Frontier Town, New York
About six months ago I acquired some random slides, and one of them is this wonderful photo (probably from the mid-1950s) of two kids posing in front of a cute (but odd-looking) little locomotive, the Frontier Town Express. The slide mount had "New York" written on it, and it turns out that this was the Frontier Town amusement park in "the Adirondacks, Route 9 between Lake George and Lake Placid". You know, near Ticonderoga! It opened on July 4th, 1952.
The train looks like it has a real steam whistle, but can it be an actual steam locomotive? Somehow that seems unlikely, but you never know.
Doing a little Googlin', I found MANY vintage postcards from Frontier Town, it looks like it was a lot of fun! The first three postcard images show the same little train, though I can find no data about it (other than the fact that it was a narrow-gauge railroad).
Here's the back of that card, with typical limited information. It's a postcard, I guess I can't expect too much.
Interesting, this holdup was not part of the pre-programmed experience, though the visitors don't know it. They think it's a hoot!
It sure is a pretty sight to see the train running through the lush forest.
Other postcards give a better sense of the overall layout, with a blockhouse to the left, and what might be shops (?) or "houses".
Based on this card, it appears that Frontier Town offered many of the things that a typical western park (of which there were many around the US) offered, including gunfights in the streets.
Or how about a nice stagecoach ride? We're carrying the payroll today, but I'm sure that will cause no problem.
Here's another nice view, so lovely with those rolling hills covered in trees.
Uh-oh, that guy must have said a bad word. The pillory is too good for him!
I found this photo of a small cardboard sign, perhaps 14" X 7" (ish), and realized that I have one in my collection somewhere (the signs don't seem to be particularly rare). But it's easier to just share this jpeg scrounged from the 'net.
Frontier Town closed sometime in 1998, and its closure was devastating to the local economy. If you do a Google search, there are plenty of articles online about the derelict buildings rotting away in the woods. There is now a "Frontier Town Campground" in the area, but there is talk of trying to bring the amusement park back. I hope they do it!
14 comments:
Major-
Frontier Town looks like a lot of fun - not to mention its beautiful setting.
"Here's the back of that card, with typical limited information. It's a postcard, I guess I can't expect too much".
Personally, I don't think it's too much to ask for the publisher to have included the complete text from the Gideon Bible, do you-?
Thanks, Major for sharing these great images.
At least the fella in the PILLORY isn't doing a fine dance at ropes end...
Another fine post Major....thank you!
1) Hmm, I agree, the engine looks a little odd... kinda simplified, or sumthin'. The boiler looks like it would be too flimsy to hold water/steam under pressure. But what do I know! Looks like someone carelessly left their leaf rake leaning against the front of the engine. ;-)
2) Well... that does look like steam comin' out of the engine, doesn't it? So I guess it must have been a real steam engine afterall?!
3) It seems odd that New York would be considered part of the 'frontier'. But I guess, if you go back far enough in time, everywhere west of the East Coast beaches would be part of the 'frontier'. (Try and convince the First Americans of that!)
4) Among the folks getting a "hoot" out of the train robbery, is (apparently) a set of twin girls. They're wearing identical clothes, which includes pairs of matching plaid pants (or are they skirts?). Evidently, staged 'hold ups' were a common thing to do in these types of parks (like Knott's).
4) This is my favorite photo today! Like you said, It just looks so nice to see the train surrounded by all that greenery.
5) The shadow of a church steeple in the foreground is catching my attention. It look like the final scene in "Planet of the Apes" with Lady Liberty in ruins on the beach, "You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you all to hell!"... Sorry, I got a little over-dramatic there for a second. :-p
6) Fake gunfights... where have we seen those before?... EVERYWHERE! I guess the possibilities of 'attractions' are very limited in a western-style park. Lots n' lots of bad guys gettin' blowed up real good!
7) Apparently, the coach is just for the actors to demonstrate life in the olden times; not for guests to ride? There's a "pillory" over to the left. Did the still use those back in the late 1800s? Or is that just another western park 'attraction'?
8) That IS a nice photo! Looks like all the guests are gathered under that one covered area. Are they having picnic lunches, or watching the pageant being re-enacted before them? Probably both.
