A large, white building with colored spires
marked the entrance. To the right, a green fence encased pool filled
with seals. A ceiling provided shade for the marine animals. After the
shows, the park allowed children to pet the seals and feed them fish.
To the left, a large tent covered a petting zoo. It became so pop-
ular, the visitors referred to the whole area as the Petting Zoo. Inside
the tent, visitors petted the animals and fed them crackers, cornmeal,
seeds, and milk. The zoo had goats, ducks, pigs, rabbits, donkeys,
llamas, monkeys, kangaroos, wallabies, and deer. Between seasons,
the animals stayed on a nearby farm.
The main attraction of the Animal Kingdom was located inside a
special pen just outside the petting zoo. The occupant was an elephant
named Sis Flagg. Angus Wynne Jr. bought the baby Indian elephant
in December 1960 for two thousand dollars. The price led to a com-
mon joke explaining why its last name had two Gs. The name got
chosen because it sounded feminine and allowed management to
promote the park.
When Sis Flagg finally arrived in Arlington, she was six months
old and forty inches high. Not only could the children feed and pet the
elephant, the employees allowed them to ride her.
75

PART THREE
THE
FORMATIVE
YEARS
1962 - 1963
77

CHAPTER ONE
The year of 1962 started optimistically for the Great Southwest
Corporation. The Great Southwest Industrial District attracted fifty
new leases and sales. It added 1,400,000 square feet of building space.
It also placed 2,200 undeveloped acres on the market. Officials in-
tended to open a helicopter division.
Wanting a foothold in tourism, the GSC started construction on a
hotel close to the theme park. The Inn of the Six Flags carried a price
tag of 1,125,000 dollars. The hotel used a southwestern theme. It
boasted a hundred rooms, three pools, a restaurant, a private club, a
banquet room, and business meeting facilities. When the hotel opened
in May, Donald Atwood served as the temporary innkeeper. L. Ray
Dietrich replaced him in August.
Park officials had high hopes for Six Flags. They predicted at least
1.5 million visitors during the second season. It would open on April
20th and close on Thanksgiving Day. In April, the park would only
operate on the weekends from nine to ten. For the month of May, it
would open one hour later and close an hour earlier. Six Flags would
be open seven days a week for the summer, starting in June. The park
would switch back to its weekend-only schedule on September Sixth.
As opening day neared, Six Flags started the enormous, grueling
process of hiring the 915 workers needed to fully staff the park. High
school seniors and college students flooded the human resources de-
79

partment by the thousands. In addition to hiring the regular workers,
park officials contended with the first annual Campus Revue.
80
The Campus Revue was inspired by concerts performed by college
students at the Hotel Adolphus in 1958. Angus Wynne chose Charles
Meeker, Jr. to produce and direct the show in the form of a Broadway
musical. He had plenty of experience working for the Dallas State
Fair Park Musicals.
To assist him, David T. Blackburn entered the spotlight. Blackburn
began his career working for the Municipal Auditorium and Coliseum
in Lubbock, Texas. From 1951 to 1955, he was the assistant manager
of the Dallas State Fair Park Musicals. Afterwards, he became direc-
tor of public relations and advertising for the GSC and Six Flags. The
park's director of entertainment Stanley McIlvaine also lent a helping
hand. When the trio got together, they hired Eugene Patrick to com-
pose the original music. For choreography, they chose Johnny and
Aubrey Simmons.
Talent Scouts traveled to various colleges and universities through-
out the Southwest. Meanwhile, Meeker, Blackburn, and McIlvaine
held tryouts in Fort Worth and Dallas. Over 800 attended the audi-
tions. From this group, 26 made the final cut for the Campus Review.
Six Flags Over Texas officially opened on April 20, 1962. On May
18th, L.V. King became the first employee casualty. He entered the
bison pen located along the Butterfield Stagecoach trail. King tried to
rope the bison; but it charged him, threw him down, and gored him in
the stomach. A few days later, the medical staff placed him in fair
condition.

Patty Cipriano became the one millionth guest on July 13, 1962.
The teenager from Hurst, Texas received a golden pass, a free week-
end stay at the Inn of the Six Flags, a helicopter ride over the park, and
the traditional red carpet treatment.
Six Flags once again rescued the Great Southwest Corporation from
the red ink of debt. Thanks to the park, the GSC received a net profit
of 565,246 dollars.
81

CHAPTER TWO
Before the 1962 season, Six Flags Over Texas built new attractions
and remodeled old ones. The total amount surpassed 500,000 dollars.
This included the acquisition of a double-decker bus. It was originally
bought to service guests at the Inn of the Six Flags. However,
management changed its mind and used it in the parking lot.
Officials wanted an old-fashioned New York City bus used during
the 1920s. After several months of searching, one was found in Hous-
ton. It originally operated the route from New York's Riverside Drive
to Grant's Tomb. Years after the bus was decommissioned, a Holly-
wood company used it for a movie. Afterwards, it collected dust in a
Houston warehouse.
Getting the bus to the park became an adventure. When the crew
removed the vehicle from the concrete blocks it rested upon, they
discovered it needed new tires. On the way to a nearby garage, the
brakes went out. After the brake problem was fixed, the engine mal-
functioned three times during the four-hour drive to Conroe. When
they left the town, it started raining and the windshield wipers disinte-
grated. They turned on the head-lights when evening approached.
Unfortunately, this caused every fuse on the bus to burn out. The crew
eventually got the vehicle into Dallas and repaired it. The final test
run took place on June 1, 1962. Afterwards, it continued to serve visi-
tors in the outer reaches of the parking lot.
83

84
Mexico received a small change in the landscape. The Second
District of Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. contacted Six Flags officials. To
commemorate the first annual Garden Club Day, it had a small, trop-
ical garden installed. The oval-shaped donation included plants, flow-
ers, a Chinese Elm, a Live Oak, and an American Elm.
Mexico received a new ride during the second season. Park offi-
cials wanted to expand the Happy Motoring Freeway because of its
popularity. To make room, they removed the Sidewinder. They then
placed it in Mexico next to the canopy walkway. The ride was re-
named La Cucaracha. The designers repainted the coaster white, and
completely remodeled the front area. A tan wall advertised the ride's
name in painted letters. In front of it, desert plants sprung from the
ground. The queue house resembled an adobe home with a straw roof.
Despite all the aesthetic changes made, the ride remained the same.
Spain acquired La Casa Magnetica, known to visitors as the
Crooked House. Visitors took a walking tour of a home where water
flowed upward, items defied gravity, leaning objects refused to fall,
and everything seemed slanted. Unlike other attractions, La Casa
Magnetica had no queue house. Guests simply stood under a porch in
front of a wooden gate. After the door opened, an employee led them
to the dwelling. The host guided visitors through the house, explain-
ing its history and demonstrating its anti-gravity effects. Each host
wore a black hat with a green plume, a yellow shirt, a red skirt, green
tights, and black boots.
The effects viewed by the audience relied upon a comparative illu-
sion. Builders constructed the house at an extreme angle. All the fur-

niture, windows, and other items resided at the same angle. With the
guests standing on a flat, even surface, it created the impression every-
thing was leaning one way when in actuality it leaned the other.
The Texas section celebrated the addition of the Mirabeau B. La-
mar. Rebuilding the engine took more than a year, and a jovial cel-
ebration was planned for its return to service. The christening cere-
mony took place on July Sixth.
Texas also enjoyed the addition of the Chaparral Car Ride. While
the guests called it the Old-Timey Cars, employees referred to it as the
Chaps. Workers at the attraction wore a white duster coat with red
stripes, a matching cap, white pants, and tennis shoes. They suffered
while wearing these costumes, especially in the blazing Texas heat.
Arrow Development modeled the cars after those manufactured by
the Chaparral Motoring Company. The Chaparral was created by Rev-
erend Harry Luck, the preacher of First Christian Church in Cleburne,
Texas. He began working on it in 1904. He created a wooden frame
of a typical buggy, then installed a break lever on the driver’s side.
Two small levers controlling the gas flow soon followed. Other fea-
tures included a glass windshield, a convertible top, a chain drive, a
rubber horn, a generator, headlights, shoe breaks, and leather seats.
The first car made its test run in 1905 from Cleburne to Cedar
Brook. After its success, Reverend Luck named it the Chaparral, after
the Texas name for a roadrunner. With the help of some businessmen,
he founded the Cleburne Motorcar Manufacturing Company. He im-
mediately had trouble selling his vehicles to the local public, then the
Ford company put him out of business.
85

86
The Chaparral Car Ride had twelve cars. Each one was a three-
quarter scale replica of the 1911 originals. The vehicles came in blue,
black, and red. They had room for two people in the front and two in
the back. A roof supported by two metal bars protected passengers
from the elements.
Like the Happy Motoring Freeway, the track had a metal rim to
prevent drivers from going off the road. The long track was a long
one, surrounded by trees on all sides. Lanterns along the track pro-
vided soft lighting at night. After enjoying a peaceful drive, passen-
gers crossed a bridge over Johnson Creek River before arriving at the
queue house. Across from the building, there was a gas pump for the
cars and a garage for fixing and storing them.
The park expanded Skull Island with a new section located to the
northeast. A wooden bridge next to the Skull Raft docks crossed the
river to the other side. A dirt path leading from the bridge passed a
miniature pirate ship. Floating in the tiny lagoon, the ship was a place
where children could play out their sea captain fantasies.
A small plank allowed visitors to go on board. Three poles on the
lower deck held yellow and red sails. The first one hoisted the Jolly
Roger flag, the middle sported the crow's nest, and the last held an
extra sail. On the lower deck in the back, visitors used two water can-
nons attached to the rail. On the upper deck near the front, a steering
wheel awaited those seeking control of the vessel.
After venturing aboard the pirate ship, guests continued down the
dirt path to a pirate cave. A sign near the entrance identified it as The
Cave of the Mad Organist. A few feet inside, four long branches sep-

arated the visitors from the mad organist. He dressed in a black-vested
white shirt, black shoes, white pants, and a black cap. The mannequin
sat cross-legged on a stool in front of an actual organ. Once past the
scene, people traveled through the cave, which was actually a tunnel
through a small hill. Coming out the other side, visitors walked along
a pathway leading back to the pirate ship.
The park built an entire lake for the Caddo War Canoe Ride.
Located across from Skull Island's pirate ship, the lake contained two
islands. The one on the left was the largest and had three Indian
tepees. The right one remained empty. A short pathway along the left
side of the Confederacy’s amphitheater led to the ride's entrance.
Instead of standing under a queue house, guests waited on one of the
four piers.
The park used long, narrow canoes capable of holding twenty pas-
sengers. The canoes came in colors of blue, tan, yellow, and green.
Each had an Indian symbol painted on the front. At both ends, em-
ployees dressed as Indians provided guidance. All workers wore moc-
casins, fake leather breeches, and a headband with feathers. During
the summer, they were shirtless; but in the fall and early winter, they
adorned a fake leather shirt. New employees endured training sessions
before being allowed to guide one of the canoes. During this time,
stipulations allowed them only to use smaller versions of the actual
paddles. These paddles were so tiny, people jokingly referred to them
as "spoons". This term soon became a nickname for anyone working
at the park for the first time.
87

88
The canoe ride took passengers around the lake and along its two
islands. The visitors paddled their canoe while the employees steered.
However, this was not always the case. The braves often found them-
selves doing all the work.
Employees also faced the problem of dealing with children. The
kids had the incredible knack for falling off the docks. This meant
constantly having to jump into the lake and pull them out. It also
meant keeping a careful eye on the visitors. During their free time,
employees often went on fishing expeditions along the lake. They
used badge pins for hooks and crickets for bait.
The Confederacy section hosted the first annual Campus Revue at
the Amphitheater. The park built six wings and two borders between
the curtain and the orchestra. It also installed four hundred more seats.
The park used lighting equipment for the very first time. It bought two
spot troupers. The Campus Revue easily eclipsed the other shows in
attendance and popularity. The winners of the late spring auditions
went to evening rehearsals for two weeks. Practice started at six and
ended late at night, sometimes lasting till three in the morning. Once
summer arrived, they rehearsed seven days a week every week with no
holidays or exceptions.
The show premiered on June 20th and received critical acclaim
from all the local newspapers. The Campus Revue was a 55-minute
musical program. It contained duets, solos, and dance numbers
loosely sewn together by a very thin plot. The show took place at Gil-
christ University. A visiting professor planned to provide a graduation

speech and fell in love with the president's daughter along the way.
The cast performed from June 21st to September 3rd.
The Modern America section gained the Kodak Building. It was
located north of the Animal Kingdom. In addition to selling products,
employees provided tips and advice on taking better photographs.
Moving the Sidewinder to the Mexico section made a second track
possible for the Happy Motoring Freeway. The new road came with
its own queue house. It differed very slightly from the first track and
ran almost parallel to the railroad.
The Animal Kingdom made a minor adjustment and presented a
new feature. At the petting zoo, some of the animals had trouble walk-
ing because of overeating. The park fought this development by pro-
viding a stricter diet of rye crisps. Sis Flagg received a new trainer
when she became close friends with a donkey, then failed to learn easy
tricks.
Robert Jones was an elephant trainer from Fort Worth. When he
arrived on the scene, he immediately removed the donkey and went to
work. The end result was a special show. Sis Flagg waddled like a
duck, performed handstands, played a mouth harp, then waved a flag
for the finale. Near the end of the second season, park officials
discovered they would have to get rid of Sis Flagg because she was
getting too big. They sold her to a zoo and searched for another baby
elephant. When they found one, they kept the same name for the new
resident. The park also got rid of the helicopter ride because the insur-
ance was more than what Angus Wynne wanted to pay.
89

CHAPTER THREE
The year of 1963 started with great pomp and circumstance. The
Fort Worth Advertising Club gave Six Flags the Dateline Award. The
honor was given for the park’s role in publicizing the D-FW area. At
the grand ceremony, the club gave a wooden plaque to Angus Wynne.
Officials planned to open the park on April 20, 1963. Six Flags
would break tradition by operating past Thanksgiving Day. It would
close for the winter on December 1st, allowing guests to enjoy one last
weekend.
Hiring started in the early spring. The park acquired 1,250 workers
from nine thousand applicants. Two hundred of the workers belonged
to the permanent staff.
All staff were given the responsibility of gathering property visitors
left behind. They discovered umbrellas, strollers, shoes, transistor ra-
dios, false teeth, and sunglasses. They tagged each item and placed it
in the security office.
The security staff, while maintaining order throughout the park,
spent hours searching for lost belongings. In addition, they looked for
missing children, removed road kill from the ride tracks, hunted down
loose, dangerous animals and reptiles, dealt with emergency situations,
and provided park information.
On March 26th, the living quarters for the petting zoo animals,
owned by supervisor Bill Ellsworth, was burned to the ground. Care-
taker Fred Alvord inspected all the farm buildings that evening. Ten
91

minutes later, the animal barn caught fire. Bill’s wife was the first to
notice and alerted her husband immediately. He rushed to the blazing
barn hoping to save the trapped inhabitants. The fire rapidly engulfed
a house trailer and two sheds. When morning came, the casualties
were staggering. Ten macaws, five seals, four alligators, three trum-
peter birds, a parrot, a prairie dog, a coati mundi, and a baby elephant
became the first known victims. Six flamingos and a wallaby were the
only survivors.
92
With the entire Animal Kingdom almost wiped out, Bill Ellsworth
had 22 days to replenish the population. He scrambled with the rest of
the crew trying to obtain all the animals before opening day. The most
challenging part was securing another elephant to be the next Sis
Flagg. Ellsworth barely managed to get one from Bombay, India for
over 3,000 dollars. Originally named Baby, she weighed 325 pounds.
At the age of one, it stood 38 inches tall. All the others animals were
easy to buy, but difficult to deliver in a timely manner. As a result, the
crew barely accomplished its goal on April 19th.
When the park opened on April 20th, guests encountered major
admission changes. Ticket prices increased for the first time. Adults
now spent $3.50 while children under twelve gave $2.50. The park
eliminated the hand stamp needed to ride the attractions. Cost effi-
ciency and the new water ride prompted this change. This made Six
Flags the first park to sell all-inclusive tickets for everyone.
Six Flags Over Texas celebrated its second anniversary on August
5th. It was a grand occasion marred by tragedy. Carl Wynne Jones, a
Grand Prairie high school graduate, stepped between a work truck and

its trailer. Jones lost his balance and fell down. Before he could get
up, he was run over. Carl Jones became the first fatality at Six Flags.
As the 1963 season came to a close, Angus Wynne and the Great
Southwest Corporation had much to celebrate. Net income and earn-
ings for the fiscal year almost tripled. The future ahead looked very
bright.
93

