Friday, January 02, 2009
Souvenir Friday- Frontier City, USA Guidebook
Many different tourist attractions and theme parks opened soon after Disneyland and its success. Many were located on or near the fabled Route 66 road across America. One such theme park is Frontier City, USA located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The park opened in 1958 and is still operating. The Main streets have been maintained and several coasters and other rides have been added. The guidebook is from 1958 when the park opened. The main draw was the gunfight, but there was also a train ride and an autopia type ride using the German cars that were proposed for Disneyland. To attract visitors, there was a burning Conestoga wagon sign and the parking entrance is a log fort stockade. The design of the Guidebook appears to have been done in house by the park. The interior illustrations have a nice mid century modern look. The local ads and establishments are also fantastic, my favorite being the Ricksha drive in restaurant and gift shop.
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9 comments:
You make no mention of HOTEL BLACK? Unbelievable. Okay historic-yes, but still shocking to see.
Love ephemera from this era...for just this sort of reality check ya know?
Very cool... I am glad this one is still around, since so many of these local parks have vanished.
I *think* I might have some slides of this one, although it's possible that they are from yet another old-west themed park.
Great booklet. Like the Route 66 tie-in. Thank you.
Great booklet. Like the Route 66 tie-in. Thank you.
Checking the history of Oklahoma City it looks like Hotel Black was a really nice luxery hotel built in the 1930s by one... drum roll please... Mr. Black. Sometimes a hotel is just a hotel.
Great guidebook, Patrick! I don't believe I've seen one this old.
When you say that the guide book was an "in house" production, is that the nice way of saying "amateur", or just "ill conceived?"
The cover shot is particularly... regrettable ... since the entire foreground is focused on husky cowboy heiney as these guys fall to their knees. Hmmm. 1950's Oklahoma. I'll give them a pass and instead of "Freudian" I'll just put it down to "ill conceived".
BTW, the attractions list looks a lot like Knott's Berry Farm, with a melodrama theater, "mystery shack", and train.
I used to go here with my family in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I have a great photo of me driving the "Autopia" car, with my sister looking none too happy about it. Seemed so much bigger and special then.
I've been collecting past history items of Frontier City mainly old maps and travel brochures. I came across this blog page from 2009. You still around and do you have this brochure or any other Frontier City Maps and Brochures. Thanks
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