9) Ah, the pillory again. This time, in action! I wonder if the kids got to throw rotten fruit at the miscreant?
10) (So many images today!) The sign looks like it might've been something that gets wired onto your car's bumper; to advertise the park.
Thanks, Major, for today's epic-length saga of Frontier Town.
Walter and Cordelia's "original berry stand" has a doppelganger, and it's photobombing that first photo.
I learned something new, yesterday. I was told that Knott's no longer has stunt shows, because of the "firing of guns" that takes place during the shows. I saw one of the shows in 2017, and I seem to remember it was mostly fist fights and falling off of buildings. I would think they could still do a stunt show without guns.
I was also told that when the Knott's "train robbers" board the train, they keep their guns holstered the entire time, and no longer draw them. I think they should just arm the train robbers with some old fashioned seltzer bottles. And make them wear clown noses.
Always a great day out when you are held up and put in a stockade....these photos look very authentic..and although a bit creepy: as as kid I would have enjoyed it completely. I think kids today probably do this all virtually on some "Box" thingy...hence the downfall of shows like this. Cowboy types, horses, stagecoaches, bonnets, steam trains...all good for me: as long as there is a Boysenberry pie at the end of the rainbow. Speaking of Boysenberries: very thankfully my sweet Boysenberry patch has survived the winter: as I've stated before: they are a tender plant and need some extra love in the NE. I'm glad that Ms. Boysen (for real) sent me a little note before winter to "make sure I mulch the plants well and protect them from hard freezes." (with a smiley face of course.) How very thoughtful, and I would have forgotten otherwise. I'm all about seltzer bottle humor. I can do with out the clown noses: as clowns are bad juju for me: but fizzie water is always great. Thanks Major for the trip to Frontier Town, Adirondacks, USA!
This place looks like a lot of fun.
I wonder if the “full-size” crack on the postcard description is aimed at the popular notion that Disneyland was supposed to be 5/8 scale? Probably not.
I like the shot of the train in the woods. Reminds me of the Skunk Train in Fort Bragg.
The actor in the pale blue shirt caught in mid-crouch, either pretending to be shot or the beans & bacon is kicking in.
There’s a covered area full of seated people in the long distance photo, must have been a dining area?
Thanks for the trip out to Frontier Town, Major!
JG
Nanook, I can’t say I’d be very inclined to read a Gideon Bible, though it would be impressive to print the whole thing on the back of a postcard!
walterworld, things like the pillory remind me of how messed up humans can be.
JB, yes, that train looks like it is missing something. Sand domes? Pinstriping? An air freshener that looks like a pine tree? It does seem to be a real steam train, which adds 10 points in its favor. As a kid I remember reading that “anything west of St. Louis” was considered the “frontier”. Looking at a map, that is only 1/3 of the way across! That shadow of the church steeple feels like something from The Omen. Not sure why. Yes, every park had gunfights, it was a cheap and easy way to entertain crowds I guess. Every day the performers would practice “dying” in the most artful manner possible. I’m assuming that guests were able to ride the Stagecoach, but the photo sure doesn’t show that. The covered pavilion probably was for dining - New York can get hot and muggy on a summer day, so a little shade would be welcome. The pillory always makes me thing of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. “WATER!”. Glad you enjoyed these!
TokyoMagic!, I wonder if that actually was a little berry stand? And I agree, you can still have a stunt show with no gunplay. But… guns have taken on a different meaning. I haven’t been on the train at Knott’s since 2010, but I remember when the robbers boarded and fired a blank round, a kid (maybe five years old) across the aisle started to cry from being so startled. Oh alright I admit it, it was ME who cried! I truly wonder what the train robberies were like back in the late 1950s!
Bu, I’m sure the Missouri locals loved having a place to go with their kids for a little frontier fun. You can only hunt for snapping turtles for so long! Video games are fun, but they are no replacement for the real thing. Of course I have not experienced VR headsets, and someday they might be able to simulate environments convincingly. It’s quite a thing to think of all the western-themed parks that used to dot the country. Wow, cool that your boysenberry plants are doing OK! I just used up my last jar of Knott’s raspberry jam, I thought about saving it since Knott’s jams and jellies are no longer a thing. But I threw it out. What is better, fizzy water or confetti?