CHAPTER FOUR
Guests visiting Six Flags for the 1963 season discovered a new
service at the front gate. The park had a kennel for those traveling
with a canine companion. Resembling a gigantic doghouse, the kennel
was painted red. Its employees followed all instructions regarding di-
et, exercise, toys, and accessories.
Once through the gates, visitors enjoyed two new acts of live enter-
tainment. Shorty Lynch entertained audiences as the traditional tall
man. Wearing clown makeup, he spent most of the time greeting kids,
riding a unicycle, and walking around the park.
The Six Flags Crazy Band gained popularity during its tenure. It
consisted of four saxophones, two trumpets, two trombones, one tuba,
and a drum. Corky Barton led the band for a year. He was then re-
placed by Leon Voyles, a music student at East Texas State Uni-
versity. Without a dress code, the members marched through the park.
They periodically stopped to perform, especially where patrons waited
in line. They cooled off during the hot, summer days by giving con-
certs at the Dancing Waters, Caddo Lake, and a water ride.
The ride was part of a one-million-dollar expansion. Built in the
Spanish section, it replaced the Conquistadore Mule Pack Coronado
Trek. It became the first flume ride in the world. Arrow Development
built the attraction for 300,000 dollars. Officials named it El Aserr-
adero, the Spanish word for sawmill. However, everyone called it the
Log Ride.
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96
The lumber industry once used water troughs at various elevations
to float trees toward their destination. At the end of the day, lumber-
jacks sometimes rode the last log for fast transportation. Arrow Devel-
opment used this history as the basis for the ride’s theme and design.
Experts called it a revolutionary attraction. It was based upon
Shoot-The-Chutes, a popular amusement ride in the early 1900s. Pa-
trons climbed to the top and descended a ramp using a boat. After
everyone disembarked, the boat was pulled up the ramp by a large
cable. Arrow Development updated the ride by using a conveyor belt
and adding a long, narrow flume. Angus Wynne officially tested the
ride with news reporters on June 15th. The ride opened to an eager
crowd a few days later.
Carrying a maximum of four people, each fiberglass car was de-
signed to look like a log. The eight-foot logs had guide wheels and
bumpers to help prevent serious injuries. Dealing with traffic jams be-
came the biggest problem for employees. With a large loading rate, it
was easy to exceed the number of boats allowed on the track. This
created long jams below the two lifts. Once the boats started moving
again, they sped down the flume at ten feet per second.
A stone archway marked El Aserradero’s entrance. After
navigating a long maze, visitors crossed a small bridge and descended
a flight of stairs. At the bottom, there was a loading platform with two
water channels. The employees had to fill the logs on both sides and
take turns releasing them onto the main track.
The boat slowly floated to the base of the first lift, often called the
Low Lift. It looked like a two-story sawmill. A conveyor belt carried

passengers to the top. The small area resembled the inside of a work-
shop. Once past this point, riders dropped a short distance into the
main section of the ride. A water pump under the lift propelled the log
forward. Passengers traveled down a gradually declining track that
moved back and forth through the woods. The log went up another
conveyor belt at the base of the second lift, also called the High Lift.
After reaching the top, it plummeted down the water chute to the
bottom. This created a massive splash that soaked everyone.
Visitors may have hated the park ending its season, but the Log
Ride employees dreaded it. The ride had no water drainage system and
the water never recycled. As a result, the flume collected all kinds of
unattractive junk. When the park closed, the crew drained the entire
attraction. Workers then took fire hoses and power-blasted all the
gunk into pits. The stuff was shoveled and placed in large garbage
bags. While employees cleaned El Aserradero that season, others dis-
mantled Mexico’s Goat Cart Ride. The attraction was replaced by
more shops.
Six Flags built a group of attractions for its new section, the first
one constructed since the park first opened. Boomtown modeled itself
after a Texas town during the state’s oil boom. The period lasted from
the late 1890s to the early 1900s.
A bridge linked the Modern America section to Boomtown. Later,
the park transformed it into a vine-covered walkway. This created a
partly-shaded tunnel. Fans, bulbs, and ferns hung from the ceiling.
This area became a favorite spot to escape from the Texas sun.
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98
Upon entering Boomtown, visitors found themselves surrounded by
buildings with nineteenth-century architecture. Those venturing to the
far right viewed a welcome sight. The new area had a train station.
Smaller than the one in Texas, Boomtown Depot was painted light
brown. A long ramp and short stairway led to the front porch. After
going through the back door, visitors found themselves on the loading
platform. A rustic water tank stood on the other side
Boomtown Depot represented a change in the Six Flags Railroad.
The trains had only made non-stop round trips in one direction. The
new station provided a place to unload guests and allow transportation
to the park's other side. It also meant the trains would be able to travel
in both directions.
Six Flags erected an antique carousel next to Boomtown Depot.
The earliest carousels appeared around 500 A.D. They served as a
military training device for the Byzantine Calvary. The warriors used
them to practice horseback swordsmanship. When Europeans returned
from the Crusades, they borrowed the concept. During the 1600s, the
French modified the device. They suspended rings from arms attached
to a central pole. Knights attempted to remove them using lances or
spears. Carousels changed again around 1680. People used wooden
horses instead of rings. Mules and manpower moved the arms around
in a circle. Craft guilds took control of carousel construction by the
1800s. They sold the carousels for various fairs and gatherings
throughout Europe. The mid-nineteenth century brought many chang-
es. Artisans created brand-new animals and chariots for a suspended
floor powered by a steam engine. The Industrial Revolution provided

the gears and cranks necessary to move the wooden figures up and
down.
During this time of innovation, the Dentzel family impacted the
amusement park world. Michael Dentzel sent his children to America
around 1850. Gustav, the eldest of the four, settled in Philadelphia.
He started his new life working as a cabinet maker. In 1867, he
opened a workshop selling carousels. In 1870, Gustav sold his first
carousel to an amusement park called Smith's Isle. It proved so suc-
cessful in drawing crowds, he took it on an American tour. This
ignited the country’s love affair with carousels.
William took over the family business in 1909 and expanded it to
greater heights. He still had the old shop, but most of the work oc-
curred in a large warehouse. At the height of success, William Dentzel
died in 1927. The ownership went to his brother, who sold the busi-
ness to a ride construction company called Philadelphia Tobaggan.
The ride currently known as the Silver Star was built around 1926.
William Dentzel owned the ride, but allowed a friend to operate it at
Rockaway's Playland. When William died, the New York City park
bought it. The park continued using the ride until 1937 when it was
placed into storage. The carousel was put back into operation until Six
Flags bought it for 25,000 dollars.
When the carousel first arrived at Six Flags, the park simply called
it the Merry-Go-Round. It had two chariots and 66 horses. All made
from wood, they were individually carved and painted. This allowed
each one to be unique. This ride was one of the few early carousels
still operating in the United States.
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100
When developing the concept of Boomtown, officials immediately
decided it needed an oil derrick. They found one near Breckenridge,
Texas. Unfortunately, after Six Flags bought the thing, an ownership
dispute erupted. This caused the park to pay for it again. To make
matters worse, they discovered the derrick was too rotted to use.
Six Flags then hired Charlie Fox, an oil rig architect, to make one.
He took measurements of the old structure and built a 68-foot-high
replica next to the carousel. Before erecting the derrick, officials
played with the idea of making it spew fake oil. This concept was
dropped because too much time and money had already been spent.
As a result, the new oil derrick stood quietly when the park opened.
Near the carousel, a wagon hosted a Punch and Judy show. It was
performed by a man named John Hardman. He started doing puppet
shows as a kid, and expanded into magic acts. After graduating from
Midwestern State University, he joined the Marine Corps for three
years. He returned after three years and started doing cabarets in Up-
town Dallas.
Six Flags contacted Hardman and asked him to audition for a Punch
and Judy puppet show. After he was hired, Hardman did 22 shows a
day. To prevent boredom, he introduced a character called Argyle.
Hardman used the character to interact with the audience between
shows. One day, Angus Wynne approached Hardman and told him to
abandon Puch and Judy and do a show about Argyle. The new show
featuring Argyle the Snake became an instant hit.
The Sky Hook stood in the very back of Boomtown. It was the
tallest attraction of Six Flags. For this reason, Wynne made it the

equivalent of Disneyland’s Cinderella Castle. The blue, Y-shaped
structure was built in 1910. Its debut came during the 1958 World's
Fair. Wynne remembered the ride during his visit there and wanted it
for his park. After he bought it, construction began in Feb-ruary.
Workers repainted the attraction red and positioned it vertically.
The Sky Hook weighed a hundred tons and stood 155 feet. A thick
cable from each arm suspended a cage. It seated a maximum of 28
people along the circumference. When one of the workers locked the
door, the steel ball rose into the sky. The entire upper-half of the
structure turned 180 degrees when the ball reached the very top. As
the cage was lowered, the other one was raised.
An employee operated the ride from a small box sixty feet off the
ground. It was accessible only by a ladder. After entering, the worker
faced two problems. The Sky Hook had no brakes to stop the upper
half, and all the controls had to be used manually. This required shut-
ting off the power in advance once the ride was in motion. It had to be
timed perfectly so the friction would stop the ride where it needed to.
Not doing so created the possibility of dropping the steel cage into the
queue area. Adding more stress to the job, the cage's descent had to be
stopped at the right moment or it would smash into the ground. To
help prevent this, the worker at the queue line wildly waved at the
operator when it reached the bottom.
A maintenance crew member visited the Sky Hook three times a
week. He climbed to the point where the arms joined. He then at-
tached a safety line. He scaled to the edge of each arm and lubricated
the pulleys with a grease gun.
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102
Skull Island gained two extra features for the year. The park built a
large tree house. This provided a second route to the pirate ship and
cave. A wood suspension bridge led to the top, where a gazebo with
large glass windows awaited. A short platform led to a much larger
building. At the furthest point, a long slide delivered its riders to the
other shore. Those not wanting to leave the ground walked across the
new barrel bridges. Wooden planks lay on the top of overturned wine
barrels. They were held together by large, perpendicular boards. The
builders erected poles at various points to hold the safety ropes. The
end result was a fun, wobbly way to get to the other side.
The Texas section underwent three changes. Park officials moved
the blacksmith shop from the northern area to the southern half. They
also changed the central location of the Texas Gunfight Show. Origin-
ally taking place at the Texas Courthouse, the show used the new Jer-
sey Lilly. It was the place where Judge Roy Bean performed most of
his duties. It had two rocking chairs and three stationary ones on its
porch. A slanted roof had three signs nailed to it. The Jersey Lilly re-
mained the center of the action until it was transformed into a
concession spot. The red schoolhouse no longer took care of lost
children. That responsibility lay with the Lost Parents Caboose in the
Modern America section. Painted red and designed with a circus mo-
tif, the center was stationed in an actual caboose. It was located west
of the Animal Kingdom near the Star Mall.
The park built a square-shaped cafeteria across from the Lil' Dixie
Carousel. This effectively eliminated seventy percent of the area used
for the enlistment rally. An octagonal gazebo was painted white and

ed with a steeple on top. This provided a permanent place for the Six
Flags Marching Band to perform.
Workers provided the Amphitheater with a metal roof. They also
increased the seating capacity to 1,250. Charles Meeker once again
took upon the challenge of producing the Campus Revue. He and a
group of talent scouts did a thirteen-city tour at colleges and
universities. After the long trip, Meeker faced the daunting task of
choosing the final cast.
The Campus Revue’s title was Gilchrist Glitters. The plot
remained centered around Gilchrist University. It focused on the
students preparing a special show for the university. The first scene
was the dress rehearsal and the second was the actual show itself. The
cast included a singing trio, a kettle drum player, a flamenco dancer, a
magician, a pianist, a tap dancer, and ventriloquists.
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104

PART FOUR
A CHANGE
IN
THE GUARD
1964
105

106

CHAPTER ONE
The construction and design crew entered a frenzied race against
time to complete the 1964 additions and renovations. As April 19th
approached, Six Flags officials worried about the constant weather
reports of heavy rain. Six Flags prepared for the worst, but Saturday
morning only brought a brief period of light rain. Despite the forecast
and damp conditions, 4,100 visitors gathered for the opening cere-
mony.
The 1964 season introduced one of the most popular rides ever
constructed for the park. Called the Spee-Lunker Cave by visitors,
The Cave was a ride inspired from Angus Wynne. Randall Duell, who
helped make Six Flags a reality, designed the whole attraction. Jean
Patrick provided the sounds, scenery, props, and music. The Spee-
Lunker characters came from the imagination of Walter McKeegan.
He was the art director of Green Acres, MASH, and The Beverly
Hillbillies.
Six Flags built the attraction at a cost of 300,000 dollars. It was
scheduled to open in late May. The ride's track was 600 feet long.
The ride’s building covered 13,300 square feet. The facility used forty
tons of air-conditioning equipment..
The Cave accommodated 28 Spee-Lunkers. Each beige creature
stood at four feet. They had triangular faces, long, pointy ears, enor-
mous eyes, a long snout, and a tiny mouth. According to the original
premise, Spee-Lunkers were aliens from outer space who crash-landed
107

on Earth. They thought about intermingling with society, but preferred
living in the dark recesses of a cave.
108
Two kinds of animated figures inhabited The Cave. Single-jointed
figures, those with a moving part, used air cylinders for their actions.
The others either made simple rotations or repeated movements. Offi-
cials later replaced them with pneumatic motors.
The designers painted the vast majority of figures, props, and
background with florescent paint. They then illuminated the ride with
a wide variety of black lights. This effort resulted in making the ob-
jects glow in the dark.
The Cave served as a revolutionary benchmark in the use of sound
in dark rides. It used at least 20 mono and stereo channels. It was
something which had never been attempted before. Each scene had
twenty-to-thirty-second loops played in the background. The tapes ran
for 30 minutes on one side, then the players auto-reversed them to the
next side. This allowed the sound loops to be played all day.
Passengers floated through the ride using fiberglass tubs. The first
ones were small and round with a bumper attached to its circum-
ference. When it pressed against the track's outer edge, it slow-ly spun
around. Because they could only seat a maximum of three adults and
one child, the first tubs were replaced by oval-shaped ones. The new
boats allowed at least four adults and easily held six children. All
guests straddled a padded board in the middle. The boat had a rubber
wheel attached on each corner. They keep the boat on course and
prevented it from turning over. Posts were later added to help people

get in and out. It also allowed employees to handle the tubs when
necessary.
At the end of the season, employees drained the troughs. They then
hosed all the slime and gunk into the base, where it was picked up and
thrown away. To make matters worse, all the work had to be done in a
very dark environment.
Approaching the Confederacy section’s new ride, visitors passed
the attraction's sign. It was a black sail hoisted upon a pirate ship's
mast. This was later removed in favor of the name being presented in
stone letters above the entrance. After navigating the usual maze of
rails, guests crossed a bridge and descended a flight of stairs. Like El
Aserradero, there were two channels merging into one.
The Cave had no real storyline. Instead, it presented scenes of the
Spee-Lunkers doing various activities in their own unique way. The
ride began with the tub going into a cave opening. In the complete
darkness, passengers heard echoes of dripping water.
On the left side, a Spee-Lunker sat in the corner chiseling at a stone
tablet. Further down on the right side, an adult played a pipe organ
alongside a little child. The next scene involved three kids riding tur-
tles in a circle through a cave opening. Visitors then viewed a Spee-
Lunker fishing in a pond inhabited by a shark. Two kids, each one
standing on a cliff, tossed a gigantic boulder back and forth. Vis-itors
soon encountered a flock of bats and a huge idol carved into the wall.
In the next scene, a Spee-Lunker held a bullwhip, trying to control
three-foot-long lobsters. A conductor and four harp players stood on a
group of mushrooms nearby. Afterwards, four dancers performed the
109

Twist. Exiting the scene, passengers saw a hairy arm descend to grab
them. They then encountered a large spider in a web.
110
The tub entered complete darkness and traveled up a high ramp. At
the top, two Spee-Lunkers inside a barrel wore snorkeling gear. The
tub fell downward and rushed around a corner before slowing down.
A Spee-Lunker near the corner engaged in mortal combat with a
swordfish. Meanwhile, a peg-legged pirate opened a treasure chest.
The vessel left the cave and entered a storm. On the right side,
lightning bolts appeared and the sound of thunder filled the air. Along
the shore, a Spee-Lunker posing as Benjamin Franklin flew a kite.
A wrecked ship lay on the left side. The tub eventually entered its
broken hull and traveled through the brig. The tenants included a pri-
soner sawing through the bars, another playing an accordion, and two
playing a card game. Passengers then traveled down a tunnel. The
wooden frames moved back and forth as though the whole ceiling
would collapse at any moment. The tub then went through a rotating
barrel.
Mist and cold air assaulted the passengers as they entered a room
brightly lit with blue and white lights. On the way out, they were hit
again by more mist and cold air. Designers changed the final room
twice. First, they created a scene of the North Pole, where the inhabit-
ants enjoyed winter activities. This scenario was replaced by Spee-
Lunkers dressed as different nationalities. Each one held a flag while
shaking hands with the other representatives. All this took place in a
miniaturized version of the Alamo.

The Cave became an instant classic. Children grew attached to the
creatures, air conditioning provided sanctuary from the heat, and the
darkness made it an ideal place for romance.
Management shortened the stagecoach trail to make room for The
Cave. It then moved the entrance next to Naylor's Chicken Plantation.
They also added a haunted saloon inhabited by five skeletons along the
trail.
The Confederacy section enjoyed the return of the Campus Revue
at the Amphitheater. Produced and directed again by Charles Meeker,
the auditions started in early February and lasted for two months. Tal-
ent scouts visited 129 colleges and universities in Texas, Oklahoma,
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, and Louisiana. Over 800
students auditioned and only 94 made it to the final round. Out of the
94 contestants, 27 were picked. Yet, one last member needed to be
chosen. Meeker hosted the Six Flags Teenage Talent Contest to be
held at the Amphitheater. Chosen by applause, the winner won 300
dollars and a spot in the third annual Campus Revue.
Called The Singing Six Flags, it embraced the variety show format
instead of the Broadway concept. The plot centered around a father
and his two sons taking a musical tour of Six Flags Over Texas. The
27-member cast included eight singers, ten dancers, two bullwhip art-
ists, three pianists, a harp player, and an accordionist.
The Crazy Horse Saloon in the Texas section was expanded to
allow room for 25 more people. With this expansion, Stan McIlvaine
used a different way of choosing its performers. He decided the cast
would be hired through the Campus Revue auditions. He and Charles
111

Meeker picked six performers they wanted for the Campus Revue but
rejected because of the budget.
112
The Mexico section acquired a bizarre which sold all kinds of na-
tive curiosities.
Skull Island gained some new features. Indian Island added three
interconnected swamp slides. Each one had a small hut on top. Vis-
itors accessed them using a twenty-foot-high, suspension bridge made
of rope. Once at the top, they dropped down a spiraling slide in com-
plete darkness. A small bridge allowed the riders to return to the main
isle after the descent.
When the park closed, it removed Mexico's La Cucaracha to make
way for new shops, rides, and attractions. Six Flags received a record-
breaking annual attendance for the third time in a row. However, a
series of events and circumstances fell into place, laying the foun-
dation for the park's possible demise.

