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Originally posted: 11/19/2002 |
Last updated: 8/7/2005 |
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Six Flags Over Texas By Chris Cowan
Thanks to William Oppel for corrections. 1959: Texas oil baron Angus Wynne, inspired by the opening of Disneyland four years earlier, decides to build a theme park in his home state. His Great Southwest Corporation begins planning for the park. The “Six Flags” name represents the six countries whose flags have flown over Texas. 1960: Construction begins. 1961: Six Flags Over Texas officially opens on August 5, 1961. Admission this year is $2.75. The six theme areas are: o Spain, featuring the Los Conquistadors Coronado Burro ride (live donkeys). o France, with La Salle’s Riverboat Adventure. o Mexico, including the Fiesta Train, Goat Cart ride and Indian Village. o Texas, featuring the Six Flags Railroad and the Astrolift (Sky Ride travelling across the park to the Modern area). o Confederacy, with the Little Dixie Carousel plus an amphitheater and a raft ride to Skull Island, which has a Tree Slide and a Skull Slide. o Modern, including the Sidewinder (Herschell Mad Mouse steel wild mouse roller coaster), Astrolift (to Texas area), Missile Chaser (Scrambler), Happy Motoring Freeway and a petting zoo. 1962: Sidewinder is moved to Mexico area and renamed La Cucaracha. Chaparral Antique Cars ride is added in the Texas area. The Caddo War Canoes ride is added to the Confederacy section. Skull Island is expanded to include a Tree House Slide, Barrel Slide and Pirate Ship. A second track is added to the Happy Motoring Freeway in the area vacated by the Sidewinder. The Casa Magnetica “crooked house” is added in Spain. The Los Conquistadors Coronado Burro Ride is removed at the end of the season. Admission this year is $2.75. Attendance is 1.2 million. 1963: A seventh themed area, Boomtown, is added and includes: o Antique Carousel, El Aserradero Flume (log ride) is added to Spain in the former spot of the Burro ride. The first track of the Happy Motoring Freeway is shortened. The Goat Cart ride is removed at the end of the year. Admission this year is $3.50. 1964: Spee-Lunker’s Cave (dark ride ridden in tubs floating in a water trough) is added in the Confederacy section. Three Swamp Tree slides and a suspension bridge are added to Skull Island. Caddo War Canoes are moved to the Boomtown area. La Cucaracha roller coaster, the Indian Village and the Pirate Ship on Skull Island are all removed at the end of the season. 1965: El Sombrero (Chance Trabant with Mexican Hat theme) is added in the area vacated by La Cucaracha. An arena is constructed in the Texas area. 1966: Runaway Mine Train (Arrow steel Mine Train roller coaster) is added to Boomtown. 1967: Spindletop (Chance Rotor) and Jet Set rides are added. Attendance this year is around 2 million. 1968: Due to the popularity of the El Aserradero Flume, a second log ride, Flume II, is added in Spain. The Fiesta Train opens with new theming and redesigned trains. Spindletop is moved near Skull Island. The amphitheater is remodeled and named the Southern Palace Theater. At the end of the season, the Sky Hook is removed, along with the three Swamp Tree slides and the suspension bridge from Skull Island. 1969: The Oil Derrick, a 300-foot observation tower, is added in the area formerly occupied by the Swamp Tree slides and suspension bridge. The Tower Slide, a 12-lane fiberglass “giant slide”, is connected to one side of the Oil Derrick at a height of 50-feet. The Mini Mine Train, an Arrow children’s steel roller coaster, is added in the area vacated by Sky Hook. 1970: No new rides are added. The Arena is remodeled. Jet Set is removed at the end of the season. 1971: Big Bend (Schwarzkopf Spaceracer steel roller coaster) is added in the Modern section. 1972: Rugged Bunny ride is added in the Petting Zoo. The Six Flags Railway station in Boomtown is demolished at the end of the season. 1973: Good Times Square, a new theme area, is added and includes:
o Crazy Legs (an Octopus-type ride), 1974: The Music Mill, a 4500-seat theater, is added. The Arena closes at the end of the season. 1975: Red Baron is added to the Confederacy area. Rotoriculous is added to Good Times Square. Admission this year is $7.00. 1976: Texas Chute Out, a parachute-drop ride, is added to Good Times Square. The Skull Island Rafts and the Tower Slide are removed at the end of the season. Admission this year is $7.50. 1977: Spinnaker (Schwarzkopf Enterprise) is added near the Oil Derrick. Stand-up baskets are added to the Texas Chute Out. A Pirate Puppet show is added to Skull Island. Missile Chaser is removed at the end of the season. 