Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1960s I have very fond memories of San Jose's Frontier Village.
I remember the long journey from San Leandro where we lived all the way down to South San Jose. We would take what was then Highway 17 (The Nimitz) down to San Jose and then onto Interstate 101. After the long drive through San Jose (it seemed so huge back then) to the Ford Road exit near the IBM plant. After exiting Ford Road there was a right turn on the the road called Monterey Road taking us back North into San Jose for about a mile. This section of Monterey Road had the Southern Pacific train track along the left side.
As you neared Branham Lane you began to see the tall eucalyptus trees of Frontier Village. At Branham Lane you take the left turn and over the train tracks and you were there. One last left turn would get our old trusty '65 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon into the Frontier Village gravel parking lot.
It was a great site for a young boy to see! There it was a perfect frontier wilderness stockade fort right out of your Davy Crockett play imagination. On the stockade log walls was the brightly painted "Frontier Village" signs. There was no mistaking where you were.
Once inside the first thing my brothers and I did was to explore the upper levels of the stockade forts upper gatehouses. We of course were protecting the townsfolk from the wild next bunch of tourists entering the park.
A quick walk across the creek was the park's first ride was the Ferris wheel. It seemed so very tall at the time. It seemed that you could see the whole park from that vantage point. I remember that you could start to smell the cotton candy and popcorn from the Ferris wheel.
Leaving the ferris wheel the walkway opened up to the town square. On Town square and straight ahead was the Frontier Village logo building the train station. Over to the left was a walkway to some of the older rides and the schoolhouse exhibit. I looked like the children attending that school had just left for recess and would return at any moment. There was also a merry-go-round in that area too.
To the right of the train station was the wider Main Street of Frontier Village. This was the place where the sheriff would get into daily shoot-outs with the bank robbers. Bang bang pop pop!
Okay I'm going to stop here today to give me something to blog about at a later date.
Here are some links that you may enjoy:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FrontierVillage/
http://www.frontiervillage.net/
and some Youtube videos:
Part 1 http://activerain.com/blogsview/717285/Frontier-Village-Part-1
Part 2 http://activerain.com/blogsview/718430/Frontier-Village-Part-2
Part 3 http://activerain.com/blogsview/718484/Frontier-Village-Part-3
Part 4 http://activerain.com/blogsview/721314/Frontier-Village-Memories-Part
Part 5 http://activerain.com/blogsview/721431/Frontier-Village-Memories-Part
Part 6 http://activerain.com/blogsview/723682/Frontier-Village-Memories-Part
Part 7 http://activerain.com/blogsview/732184/Frontier-Village-Part-7
Hey Michael, do you remember the worrds to the Frontier Villiage jingle? "Frontier Villiage thats where the actions at! The fastest fun in the west! "
Do you have any recollection of ever going to Santa's Villiage near Scotts Valley?
Ron,
Yes, Frontier Village, the fastest fun in the West.
Unfortunately I was too young to go to Santa's Villagein Scott's Valley before that park closed. I remember seeing it from highway 17 on the way to Santa Cruz and thinking what a shame that it was closed. It stayed closed and still standing for a long time before the eventually tor it down. There was also a sister park to it in Skyforest California in the mountains high above Los Angeles.
There is a very successful santaland type of theme park in Indiana that added other holidays, such as; fourth of July, Halloween, thanksgiving. It's called Holidayworld.
www.holidayworld.com