CHAPTER TWO
The Great Southwest Corporation looked forward to a wonderful,
bright future. In addition to the GSID, the Great Southwest Corpor-
ation owned a warehousing, distribution, and helicopter center. It also
had the Great Southwest Railroad. It planned to build a shopping cen-
ter later named Six Flags Mall. In this atmosphere of positive growth,
Angus Wynne entertained the possibility of placing the company on
the American Stock Exchange. However, this quickly faded from his
mind a when he fell into a deadly, financial trap triggered by the
World's Fair of 1964.
A group of New York businessmen wanted to create an economic
boost for their city. Remembering their experiences at the World’s
Fair of 1939, they felt it would be a great idea to have another one.
They chose Robert Moses to handle the job of financing and running
the fair. They picked him because he was an expert in raising money
for enormous public projects. Moses transformed the neglected Flush-
ing Meadows into a clean, reputable site for the event. Knowing that
bond sales and private financing wouldn't cover all the costs, Moses
and other organizers decided to hold the fair for two years. They also
chose to charge site rentals for all pavilions. Additionally, they needed
the blessing of the Bureau of International Expositions. This would
ensure the cooperation and participation of the 40 countries belonging
to the organization.
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114
Unfortunately, Robert Moses and his comrades broke many of the
rules. A fair could only last six months, and there could only be one
fair in one country within a ten-year period. It was also illegal to
charge fees for exhibits. All this seemed immaterial, however, in light
of the fact that Seattle and Montréal already entered requests to be the
next site. New York City had to wait in line for consideration. Moses
refused to go down without a fight and immediately made his appeal in
Paris. This action resulted in the organization publicly demanding a
boycott from all of its member countries. Canada, Australia, the
USSR, and most of Europe took the advice. This development spelled
disaster, and imminent doom seemed inescapable.
Nevertheless, Robert Moses and his crew continued their quest to
make the best World's Fair ever. Because of the boycott, Moses relied
upon trade and tourist organizations. Smaller nations constructed ex-
hibits, hoping to increase tourism and foreign trade. States also repre-
sented themselves at the extravaganza. Texas was one of them.
Governor John Connally and Lyndon Johnson asked Angus Wynne
to build a pavilion for the fair. Wynne formed a corporation to handle
the project and helmed it himself. He hired Randall Duell to design
the attraction. The Texas Pavilion had seven sections. Each one re-
presented a different aspect of the state. The pavilion covered the im-
pact of Spain and Mexico, the years Texas enjoyed as a nation, the
heritage of the Confederacy, the influence of the oil industry, the land
of the cattle ranchers, the Wild West, the Gulf Coast region, and the
space program. The main slogan was “Friendship At The Farm”.

In the front, a tented area provided information on tourist spots with
a strong emphasis on Six Flags. The Gulf Coast pavilion hosted a wa-
terfront restaurant and shrimp bar. To celebrate Houston's link to the
space program, NASA loaned a full-scale replica of the Gemini cap-
sule. The oil industry was represented by a display of antique and
modern drilling tools. Wynne symbolized cattle ranching in a unique
way. Workers built a fully-furnished bedroom, then placed a live bull
in the center.
The Texas pavilion represented the Wild West through the Frontier
Palace. The outside looked like a large home in the prairie, but the in-
side resembled a saloon. The restaurant provided a wide variety of
steaks and live entertainment. Periodically, waiters got into an argu-
ment, which always escalated into a gunfight.
The main attraction was the opulent Music Hall. It held 2,400 seats
with a series of private boxes. In addition, it had an executive bar and
a lounging area. This building housed a musical called To Broadway
With Love.
The New York World's Fair opened its gates on April 22nd. Unfor-
tunately, attendance was lackluster at best. Wynne kept waiting for
the flood of visitors which never came. The Broadway extravaganza,
despite critical acclaim, only entertained small groups of people.
Wynne shut down the production after just seventeen performances.
Angus Wynne made loans from the World's Fair Corporation to keep
the pavilion running till the end of the year.
While the Texas pavilion continued its poor performance, Wynne
faced a terrible reality. He had squandered his entire personal fortune
115

on the project, thinking he would get it back through the profits. Fi-
nancially ruined, he couldn't pay the loans he made and filed for
bankruptcy. This resulted in the complete loss of his ownership of the
Great Southwest Corporation.
116
Meanwhile, Toddie Lee Wynne sold the GSC to the Pennsylvania
Company. It was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Like
other Northeastern railroads, Pennsylvania relied upon short-haul
services. The airways and highways created fierce competition that
placed the company in a no-win situation. Government regulations
and labor unions prevented the railroad from raising its prices or cut-
ting its costs. The only way out seemed to be some sort of merger.
New York Central, facing a similar situation, offered one. Stuart
Saunders conducted negotiations until an informal agreement was
made.
In addition to the merger, Saunders started purchasing companies
unaffiliated with the industry. He eventually set his eyes upon the
Great Southwest Corporation. After two months of intermittent dis-
cussions, Toddie Lee Wynne agreed to sell all his holdings. The
shares represented 36 percent of the company’s stock. This provided a
majority ownership of the GSC and its properties. Saunders made a
public announcement of the deal in August, promising no big changes
would be made. Angus Wynne was still president, but he could be
overruled or terminated at a moment's notice. The bankruptcy forever
prevented him from retaking control. This change in ownership would
eventually lead to catastrophic consequences.

PART FIVE
YEARS
OF
EXPANSION
1965 - 1969
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118

CHAPTER ONE
In 1965, the Interstate Commerce Commission accepted the merger
of the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads. The new com-
pany called itself Penn Central.
The Great Southwest Corporation grew during its first year as a
sub-subsidiary. Thirty-four new companies moved into its industrial
district, raising the number of residents to 175. The Park Cities Air-
port was bought for a million dollars and transformed into an industrial
park. Angus Wynne announced the creation of the Great Southwest
Pacific Corporation. With its headquarters in Los Angeles, the new
company would concentrate in real estate and land development.
Angus Wynne intended to create an industrial park just like the
GSID seven miles from Atlanta, Georgia. Wynne bought the 3,000
acres for over five million dollars. Wynne predicted the first stage of
the Great Southwest Atlanta would cost thirteen million dollars. The
final cost projection was 400 million. This included the construction
of a theme park. It almost equaled the size of Six Flags with 40 acres
for the attraction and 122 for the lot.
Six Flags started its season on April 16th. On May 15th, Six Flags
acquired its five millionth guest. Yon Robinson and his family from
Biloxi, Mississippi won the honor. After a big ceremony, Wynne
presented a golden season pass, a weekend stay at the Inn of the Six
Flags, and a stash of souvenirs. Six Flags closed its gates in No-
vember. As the park prepared for the next year, it removed Skull
119

Island's cave and pirate ship. It also got rid of the Indian Village. As
the year ended, Six Flags announced it broke the previous year’s
attendance record with 1,625,743 visitors. This was the fourth consec-
utive year attendance had increased.
120

CHAPTER TWO
The park expanded its grounds for the 1965 season at a cost of
600,000 dollars. Workers completely changed the landscape to pro-
vide harmony with the surrounding areas. They also revised the
lighting schemes for different dramatic affects.
The most blatant example of these renovations was the Star Mall.
Sixty ten-foot poles stood along the perimeter. Each held a hanging
basket filled with ivy leaf geraniums. Along the northern sector, the
Dancing Waters remained. The star in the middle, however, dis-
appeared. Six, circular garden plots took its place. Each one had
myrtle shrubs and at least one tree.
The park constructed a clock tower behind the Star Mall. The tow-
er was modeled after the courthouse located in Weatherford, Texas.
Six Flags built its version of the courthouse for 11,000 dollars. Work-
ers copied the top half because officials wanted to use it as an ice
house. It produced over 2,250 tons of ice in addition to telling the
time.
Six Flags received an exact copy of the Liberty Bell. Whitechapel
Bell Foundries used the exact same mold used to make the original in
1752. The London-based company made a copper bell weighing over
a ton. Six Flags got to keep the replica for the entire year.
The Mexico section got a brand-new attraction called El Sombrero.
It was nicknamed the Hat Ride by guests. Chance Industries, currently
known as Chance Morgan, built the ride. El Sombrero was a blue
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Mexican hat with a white band. Passengers sat in pairs along the
sombrero's rim. The ride started by slowly spinning around on an axis.
The hat then moved up and down as an arm raised the ride to a 45-
degree angle. It eventually slowed down and lowered to the ground
before the ride completely stopped.
122
The Animal Kingdom acquired a large aviary. It contained over a
hundred birds representing eighty species from around the world.
Those visitors not interested in birds had the opportunity to see two
newborn bison.
The Texas area displayed two impressive collections. The bank
had pictures depicting the Old West from legendary photographer
Erwin Smith. The blacksmith shop showed a collection of branding
irons from the legendary cattle ranches of the Southwest. Near the
section’s entrance, a map of the Lone Star State was painted on a hide.
Six Flags added an arena to the Texas list of attractions. It was
located across the railroad tracks near the Log Ride. The arena actual-
ly resembled a horse racetrack. Capable of seating 2,500 people, the
arena hosted a three-ring circus during its first season. It had clowns,
acrobats, and animal acts.
The execution skit in the Confederacy section made a substantial
change. Instead of eliminating a Yankee spy, the Confederate Drill
Team executed a deserter. The members came from the Arlington
State College Jody Drill Team.
The Amphitheater hosted its fourth Campus Revue. It was called
Thank You Mr. President: A New Play With Old Music. It marked a
return to the Broadway musical format. The plot centered around the

senior class of Gilchrist University. It was preparing a show for Lyn-
don Johnson, who was planning to visit for the first time in 37 years.
Charles Meeker once again produced and directed the show.
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124

CHAPTER THREE
Six Flags received exciting news in February 1966. The Texas
Tourist Development Agency declared it the most popular place in
Texas. Park officials decided to open the gates on April 15th and close
them on November 27th. Unlike other seasons, it opened with little
fanfare on a rainy day.
Stan McIlvaine worked for Six Flags as the director of entertain-
ment since it first opened. However, on June 17th, he announced he
would leave the post and be Vice-President of the Houston Sports As-
sociation. When McIlvaine left, David Blackburn re-placed him.
Six Flags held its fifth anniversary celebration on August 5th. It
started with Angus Wynne introducing the park's first-ever visitor Ter-
esa Pool. After he gave a short speech, the Inn of the Six Flags deliv-
ered a five-tiered birthday cake for the grand finale.
The employees also had much to celebrate because Wynne intro-
duced to a scholarship program. It required all candidates to be stu-
dents who had worked at least 60 days. The ten winners, chosen for
outstanding performance, received a credit of 500 dollars. Those not
currently attending had their funds held until they attended school.
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126

CHAPTER FOUR
The majority of park changes occurred in the live entertainment de-
partment. The Crazy Horse Saloon shows were shortened so they
could be performed every hour throughout the day. The participants
donned new costumes. The guys had red stripe shirts, black vests, and
white trousers. The gals wore red polka dots dresses. The six mem-
bers performed on a small stage in front of a painted backdrop They
performed a variety of traditional, jazz, and ragtime music.
The Campus Revue gained the most popularity. The new show was
Let's Do It: Let's Find A Cause. The plot once again took place at
Gilchrist University. Since other students across the country mounted
protest demonstrations, the members of Gilchrist wanted to do their
own. They chose women as their cause at the request of a puppet
named J. J. J. Charace. The show featured singing, dancing, tumbling,
acrobatic stunts, a ballet dance number, and a beauty contest.
Offering a contrast to the glitzy musical, Skull Island hosted a
dolphin show. The main star came all the way from Marathon, Flor-
ida. Once he arrived at Six Flags, eight workers lowered the dolphin
into a 25,000-gallon tank.
Skipper's trainer was Diane Langer. She taught Skipper how to
jump hurdles, smoke a pipe, pull a life saver, and retrieve rocks and
money. The dolphin show opened on June 4th and continued through-
out the season.
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128
The arena in the Texas section no longer handled the three-ring cir-
cus. Instead, it hosted a Wild West show. It featured wagon races,
rope tricks, sharp shooting, horse riding stunts, knife-throwing skills,
and bullwhip tricks.
Boomtown experienced two additions. The Silver Star Carousel re-
ceived a marker from the Texas Historical Commission. This, howev-
er, paled in comparison to the grand opening of the Runaway Mine
Train.
Arrow Development grew in size and prestige after it designed a
majority of Disneyland's rides. This caught Angus Wynne's attention.
The company soon found itself creating several of the Six Flags' rides.
Between the two rivals, it achieved many milestones that changed the
amusement park industry. The most significant was the steel coaster,
first presented through Disneyland's Matterhorn.
When Angus contacted the company to construct another ride, the
company had changed its name to Arrow Dynamics. It took Wynne’s
offer and built the first mine train rollercoaster in the world. The ride
was themed after the gold rushes of the nineteenth century. Costing
one million dollars, most of the ride was completed late in the season.
The Runaway Mine Train, though not fully finished, officially
opened on July 24th. However, a steel plate between the second and
third lifts broke around noon that day. An automatic device detected
the flaw and froze all the coasters. This shut-down occurred after only
three carloads. The crew spent the entire afternoon releasing guests
and finding the fault. Despite this setback, the ride reopened the fol-
lowing day.

Construction continued on the rollercoaster during the off-season.
It mainly consisted of thematic additions. The most notable ones were
a waterfall and a rock crusher. Designers also planned a burning
bridge, but the idea proved impractical.
The park built a queue house resembling an old mining facility. It
was made from red-painted wood. A pathway led to the front porch on
the far right side. Guests climbed up a flight of stairs and back down
the other side before walking through the entrance. Once inside, they
navigated a maze.
The ride had a total of five trains, though only four were used at
one time. Each train had five cars with three rows each. This allowed
a maximum capacity of 30 passengers. All the trains looked like mine
cars. Workers painted them red and yellow. They were later colored
brown with yellow borders. The trains used nylon wheels, which
helped them, move faster and smoother. For safety purposes, they had
bumpers extending three feet from the front.
Passengers slowly started the three-minute journey by going
through a small house-like structure. They then arrived at the first and
highest lift. Afterwards, the train made a series of dips, twists, and
turns before making its way to the second left. A building with a ful-
ly-functioning rock crusher awaited passengers. The train then tra-
veled leisurely along a scene featuring two prospectors next to a lake.
After going behind a waterfall, the coaster rapidly descended through a
tunnel and arrived at the third and final lift.
A hotel also posing as a saloon stood at the top of the third lift.
Originally nameless, it was later called the Ace hotel. On the right
129

side, a bartender stood at an empty counter while two men played
cards. A madame leaned against the wall as a piano player performed
a tune. Hotel guests on the left side enjoyed the entertainment. A
small hallway with closed doors stood at the very end before the final
drop.
130
Passengers went through a 150-foot tunnel underneath Caddo Lake.
A small, wooden shed covered its exit. During the first season, the
park attached a video camera near the opening. People waiting in line
could see reactions of the passengers as they emerged from the tunnel.
The camera disappeared at the end of the season, and the cover soon
followed.
As the year came to a close, Six Flags experienced another record-
breaking year. For the sixth time in a row, the park exceeded the pre-
vious season's attendance. The vast number of guests provided a gross
record income of 8.2 million dollars. These enormous figures created
a positive outlook for the upcoming year.

CHAPTER FIVE
The 1967 season started April 29th. The new admission cost was
$3.95 for adults and $2.95 for children under twelve.
The park had its first serious ride accident on the evening of May
27th. Robert Tucker drove the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach when
the right front wheel broke off. He tried to calm the horses after the
incident, hoping it would decrease the intensity of the inevitable
injuries. As the stagecoach overturned, the thirteen passengers fell off.
Three escaped the accident unscathed while nine suffered minor in-
juries. Brenda Patterson, was the only person seriously hurt. The
four-year-old girl had her feet trapped under the stage cab. After she
underwent extensive surgery, her family sued the park. Six Flags per-
manently closed the ride and placed the Ghost Town Saloon along the
railroad track. Meanwhile, another significant event was about to take
place.
Work on Six Flags Over Georgia began two years earlier with Ran-
dall Duell designing the park. Angus Wynne chose six of the fifteen
flags which flew above Georgia - America, France, Spain, Georgia,
Great Britain, and the Confederacy. The twelve-million-dollar project
had a total of 75 attractions, all themed in the same way as Six Flags
Over Texas. It also had many of the same rides with small variations
Expecting 1.5 million visitors for the first year, Wynne employed
1,200 employees to operate the park. Opening day arrived June 7th
with the same prices as the Texas park. When Six Flags Over Georgia
131

opened its gates for the first time, the Great Southwest Corporation
became the first company to operate two theme parks. Angus Wynne
received credit for inventing the chain park concept.
132
On August 21st, Mary Lou Cost from Metairie, Louisiana became
the ten millionth guest of Six Flags Over Texas. She was given a gol-
den pass, a paid trip to its sister park, five shares of GSC stock, and a
week at the Greenhouse Beauty Spa.
Six Flags began its long-running relationship with the Muscular
Dystrophy Association on November 5th. That day, the park invited
its patients to a free visit as part of Muscular Dystrophy Awareness
Month. The season finally ended on November 26th.