JG, yeah, I doubt too many regular people were aware of Disneyland’s 5/8 scale thing, even though it is well known now. Still, why say that Frontier Town was “full size”? Seems a bit odd. I forget, why is the Skunk Train called the “Skunk Train”? “Shot in the beans & bacon”, that’s a new one, ha ha. I’ll bet there were plenty of ham and cheese sandwhiches being eaten at that covered pavilion! And maybe folks had cups of ice-cold lemonade to wash it down.
TokyoMagic! - "I learned something new, yesterday. I was told that Knott's no longer has stunt shows, because of the "firing of guns" that takes place during the shows"
If that's true, then I think that's a copout on Knott's part. You can have a "western" stunt show without western style shoot-outs, but then what is wrong with having a western style shoot-out? It's a part of the "wild" west mythology, not today's real world.
Loved the smaller themed amusement parks like this when I was a kid. These photos and postcards are charming. Thanks, Major.
I have pictures of myself and my older brother from 1980 at Time Town on Lake George while we were visiting the site of the recent Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. I wonder if we also visited Frontier Town, as it's only 1/2 hour away. Like most GDBers, I miss these roadside attractions, but I understand why they close when flying to major theme parks has gotten much cheaper.
I'm not surprised Knotts has dropped gunfights and stunt shows altogether. It's a potent combination of liability lawyers and PR departments wanting to "not condone violence" Now, I'm off to watch a Marvel movie where a city is destroyed but not a single dead body is seen.
New York may not be the frontier, but we do love us a good hootenanny.
When my blind spot his the "Music Hall" sign, my brain filled in "Musket Balls," and I was thinking that was a pretty big building for a gunsmithy. If P.J. is for Prairie Junction, I wonder what the D.G. is for? Probably "Dog Groomers" or something like that.
Major, the Skunk Train was nicknamed that because of the bad odor of the exhaust heralding it's arrival. It just smells like train fumes to me, but it's a cute name.
We used to ride it fairly often as it was the only means of access to Camp Noyo Boy Scout camp. After my son outgrew Scouts, I continued to volunteer out there as a counselor for a few years.
On the cessation of the fake shoot-outs, since the world has become what it is, I imagine people would be traumatized by the unexpected sight of firearms, even bogus ones. It's sad to think so, but just read the news.
Thanks Major.
JG
Interesting sidelight: Frontier Town featured an "Old Prospector", a performer who did whip tricks, had a dog act, and clowned around in cowboy sidekick tradition. He was, in fact, Poodles Hanneford, a still-celebrated circus headliner.
Born into a circus family in 1891, he debuted as a trick rider as a child and grew into a star attraction. You can find YouTube clips of his act, captured on film during his stint as a silent comedian. Amazingly he kept touring this dangerous-looking act until 1953, when he retired to NY and Frontier Town became his new career (wife and daughter also worked at the park). He passed away in 1967, perhaps still holding the Frontier Town gig. Decades later, his daughter Gracie left $900,000 to establish a Poodles Hanneford scholarship for performers.
Grizzled Old Prospector Syndrome
I wonder if that actually was a little berry stand?
Major, I just did a search to see what kind of crops they grow in upstate New York. As of 25 years ago, they were the second highest producer of apples, nationwide. And they ranked fourth for cherries and seventh for strawberries. Maybe that little wooden stand did sell produce of some kind. I would think the Adirondacks would be most famous for growing chairs.
I truly wonder what the train robberies were like back in the late 1950s!
Major, I've heard that back in the 50s, the train robbers would select just one passenger on the train, make them stand up, and then pistol whip them.
You can have a "western" stunt show without western style shoot-outs, but then what is wrong with having a western style shoot-out?
Ken, I'm guessing it's like what the Major said, guns have taken on a new meaning today. Remember a couple years ago when someone on the street, outside of Knott's, fired a gun? The guests inside the park heard it and didn't know where it was coming from, and they all ran towards the exit. Sadly, we are just living in different times. Personally, I think they should still have the stunt shows. There are plenty of other things they could do. Maybe they could throw big sharp knives? ;-)
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