Frontier Village

History

Development

The park was built by Joseph Zukin, Jr. of Palo Alto, who was inspired by a family trip to Disneyland in 1959. of which nearly 80,000 shares were sold by October 1960, helped by a "substantial, but not controlling block" purchased by United California Theaters.

The park was planned initially to be built along El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, California, according to plans drawn up in 1958 by the Frontier Village Corporation, founded by Zukin, Hawley Smith, and Michael Khourie. Zukin declared "it will be designed as a children's dream of the Old West, where the child (and his parents) can actually experience the thrills and excitement of the West in an atmosphere especially created for fun and relaxation." Zukin later announced in April 1959 that Frontier Village would be built in San Jose, on Hayes Ranch, part of the estate surrounding Hayes Mansion.

Initial design was performed by Paul Murphy, who also had a full time job at Santa Clara University as director of publications. After Murphy found himself too busy to continue, responsibility for the design was turned over to Laurence Hollings, who had prior experience designing film sets at Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures, and nature habitats at the California Academy of Sciences. He described the park as a "sort of tongue-in-cheek approach to the Wild West."

Ground was broken for the park on August 1, 1960, and it was laid out so carefully that only four trees were removed.

Operation

The park, developed at a cost of $2 million, surrounded by a high barricade of logs, and was themed to the Old West. Retaining the water in an artificial canal for one of the early rides, the Indian Canoe, proved troublesome until the canal was lined with cement.

The 1964 summer season opened on Saturday, June 20, marked by a special "Family Fun Day". Frontier Village was praised as "spotless, rarely jammed ... one can take in all of the rides and attractions within about four hours." Jim Bakich, a first-year student at San Jose City College, attempted to set a world's record for the longest continuous Ferris wheel ride in 1965, vowing to spend two full weeks aboard the park's wheel. Other self-claimed world records set at the park in 1966 include the finish of the longest foot-propelled scooter journey (114 mi from Big Sur, by Byron Jones) and largest pizza (4+1/2 ft in diameter). Dennis the Menace visited the park with his parents in the story "The Park Lark", initially published for the March 1970 issue; while there, he interacted with the marshal, an outlaw, other guests, and visited several attractions, including the Rainbow Falls trout fishing pond and the Antique Cars ride.

A short film entitled Kung-Phooey was filmed in part at Frontier Village in 1975; it was written and produced for less than $100 by a group of 29 elementary school students from San Francisco under the instruction of Darrell Sevilla. It won first prize at the National Educational Television Young Filmmakers' Festival.

In 1977, Charles Jacques rated the park as the 45th best in the United States, behind local competitors Marriott's Great America (#12) and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (#30). It was also the first year of operation for the Apache Whirlwind, the park's first (and only) roller coaster. Jeff Block and Rena Clark set a new record for Ferris wheel endurance starting on July 1, 1978, traveling 353.93 mi on the park's wheel in 29,744 revolutions over 37 days. Block would break the record in 1993 with a 38-day ride on the same Ferris wheel,

The first costumed character, a bear named Theodore, was introduced to the park in July 1972;

Closure

When the park opened in 1961, it was surrounded by undeveloped land. A decade later, the remainder of the substantial Hayes ranch had been sold off piecemeal and the park was surrounded by urban sprawl; Zukin lacked the necessary funds to expand and sold Frontier Village to Rio Grande Industries for US$1.7 million in 1973, although he stayed on to manage the park through 1977.

Rio Grande announced plans in 1977 to expand the park to 101 acre onto the former site of the drive-in theater at a cost of $10 million, including on-site restaurants and concessions; however, those plans were denied by the San Jose City Council, unless the park also funded $1.8 million for traffic improvements. According to Zukin, the protests and opposition from the park's new residential neighbors, who complained about the noise and fought development plans, led Rio Grande to drop the expansion. Lawsuits from nearby homeowners coupled with lower-than-expected park revenues, skyrocketing San Jose land values, and competition from Marriott's Great America, which opened in neighboring Santa Clara in 1976, 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.

In 1980, the undeveloped land and Frontier Village were sold to a land developer, the Bren Company. The park closed its gates for the last time on September 28, 1980. The Bren Company held a public auction in October 1980, disposing of all the rides, buildings, and lumber that made up Frontier Village.