CHAPTER SIX
Expansion plans for the 1967 season included two new rides.
Chance Industries built the Spindletop west of Skull Island's swamp
trees. The circular, gray structure had a ramp on the right which spi-
raled to the top. In the beginning, the upper part of an oil drill ex-
tended from a roof above the ride. However, the park later removed
the drill, remodeled the top, and repainted the exterior.
Classified a rotor ride, the Spindletop traced its origins to 1949.
German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister first introduced it at the Oktober-
fest. Riders entered a big drum and stood against the circular wall.
The operator pressed a button and the barrel spun. The speed in-
creased until it reached the rate of 28 revolutions per minute. At that
moment, the floor dropped, leaving the riders stuck on the wall three
feet off the ground. The barrel eventually slowed down and the people
safely slid to the ground. The floor lifted to its original level when
everyone reached the center. The visitors exited through a door and
walked down the ramp on the Spindletop’s left side.
In the Modern America section, the park acquired the Jet Set. The
Switzerland-based company INTAMIN designed the ride. The Jet Set
had 12 bottle-shaped planes. Each one was painted either red, white,
or blue. All possessed a T-shaped tail, a big engine booster, and two
small thrusters. A fifteen-foot steel girder ran through the jet’s middle
section behind the passenger seat. A hydraulic control stick allowed
the passenger to climb, bank, and dive along this pole. When time ran
133

out, the plane descended to the ground. The Jet Set was the first ride
of its kind in America and became an instant hit.
134
The Animal Kingdom received three baby tapirs from South Amer-
ica. It also got two sea lions, three horned sheep, and a miniature goat.
As always, the park bought another elephant to serve as the next Sis
Flagg.
The Crazy Horse Saloon completely changed its format. The show
was performed every half-hour using two different casts. During the
day, the cast performed a standard routine. The night show featured
members of an SMU sorority. They were dressed in white skirts, blue
sneakers, and patch quilt shirts. Overall, the night performances re-
sembled a Campus Revue musical.
The sixth Campus Revue was produced by David Blackburn and
directed by Charles Meeker. Titled The Numbers Game, the plot
centered around a match-making computer. It was being used for the
guys of Gilchrist College and the gals of Aloha University. The two
deans eventually fell in love and destroyed the computer.
As the Campus Revue ended its final performance, the 1967 season
came to a close. Once again, attendance was higher than the previous
year. For the first time, Six Flags surpassed the two million mark. It
had much to celebrate.

CHAPTER SEVEN
After Penn Central received official recognition in 1968, Six Flags
experienced its first major crime on February 16th. On that fateful
afternoon, a routine check of The Cave revealed the abduction of two
Spee-Lunkers. Officials valued them at five hundred dollars each.
The park notified the police about the incident but the culprits were
never caught. This unwelcome news quickly evaporated when the
Texas Tourist Agency ranked the theme park as the state’s most
popular attraction.
Six Flags planned its longest season yet. It would start on April
13th and end on December 1st. Six Flags changed its admission price.
Visitors now paid $4.50 for adults and $3.50 for children under twelve.
On July 16th, after 18 months of research and development, the
Great Southwest Corporation announced plans for a new theme park.
Located in Eureka, Missouri, it would cost 22 million dollars. Angus
Wynne chose the location for the two-year project because of the
area’s influence on the Midwest. The park was called Six Flags Over
Mid-America. The themed areas were Spain, France, Great Britain,
America, Missouri, and Illinois. The corporation planned to open it in
early 1971 as its third theme park.
Six Flags experienced its first ride-related death on August 8th.
John Raymond Nelson, a high school senior from Fort Worth, operated
El Sombrero that night. He approached the ride before it stopped. Un-
fortunately, Nelson lost his balance and fell into the pit beneath the
135

ide. An ambulance carried him to a hospital, where he was pro-
nounced dead on arrival.
136
Six Flags tallied the attendance figures once it closed the gates. It
discovered an actual drop. Approximately 1.7 million people entered
the park. It was 300,000 less than the previous year. This ended the
amazing six-year streak, despite all the changes made that season.

CHAPTER EIGHT
Six Flags invested two million dollars to expand and remodel itself
for the 1968 season. Workers built additional bridges and new walk-
ways. They also installed a new lighting system and 350 tons of air-
conditioning units. In addition to constructing a music hall and a thea-
ter, the park remodeled one ride and enlarged another. Through this
expansion process, Six Flags experienced an invasion of sorts.
Peter Krofft operated a puppet theater in Athens, Greece. The craft
passed down from one generation to the next through the eldest son.
Born in 1929, Sid Krofft was chosen to be the family puppeteer for the
fifth generation. Sid entered Vaudeville at the age of seven. Later, he
performed for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. De-
spite the closure of the Krofft Theater in 1946, Sid continued his ca-
reer by creating a one-man show. In 1960, Sid reopened his theater
and employed his brother Marty. Sid acted as the creative force while
Marty handled the finances.
Their big break came two years later at the Seattle World’s Fair.
The brothers presented a show highlighted by celebrity puppets. The
show became an economic success.
Sid and Marty Krofft performed another one for the 1964 World’s
Fair and gained the attention of Angus Wynne. Angus asked if they
would be interested in establishing a permanent theater. After accept-
ing the offer, the two brothers held their first production. It was lo-
cated in a building southeast of the Happy Motoring Highway.
137

138
Designed by Sid Krofft, the theater’s exterior represented various
nations and time periods. The air-conditioned auditorium seated a
maximum of 1,200 people. The first presentation was titled The Krofft
Brothers Puppet Circus Show, which was shortened to The Circus. It
featured a large number of acts. The cast of puppets included can-can
girls, troublesome animals, aerial acrobats, popular celebrities, and
Hollywood monsters. At one point of the show, one of the monsters
left the stage and tromped along the aisles.
The Kroffts completely remodeled the Ferrocarril Fiesta Train in
the Mexico section. The process took a hundred days to complete.
Instead of multi-colored train cars, all were painted the same tone. All
had their overlarge sombreros replaced by wavy, plastic covers.
Workers added engines resembling Mayan dragons. Even more dras-
tic, the park took away all the animations and placed them along the
Six Flags Railroad. Afterwards, workers installed a whole new set.
Across from the boarding station, children danced to the ride’s
theme song. After leaving the station, people viewed a runaway bus
driving around in a circle. The train took a sharp right turn and en-
tered a volcano. Inside the volcano, passengers encountered singing
lava rocks. After exiting, the train passed the ruins of a Mayan temple
with a twenty-foot waterfall. The Xochimilco Gardens remained in-
tact, but its pond was filled with new boats and figures. The passen-
gers then traveled through a town plaza in the middle of a gun battle.
For the grand finale, circus performers displayed a variety of acts.
The Log Ride opened a second flume in response to the ride’s
popularity. The new track covered the same distance but ran along a

thinly-forested area. The other significant difference lay with the final
lift. Unlike its older brother, the final chute had a brown tunnel at the
end. Both had characters, created by the Krofft Brothers. An evil vil-
lain dressed in black sawed a log that threatened to fall upon the riders
below. A large lumberjack swung his axe above the passengers as
they approached new track’s first lift. Throughout both journeys, pas-
sengers floated by woodsmen engaged in work activities.
The 1968 season saw the disappearance of the Confederacy’s am-
phitheater and the emergence of the Southern Palace. Costing 200,000
dollars, the building seated a maximum of 1,200 visitors with its con-
crete benches. Six Roman columns supported the veranda over the
wide porch. Between the two sets double doors, a sign displayed the
current show’s information.
The Southern Palace hosted the final season of the Campus Revue.
Michael Jenkins and David Blackburn worked with Jack Kaplan to
produce not one, but two shows under the Campus Revue logo.
The first one played four times in the afternoon and received the ti-
tle TV-B.C. It followed the premise of an Ancient Rome where televi-
sion existed. The second show occurred five times in the evening un-
der the title Red, White, and Blue. Instead of presenting a loose story-
line, it presented one musical number after another.
Meanwhile, the park removed Skull Island’s suspension bridge and
swamp trees. This was done to make room for an upcoming attraction.
It also transferred the Sky Hook to Six Flags Over Georgia.
139

140

PART SIX
END OF AN ERA
1969 - 1970
141

142

CHAPTER ONE
The year of 1969 started off badly. On February 15th, in the mid-
dle of remodeling Six Flags, all 56 carpenters refused to renew their
contracts. The park officials presented a new offer which was immedi-
ately refused. After two days of unfruitful negotiations, Six Flags sent
all the carpenters home. When the delay started taking its toll, execu-
tives formed an acceptable contract on the last day of February.
Penn Central forced the Great Southwest Corporation into a merger
agreement with Macco Corp on February 26th. The California-based
company devoted itself to all varieties of real estate. Owning over
130,000 acres, it raised the GSC’s net worth well over a hundred mil-
lion dollars. However, this new wealth brought a heavy price.
The merger required a management shakedown. The most jarring
replacement came when Penn Central kicked Angus Wynne out of his
presidency. As a result, Wynne served only as chief executive chair-
man. His only consolation was that he still had some power over Six
Flags.
In April, Angus Wynne created limited partnerships to own the two
existing theme parks. He then formed Six Flags Inc. to operate the
parks. The new company would be run by the Great Southwest Cor-
poration. Jack Knox was chosen to be the head of the Six Flags Over
Texas limited partnership. At the time, he served as president of West-
ern Oil Fields and Summit Energy.
143

144
On April 12th, Angus Wynne presided over the opening ceremony
in the midst of stormy weather. A month later, Doris Conrady filed a
lawsuit seeking 55,000 dollars after a Log Ride accident the previous
June. According to Conrady, a log collided into hers while she tried to
disembark. This caused her to fall and injure herself.
The Six Flags Jamboree became the first major discount promotion
the park conducted. During the last two weeks of September, anyone
who bought at least ten dollars at an Affiliated Food Store could pur-
chase a ticket for only $2.99. The ticket could be used at any time dur-
ing the rest of the season.

CHAPTER TWO
Expansion costs for the year reached 1.4 million dollars. The most
prominent feature of this project was the Oil Derrick. The park want-
ed it ready for opening day. However, a slide and two elevators failed
to arrive on time. The attraction opened on May 23rd as the world’s
largest land-based oil derrick.
INTAMIN built the steel structure using a lattice design made
popular by the Eiffel Tower. It stood 300 feet high and had three ob-
servation decks. The first level lay at the fifty-foot mark. The second
one was 255 feet in the air. The last one existed at 267 feet. Two ele-
vators provided a thirty second trip to the platforms. Guests viewed
the distant landscapes using pay telescopes.
In addition to the platforms, visitors enjoyed riding down a slide
from the tower’s lowest level. Guests descended the twelve-lane slide
using a fiberglass pad.
The park provided Skull Island with a permanent bridge linking it
to the Oil Derrick’s left side. On the derrick’s right side, Six Flags
provided a new dolphin show. The performance involved four dol-
phins instead of one. The concrete bleachers seated 1,000 people. The
marine animals were split into two pairs, each one called Dolly and
Skipper. The new dolphins came from North Carolina. They per-
formed the same variety of stunts as the previous show, but on a larger
scale.
145

146
Chevrolet built the Cinesphere across from The Cave. The
attraction served as a first step in the evolution toward the modern day
IMAX theater. It also acted as the precursor to motion simulators.
Because of its sponsor, the Cinesphere was called the Chevy Show.
Next to the building, the company displayed its latest models under-
neath a canopy.
The Chevy Show presented a twenty-minute film projected. It was
projected onto a 180-degree screen. The film featured first-person
footage of a roller coaster ride, a trip down a ski slope, a flight through
a canyon, a ride down a raging river, a frantic drive along a mountain
road, and a mad dash through city streets.
Six Flags hired Arrow Dynamics to build the Mini Mine Train in
response to public demand for a roller coaster for kids. The new coast-
er opened on the August 1st next to its bigger brother. The ride only
had one train. However, this was compensated by ride’s ninety-second
length. Despite the low thrill factor, the Mini Mine Train instantly
became a hit with grown-ups and children alike.

CHAPTER THREE
Six Flags Over Texas made few changes for the 1970 season. The
park built a tourist information center in Boomtown. The center hung
photos of the state’s landscapes on the walls. An employee stood at a
booth to provide pamphlets, maps, and advice. The main feature of
the building was a scale model of the park.
The Fort Worth company Cost Systems Engineers, Inc. constructed
the mode. It took 14 months to complete at the cost of twenty 20,000
dollars. For references, the workers used photographs, measurements,
and blueprints. It possessed every attraction and building. Each one
operated like their normal-sized counterparts. Although the tourist in-
formation center gained publicity when it opened, it received very
little attention from the public.
Meanwhile, the park completely remodeled the Arena in the Texas
section. It also removed the Wild West Show and introduced another
program called Los Voladores.
For the performance, four Indians donned bird costumes and
climbed a 150-foot pole. The chief followed them when they reached
the twelve-inch platform. The four Indians tied their ankles to the
ropes as they waited for the chief to play the flute and dance on a
drum. When the music started, the four men left the platform’s edge
and spiraled towards the ground. This spectacular feat was performed
five times daily.
147

148

CHAPTER FOUR
Meanwhile, Penn Central faced a crisis. The trouble started almost
immediately after Penn Central’s formation. The two merging com-
panies failed to fully integrate. This was caused by incompatible
computer systems, disagreement on a common business culture, and
different labor contracts with the labor unions. The company also
faced constant shipping delays caused by the neglect of railroad tracks.
This resulted in the increase of operational costs and the decrease of its
customer base.
Penn Central ignored the underlying causes and acquired com-
panies not affiliated with the railroad industry. The vast majority of
them failed miserably, sinking the company further into debt.
Meanwhile, management tried to make people think the company was
still successful, even though it continued a reliance upon enormous
bank loans. In addition, corporate officials resorted to draining the ac-
counts of its subsidiaries.
Eventually, the economic strain proved too strong. The company
filed for bankruptcy on June 21st, placing the Great Southwest Corpor-
ation in mortal danger. Losing most of its liquidity, the GSC started
selling its properties. First on the table was the Waggoner 3-D Ranch.
It was followed by 451 acres of the Great Southwest Industrial Dis-
trict. The local press caught wind of the proceedings and hounded the
GSC about the future of Six Flags. Luckily, the park was owned by
the limited partnership and not the corporation.
149

150
Wanting to end the GSC’s financial crisis, Penn Central made Vic-
tor Palmieri the new president. Palmieri was a California lawyer, real
estate financer, and corporate reorganization specialist. He immediat-
ly formed a recovery program. The first step involved borrowing ele-
ven million dollars. He secured a loan from a New York bank on one
condition. All members of management at the GSC had to be fired.
He agreed to the ultimatum and Angus Wynne found himself removed
from power. After being positioned as a chairman, Wynne’s an-
nounced that he would leave the Great Southwest Corporation forever.

PART SEVEN
THE
PENNSYLVANIA
ERA
1971 – 1980
151

152

CHAPTER ONE
Penn Central survived its bankruptcy, thanks to a government
bailout and the decision to abandon its passenger rail service. During
this time, Penn Central acquired Six Flags Inc. This allowed it to con-
trol the two existing parks.
Six Flags Over Texas opened its gates for the tenth season on April
3rd. Guests visiting the park encountered a new price change. Chil-
dren under twelve paid four dollars while adults spent $5.75. Kids
under the age of three entered without charge.
Those who entered the park enjoyed a new show at the Krofft
Puppet Theatre. The program centered around the adventures of H. R.
Pufnstuff. The character was originally created for a show called Ka-
leidescope at the HemisFair '68. Originally named Luther, he became
the symbol of the world fair. His popularity prompted the Krofft bro-
thers to create a TV series for him. The show’s plot focused on a
young boy named Jimmy and his attempts to escape from a magical
island. Pufnstuf and his friends tried to help the boy while the villain-
ous Witchie-Poo tried to thwart him. The NBC production proved so
successful, the Kroffts based the new puppet show on the series. All
the characters from the TV program were present. Overall, there were
86 characters in the show. The presentation lasted for 30 minutes and
was performed every hour.
The biggest change in the park came in the form of a roller coaster.
Officials originally called it the Jet Racer during its first season. They
153

changed the name to Big Bend in honor of the Texas National Park.
The ride was catalogued as a Speedracer model by its German creator
Anton Schwarzkopf. Anton started off working for his father making
caravans and circus trailers. In 1954, the company performed amuse-
ment ride alterations. This aspect of the business quickly took over
Schwarzkopf Industries. In 1960, Anton took over his father’s com-
pany. He built his first steel rollercoaster four years later. He con-
tinued making rides, quickly developing a strong reputation for his
innovations.
154
Schwarzkopf built the Big Bend at the cost of 500,000 dollars. The
most prominent features of the ride were the two spiral lifts. In order
to climb them, electric motors were installed in each car.
Six Flags Over Mid-America opened for the first season on June
5th. It became the third theme park of the Six Flags chain. It also
would be the last one built by the company.
August 5th marked the tenth anniversary of Six Flags Over Texas.
The climax of the celebration came with the cake ceremony. The park
was presented with ten cakes, each one representing a year of its ex-
istence. The cutting honors were given to five married couples who
had met while working at Six Flags during the first season.
The park hosted a four-day concert fest during the Thanksgiving
holiday. The event lasted from November 25th to November 28th.
The Raiders performed on Thursday, followed by Helen Reddy and
Dawn on Friday. Two other bands played during the weekend. Held
at the Texas Pavilion, this was the first time Six Flags booked well-
known entertainers for an event.

