Knott's Berry Farm
Buena Park, California
American Coaster Enthusiasts - Coaster Con 42
June 19 - 20, 2019
Page One
Click on any photo to see a larger version of it.
For the last forty-five years the large K on the top of the Sky
Cabin has been a Southern California landmark. If you were
headed to Knott' Berry Farm; for one of their legendary chicken dinners
or a visit to their theme park to ride Montezoomas Revenge, seeing this
K on the horizon meant your travels through the sprawl that makes up the
greater Los Angeles Area was almost at an end.
From my childhood
I have a vivid memory seeing the Sky Cabin from the balcony of our hotel
room across the street from Disneyland during my first trip out west in
the summer of 1980. On that trip my Dad told us tales of driving
across the country with his parents in the late 1940's. On the
drive he kept a glass jar of water with him for fear of getting stuck in
the desert and getting stranded. He kept that jar near until they
arrived at Knott's when he was so amazed by the sight of the Ghost Town
which was filled with cowboys , a sheriff and gunfights that he dropped
the jar and it broke on the ground.
He didn't need the water anymore anyway as at Knott's Berry Farm they
have something better...
...boysenberry punch.
Unfortunately despite my fathers childhood memories and my begging he
didn't take us to Knott's Berry Farm on that trip. What we did get
on that trip was five days where my sister and I were able to head
across to Disneyland and play all day long while my Dad was at a seminar
for work and a day at SeaWorld. Still each night when we got on
our balcony to watch the Disneyland fireworks I'd look across at Knott's
Berry Farm in the distance and wonder what it was like.
The view of the Sky Cabin stuck in my mind and it took me a further twenty-one years to finally make it to Knott's
Berry Farm for my first visit and it didn't disappoint.
Unfortunately with the massive distance between my Midwestern home and
Southern California it has taken me another eighteen years to make it
back for visit number two.
The American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Con 42 really was the perfect
event at the perfect time to get me back out here. After three
days across town at Six Flags Magic Mountain the final two days of the
con were at Knott's.
With Ghostrider towering not only over the park entrance but Grand
Avenue and Knott's parking lot it pulls you to the left as soon as you
get through the parks gates.
Ghostrider was a longtime dream for the Knott's family. I guess
before diving into too much about Ghostrider we should dive into the
history of Knott's Berry Farm.
Knott's Berry Farm began just like the name implies as an actual berry
farm. In the 1920's Walter Knott; a talented farmer, started
selling berries from his farm by the side of the road. One of the
most popular berries that brought people from far and wide to Walter's
stand were boysenberries. They are a mix of four different strains
that were created nearby by Rudolph Boysen. Walter heard about the
huge and tasty berries and found that Boysen had left farming and all
that were left of his creation were a few barely surviving vines.
The vines were transplanted at Knott's farm, brought back to life.
As a result boysenberries turned into one of Walt's biggest selling
crops.