Six
Flags Magic Mountain
By Chris Cowan
themeparks@insightbb.com
Information for this timeline was pieced together from
several web sites, forum posts, newspaper articles and the always excellent
Roller Coaster Data Base (www.rcdb.com).
If you have any additional information or if I only have a ride name listed
and you know what type of ride it is/was, please
email me.
Magic
Mountain
1969 – Plans are
completed and construction begins in Valencia, California. The park, at a
cost of approximately $20 million, is a joint venture between Sea World and
the Newhall Land and Farm company.
1970 –
Construction continues.
1971 – Magic
Mountain, opens on May 29, 1971, with 33 attractions. Rides at opening
includes: Gold Rusher (mine train), Log Jammer (log flume), The Metro
(monorail), Eagle’s Flight (sky ride), El Bumpo (bumper boats),
Billy the
Squid, Bottoms Up, Circus Wheel, Crazy Barrels, Funicular,
Galaxy, Grand
Carousel, Grand Prix (gas powered cars), Steam Train, Sandblasters and the
Sky Tower. Admission this year is $5.
1972 –
Jet Stream,
a second log flume with side-by-side drops, is added. Bottoms Up is renamed
Spin Out.
1973 –
Mountain
Express, a Schwarzkopf “Wildcat” steel coaster, Swiss Twist, Scrambler and
Jolly Monster are added. Billy the Squid is removed.
1974 – Electric
Rainbow, Himalaya, Dragon and Tumble Drum are added.
1975
– The Grand
Centennial Excursion Railroad is added.
1976 – Great
American Revolution, the world’s first steel vertical looping coaster, is
added and opens in May.
1977 – Enterprise
(Schwarzkopf Enterprise)
is added.
1978 – Colossus, a
racing wooden coaster, is added.
Six Flags
Magic Mountain
1979 – Six Flags
purchases Magic Mountain. Colossus is closed and extensively reprofiled to
reduce roughness, then reopens. The bumper boats (El Bumpo) and Galaxy are
removed.
1980 – Buccaneer,
a pirate ship, is added. Tumble Drum is removed.
1981 – Roaring
Rapids (white water raft ride) and Baile de las Flores is added. A midway is
added between the Spillikin Corners and Revolution areas, allowing guests to
make a full circuit around the park. Mountain Express, Steam Train,
Dragon
and Jolly Monster are removed.
1982 – Freefall,
an Intamin 1st Generation Freefall ride, is added.
1983 –
Swashbuckler is added.
1984 – Sarajevo
Bobsleds, an Intamin bobsled coaster, is added. One side of Colossus is
turned backwards.
1985 – Children’s
World is rethemed as Bugs Bunny World. The Grand Centennial Excursion
Railroad is removed.
1986 –
Shockwave, a stand-up looping steel roller coaster,
and Grand Prix (electric powered cars) are added. Grand Prix (gas powered
cars) and Sarajevo Bobsleds are removed.
1987 – Z-Force, a
looping starship, is added. The area around Z-Force is re-themed and named
“Back Street”. The Electric Rainbow is renamed Turbo, Himalaya is renamed
Subway and Enterprise is renamed Reactor. The Decibels dance club is renamed
After Hours and this summer, it and the entire Back Street area stays open
each night for 2 hours past the closing time of the rest of the park.
1988 – Ninja, an
Arrow suspended steel roller coaster, is added and opens on May 21st.
Condor
is added in the fall. Funicular is renamed Orient Express. Baile de las
Flores is renamed Jolly Roger. Shockwave is removed.
1989 – Tidal Wave,
a shoot-the-chutes ride, is added. Condor and Crazy Barrels are removed.
1990 – Viper, an
Arrow steel “mega-looper” with 7 inversions, is added and opens on April
7th.
1991 – Psyclone, a
wooden roller coaster which is a replica of the Coney Island Cyclone, is
added on opens on March 23rd. The Spillikin Corners area is re-themed and
renamed Cyclone Bay. The “camel hump” before the 3rd turn on Colossus is
removed and replaced with flat track and a block brake so that a third train
can be added to each side.
1992 – Flashback,
an Intamin Space Diver, is added and opens on March 25th.
1993
– Yosemite
Sam Sierra Falls, 2 twisting water slides, is added. Swiss Twist is renamed
Sierra Twist. Z-Force is removed late in the year.
1994 – Batman: The
Ride, a B&M inverted coaster, is added and opens on March 26th. Turbo is
renamed Gordon Gearworks. Subway is renamed Acme Atom Smasher.
1995 – Hurricane
Harbor, a water park, is added and opens in June. It features Taboo Tower (3
speed slides), Tiki Falls (3 enclosed slides), Lightning Falls (3 open
slides), Lost Temple Rapids (family raft slide), wave pool, lazy river and
two activity pools for children.
1996 – Dive Devil,
a 153-foot skycoaster upcharge attraction, is added. Superman: The Escape is
built and scheduled to open this year, but is delayed. Gordon Gearworks is
renamed Grinder Gearworks.
1997 – Superman:
The Escape opens to the public on March 15, 1997 (approximately 10 months
late). Hurricane Harbor is expanded. New attractions are
Black Snake Summit
(5 speed slides, 4 of which are enclosed), Reptile Ridge (a new activity
pool with a water basketball court and 5 small slides) and a 6-lane racing
slide.
1998 – Riddler’s
Revenge, a B&M stand-up steel coaster, is added and opens on April 4th.
1999 – Canyon
Blaster, a Miler steel family coaster, is added. Circus Wheel is removed. Jolly Roger is renamed
Circus Wheel.
2000 –
Goliath (Giovanola steel "hyper" coaster) is
added and opens on February 11th.
2001 – Goliath Jr.
is added. Déjà vu (Vekoma Super-Invertigo steel roller coaster) is added and
opens on August 25th. X (the first Arrow 4-D coaster) is added and opens in
December for a season-pass holders preview.
2002 – X
officially opens to the public on January 12th. Flashback is SBNO this
year.
2003:
Scream!, a B&M floorless roller coaster with seven inversions, is
added. Admission this year is $44.99.
Parking is $8.00.
2004:
No new rides or attractions added.
2005:
No new rides or attractions added.
Admission this year is $47.99. Parking is $9.00. |