In preparation for the 1972 season, Six Flags placed Ted Friesen in
charge of remodeling the park. Every street was resurfaced, all build-
ings were repainted, and more greenery was added. Talking trashcans
and water fountains replaced the ordinary ones.
The biggest part of the aesthetic changes took place in the Star
Mall. The park installed a ball-shaped fountain in the central pool.
The fountain carried a price tag of 25,000 dollars. A computer-con-
trolled lighting system allowed the ball to change colors at night.
In 1973, Six Flags Over Texas opened on March 25th. It was the
earliest date the park had ever opened for the public. The only new at-
traction awaiting visitors were the Rugged Buggies. Located in the
Petting Zoo, the ride only catered to small children.
With the success of the previous year’s Thanksgiving event, Six
Flags decided to book famous entertainers throughout the season. The
Texas Pavilion hosted Johnny Rivers, Mac Davis, Jerry Reed, Charlie
Pride, Jody Miller, and the Doobie Brothers. They performed the con-
certs during the weekends.
Mrs. Don Schoch of El Paso became the park’s 20 millionth visitor
on November 18th. At the end of the season, Boomtown Depot was
removed as a part of an expansion project.
Six Flags Over Texas opened its gates for 1974 season on March
24th. Ticket prices rose to $5.95 for adults and $4.95 for kids
Covering five acres of land, Good Times Square was designed to
represent a small town around the turn of the century. The new section
contained several attractions. The Good Times Square Railroad Depot
replaced the old Boom Town station. Doc Snooker’s Magnificent
155

Main Street consisted of 16 midway carnival games. Over time, the
area was greatly expanded.
156
Doc Snooker's Infernal Electric Bumping Machines had 50
vehicles. Every car had a round bumper to decrease the force of col-
lisions. A pole in the back led to a wire grid in the ceiling. The grid
carried electricity to be converted to kinetic energy.
In 1921, Max and Harold Stoehrer created the first model. They
called it the Dodgem Car. They placed the engine underneath the seat.
Drivers found the vehicle difficult to maneuver because it relied upon
rear steering. Seven years later, Joseph and Robert Lusse started ex-
perimenting with the design. They developed a new model called the
Lusse Auto-Skooter. The new model had the engine in the front. It
was designed so passengers could steer in any direction. After World
War II, headlights, air-filled bumpers, and safety harnesses were
added.
Crazy Legs was an octopus ride designed by Lee Eyerly. During
the Great Depression, he devised a pilot training machine and called it
The Orientator. Eyerly tried to sell it to the military but failed miser-
ably. He then introduced it to fairs and amusement parks with great
success. An instant hit during the 1950s, it eventually became one of
the most common rides in amusement parks. After The Orientator be-
came famous, Eyerly made other rides, including the octopus model.
The one at Six Flags was painted black and had six arms. The cars
spun around as the central column rotated and moved the arms.

In addition to the rides, Six Flags displayed a miniature circus. It
included 6,000 tiny figures. The model came from P. K. Schmitter, a
technical illustrator from Irving.
The park also built a small theatre next to the Krofft Puppet show.
It hosted a program centered upon an animatronic of Will Rogers. The
Will Rogers Show received little attention and never became popular.
The Texas Pavilion continued its role hosting concerts. Most of them
came from the Country and Western genre.
Six Flags held its first recycling promotion in May. For bringing in
a Dr. Pepper six-pack, visitors would get a discount. Adults received
three dollars off admission and children got two dollars. The discount
would only be valid on May 4th and 5th during the evening.
The park’s first robbery occurred on June 9th. An armed man
placed approached a cashier who was carrying money from the ticket
booth area. The robber ordered David to hand over the bag and es-
caped. The robber was never caught.
On Labor Day, Six Flags held its first local MDA telethon at the
Southern Palace. Hosted by NBC news anchor Roy Eaton, it would
become an annual tradition.
The park had its first Halloween celebration on October 22nd. The
Southern Palace showed a movie called The Mummy’s Ghost all day
long. Meanwhile, The Illustrated History Of Horror Films was played
at the Chevy Show Theatre. Visitors enjoyed a 30-minute parade of
monsters during the evening.
On January 29, 1974, the Arlington city council approved a lease
agreement with Six Flags Incorporated. The contract allowed it to op-
157

erate the Seven Seas marine park for four years. The company would
receive 350,000 dollars or 35 percent of the net profits. Arlington
would receive a rental payment 700,000 or 65 percent of the net pro-
fits. At the end of the four years, the company would have the option
to lease Seven Seas for another three years.
158
The marine park was the brainchild of Arlington mayor Tommy Joe
Vandergriff. Originally, it was going to be a large oceanarium. How-
ever, the end product was a theme park.
The Great Southwest Corporation agreed to build, lease and operate
Seven Seas. However, Penn Central’s sudden bankruptcy unraveled
the agreement. The Arlington City Council then created a non-profit
organization to handle the project.
Seven Seas opened on March 18, 1972. A cave with a seafood
restaurant served as the main entrance. The park was divided into sev-
en sections - the Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea,
Indian Ocean, Sea of Cortez, Sea of Japan, and South Sea. It had a
total of 26 attractions. They included a pirate ship, a dolphin show, a
killer whale show, a sled ride, an underwater theatre, a pearl diving
team, and a donut-shaped aquarium.
Six Flags Over Texas started the 1974 season on March 23rd. The
park built the Music Mill to replace the Texas Pavilion as the host for
special concerts. The Music Mill opened on May 31st with a concert
by Kris Kristofferson. Other performers making appearances included
big names such as Chuck Berry, Waylon Jennings, Rich Little, and
Hank Williams Jr. At the end of the season, the Lil’ Dixie Carousel
was removed.

On June 7th, a Six Flags an operator received a phone call claiming
there was a bomb in the Confederacy area. The person called again
saying there was another in the Modern America section. Employees
evacuated the 4,200 visitors from the park. After the bombs had been
found, the person made a third phone call, claiming there was another
one in park. He demanded 350,000 dollars in return for information
on its location. However, he failed to set up a meeting for the ex-
change. Law enforcement officials conducted a search for the bomb,
but found nothing.
The extortionist called again on June 27th. The recipient was
maintenance supervisor Ray Grable. The man told him to bring
350,000 dollars or a bomb would be detonated. Park officials told the
Arlington police and the FBI about the matter. Grable then went on a
wild goose chase going from one location to the next. While directing
Grable to a Fort Worth dump, the police arrested the extortionist. The
culprit was a former Dallas cop named Raymond Kossa.
On October 1st, the Arlington City Council voted to close the gates
of Seven Seas forever. The park had been a large money pit, creating
a debt of 34 million dollars. The members nullified its contract with
Six Flags Incorporated. It then offered to lease the land to the com-
pany for expansion purposes. This offer was flatly refused.
Six Flags Over Texas opened its gates for the 1975 season on
March 15th. Visitors now paid seven dollars for adults and six dollars
for children.
A Dallas magician named Paul Osborne created the character of
Cyrus Cosmo for the park. According to the back-story, Cosmo was
159

an inventor who did all his research at Six Flags. The new attractions
were the results of his experiments. The costumed character became
the park’s first original mascot. He performed in Cyrus Cosmo Won-
der Show, which took place at the Music Mill. The magic show
claimed that the illusions resulted from the Cosmo’s scientific genius.
Serving as the magic consultant, Paul Osborne designed the sets and
illusions.
160
Cyrus Cosmo had his own electric nighttime parade. It was called
The Incredible Light Brigade Parade. It featured floats covered with
bulbs and people wearing lit-up suits.
Six Flags added a new ride for Good Times Square and called it
The Rotoriculous. It had 20 cars capable of three people each. The
cars moved backwards and forwards on a track with slopes. There
were several different variations made from the original design. The
one used for the Rotoriculous was called the Himalaya, made by
Wisdom Rides.
The park housed the Rotoriculous inside an octagonal building.
While waiting in line, visitors listened to silly announcements and off-
tempo ballet music. At the beginning of the ride, it rolled slowly for-
ward. The lights turned off and the ride started going backwards faster
and faster. Colorful and weird images were projected all around the
room. They were accompanied by flashing lights that danced off a
disco ball. To complete the experience, loud music and sound effects
filled the building.
The Cyrus Cosmo Flying Machines took the place of the Lil’ Dixie
Carousel in the Confederacy section. Designed after Lee Eyerly’s Or-

ientator, it featured small, antique biplanes. For this reason, visitors
referred to the attraction as the Red Baron ride.
The Fun Guns of Dry Gulch replaced The Will Rogers show. It
was a one-man comedy act which centered around a gun collection.
Every pistol had special features to carry out a specific objective. The
host displayed each gun and presented a humorous back-story.
On May 20th, Six Flags Incorporated bought Astroworld through a
20-year lease. It had the option to renew for another ten. Former
Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz conceived the idea of AstroWorld,. He
intended it to complement The Astrodome. Designed by Randall Du-
ell, the park consisted of eight themed areas - Americana Square, Al-
pine Valley, Children's World, European Village, Modville, Plaza de
Fiesta, Oriental Corner, and Western Junction. The Astrodomain
Corporation owned the park since its opening day on June 1, 1968. Fi-
nancial difficulties forced the company to sell the theme park to Six
Flags.
Park officials removed The Fun Guns and its theatre at the end of
the season. They also eliminated the Krofft Puppet Show. Its building
was remodeled and became known as the Good Times Square Theatre.
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162

CHAPTER TWO
Six Flags Over Texas opened on March 20th, 1976. It introduced
the season pass for the first time. Those who wanted one had to pay
25 dollars.
The park also introduced the Texas Chute-Out. It was based upon a
ride built by Naval officer James H. Strong. He was inspired by the
parachute practice towers he had seen in Russia. The wooden towers
only had a single cable attached to each parachute. In 1936, Strong
obtained a patent on a safer design. He tested it at his home for the
next two years. It had eight wires around the parachute and a harness
for the rider. It allowed free fall time before the parachute opened. He
sold these new models to the American and Romanian military. After
public interest increased, James Strong designed a new model for
amusement parks. The changes included a seat for two, a larger para-
chute for a slower drop, a metal ring to keep the parachute open, and
springs for a landing that was easy on the body. Its success at a local
park inspired him to build a model for the 1939 World's Fair. At a
cost of 15,000 dollars, Life Savers sponsored the ride. It had eleven
parachutes attached to a 250-foot tower. After the fair ended, it was
sold to a park on Coney Island.
INTAMIN modeled the Texas Chute Out after the ride. Opening at
Good Times Square, it was 200 feet high and had 12 parachutes. The
central tower hid a maintenance elevator. Each car seated three peo-
163

ple. It rose 175 feet, free-fell for 35 feet, then floated down the rest of
the way.
164
August 5th marked the fifteenth anniversary of Six Flags. The park
eliminated the Oil Derrick’s Tower Slide because someone suffered an
accident. The Skull Island Rafts were also removed.
Six Flags Over Texas added the Spinnaker for the 1977 season.
Anton Schwarzkopf designed the attraction and classified it as an
Enterprise ride. Up to two people sat in each of 16 gondolas. There
were no safety restraints because the centrifugal force was enough to
keep the passengers in their seats. The ride moved clockwise as an
arm rose and tilted the frame.
Skull Island enjoyed the addition of a show called Captain LaFeet's
Flagship Follies. It took place aboard a ship located north of Skull
Rock. John Hardman, the man behind Argyle the Snake, produced the
pirate puppet show.
Flagship Follies was entirely pre-recorded. It started with an an-
nouncement that the crew needed to get ready for the captain’s arrival.
The cast preparing for the captain included three mops, two skeletons,
two pirates, four crows, three mice, and a cow. The next sequence
involved the appearance of Captain LaFeet. He wore an over-sized
hat, had a big nose, sported a black beard, and possessed two
enormous bare feet. After a song-and-dance routine, he instructed the
crew to prepare for battle. When the attack commenced, chaos ensued
until a white flag was raised from the deck. The show ended with the
four puppeteers waving to the audience.

Six Flags Over Texas received its 30 millionth guest on July 1st.
Katie Pittman from Rowlett, Texas received the honor. The event was
marred by a robbery during the late afternoon. A man pulled out a pis-
tol and told the front-gate cashier to bag all the money. He escaped
from the park and was never apprehended.
On October 22nd, a ten-year-old girl fell off the Missile Chaser as
the cars began to revolve. The operator immediately stopped the ride,
and the girl was taken to the hospital for head injuries. This accident
resulted in the ride being removed.
When Six Flags opened for the 1978 season, it raised adult ticket
prices to $8.50.
Anton Schwarzkopf designed yet another ride for the theme park.
The Shockwave opened to the public in April 1978. Not only was it
the tallest coaster at the time, the Shockwave became the first one to
feature consecutive loops. The track system only appeared on one
other rollercoaster, called the Mind Bender. When the Shockwave
first opened, the attraction was painted white. Throughout the years, it
was repainted dark blue, light blue, silver, and green.
At the end of the year, Six Flags removed the Fiesta Train. This
left behind a large, empty area in the Mexico section. The park also
removed Skull Rock and its slide from Skull Island. All that remained
was a barrel bridge and puppet show. The once great attraction had
become an empty shell.
For the 1979 season, Six Flags added the Sensational Sense Ma-
chine in the area once occupied by the Missile Chaser. A precursor to
the simulator ride, it was a metal box on hydraulic stilts. The struc-
165

ture in front acted as a facade to conceal the ride’s exterior. The com-
puters and the projection room were located inside a little shed in the
back.
166
The film being played started with the Screamin' Eagle roller-
coaster. It was followed by various park rides. It ended with a flight
through space. As the film played, the metal box moved accordingly.
Unfortunately, the ride had the habit of breaking down or not working
at all. It got so bad that the hydraulics were removed. This effectively
killed the purpose of the ride.
Six Flags added a show called The People Mover Machine.
Located in the Mexico section, the program took place in a tiny theatre
near Casa Magnetica. It was a musical show which relied upon magic
and audience participation.
Six Flags Incorporated purchased Magic Mountain for 51 million
dollars on May 1st. The theme park was built in Valencia, California
to attract people to settle in the newly-formed town. The construction
was financed by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. The theme
park opened on May 29, 1971. The company sold it because the park
was making very little profit.
Six Flags removed the Big Bend as a result of several injuries and
mechanical problems. It also eliminated the covered walkway which
led to the Mexico section.
The 1980 season brought the introduction of the park’s first wood-
en roller coaster. The Judge Roy Scream was located outside the park
along the lake. It was named after Judge Roy Bean, a notorious justice
of the peace during the nineteenth century.

