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MEMORIES:
Calico79 remembers...I was 8 years old when i first got to go to Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ. I absolutely ... More »
Posted on 07/17/08
PHOTOS:
Oil tycoon and real estate developer, Angus G. Wynne, Jr., came home from the newly-opened Disneyland and decided that what Texas needed was a theme park. A couple of years and some 10 million later, Six Flags over Texas opened in 1961. The name comes from the fact that six country’s flags have flown officially over Texas. These are France, Spain, Mexico, The Republic of Texas, The Confederate States of America, and the United States of America.
This major amusement park is located in Arlington, Texas-- about fifteen minutes away from Dallas. It originally featured attractions including a gondola ride, a railroad, a Wild West show, a stagecoach ride, a Native American village and a pirate-themed adventure called "Skull Island," among other things. Gradually these would be replaced by more modern park fare such as roller coasters, an observation tower, and water rides. The railroad is still there and has been regularly refurbished, as has the Silver Star Carousel which-- due to the ride’s historical background-- was declared the ride an official historical site in 1966. Six Flags Over Texas was even the home for many amusement park firsts, such as worlds first freefall ride, first roller coaster with consecutive loops, first mine train coaster and the first log flume.
Over the years, the Six Flags company bought out many parks all over the world and made them a part of their legacy of fun. Presently, coaster fans and park enthusiasts can visit a Six Flags in California, Colorodo, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Washington State, Canada and Mexico. A partnership with Warner Brothers brought familiar characters to the parks; with the arrival of Superman came roller coasters able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and the addition of Looney Tunes welcomed familiar fuzzy faces, present to greet visitors with a "what's up, doc?"
For those who grew up within driving distance of a nearby Six Flags, the parks served as the site of a number of coming-of-age milestones, as well as a mecca for any field trip, youth group or family outing. No matter which park you went to, one go-round the curly-queues was enough to make everyone feel like they were on top of the world.
