These are from the San Francisco area, with a rare look at the Northwest Fur Trapper's Ride. The guidebook for 1962 says, "Ride a bullboat up the Columbia River, through a land infested by dangerous animals and warlike natives. Be careful - or you'll be caught in the crossfire of an Indian ambush. It takes courage and daring, but you'll come through the trip unscathed. And when you dock safely, you'll agree it was the thrill of a lifetime".
I'm not sure exactly where this ramshackle ghost town fits in with that description, but it is pictured in the guidebook. Turkey buzzards have picked those skeletons clean, even the one hanging from the gallows (boots still on).
I'm kind of fascinated with this ride but can't find anything about it except for this show scene - which I guess means it was probably just about the only clever thing on the ride.
ReplyDeleteWell, here's the story on that...
ReplyDeleteIt's a little complication, so hold on for a few sentences.
This scene is part of the Northwest Fur Trappers boat ride at Freedomland. Freedomland was designed by Marco Engineering. Marco Engineering was also designing a number of other parks at the same time This scene (the western ghost town) was originally build for a park in Golden, Colorado, which basically went bankrupt during construction--for a slightly different Northwest Fur Trappers ride. It is meant to be a Western ghost town that you--as guests in the boat--stumble across while "exploring" the northwest. When the Colorado park went broke, many components of that park went off to other parks that were being designed by Marco Engineering. Which is how it strangely ended up in Freedomland, even though it doesn't fit so well in the ride.
Since someone will probably ask: Marco Engineering was a consulting company owned by C.V. Wood.
It's a cool photo. Thanks for posting it.
todd pierce
www.toddjamespierce.com
Does anyone know if this went to Cedar Point after Freedomland closed? The Pirate Ride and San Francisco Earthquake Ride (which scared the living feces out of me as a little kid) both ended up there, and there is a themed area along the Cedar Point & Lake Erie R.R. called "Boneville" that uses a similar concept.
ReplyDelete