when did knotts berry farm became an amusement park
Knott's Berry Farm The theme park sits on the site of a former berry farm established by Walter Knott, Cordelia Knott, and their family. Beginning around 1920, the Knott family sold berries, berry preserves, and pies from a roadside stand along State Route 39. In 1934, the Knotts began selling fried chicken dinners in a tea room on the property, and the Knotts built several shops and other attractions to entertain visitors. Cordelia Knott's efforts in the Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant were essential to putting Knott's Berry Farm on the map, and the ensuing crowds prompted the creation of even more tourist attractions. In 1940, Walter Knott began constructing a replica ghost town on the property. Knott added several other attractions over the years, and began charging admission to the attractions in 1968. In 1983, Knott's Berry Farm added Camp Snoopy, which began the park's present-day association with the Peanuts characters.
The Wild One (roller coaster) When the roller coaster first opened in 1917, it was a double out and back side friction coaster called "The Giant Coaster" at Paragon Park in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, just under 25 miles (40Â km) south of Boston. Then, in 1932, Herbert Paul Schmeck redesigned much of the ride after it was partially destroyed by fire. In April 1963, another fire destroyed the station, trains, double helix finale and part of the lift hill. The park wanted John C. Allen to rebuild the coaster as it was, but his estimate proved too high for the traditional park. Instead he left out two bunny hops and the helix finale in order to create an angled approach into the brake run. Although nowhere near as exciting as Miller's finish, Allen gave the park an affordable option to tearing down the coaster. On July 19, 1963, Forest Park Highlands burned but the Comet was still standing. The Comet was torn down in 1968. Paragon Park bought the used trains from Forest Park Highland's Comet because they were much cheaper than buying new ones from Philadelphia Toboggan Company. For the remaining years the park was open, the Giant Coaster's trains ran with the name "Comet" emblazoned across the front of the car. "The Giant Coaster" suddenly closed with Paragon Park in 1984 and was sold to Wild World (now Six Flags America.) It acquired the ride in a last minute bid at auction. In 1986, Wild One opened in its current location, restored to its original condition, reincorporating the original helix at the end of the ride. Some of this retracking was completed by Martin & Vleminckx.[1] Wild One did not open for the 1991 season since the park was having financial difficulties. It reopened for the 1992 season and has been operational ever since.