Frontier Village

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Frontier Village Map

Frontier Village was a 39-acre (16 ha) amusement park in San Jose, California, that operated from 1961 to September 1980. It was located at 4885 Monterey Road and Branham Lane. The park was located on what is now Edenvale Garden Park, next to the Hayes Mansion, and was once part of the sprawling Hayes Family Estate.[citation needed]

Demise

File:TheLastRoundUp.jpg
The Last Roundup poster, a poster representing all of the classic Hanna-Barbara characters leaving the village (the closure and abandonment of the park).

In 1973 the part owner and co-creator of Frontier Village wanted to expand the park. Without the necessary funds to expand, he sold Frontier Village to Rio Grande Industries for US$1.7 million. The new owners were ready to start expansion but hit a road block with the surrounding residential neighborhood.[citation needed]

When the park opened in 1961, it was surrounded by undeveloped land, but by 1973 the park was surrounded by urban sprawl. The new neighbors of Frontier Village didn't want any expansion and fought the park development plans. Lawsuits from nearby homeowners coupled with lower-than-expected park revenues, skyrocketing San Jose land values, and competition from nearby Marriott's Great America signaled the end for the little park. With the high property values, Rio Grande could make more money selling off the land to developers than it could by running the park.[citation needed]

In 1980, the undeveloped land and Frontier Village were sold to a land developer, the Bren Company. They, in turn, held a public auction for all rides, buildings, and lumber that made up Frontier Village. On its final days, it held a special event titled "The Last Roundup". The park closed its gates for the last time on September 28, 1980.

All the buildings were removed and San Jose's Edenvale Garden Park now exists at the former location of the amusement park. Little is recognizable from its days as an amusement park, but items such as concrete boulders from the artificial river remain half-buried.[citation needed]

Some signage and ride vehicles have remained in the hands of private collectors, while other vehicles were stored at the nearby Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, to be sold later[when?] at auction.[clarification needed][citation needed]

Remembering Frontier Village

Since 2001 former employees and fans have held a reunion each summer at the Edenvale Garden Park, to reminisce about the park. The picnic always falls on the last Saturday in June.[1]

A residential development just west of Edenvale Garden Park is named "Frontier Village".

Shaughnessy McGehee of Campbell, California is one of Frontier Village's biggest fans.[citation needed] He is in the process of creating a miniature version of the park in his own backyard.[2][3] Currently[when?] he and his family open up the backyard to Halloween visitors. To date,[when?] he has built miniature versions of the Silver Dollar Saloon, General's Store, and Schoolhouse, with more to come. Some of Shaughnessy's most notable memorabilia are the Crazy Horse, three of the eight Antique Autos (with his most prized being the Yellow Maxwell), the Frontier Village lettering from the front entrance of the park, and the original Silver Dollar Saloon doors. In Shaughnessy's spare time, he spends time on "Remembering Frontier Village" and the related Gunfighter re-enactments, which were a popular park attraction.[citation needed] The home will soon be for sale, and the final Halloween open yard is set for 2015.

Rides and Attractions

Rides:

Attractions:

  • California Street (Dapper Dan's, Last Chance Casino, Shoe & Spike)
  • El Sito Mysterio
  • Front Street (Birthday Party Corral, Games, Hunter's Paradise Shooting Gallery, Ice Cream Gazebo, Skeeball)
  • Indian Island (Archery, Fort Far West, Indian Island Stage)
  • Main Street (Arcade, Cantina Murieta, Gunfights, Indian Goods, Marshal's Office, Picture Palace, Silver Dollar Saloon, Sweet Shop, Trading Post)
  • Nevada Street
  • Petting Zoo Island
  • Reserved Company Picnics
  • Rainbow Falls Trout Fishing
  • Sagebrush Theatre
  • School House Museum

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fans celebrate heyday of former S.J. theme park" by Connie Skipitares, Mercury News, June 25, 2006
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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