A light-hearted and fun blog post: Historians love looking at old photographs of people, places, and events. Looking at illustrations and captive moments helps scholars visualize the time period they are writing about. Furthermore, based upon the famed saying, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ photographs express the emotions of their subjects, and become a historian’s paradise. In this blog post, I looked over several photographs of the Six Flags Over Texas theme park in Arlington, TX from the online Special Collections archival deposits at the University of Texas at Arlington (my alma mater). Opened on August 5, 1961 to great applause from city citizens and energetic support from Mayor Tom Vandergriff, Six Flags Over Texas has since evolved in the physical landscape, entertained thousands of local visitors and international tourists, and continues to be one of the crowning jewels in the state’s entertainment sector. If you are ever traveling in the DFW area, be sure to pass through Arlington and spend the day at Six Flags Over Texas–it is a theme park for all ages that is a definite recommend!
Six Flags Over Texas founder, Angus Wynn Jr., a dedicated developer from North Texas, describes the La Salle River Adventure ride during a 1960 inspection tour. The first name considered for the theme park in 1960 was ‘Great Southwestland,’ however, the label was dropped as it failed to stick among the board members. Some members of the Daughters of the Texas Revolution pointed out that Texas was never under anything, thus changing the name to better represent the diverse periods of the state’s history. The idea of the park was to allow visitors to become part of the romantic and rich history of Texas by actively participating in the adventures of one of the six eras represented in the park–the six flags of Texas (France, Spain, Mexico, Lone Star State, Confederacy, and the United States).
A conceptual drawing of a Dixie mansion–this was a proposed idea for a restaurant based in the Confederacy section of the park. Today, the Confederate flag no longer flies above the park (in the aftermath of the southern monuments/flag debates) and the once-popular land that was home to fake Confederate soldiers barely exists.
Convair workers got an advance look at the new theme park during trial runs before the official opening on August 5, 1961. Six Flags employees also had special days to visit and ride the attractions before the big crowds arrived. In its first season, Six Flags Over Texas hosted more than half a million people, including visitors from all 50 states and 20 international countries. In a 2004 interview, former Mayor Tom Vandergriff reported that “we were astounded by the immediate attention from visitors who lived far away.” Celebrities and notable politicians, including then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson paid visits to the theme park.
The 1961 Ferrocarril Fiesta Train was a very popular attraction among guests. The Dallas Morning News once described the train as the “most hilarious train ride of all.” The train took passengers through a caricature of Old Mexico complete with giant dancing tamales. Note the sombreros decorating the top of the train cars.
Humble’s Happy Motoring Freeway provided guests and families the opportunities to drive a motorized car on a smooth track with no wrecks, traffic jams, or road rage. This was located in the USA section of the theme park. In this 1961 photo are guests Richard Dixon, Jackie Kelley, and Angus Wayne III (L-R).
The Butterfield Overland Stagecoach carried 15 passengers along a dirt track in the Lone Star State section of the park. Shown here in a 1961 photograph, passengers ran into outlaw Sam Bass and his notorious blood-thirsty gang, confronted hostile Natives, and passed roaming buffalo. Guests were allowed to sit either in or on top of the carriage. The ride closed in 1967.
The Chapparal Cars attraction, colored photograph in April 1965. This attraction is one of the few in the park that is still in operation and popular among guests.
The gun show in the Lone Star State section. Judge Roy Bean, left in the top hat, presides over this 1961 shootout between actors who are dressed up as outlaws. These shows proved to be a delight to the guests. The good guys always won the shootouts and brought peace to this section of the park. Today, cowboys are typically seen playing musical instruments and dancing with guests.
The Caddo War Canoes, named for the Caddo Indians who once lived in the North Texas region, were popular among groups of muscled teenagers and young adults, as seem in this 1961 photograph.
At the Confederate Recruiting Station, young boys had the opportunity to join the rebel army. The Confederate soldiers (dressed-up employees) marched through the southern section throughout the day, kept an eye out for Yankee spies, and sometimes executed the enemy by firing squad. This practice and recruiting station are no longer in the park, for obvious reasons.
The Mirabeau B. Lamar steam train, built in 1897 and named after the Republic of Texas’s second president, began service at the park in 1962. Here, a large crowd gathers to witness the dedication of the train on July 5, 1962. The train currently operate and transports passengers to various stations around the theme park.
El Asseradero log fumes opened in 1963 and offered guests a refreshing way to cool off in the hot Texas summers. The ride had steep climbs, drops, and a huge splash at the end. The attraction, renovated since 1963, is currently in operation, however, recent problems have caused the log fumes to sporadically close due to mechanical repairs.
The Oil Derrick, which opened to great applause in 1969, was once an observation deck and a ride. Guests could ride down a 12-lane, 180-feet long slide, as shown here. The slide was removed in 1976, however, guests are still able to take an elevator up to the observation deck and admire the 360-degree view of the DFW Metropolis.
One of the earliest roller coasters at Six Flags Over Texas was the Runaway Mine Train, which opened in July 1966. This attraction was the first tubular steel, themed roller coaster in the country and was loved by all residents. Due to its popularity, Six Flags has refused to remove the attraction, and guests are still able to ride the famed mine train. In this photograph, Six Flags employee Steve Schellenburg (L) waves to guests as they emerge from the underwater tunnel on the ride’s opening day.
Sid and Marty Krofft were internationally known brother puppeteers when they began their partnership with Six Flags Over Texas in 1968. In this 1975 photograph, Bob Schmidt of Arlington controls the show’s puppets behind the scenes at the Krofft Puppet Theater. The shows were very entertaining, especially among young children.
Judge Roy Scream (one of my favorite rides at the park) was the park’s first wooden roller coaster. The coaster’s opening day was tough, as a cold front on March 1, 1980, prevented guests in wanting to visit the park and it’s newest attraction. However, Judge Roy Scream soon picked up popularity and became the start of a new era for the Six Flags park, where the six traditional sections became indistinguishable and were converted into a large combination of different attractions. Today, the park houses a Looney Tunes section for children and a Gotham section (based on the Batman/Superman DC comics universe) for young adults.
The steel roller coaster that is known as Shockwave opened in 1978. Distinctive for it’s double loop feature, at the time of opening it was the tallest roller coaster in the world, rising to a height of nearly 12 stories. The ride is still operating today, as guests go about 60 mph during it’s 2-minute circuit. Notice the highway in the background–the 1970s highways that connected Arlington to Dallas and Fort Worth helped the Six Flags theme park attract more guests.
In the 1950s, Mayor Vandergriff began working on bringing major league baseball to Arlington, however, his tireless efforts did not gain traction until after Arlington had established itself as a DFW Metropolitan tourist destination with the Six Flags Over Texas theme park. This 1970 photograph shows the proximity of Turnpike Stadium to the park. The Turnpike, which was later renamed Arlington Stadium, was demolished in 1994 to make way for the Ballpark in Arlington.
Located on the other side of the I-30 highway, opposite it’s sister park, the $18.5 million Wet n’ Wild water park, shown here in 1986, opened in May 1982. A companion park, FunSphere, which featured miniature golf and go karts, opened next door in 1992, but closed three years later. Six Flags Over Texas purchased the water park in 1995 and changed the name to Hurricane Harbor in 1997. Today, this water park still proves popular among guests.
**Information and Photographs are found in the University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections- Central Library.
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