1978: Shockwave, a Schwarzkopf multi-looping steel roller coaster, is added. Fiesta Train is removed at the end of the season. Admission this year is $8.50. 1979: The Sensational Sense Machine is added in the Modern section in the area where Missile Chaser used to be. The People Mover Machine is added in Mexico. Big Bend is removed at the end of the season and sent to Six Flags Over Mid America in St. Louis, where it is put in storage until the late ‘80s, then sold for scrap. 1980: Judge Roy Scream, a wooden roller coaster, is added. The original Happy Motoring Freeway track is removed, leaving only the second track. Crazy Legs, AstroLift and the Miniature Circus exhibit are removed at the end of the season. 1981: The Conquistador (Pirate Ship) is added in Mexico. A children’s Ferris Wheel is added near the Oil Derrick. 1982: Texas Cliffhanger (Intamin 1st Generation Freefall) is added. La Salle River Adventure is removed during the season. Skull Island and the Petting Zoo are removed at the end of the season. Spindletop is moved to the Texas section. 1983: Roaring Rapids (white water raft ride) is added in the area vacated by La Salle’s River Adventure and Skull Island. Pac-Man Land (children’s play area) is added on the former site of the Petting Zoo. The Red Baron and the Ferris Wheel are both moved to Pac-Man Land. The People Mover Machine is renamed Pac-Man Show. Texas Tornado, a swing ride, is added in Crazy Legs’ old spot. The Caddo War Canoes are removed at the end of the season. 1984: Air Racer, a swinging Bi-Plane tower, is added. 1985: Pac-Man Land is remodeled and renamed Looney Tunes USA. Changes include: o Daffy Duck Boats are added.
Admission this year is $14.95.
The Avalanche Bobsled (Intamin Bobsled roller coaster) is added in Mexico. This ride was moved to the park from Six Flags Magic Mountain, where it operated under the name Sarajevo Bobsleds. The last remaining track for the Happy Motoring Freeway is removed.
Admission this year is $14.95. 1987: Splash Down Falls, a shoot-the-chutes water ride, is added in the area formerly used by the Happy Motoring Freeway. 1988: Silver Star Carousel is added near the front gate. Rotoriculous is removed at the end of the season. 1989: Flashback (Vekoma steel Boomerang shuttle roller coaster) is added in Good Times Square. The Texas Tornado is moved to Boomtown. Spindletop is removed at the end of the season. Admission this year is $20.50. 1990: The Texas Giant, a Summers/Dinn wooden roller coaster, is added at a cost of $5.5 million. Attendance this year breaks 3 million for the first time. 1991: No new rides are added. 1992: Spee-Lunker’s Cave dark ride is remodeled and renamed Yosemite Sam’s Golden River Adventure. 1993: No new rides are added. Admission this year is $25.95. 1994: No new rides are added. Admission this year is $26.95. 1995: The Right Stuff (motion simulator ride) is added. Cliffhanger is renamed G-Force. Splash Down Falls is renamed Splashwater. Spinnaker is removed at the end of the season. 1996: Runaway Mountain (Premier Rides steel roller coaster) is added. Dive Bomber Alley (150-foot Skycoaster up-charge attraction) is added. Runaway Mine Train is renamed Mine Train. The Good Times Square railroad station is removed at the end of the season. 1997: A new Boomtown railroad station is added. Elmer Fudd’s Little Ferris Wheel is removed at the end of the season. 1998: Mr. Freeze (Premier Rides launched steel roller coaster) is added. Mini Mine Train children’s coaster is reprofiled to make room for Mr. Freeze. The theming is removed from the Right Stuff motion simulator theater at the end of the season. 1999: A new theme area, Gotham City, is added across the tracks and to the north of Good Times Square. Batman: The Ride (B&M steel inverted roller coaster) is added in Gotham City. The Right Stuff theater is given dinosaur theming and renamed Dino Island. An up-charge Go-Karts track is added near the Oil Derrick. Air Racer is removed at the end of the season. 2000: The Missile Chaser (Scrambler) is re-added near the Oil Derrick.
Titan (Giovanola steel “hyper” coaster) opens. Wile E. Coyote’s Grand Canyon Blaster (Chance Rides Big Dipper steel children’s roller coaster) is added to Looney Tunes USA.
2002: Space Shuttle America replaces Dino
Island as the motion simulator.
Superman: Tower of Power (315-foot S&S three-legged combo launch/drop tower) is added, replacing Missile Chaser. Admission this year is $39.99.
2004: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ride 4-D replaces Space Shuttle America.
Casa Magnetica reopens (closed sometime around 2000). 2005: Three new shows are added: Kathy Burk' World of Puppets, Spirit of the Dance and The Amazing Acrobats of China. Admission this year is $41.99. Parking is $9.00.
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