The roller coaster was designed by William Cobb. He started his
career by providing structural designs. He then focused his attention
toward the amusement park industry. After assisting in the construc-
tion of the Great American Scream Machine, William Cobb started
designing coasters. His achievements included the Tornado, the Texas
Cyclone, the Screaming Eagle, and Rolling Thunder.
The Judge Roy Scream was a unique ride at Six Flags. It was the
only one which operated outside the park. Visitors could only access
the attraction by walking through a long tunnel then hiking up a
concrete pathway.
At the end of the season, the Happy Motoring Freeway lost its orig-
inal track. Good Times Square experienced the removal of the minia-
ture circus and the Crazy Legs.
The park’s biggest loss was the elimination of the Astrolift. The
decision process began two years earlier. On April 15, 1978, a gon-
dola accident at Squaw Valley, California resulted in four deaths.
Another accident occurred three months later at Six Flags Over Mid-
America. One of the support arms of the ride snapped, resulting in
three deaths and one injury. On October 26, 1979, the skyway ride at
the State Fair of Texas had an accident. One of the cars got jammed,
resulting in three others slamming into it. The two cars in the middle
fell to the ground below. One person was killed and sixteen others in-
jured. This procession of events led to removal of the Astrolift.
167

168

PART EIGHT
THE
BALLY
ERA
1981 – 1986
169

170

CHAPTER ONE
In 1981, Six Flags placed El Conquistador in the Mexico section. It
was classified as a pirate ship ride. Charles Albert Marshall invented
the first one and called it the Ocean Wave. He introduced the ride at
the Marshall Bros Circus in 1897. The pirate ship eventually became
one of the most common amusement park rides in America.
Penn Central offered to sell Six Flags Incorporated because it faced
financial losses from competition with the trucking industry. On Sep-
tember 28th, the Bally Manufacturing Corporation bought the com-
pany for 140 million dollars. It then changed the company’s name
from Six Flags Incorporated to Six Flags Corp.
Raymond Moloney founded the Bally Manufacturing Corporation
on January 10, 1932 as a subsidiary of Lion Manufacturing. It was es-
tablished to make pinball games. The company took its name from the
first game it made, which was called Ballyhoo. Based in Chicago, it
quickly became one of the best pinball makers.
The corporation started making slot machines and other gambling
equipment during the late 1930s. It produced ammunition and plane
parts during World War II. It then designed and manufactured vend-
ing machines. Bally became the world’s largest slot machine maker
by the late 1960s. In 1969, it acquired an arcade game company called
Midway Manufacturing. A boom in the video game industry during
the 1970s allowed Midway to become Bally’s main source of income.
However, Bally wanted to expand into other ventures and started
171

purchasing other companies. As a result, Six Flags Over Texas had a
new master.
172
When Six Flags opened its gates for the 1982 season, it had a new
attraction in Boomtown. The Texas Cliffhanger was advertised as the
first free-fall ride. Shaped like the letter L, it allowed a maximum of
four passengers per car. The carrier latched onto an elevator shaft and
ascended 90 feet. It moved forward then plummeted 86 feet.
The park removed La Salle’s Riverboat Adventure near the end of
the season. The final voyage occurred on August 15th. With the ride
gone, Fort St. Louis was the only attraction keeping the France section
alive.
The park then demolished what was left of Skull Island. It also got
rid of the Petting Zoo. Eliminating the Animal Kingdom’s only attrac-
tion effectively erased it from existence. Afterwards, the Spindletop
was moved to replace the Texas Astrolift station.
Six Flags Over Texas had many additions for the 1983 season. The
Roaring Rapids took the spot of Skull Island and La Salle’s Riverboat
Expedition. The ride was conceived by Bill Crandall, the manager of
the AstroWorld. His inspiration came from a man-made river used for
a kayak competition. Crandall enlisted the services of INTAMIN to
build the first water rafting ride. Astroworld opened Thunder River in
1980. The ride at Six Flags was also built by INTAMIN. It featured
three lakes and four stretches of rapids. Each raft carried a maximum
of twelve people.
Pac-Man Land took the place of the Petting Zoo. It was a chil-
dren’s amusement park themed after the popular arcade game. Pac-

Man was first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Namco developed
the game and gave the American distribution license to Midway. Up-
on its release, Pac-Man quickly became a pop-culture phenomenon.
The kiddie land park had the Pac-Man characters interacting with
guests. The park added a red baron ride and a small ferris wheel. The
main attraction of Pac-Man Land was the playground. Designer Jack
Pentes called the innovation a Playport. Made out of safe materials
such as foam and vinyl, the main features included rope netting,
lightweight punching bags, a bouncing pad, and a sea of plastic balls.
In addition to Pac-Man Land, the park introduced another attraction
centered around the arcade game. The People Mover Machine was re-
placed by a puppet show featuring the popular icon.
Good Times Square also experienced a replacement. The Texas
Tornado took the place of the Crazy Legs. Designed by Chance Mor-
gan, it was a variation of the Chair-o-plane ride. The Chair-O-Plane
appeared on the scene as early as 1908. It featured suspended chairs
attached to a rotating carousel top. As the speed increased, centrifugal
force caused the chairs to move outwards. The variation installed at
Six Flags was classified as a Yo-Yo ride. Instead of randomly placed
swings, all the seats were arranged in a complete circle.
At the end of the season, the Dolphin Show and the Caddo War
Canoes were removed.
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174

CHAPTER TWO
In 1984, Six Flags held an event called Spring Breakout during the
month of March. It featured plenty of outdoor attractions, events,
games, and concert performances. The success of Spring Breakout en-
sured that it would become an annual tradition.
For the new season, the Great Air Racer took the place of the Cad-
do War Canoes. It was designed and built by INTAMIN. It carried 60
passengers in 12 airplanes. The ride operated on the same principal as
the Texas Tornado.
The Dolphin Show’s replacement was the US High Diving Show.
It featured comedy skits, trick dives, clown acts, and a series of amaz-
ing high dives.
On April 26, 1984, the Bally Manufacturing Corporation purchased
Marriott's Great America for 144 million dollars. Its owner decided to
sell the park because it failed to meet financial expectations. Located
in Gurnee, Illinois, the park first opened on May 29, 1976. It origin-
ally consisted of six areas - Carousel Plaza, Hometown Square, County
Fair, Yankee Harbor, Yukon Territory, and Orleans Place. When Bal-
ly took over, the corporation changed its name to Six Flags Great
America.
As the year came to a close, Bally removed Pac-Man Land. The
corporation did this because the arcade craze had ended. To fill the
void of Pac-Man, Bally Manufacturing embraced another popular fran-
chise.
175

176
When Six Flags opened for the 1985 season, it raised the price of
admission. Adults paid $14.95 and children $7.95
Those who entered the park encountered a new section. Looney
Tunes Land resulted from a licensing contract with Time Warner.
This allowed children to have the opportunity to meet the cartoon
characters. In addition to re-themed attractions, kids got to enjoy more
rides such as the Daffy Duck Boats.
On June 20th, John Tower from Tyler, Texas became the 50 mil-
lionth visitor.
At the end of the regular season, park officials decided to remove
the Boomtown carousel for restoration purposes.
Six Flags re-opened for its first Christmas festival. Called Holiday
In The Park, it lasted from November 29th through December 31st.
Admission for the event was $4.50 per person.
The park was decorated with two miles of garland, 600 Christmas
trees, and more than 325,000 lights. Electricians placed shining stars
on the Oil Derrick. They also transformed the Texas Chute Out into a
Christmas tree. Carolers, strolling bands, horse-drawn carriages, and
nightly parades provided entertainment along the pathways. The
Southern Palace hosted a live show called A Jolly Holiday and the
Crazy Horse Saloon performed Country Christmas. Looney Tunes
Land provided The Bugs Bunny Merrie Holiday Revue. The restaur-
ants sold treats such as apple dumplings, roasted chestnuts, pumpkin,
turkey, and pie. For thrills, an artificial snow hill provided the oppor-
tunity for sled rides. Holiday In The Park was a tremendous success

with over 100,000 guests. As a result, the festival became an annual
tradition.
In 1986, the Mexico section enjoyed a new addition for the 1986
season. The Avalanche Bobsled Ride was designed by INTAMIN. It
first operated at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1984. The ride was
called the Sarajevo Bobsleds. Through the newly-created rotation pro-
gram, the coaster was sent to the Texas park two years later. It would
later be painted like a snake and called La Vibora.
The Music Mill underwent construction to expand its seating capac-
ity to 10,000. Meanwhile, the Dolphin Show returned to the park,
ousting the US High Diving Team.
On August 5th, Six Flags celebrated its 25th anniversary. The park
had entertained an estimated 52 million guests.
The end of the season brought about the removal of the Happy
Motoring Freeway.
177

178

PART NINE
THE
TURBULENT
ERA
1987 – 1996
179

180

CHAPTER ONE
Bally Manufacturing wanted to diversify itself from the video game
industry in case something went wrong. This was the main reason
why it invested in the theme park and health club industries. The
decision saved the corporation from ruin when the arcade craze came
crashing down. After this crash, Bally wanted to fully enter the gam-
bling business. It already owned the Park Place Hotel in Atlantic City
and desired more. In 1986, Bally Manufacturing bought the MGM
Grand in Las Vegas and Reno for 575 million dollars.
This acquisition gained the attention of Donald Trump. He was
looking to expand upon his casino holdings. Trump quickly tried to
stage a hostile takeover by purchasing a stock majority. In
desperation, Bally countered the attempt by relying upon a New Jersey
law. According to the statute, firms couldn’t own more than three
casinos in Atlantic City. Since Trump already owned two of them in
the area, acquiring Bally would violate the law if the corporation could
buy another casino. Bally Manufacturing managed to purchase the
Golden Nugget Casino for 440 million dollars. This acquisition
stopped the takeover. Acknowledging defeat, Donald Trump sold his
stock for 69 million dollars.
Although Bally won the battle, it came at a heavy cost. Obtaining
the MGM Grand hotels placed the corporation in heavy debt. With the
purchase of the Golden Nugget Casino, the debt became unbearable.
181

Something had to be done. Ultimately, Bally decided to restructure it-
self. This included selling the Six Flags Corporation.
182
On April 21, 1987, Bally Manufacturing sold its theme park assets
to the Wesray Capital Corporation. Bally received 600 million dollars,
250 million of it took care of the acquired debt. Wesray Capital was a
private equity firm based in Morristown, New Jersey. It specialized in
leveraged buyouts. The strategy involved borrowing money to meet
the cost of acquisition. The assets of the acquired company paid off
the debt interest.
Under the new management of Wesray Capital, Six Flags opened
its gates on March 14th. Those who entered got to enjoy a new ride in
the Modern America section.
Splashwater Falls took the place of the Happy Motoring Freeway.
Designed by INTAMIN, it was a standard Shoot-the-Chutes ride. This
type of ride consisted of a large boat that slid down a ramp into a
lagoon. Once at the bottom, a cable pulled the boat back to the top for
the next ride. The first one was built by J.P. Newberg in 1884. It
made its appearance at Watchtower Park in Rock Island, Illinois.
Splashwater Falls used boats capable of holding 20 passengers. They
climbed five stories high before plummeting. The impact with the lake
below created a wall of water that soaked both passenger and
spectator.
Admission prices rose for the 1988 season. Adults spent $17.95
while kids paid $11.95.
After a three year absence, the Boomtown carousel finally emerged
from the restoration process. Renamed the Silver Star Carousel, it was

placed underneath a protective roof at the Star Mall. Six Flags once
again replaced the Dolphin Show with another program. This time, it
was a stunt show with a Western theme.
From October 28th to October 31st, the park hosted the precursor to
its current Halloween festival. Throughout Fright Night, a 70-foot
replica of King Kong dangled from the Oil Derrick. Freddie Krueger
escorted adults through a haunted hotel. Cartoon characters guided
children through the Scary Tales Haunted House. The Crazy Horse
Saloon featured Hollywood monsters singing and dancing.
At the end of the season, the Rotoriculous was removed.
The 1989 season began on March 4th with higher prices. Admis-
sion was 20.50 for adults and 14 for children. Those who entered the
park encountered a remodeled section.
Good Times Square no longer resembled a small town around the
turn of the century. Instead, it reflected the rock-n-roll era.
The centerpiece of this change was a new ride called the Flashback.
Classified as a boomerang coaster, it was designed by Vekoma Rides
Manufacturing. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het
Veld. It originally manufactured agricultural machinery and mining
equipment. It started building amusement park rides in 1967. The
Flashback carried 28 passengers in a seven-car train. It pulled the
riders backward up a 125-foot hill. It then sent them through three
loops forward and backward.
The Texas Tornado was moved to the previous spot of the Silver
Star Carousel. A second run of the Dolphin Show replaced the stunt
spectacular. The park eliminated the Spindletop at the end of the year.
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184
For the 1990 season, Six Flags reduced admission prices to increase
revenue. The price for adults was $19.95 and children were $9.95.
The park also introduced the two-day ticket. Adults bought it for
$25.95 and children paid $19.95.
Guests visiting the park got to enjoy a new wooden roller coaster.
The Texas Giant was designed by Curtis Summers and built by the
Dinn Corporation. The Philadelphia Toboggan Company provided the
three coaster trains.
Standing at the height of a fourteen-story building, the Texas Giant
became the tallest wooden coaster in the world. However, Dorney
Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania disagreed. It claimed that Hercules
was taller than the Texas Giant. The park quickly sued Six Flags,
asking for $50,000 in damages. It also wanted a new ad campaign that
would correct the false assertions. In the end, the judge sided with Six
Flags. He declared that the Texas Giant had the highest lift and Her-
cules had the biggest drop.
In April, the Six Flags Corporation faced the harsh reality of a
possible bankruptcy. The problem emerged from the inability to pay
off debt created by the leveraged buyout. The corporation decided to
sell 19.5 percent of its stock to Time Warner. There was also an op-
tion for Warner to purchase up to 50 percent.
The month of October brought the park’s first Halloween festival
under the Fright Fest name. The decorations, haunted houses, and
entertainment were provided by a Dallas-based company called Vorta.
At the end of the season, the Chevy Show was removed.

Despite record attendance at the theme parks, the Six Flags
Corporation still couldn’t generate the revenue necessary to payoff the
loans. The company once again faced the prospect of declaring bank-
ruptcy. Officials decided to restructure debt agreements with its pri-
mary lender. The bank agreed to give a deference of 18 months. In
return, the corporation would pay a fee of one million dollars and
agree to a higher interest rate. It also had to follow an accelerated
payment schedule. This was an empty victory because the company
still had to pay 228 million dollars by the next summer.
Meanwhile, Six Flags expanded Looney Tunes Land for the 1991
season. This included the addition of a miniature train, miniature
trucks, a swing ride, and a large, inflatable house. There was also a
nursing and diapering facility. An ice-skating show celebrated Bugs
Bunny’s 50th birthday.
On August 5th, the park got to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Two weeks later, Wesray Capital sold the Six Flags Corporation
out of desperation. Three companies bought the corporation for 700
million dollars. A venture capital firm called the Blackstone Group ac-
quired 35 percent of the ownership. Investment banker Wertheim
Schroder & Company controlled 15. The remaining 50 belonged to
Time Warner. Together, they purchased the corporation and renamed
it Six Flags Theme Parks, Incorporated.
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186

CHAPTER TWO
Time Warner saw Six Flags as an opportunity to merchandise
popular characters and advertise movies. The corporation increased
the number of Looney Tune characters and featured them throughout
the entire park. It also used video monitors in ride queues to publicize
future film productions. For the 1992 season, it added two attractions
which promoted Warner Brother franchises.
When Warner Brothers released Batman in 1989, the film became a
blockbuster hit. Its success guaranteed a sequel would be made. As
the release of Batman Returns approached, Time Warner wanted to
promote the upcoming film. The result of this decision came in the
form of the Batman Stunt Show.
For the new attraction, the park added an amphitheater at site of the
Dolphin Show. The production ended up costing three million dollars.
It became the biggest show in the park’s history. The extravaganza
was produced by Peter Alexander. He was the creative force behind
the "Back to the Future" ride at Universal Studios.
Because the sequel hadn’t been released, the program centered
around The Joker and his evil henchmen. It used Gotham City Hall,
Wayne Manor, and the Axis Chemical Company as the three main
sets. The central set piece was a replica of the Batmobile. The vehicle
was built in California by Chenoweth Racing Productions.
For over 25 years, the Spee-Lunkers entertained guests at The
Cave. Unfortunately, Time Warner closed the ride and removed the
187

inhabitants. Officials explained that the ride was too dated. It needed
to be replaced by something more modern. Their answer was Yosem-
ite Sam’s Gold River Adventure. It was remodeled by Arrow Dynam-
ics. At a cost of five million dollars, the ride centered around the
exploits of Bugs Bunny. Two boats attached to each other carried a
maximum of eight people. The ride started with Yosemite Sam
robbing a gold vault guarded by Porky Pig. Porky enlisted the help of
the Texas Rangers led by Bugs Bunny. The remaining 22 scenes fol-
lowed the pursuit to retrieve the stolen gold.
188
During the season, Time Warner introduced the first national
advertising campaign. It involved making a deal with McDonald’s to
place ads on the carry-out bags. In addition, all season passes were
valid at any of the park locations.
For the first time, the Fright Fest Halloween celebration followed a
common theme. It centered around the tale of a black-widow bride
named Arania. She married 13 different husbands on Valentine's Day.
Each one died a mysterious death on the subsequent Halloween. Three
haunted houses covered different aspects of the tale. "Arania's 13
Rooms of Doom" featured the so-called accidental deaths of the
thirteen husbands. “Arania's Graveyard of the Living Dead" displayed
their graves. Hosted by the March of Dimes, "Arania Goes to Lon-
don" dealt with a special trip the woman made. Musical entertain-
ment came in the form of a show called “Arania's Web”. The park al-
so provided a stunt show with the title "Arania's Final Death Tests."
Six Flags Over Texas made no changes for the 1993 season. How-
ever, changes did occur behind the scenes. On September 17th, Time

Warner made an agreement with Wertheim Schroder & Com-pany and
the Blackstone Group. Warner would pay them 70 million dollars in
exchange for the remaining stock of Six Flags Theme Parks,
Incorporated. This made the media corporation the sole owner of the
Six Flags company, giving it complete control over the parks.
When the 1994 season started, admission prices rose again. Adults
paid $26.95 and kids $20.95. Those who entered the park enjoyed five
new stage productions, all themed around Hollywood entertainment.
Good Times Square Theater hosted the Hollywood Animal Action
Show. Under the direction of Joel Slaven, the show demonstrated how
animals were trained for movies and television. The cast included
dogs, cats, mice, and pigs.
The Music Mill presented a show titled the Warner Music Rock
Revue. It featured songs from famous performers. The program used
music videos, glitzy costumes, and a high-tech light show.
The Southern Palace hosted a musical presentation called Pure
Country. It used movie clips, videos, and special lighting to mimic the
atmosphere of a concert through the show.
The Crazy Horse Saloon presented an old-fashioned saloon show
called Miss Lillie's Red Garter Revue. It was performed continuously
with outlaws and other colorful characters dropping by.
In the Texas section, Benros Worldwide Entertainment produced a
stunt show. The main feature was a rooftop shootout between Wyatt
Earp, Doc Holliday and the Clanton gang.
For the 1995 season, Six Flags placed a simulator ride between
Splashwater Falls and the Texas Cliffhanger. The Right Stuff Mach 1
189

