A Brief History of Knotts Berry Farm
For many people, myself included, Orange County is synonymous with Disneyland. After all, the “happiest place on earth” is located in Anaheim and has been delighting families from all over the world since 1955. However, there is another theme park in OC that is just as steeped in history and tradition, and that is Knotts Berry Farm. Today, I’m going to take a quick look at the history of this iconic OC attraction.
Knotts Berry Farm began as a small family farm in the early 1900s. The farm was originally known for its chicken dinners and boysenberry pies. In 1940, Walter Knott and his wife Cordelia began selling berry preserves, which proved to be quite popular with visitors to the farm. As word of mouth about the Knott’s delicious boysenberry products spread, more and more people came to visit the farm. In order to accommodate all of these visitors, Walter began construction on a small ghost town adjacent to the farm. This ghost town eventually evolved into the themed Old West attraction that we know today as Ghost Town.
As Knotts Berry Farm continued to grow in popularity, so too did its roster of attractions. In 1955, the park debuted its first roller coaster, the Calico Mine Ride. This was quickly followed by other rides such as the Timber Mountain Log Ride (1967) and Knott’s Bear-y Tale Land (1971). In 1983, Knotts Berry Farm became the first theme park in America to introduce a computerized rides system with FastLane. And in 2001, the park debuted its newest addition: Perilous Plunge, a waterslide that drops riders from a height of 115 feet at a 45-degree angle!
Whether you’re looking for thrilling roller coasters or quaint ghost towns, Knotts Berry Farm has something for everyone. Next time you’re in OC, be sure to swing by this historic theme park and see for yourself what all the fuss is about!