Legacy

File:Frontier Village 2.jpg|Sign for Frontier Village residential development File:Edenvale Library - Frontier Village memorabilia.jpg|alt=Frontier Village enthusiasts and collected memorabilia, primarily ride signs, displayed at the Edenvale Branch of the San Jose Public Library.|Shaughnessy McGehee (center) with fellow Fall Guys among memorabilia from the park, displayed at the Edenvale branch of the San Jose Public Library File:Edenvale Gardens Regional Park 15.jpg|Railroad station-themed shelter at Edenvale Garden Park File:Frontier Village birdhouses at Edenvale Garden Park 7.jpg|Entrance towers model/birdhouse by Vince Duke Bren built a residential development just west of present-day Edenvale Garden Park on the site of the planned expansion; the condominium complex is named "Frontier Village".

All the buildings were removed from the amusement park and San Jose's Edenvale Garden Park now exists at the former location of the amusement park. Little is recognizable from the former Frontier Village, but items such as concrete boulders from the artificial river remain half-buried. In April 2008, artist Jon Rubin installed the Frontier Village Birdhouses, five scale models of Frontier Village buildings and landmarks placed where the original structures were during the park's operating period. Each of the five scale buildings (Railroad Station; Main Entrance Log Towers; Mine Ride; Old School House; Main Street) is a functioning birdhouse and were built by Vince Duke. The present-day Edenvale Garden Park has play structures themed for the amusement park's railroad.

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 in 1980 at auction. Two fans started a website to gather history, photographs, and testimonials in 2000. the reunions were started by Mat Lindstedt. Shaughnessy McGehee of Campbell, California built a miniature version of the park in his own backyard over two decades. He built miniature versions of the Silver Dollar Saloon, General's Store, and Schoolhouse. McGehee also collected Frontier Village memorabilia, including 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. The replica closed in 2015, after McGehee sold his house and moved to Oregon.

Frontier Village's narrow gauge train, originally built by Arrow Development, was bought in 1981 by Jerry Burke, who made it the central focus of his 10 acre themed 1880 Western themed Burke Junction shopping center in Cameron Park, approximately 30 mi east of Sacramento. It was abandoned in 2000 after Burke sold the property and did not run again until the Glasser family purchased the shopping center in 2008; they spent $150,000 rehabilitating the train the inaugural run was on August 21. On January 8, 2018, the Burke Junction train collided with a minivan; although there were no injuries, the train was damaged, requiring extensive repairs.

The "It Takes a Village" exhibit featuring Frontier Village was held at the New Museum Los Gatos in 2015; artifacts and memorabilia were shown alongside similar ephemera from defunct local amusement parks, including Santa's Village (Scotts Valley) and The Lost World.

Frontier Village is the subject of an eponymous song by singer-songwriters Jeff Larson and Jeffrey Foskett, released as part of the 2018 album Elua Aloha.

Rides and Attractions

As originally constructed, the 33 acre park was divided into the 10 acre amusement area and 5 acre parking lot; the remaining 13 acre were reserved for expansion. The park was laid out with a central square and a perimeter railroad that traversed bridges and canyons; the square included an Old West village with a stage for live performances.

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 (opened 1969)
• Reserved Company Picnics
• Rainbow Falls Trout Fishing (measured 120 ×; stocked with 10,000 rainbow trout)
• Sagebrush Theatre
• School House Museum
• Frontier Auto Movie (behind the park on the southwest side) access was through the parking lot for the village. Drive in movie theater open all year round.

References

References

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38. (June 8, 2008). "Valley man bids for a ride back to childhood". San Jose Mercury News.
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42. [http://www.burkejunction.com/burke-junction-history.php Burke Junction Shopping Center buys Frontier Village train.]
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47. Graff, Amy. (January 24, 2018). "Train from SJ's old Frontier Village nearly totaled in collision with minivan". SF Gate.
48. Lakey, Pat. (January 22, 2018). "Bam! Train's chug umplugged at Burke Junction". Mountain Democrat.
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50. Marchese, Joe. (June 12, 2018). "Need a Little Summer: Jeff Larson, Jeffrey Foskett Team for '{{okina}}Elua Aloha'".
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