Adventure was based on the Warner Bros. movie. The ride followed
Chuck Yeager's 1947 flight. It combined high-tech film with a com-
puterized motion system.
190
The Right Stuff was housed in a six-story replica of a hanger.
While waiting in line, visitors passed jeeps, fuels trucks, and a jet
fighter plane. Using 50 cockpits, the attraction handled one hundred
people at a time. After the passengers were strapped inside the cock-
pits, they embarked on a four minute simulation. The grand opening
included the appearance of the astronauts from the Mercury 7 mission.
They all promoted the space program before testing the ride.
In Good Times Square, Six Flags installed its first up-charge
attraction. The Chameleon was a virtual reality ride created by Veda
International. The company started by designing and manufacturing
flight simulators for the space program and U. S. Navy. However, the
limited market and declining defense budget forced Veda to enter the
commercial sector.
The Chameleon functioned like an octopus ride. It had six arms,
each one holding a gondola. The pod was capable of moving in any
direction as it rotated around the center.
Inside each pod, two passengers worked together to play a virtual
reality game. One operated the vehicle while the other fired the gun.
The action played out on a large screen in front of the players. For re-
playability, different games could be added throughout the season.
The first one was a space adventure called Labyrinth Rangers. It in-
volved maneuvering through tunnels, shooting down monsters, and

collecting crystals. The ride lasted for 2 1/2 minutes. Those wanting
to experience the ride had to pay five dollars.
Six Flags provided the Batman Forever Laser and Fireworks Show.
The 12-minute program took place on the Oil Derrick. It involved la-
ser beams, pyrotechnic effects, fireworks, and music. It centered
around Batman and Robin fighting the Riddler and Two-Face. The
villains were trying to paralyze Gotham City by destroying its power
plant.
naker.
Near the end of the season, officials decided to remove the Spin-
While visitors enjoyed themselves at the park, Six Flags underwent
another change in management. Time Warner planned to eliminate
part of its 15-billion-dollar-debt. Part of this endeavor involved selling
over half of its Six Flags stock.
On April 13th, the corporation struck a deal with an investment
firm called Boston Ventures. The firm was founded in 1983 by bank-
ers who built Hollywood connections through media financing. Their
investments included River City Broadcasting, Continental Cable-
vision, MCA, and the National Enquirer.
According to the deal, Boston Ventures would own 51 percent of
Six Flags. In return, it would get 800 million dollars and an equity of
200. Time Warner would serve as co-manager. This agreement re-
sulted in Time Warner removing one billion dollars from its debt.
On January 10, 1996, Time Warner obtained management and op-
eration rights to Fiesta Texas. The San Antonio park was owned by
Gaylord Entertainment and USSA Real Estate. USSA came up with
191

the idea when the real estate market went sour. The original concept
was a musical park similar to Opryland USA. The company believed
that the focus on southwestern music and culture would distinguish it
from the competition. Lackluster revenue caused its owners to search
for an investor.
192
Six Flags over Texas created controversy when it opened for the
1996 season. In response to a concealed handgun law, the park insti-
gated new security measures. The parking attendant handed visitors a
flier informing them that all weapons were prohibited. Six Flags also
posted signs in the parking lot proclaiming that guns were illegal in
amusement parks. The biggest measure was the installation of metal
detectors at the entrance. All guests had to pass through them after
going through the turn stiles. This often resulted in visitors having to
empty their pockets. There was a big uproar about the steps being
taken. When Six Flags started prohibiting police officers from carry-
ing guns, it resulted in a statewide boycott. Officials eventually gave
in, but the metal detectors remained.
The park added two attractions for visitors that year. Designed by
Premier Rides, Runaway Mountain was a coaster inside a 65-foot-tall
building. The ride's storyline revolved around a mysterious mountain
forced up by nature. According to legend, a pirate named Jean LaFitte
buried his treasure deep within its chambers.
Visitors walking down the path to the mountain saw deserted river-
boats, snapping alligators, abandoned camps, and a large waterfall.
Once inside the mountain, the pathway took the form of a mineshaft.
Those waiting in line listened to background information on a char-

acter named Gator McGee. Passengers rode the coaster in complete
darkness for 90 seconds.
In an effort to maintain Runaway Mountain’s theming, Six Flags
remodeled Naler’s Plantation House and renamed it Gater McGee's
Mountain Grill. The park also removed the first word of the Runaway
Mine Train, hoping to prevent confusion between the two rides.
Six Flags opened Dive Bomber Alley near the Great Air Racer.
Classified as a skycoaster, the ride handled up to three people at a
time. They were strapped to a cable, raised 153 feet in the air, and
dropped toward the earth. After they plummeted, the passengers
swung back and forth until the cable came to a rest. The up-charge
attraction required a payment of 20 dollars a person. Those wanting to
ride solo paid an extra five dollars.
The skycoaster was invented by Bill Kitchen. After his first sky-
dive in 1990, he wanted other people to enjoy the same experience
without having to jump from a plane. The first one opened in 1993. A
year later, Kennywood Park installed the first permanent skycoaster.
Six Flags changed the name of the Confederacy section to the Old
South.
On August 5th, the park celebrated its 35th anniversary.
The Good Times Square Depot faced demolition at the end of the
season.
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194

PART TEN
THE
MODERN
ERA
1997 – 2011
195

196

CHAPTER ONE
Six Flags Over Texas raised admission prices for 1997. Children
and senior citizens paid 28 dollars while adults spent $34.45.
pot.
The park added a brand-new railroad station called Boomtown De-
Six Flags planned to open a rollercoaster near Good Times Square.
It was based on a Batman villain named Mr. Freeze. The coaster was
designed and built by Premiere Rides.
The attraction required a new form of coaster technology that was
being studied by NASA engineers. Instead of the traditional chains
and cables pulling the train, the ride used linear induction motors
lining the track. An electrical current helped the motors push the train
by using magnetic force. This force took hold of a fin located
underneath the train. The stationary passengers moved from zero to 70
miles per hour in less than four seconds. At 23 stories high, Mr.
Freeze became the fastest, tallest roller coaster in Texas.
Unfortunately, the ride ran into several problems. Large amounts
of rainfall caused several delays. During testing, a train was damaged
after its fin slammed into the motors. Engineers had to remove the
motors and reinforce the structures protecting them. Workers then dis-
covered that the tunnel and motors inside it were getting too hot. Offi-
cials planned to install more air-conditioning. This caused the park to
shelve its summer opening. If things went according to plan, the ride
would open late in the Fall.
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198
Meanwhile, a war was being fought over the control of Six Flags
Over Texas.
The Tierco Group started off as a real estate company in Oklahoma.
It purchased Frontier City in 1982. However, it had no intention of en-
tering the amusement park industry. It considered the park’s renova-
tion as a lost cause. Tierco planned to demolish it, divide the land, and
build a shopping center. A change in the economy changed its mind.
In 1984, the company invested 39 million dollars into Frontier City. It
hired Gary Story to be the general manager. Under his leadership,
Frontier City quadrupled its attendance and revenues.
Kieran Burke became Tierco’s new president in 1989. He shifted
the company’s focus from real estate to amusement parks. The com-
pany sold most of its property and reinvested the money into Frontier
City. Tierco soon adopted the practice of purchasing parks and ex-
panding them in the belief that it was the key to success.
In 1991, it bought a water park in Oklahoma City called White
Water. The following year, it acquired Wild World renamed it Adven-
ture World. Tierco changed its name to Premier Parks in 1994.
Obsessed with becoming the largest theme park operator, the com-
pany went on a spending spree for the next three years. It bought
Geauga Lake, Marine World, Elitch Gardens, Wyandot Lake, Water-
world USA, Splashwater Kingdom, Great Escape, Darien Lake, and
Riverside Park. Next on its list was Six Flags Over Texas.
Six Flags Theme Parks Incorporated had trouble renewing its con-
tract with the limited partnership owned the Arlington park. For
months, management tried negotiating with the company with little

success. The partnership’s owner Jack Knox felt that Time Warner
and Boston Ventures were taking the park in the wrong direction.
Instead of keeping the Texas heritage theme, they had replaced it with
cartoon and comic book characters. He also echoed the sentiment that
Time Warner wasn’t spending enough money for capital improve-
ments. With these grievances, the owners felt it was time to move on.
The limited partnership severed ties with Six Flags Theme Parks
Incorporated by entering into a contract with Premiere Parks. Under
the new agreement, Premiere would manage and operate the park for
30 years. The company could purchase the park for 315 million dol-
lars after the contract ended. In return, Premier promised to invest 30
million dollars over the next two years.
When the agreement was announced, Premier officials declared
they would eliminate the Time Warner themes and return the park
back to its roots. This meant that Batman and Bugs Bunny would be
leaving the park. All attractions tied to Warner Brothers would exper-
ience name changes.
However, Time Warner and Six Flags Theme Parks Incorporated
refused to go away without a fight. Six Flags immediately asserted the
transaction violated the existing agreements with the park owners. It
then threatened legal action. The limited partnership reacted by filing
a lawsuit against the current park managers. It asked the court to con-
firm the replacement of Time Warner to ensure an orderly transition.
Six Flags responded by filing a 1969 agreement between the own-
ers and the management company. According to the document, Six
Flags Over Texas could not operate as an amusement park after June
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30, 2009. An amended agreement made in 1971 stated that the park
could continue past the date, but only if the two parties agreed. From
these documents, the company asserted that the park had always been
under its control. Jack Knox suggested that a deal between the part-
nership and Six Flags Theme Parks voided the 1971 agreement. Time
Warner then decided the best move would be to outbid Premiere’s
offer. Succeeding in this endeavor, it promised to pay 350 million dol-
lars and invest 50 million into the park.
200
Meanwhile, engineers were still having problems with the Mr.
Freeze rollercoaster. The structures housing the motors couldn’t with-
stand the amount of electricity required to launch the trains. Adding to
this problem, the motors kept moving out of position. This caused the
train’s fin to catch as it glided through. Park officials announced that
these problems would be fixed by an upgrade.
In early 1998, Time Warner tried to own Six Flags Over Texas. It
offered to purchase the stock belonging to members of the limited
partnership. This endeavor failed miserably because only a few agreed
to sell their holdings. Time Warner then decided to focus on its media
and entertainment businesses. This led to an agreement with Boston
Ventures to sell Six Flags Theme Parks Incorporated.
On February 9th, Premiere Parks bought the company for 1.9 bil-
lion dollars. It would pay 765 million for ownership, 200 for secur-
ities, and 890 for the debt. As part of the transaction, Premiere signed
a long-term licensing agreement. The contract would give exclusive
theme-park rights to all the Warner Brother and DC Comic characters.

This effectively made Premier Parks the largest regional theme park
operator in the world.
Once Premiere gained control, it started applying the Six Flags
name to the parks it owned. The first to receive the changes were
Adventure World, Kentucky Kingdom, Elitch Gardens, Marine World,
and Darien Lake. Premier continued its practice of acquiring and ex-
panding new properties. It purchased Fiesta Texas and six European
theme parks. It also planned to spend 200 million dollars in park im-
provements.
Premiere adversely changed the advertising strategy of Six Flags.
In an effort to stand out from the other theme parks, it marketed Six
Flags as a thrill ride park instead of a place for family fun. Officials
hoped this new approach would attract teenagers and thrill seekers.
This was done because they felt these two groups owned the pro-
verbial purse strings.
Shortly afterward, Six Flags had to cut special offers, promotions,
and the media budget. It also made deep cuts in the workforce and
other operation expenses. It was part of a reorganization project insti-
gated by Premiere Parks. The company believed these measures would
maximize its investment.
In an effort to increase attendance, admission was slightly lowered.
The prices were $32.95 for adults and $26.91 for children and senior
citizens.
The Mr. Freeze rollercoaster finally opened on March 28th. It used
two separate loading systems. The train moved laterally onto the
201

launch area as the other car unloaded. The passengers exited the tun-
nel then rode the coaster forwards and backwards.
202
At the end of the season, the Right Stuff movie and its theming was
removed.
Six Flags Over Texas experienced a large drop in attendance,
despite the addition of the Mr. Freeze coaster. Premiere Parks blamed
it on the marketing campaign and the Texas heat.

CHAPTER TWO
When Six Flags Over Texas opened for the 1999 season, it had a
brand new section called Gotham City.
The main attraction was Batman The Ride. It was an inverted roller
coaster designed by B&M. Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard
founded the company after working for a ride manufacturer. Based in
Monthey, Switzerland, the company built over 70 attractions around
the world. It installed the first inverted roller coaster at Six Flags
Great America in 1992. An industry favorite, it featured a train that
ran under the track. Guests entered the queue house by walking
through a landscaped park. After going through some tunnels, they
entered the Bat Cave and boarded the ride.
Park officials replaced The Right Stuff with Escape From Dino
Island. Both attractions were made by Iwerks Entertainment. Former
Disney executives Stan Kinsey and Don Iwerks founded the company
in 1985. It began by selling products involving large format film pro-
jection. The majority of its clientele were expositions and Asian cor-
porations.
Iwerks decided to combine ride simulation, 360-degree video, and
other technologies with its own. This led to the creation of the Cine-
tropolis entertainment center. It was a combination of highly-themed
attractions, restaurants, and stores. The first Cinetropolis was built at
Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. The success of the Cinetropolis led
203

the way for Iwerks to become the world's leader in ride-simulation
attractions.
204
The plot of Escape From Dino Island centered around a team
hoping to rescue a T-Rex from an island ready to explode. While vis-
itors viewed the film through 3-D glasses, their seats moved in concert
with the action on the screen.
The park added The Six Flags Speedway Go Karts near the
Shockwave. The vehicles for the upcharge attraction came from J & J
Amusements, a company based in Salem, Oregon.
Race car builder Art Ingels invented the go-kart in 1956. Two
years later, Go Kart Manufacturing became the first producer. The or-
iginal vehicles used a modified chainsaw engine. During the 1960s,
manufacturers switched to motorcycle engines. Eventually, custom
models were used instead.
The Six Flags Speedway had a total of 40 go-karts, 16 for pairs and
24 for individuals. The vehicles traveled along a track that was 800
feet long. This provided four to six minutes of fun. Visitors paid five
dollars to drive and two dollars to ride as passengers.
The Great Air Racer saw its final season at the park.
On March 21st, Six Flags Over Texas experienced its first guest
fatality. That evening at the Roaring Rapids, a boat flipped over while
ascending an incline near the end of the ride. The inner tube had de-
flated five of its twelve chambers. This caused the boat to move lower
in the water and travel through the rapids at a tilt. After finishing the
final segment of the ride, it struck an underwater pipe and became
lodged. The water pressure broke the ropes that kept the rubber base

attached. When the boat overturned, the ride operator pushed the
emergency stop button then notified the on-site paramedics. Despite
warnings from the staff, three visitors entered the water to help. The
emergency team arrived two minutes later.
Ten of the passengers went to Arlington Memorial Hospital for
treatment. One person escaped without injury, but his quick departure
led officials to believe he was missing. The twelfth rider was not as
fortunate. Veronica Cartwright from Arkansas died from drowning
because she couldn’t unbuckle the safety belt. Six Flags officials
closed half the park after the incident. They told guests maintenance
work was being done. The Roaring Rapids stayed closed as the park
launched an internal investigation.
To prevent future deflations, the inner tubes underwent new
laboratory tests. During future use, they would be subjected to more
rigorous pressure testing. The park also installed metal ramps to allow
the rafts to glide over the underwater pipes. Congress passed a law
providing stronger regulations regarding amusement ride operation.
At the end of the year, officials discovered that the number of
visitors greatly decreased from the previous year. The weather once
again received most of the blame, though some complained about the
tough competition.
The results didn’t sit well with Premiere Parks, which equated
expansion with success. This philosophy placed the company into a
debt exceeding a billion dollars. The stockholders looked at the num-
bers and became worried. As the fear continued to grow, the stock
prices declined significantly. Premiere eventually managed to calm
205

the investors, proclaiming the debt was only temporary because the
park revenues would eliminate it.
206

