It appears as if this period was really one of the first times we see an unbridled optimism. Many had taken the amusement park industry for dead after the double blows of the Depression and World War II, but Americans readily came back to parks in the postwar era. Interestingly, the Korean War did not affect the industry in any significant way, perhaps because the scope of the war was smaller and this was the first time since the Civil War that more than a handful of people openly opposed America’s actions. Also, it seems as if the new medium if television could not replace the amusement park because it brought with it events like communist show trials, something the public went to parks to get away from.
I honestly believe that “mine is bigger than yours” syndrome in the industry can be traced back further than the birth of the Racer. If anything, the fifties made this possible. It is here we see the rise of the interstate that was created to both help provide wide roads for military movement in the event of a war and to allow easier auto travel for Americans. Thankfully it was only used for the later- and used in a big way. We began to have a strong national conscious, breaking down the local way in which many Americans thought before WW II even further.
With 1955’s Walt Disneyland, we saw all the eyes of a nation focused on one amusement park, something that had not been done since Coney Island at the turn of the century. Four years later the industry focused its attention there with the debut of the tubular steel, nylon-wheeled Matterhorn. Despite some failed parks like Pleasure Island (and some outright disasters like Freedomland) theme and amusement parks, often with traditional wooden coasters and/or the new steel coasters, were built on a regular basis. Even though some were torn down, the ones still standing show the trend of steady building that occurred in the sixties, but is often overlooked (see bottom of piece).
All in all, looking around the industry today, one feels like a kid in the candy store. I think that in this traditional time of thanks and reflection that we remember the roots of this tremendous gift we are given. Considering the concept of the large-scale amusement park has only been around for one hundred years (and the theme park around sixty), this is really a great time in the history of the industry and the earth to be around. I know I sometimes complain about things…it is only natural that the more you travel, the more references for quality you have. But, I think if people would perhaps enjoy their day at the park a little more and realize that not every trip on a coaster won’t be great, not every ERT session will be flawless and additionally (IMHO) we owe traditional parks a visit…they cannot give us the same experiences found at the themers and I think sometimes enthusiasts feel that because a park does not have 200-foot steel or comic book characters they will not have fun. Open your mind, enjoy your day and be glad the time period you live in. Although fifty years ago seems like an eternity for some, in the big scheme of things it is only a blink of an eye…and how lucky we are the ones chosen to be coasting in that wink of time. Dates of coasters opening in the sixties that are still in operation (for reference, the Matterhorn was built in 1959):
1960-Golden Nugget Mine
Rescue Dinosaur Beach, Skyliner Lakemont Park (Source Ultimaterollercoaster.com)
Adam Sandy, Copyright 2001. |
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