CHAPTER THREE
Premiere Parks faced the consequences of its actions regarding Six
Flags Over Texas. Two years previously, it made deep cuts in all areas
of the staff. This resulted in the park not having the manpower need-
ed to effectively operate it. The news media and general public com-
plained about the park’s customer service, filthiness, and excessive lit-
ter. Management responded by claiming that the teenage work-force
was very small.
As Six Flags prepared for the 2000 season, the park announced a
renewed emphasis on cleanliness. This included the creation of a spe-
cial crew to handle the trash and litter.
Wanting to place another major thrill ride but not having the funds,
Six Flags temporarily installed the Missile Chaser at the location of the
Great Air Racer.
In July, Premier Parks changed its name to Six Flags Incorporated
so it could capitalize on the brand name recognition. This meant that
Premiere would rename all its parks located in the United States.
In February 2001, Six Flags Incorporated continued the process of
purchasing and expanding. It combined Sea World of Ohio with Six
Flags of Ohio. The result was called Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.
The company then purchased the Canadian theme park La Ronde.
Admission prices rose for the 2001 season. Adults spent $40.99
while children and senior citizens paid $20.49.
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208
Getting ready for its 40th anniversary, the park built a new entry
plaza and gave some of the signature attractions a new paint job.
Instead of the Warner characters greeting guests throughout the
park, they were concentrated in Looney Tunes Land. The whole kid-
die section received six new rides, four refurbished rides, and a pro-
duction stage. The Looney Tunes Theatre hosted a musical show
called Michigan J. Frog's Tinseltown Parade. Afterwards, children
were allowed to mingle with the characters.
In an effort to boost its appeal to teenagers and thrill seekers, Six
Flags installed another rollercoaster. Costing 25 million dollars, The
Titan was designed by German engineer Werner Stengel. He started
his career by working on amusement rides in collaboration with Anton
Schwarzkopf. After Anton retired, Werner continued the tradition of
making rollercoaster innovations. At the length of a mile, the Titan
became the longest coaster built at a Six Flags park. Its height of 245
feet made it the tallest one in the Southwest.
Six Flags celebrated its 40th anniversary on August 5th. Anyone
who was 40-years-old received free admission for the celebration. The
day started off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the front entrance.
Throughout the day, the park hosted 16 shows by various groups. The
Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders provided a night performance followed
by a firework show.
Despite all the additions and changes, Six Flags Over Texas suf-
fered a ten percent decline in attendance.
At the beginning of 2002, Six Flags signed a five-year contract with
a British company called Lo-Q Incorporated. The agreement allowed

for the installation of a virtual queuing system. For an extra ten dol-
lars, a visitor received a small pager-like device called a Q-Bot. Up to
six other people in a group could use it at the cost of five dollars each.
The guest took the Q-Bot to a ride and plugged it into a kiosk. The de-
vice calculated how long the wait would be, then assigned a time for
the guest to return. Later, the bot reminded its holder that the ride time
was approaching. The guest could then get onto the attraction without
waiting in line.
When Six Flags opened, it replaced Escape From Dino Island with
Space Shuttle America. Made by DreamQuest Images, the film took
place in the year 2094. The shuttle crew received orders to investigate
a meteor. This resulted in a mad dash through a massive asteroid belt.
The crew found the meteor and discovered that it was on a collision
course with Earth. Unable to obliterate the meteor from the outside,
the shuttle flew through a canyon and cave, then destroyed it from the
inside. The crew warped back to Earth and made a rough landing.
From June 8th to August 11th, Six Flags held its first Best of Texas
festival. It was created as a tribute to the state’s history. A reproduc-
tion of the Alamo’s facade was located near the Oil Derrick. Other
features included a giant concrete armadillo, a 150-pound fruitcake, a
statue of a giant killer bee, and an 8-foot-tall fiberglass jackrabbit.
Entertainment was provided by the Light Crust Doughboys Band, the
Apache Belles Dance Team, and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.
Critters of the Big Bend displayed a variety of wild animals. The Big
Texan Steak Ranch, Eddie Dean's East Texas Barbecue, and Sweet
Georgia Brown provided regional cuisine.
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210
At the end of the season, the park removed the Missile Chaser in
preparation for an upcoming attraction.
Six Flags Incorporated faced more financial woes at the end of the
year. It had to take a 61-million-dollar loss related to its purchase of
Movie World Germany. Additionally, it reported a net loss of 128
million dollars caused by the lackluster attendance at its four main
theme parks. Overall, the company had a long-term debt of 2.3 billion
dollars. Despite this gloomy news, the company decided to acquire
Jazzland in New Orleans.
The 2003 season saw the return of The Right Stuff to the 3-D
Theater.
Visitors also enjoyed the addition of the Superman Tower of
Power. At a height of 325 feet, it served as the park’s tallest structure
and the world’s highest tower ride. It was located at the site of Missile
Chaser. The attraction was designed by S&S Power. Stan Checketts
started the company as a maker of bungee jumping and trampoline
equipment. The main focus changed in 1994. The company gained a
strong reputation for its pneumatically-powered rides.
The Superman ride was a Combo Tower model which used the
technologies of the space shot and turbo drop. The space shot used
compressed air to send riders to the top. It then gently lowered them
to the ground. The turbo drop pushed the car to the top and dropped it
quickly. Compressed air then bounced it back the mid-point before
lowering it to the ground. The beginning of the Superman ride fol-
lowed the pattern of the space shot. The second part mimicked the
turbo drop.

While visitors enjoyed the park, Six Flags Incorporated continued
its downward spiral. Park attendance decreased by four percent. This
caused a loss of 12.3 million dollars in the second quarter alone. Pre-
dictions of lowered revenue resulted in stock prices falling by 18
percent. By the end of the year, a company share could be purchased
for five bucks.
Despite claims it would never get rid of any properties, Six Flags
Incorporated sold eight of its parks. The company released its owner-
ship of all European theme parks, with the exception of Movie World.
In the United States, it sold Six Flags Worlds of Adventure to the own-
er of Knott's Berry Farm. The revenue gained from these transactions
was 345 million dollars. The company decided to use the money to
expand the remaining parks and pay off some of its debt.
In an effort to increase attendance, Six Flags started a brand-new
advertising campaign. It centered on the first original mascot since
Professor Cyrus Cosmo. Mr. Six was invented by Doner Advertising
of Southfield, Michigan. The character became popular through the
television commercials. Despite pressure by the media, Six Flags re-
fused to disclose the actor’s identity.
For the 2005 season, the park replaced The Right Stuff with a show
called Sponge Bob SquarePants 4-D. Sensations for the viewers were
added using items such as bubble blowers, water sprinklers, and seat
buzzers. The film followed Sponge Bob’s quest to recover a stolen
pickle, resulting in the discovery of an evil plot.
Near the end of the year, Six Flags Incorporated reported a loss of
464 million dollars. Once again, the majority blamed it on the weather
211

while others mentioned the economy. One investor grew tired of the
excuses and took action.
212
Daniel Snyder was the owner of the Washington Redskins football
team. He also owned nine percent of Six Flags Incorporated through a
company called Red Zone, LLC.
Snyder expressed his displeasure with Six Flags, believing it should
focus more on marketing and sponsorship opportunities. He also
pushed for more park closings and a possible company merger. The
management team snubbed Snyder because its members felt their ex-
perience trumped his business knowledge.
Daniel Snyder may have been pushed aside, but he was far from
finished.

son.
CHAPTER FOUR
Six Flags Over Texas introduced three new shows for the 2005 sea-
Kathy Burks’s World of Puppets presented Sara Jane Armadillo Su-
perstar. It told the story of an armadillo moving to Hollywood to be-
come a movie star.
At the Southern Palace, the Amazing Acrobats of China performed
various balancing acts.
A production company headquartered in London performed Spirit
of the Dance. Created and produced by David King, it used a mixture
of folk dance, tap dance, and ballet.
During mid-August, Daniel Snyder announced his intention to take
control of Six Flags Incorporated. He made a filing with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. He proposed the removal of three board
members. To take their place, he suggested himself as chairman, Mark
Shapiro as chief executive, and Dwight Schar as a director.
The filing offered $6.50 a share to anyone interested in selling. It
was an attempt to boost his holdings from 11.7 percent to 34.9 percent.
It criticized the current management for blaming the weather for its
losses. It also attacked management for wasted billions of dollars in
shareholder value. Those in charge overspent money on thrill rides
with no appeal to families with young children. It added that the spon-
sorships were tired and dated brands.
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214
After attacking the management, it made specific suggestions for
improving Six Flags operations. The company had to attract a more
balanced audience. It had to sell rights to certain food items and out-
source concessions. Systems that allowed guests to use credit cards
needed to be installed. Rides and attractions needed to be co-branded
with more current characters and themes. Season passes had to be re-
priced, and prices for premium parking spots had to be increased.
The filing also provided a new marketing campaign. Mr. Six would
be replaced by a new slogan - "Clean, Safe, Fun". It would also spend
less on expensive television ads and use more direct mail. Lastly, it
would focus more on families with young children.
A week after the filing, Six Flags Incorporated announced it was
putting itself up for auction. It said that Snyder was invited to partic-
ipate but voiced opposition to his attempt to gain control. Six Flags
told shareholders to reject Snyder's proposals because he lacked cre-
dentials and experience.
In the midst of the turmoil, Six Flags Incorporated announced it
would close AstroWorld at the end of the year. The closing was
blamed on attendance and a disagreement over shared parking with
Reliant Stadium. All proceeds of the sale would go to paying off debt.
This action proved to be the last straw for many company investors.
Two months after Astroworld closed, 57 percent of the stockholders
voted to remove Burke, Dannhauser, and Shuman. The revolt provid-
ed Six Flags Over Texas with a new master.
The 2006 season began on March 4th. Adults spent 45 dollars for
admission while children paid 35. For an additional 15, a visitor could

eat lunch with the Looney Tunes characters. With a 48-hour notice, a
guest could invest 249 dollars for the Texas Star VIP Tour. The pack-
age included park admission, front-of-the-line ride privileges, reserved
seating at restaurants and shows, unlimited snacks, a souvenir photo, a
private autograph session, and a private guided tour.
Every morning, a staff member randomly selected a First Family
for the day. In a flurry of confetti and balloons, this family got to flip
a big switch that symbolically turned on the park. They also got be
Grand Marshall of a 20-minute parade. Every night, the parade cele-
brated the park’s 45th anniversary.
To commemorate its long history, the park erected an exhibit
throughout the France section.
Six Flags also installed ten new attractions, hoping to widen its
appeal to families.
INTAMIN built the Acme Rock-n-Rocket in the Modern America
section. The Looping Starship model was a swinging ship that could
make an entire loop.
In Good Times Square, the Cloud Bouncer was a balloon tower
model designed by Zamperla Rides. Antonio Zamperla founded the
Italian company in 1960. It quickly became known worldwide for its
family-friendly attractions.
HUSS Manufacturing built the attraction Crazy Legs in the same
section as the Cloud Bouncer. The German company was founded in
1919 as a producer of boat engine parts. It began creating amusement
rides in 1969, and eventually adopted them as its primary focus.
Crazy Legs was classified as a troika ride. It had three arms at-
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tached to a central column. At the end of the arm, a wheel-like con-
traption held seven cars. The ride started with the central column
moving clockwise and the wheel moving counter-clockwise. The arms
were then raised to a 40-degree angle.
216
Gotham City had two new attractions. The Batwing operated just
like the Red Baron ride. Gotham City Sprayground involved a series
of sprinklers, fountains, and spouts.
In the Texas section, HUSS built a breakdance ride called Rodeo.
Four hubs had four cars each. The hubs were attached to a twelve-
sided platform. While the platform moved one way, the hubs moved
the opposite. At the same time, the cars rocked back and forth while
rotating. The Texas section also had a ride called Boot Scottin'. The
turtle parade model rotated the cars in a circle while slightly moving
them up and down.
The Caddo Lake Barge was located near the Oil Derrick. Class-
ified as a rocking tug, the ride’s gondola moved back and forth along a
track while rotating around its center.
Placed next to the Titan, the Sidewinder was a scrambler ride like
the Missile Chaser.
The park added a tea cup style ride to the site of El Somberro.
Instead of being removed, the hat ride was placed close to the front
gate.
The Texas Tornado underwent a complete make-over. Repainted
and rethemed, the ride’s new name was The Gunslinger.
The Good Times Square Theater became Majestic Theater after
extensive remodeling.

Six Flags introduced a new cast of characters at the park. In
addition to the Looney Tunes gang, visitors could interact with mem-
bers of the Justice League. They included Batman, Aquaman, Green
Lantern, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.
In June, Six Flags Incorporated reported a severe loss in revenue
and attendance. As its stock decreased in value, the company con-
sidered closing six more parks.
The month of October brought about an announcement of new
guest rules for the following year. They were designed to make the
parks more attractive for families. The regulations required visitors to
wear shoes and shirts. There could be no line-jumping, profanity,
abusive gestures, or offensive behavior. Violators faced ejection from
the park without a refund.
As the year came to a close, the theme park chain received more
bad news. Reports revealed a net loss of 306 million dollars. Snyder
defended himself, saying that it would take time to clean his predeces-
sor’s mess.
Facing its financial difficulties, Six Flags Incorporated sold seven
of its amusement parks for 312 million dollars. The seven parks were
Darien Lake, Elitch Gardens, Frontier City, Splash Town, Enchanted
Village, White Water Bay, and Waterworld USA. Parc 7F-Operations
Corp. made the purchase. Afterwards, it sold the parks to CNL In-
come Properties Incorporated. CNL then leased them back to the orig-
inal buyer.
For the 2007 season, Six Flags Over Texas hosted Cirque Dreams
Coobrila at the Music Mill Theater. It was performed by Cirque Pro-
217

ductions. The company was based in Pompano Beach, Florida. The
shows it produced were based on the famous Cirque du Soleil.
218
Based in Montreal, Canada, Cirque du Soleil was an entertainment
company that billed itself as a mixture of circus art and street enter-
tainment. It started in 1980 when Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier
toured Quebec as a performing troupe. After three years of financial
failure, the government gave them a grant. This was used to perform
for the anniversary of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada. The suc-
cess led to an extension of its funding. Laliberté then hired a circus
member to recreate the show for wider audiences. The result was a
show displaying a mixture of circus styles.
Near the end of the season, the park removed three popular
attractions. The Bumper Cars disappeared quietly. However, the Tex-
as Cliff-hanger went out with a bang. Casa Magnetica finally closed
its doors after 45 years of service.
In July, Six Flags Incorporated revealed that attendance had
dropped 9 percent. It also reported a 46 percent decline in its third-
quarter income. Wall Street stock prices closed at $2.25 a share. The
company once again fell into the habit of blaming the weather and
promising a better year.
On December 18th, it applied to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission for a license to sell alcohol at Six Flags. Management
saw this as a way to boost revenue and honor visitor requests. This de-
cision created a massive wave of opposition. During the mandatory
60-day waiting period, more than 500 residents complained to the
TABC. Some Arlington officials protested the application. They said

that alcohol sales in the park could become a public safety hazard.
Even the mayor showed concern about the measure. The TABC told
the public that that there would be a town hall meeting.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission held its town hall
meeting on January 3, 2008. The purpose was to focus on the process
of formal protesting. However, it turned into an outlet for grievances
against the alcohol licensing. A large number of those attending were
concerned about minors obtaining the alcohol. Others feared it would
create an atmosphere where children could be exposed to drunkards.
The only one at the meeting expressing support was a Six Flags exec-
utive.
When the waiting period for filing the application ended, Six Flags
Incorporated decided to postpone the procedure to make some correc-
tions. In the meantime, the company faced more controversy.
It decided to forbid guests from carrying anything in line. Employ-
ees were placed at the popular ride entrances to voluntarily confiscate
loose articles. Those not wanting to hand over their personal belong-
ings had the option to rent special lockers for a dollar. After two
hours, guests had to remove their possessions or risk having them
taken by park security. These lockers were located near Mr. Freeze,
Titan, Batman The Ride, and Texas Giant.
Six Flags Incorporated entered into a multiyear marketing agree-
ment with skateboarder Tony Hawk. This contract included a special
tour and a coaster ride named after him.
Tony Hawk's Big Spin took the place of the Texas Cliffhanger. It
was designed by Hubert Gerstlauer. A former employee of Schwarz-
219

kopf, he started his own company in 1982. It began as a maker of
coaster equipment. When Schwarzkopf declared bankruptcy in 1992,
Gerstlauer started manufacturing amusement park rides.
220
Billed as the total Tony Hawk experience, the ride was designed to
have the look and feel of a giant skate park. Monitors along the queue
line showed a brief history of action sports. Riders seated themselves
face to face in the car. As it traveled along the track, the car spun the
passengers around. Visitors could purchase a video of their ride at the
exit.
In November, Six Flags Incorporated announced a 60-percent-boost
in its third-quarter profit. These earnings refused to please the invest-
ors because they felt the company was headed toward bankruptcy.
This apprehension plummeted the stock to an all-time-low of 28 cents.
On January 10, 2009, a judge recommended the approval of the Six
Flags alcohol license. He then sent the application for finalization. A
month later, the administrator allowed Six Flags to have a permit.
Park officials proclaimed that beer would be available just in time for
Spring Break.
February 2nd marked the return of the mascot Mr. Six. This time
around, he talked during the commercials.
For the new season, Six Flags presented the Glow In The Park
parade. The parade ran nightly between June 12th and August 16th. It
featured floats and entertainers illuminated by fiber optics. The parade
started in Gotham City and moved around the park toward the front
gate. It featured 65 performers, nine floats, and nine puppets.

On June 12th, Six Flags Incorporated filed for Chapter 11 bank-
ruptcy. Although many feared this would put an end to Six Flags Over
Texas, they had nothing to worry about because the company didn’t
own the park.
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222

CHAPTER FIVE
When Six Flags Incorporated emerged from bankruptcy in April,
the company changed its name to the Six Flags Entertainment Corpor-
ation. It restructured its debt. The stockholders gave 725 mil-lion dol-
lars in new equity. The company acquired 120 million dollars from its
revolving credit facility. It also received one billion dollars from its
secured credit facilities.
The bankruptcy brought an end to Daniel Snyder’s reign. The Six
Flags Entertainment Corporation looked for a new leader. It chose Jim
Reid-Anderson, who recently served as CEO of Siemens Healthcare
Diagnostics.
On June 22nd, the park officially announced it would refurbish the
Texas Giant into a wood-steel hybrid.
The year 2011 brought about the park’s 50th anniversary. The sea-
son began on March 5th with great fanfare.
The Texas Giant reopened on April 22nd. The coaster was now a
steel hybrid. It stood ten feet taller than the original. Its main features
included a 79-degree drop and a 95-degree bank. Even more impress-
ive was the smoothness of the ride. The front car of each train resem-
bled a Cadillac with steer horns on the hood.
From June 18th to August 7th, Six Flags promoted a program
called Fifty Days Of Fun. A different special discount was offered
each day. During this time, the park temporarily reopened Casa Mag-
netica.
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224
When August 5th arrived, Six Flags Over Texas celebrated its anni-
versary, commemorating 50 years of entertainment.

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