"The Fastest FUN in the West"--Remembering Frontier Village of San Jose, CA.

Earlier today, while trying to downsize for my upcoming move, I sold my Frontier Village souvenir plate. From 1961 to 1980, there was an amazing little amusement park in San Jose, CA called Frontier Village. It's long gone now, but is so well remembered by so many in the San Jose area. Frontier Village was an awesome adventure park with rides, live animals, staged fake shoot outs between the good guys and bad guys, and so much more. I listed the plate and it sold in less than 90 minutes. EBay had recommended a starting price of $45 as the last one that sold went for a bid of $50. I started my plate at $9.99...with a Buy It Now option price of $75. I was not expecting to get that much for it...but someone snagged it right away. I'm glad, but sad at the same time.

It's not that I am upset about the plate. It wasn't that attractive. It was just a collector's plate that featured five memorable scenes from the old park (mascot Theodore Bear, the stage coach, the Ferris Wheel, a gunfight, and the cars ride -- all surrounding the iconic train station). It was kind of ugly actually. I'd actually purchased it used myself on eBay several years before. It had been sitting in a drawer forgotten for years. So why did selling it upset me?

Because, I miss Frontier Village. 

The park held so many good memories for me. I remember little things, like the old cars you could drive (They were on a track, but when you are little, you are really driving. Ya know?), the old-fashioned school house, and the train you could ride around the whole park.  As I got older, I experienced the Roundup ride, the Scrambler, Tilt-A-Whirl, and the Tarantula for the first time--and felt so big and brave for surviving them. 

Although I have not found a lot of pictures from my own experiences there (YET!), but I did find these "wanted posters" that were taken there of my brother Ron (left) and me on one visit. I'm guessing these are from 1970 or 1971.

This was where I went on one of my first "dark rides," The Lost Dutchman Mine (originally the Lost Frontier Mine). I remember such curiosity about it when I was young. It took a few visits to the park over the years before I built up courage to go on it...and that first time through, I believe I kept my eyes closed most of the time. But the spooky attraction eventually became my favorite. I wish someone had filmed the ride and posted it somewhere. Alas, I have never seen any footage if any exists.

To me, as a kid, the thing that was far more horrifying than the Lost Dutchman Mine Ride was the fishing pond next door to it, Rainbow Falls Trout Fishing. Why? As a little kid, you'd drop your baited fishing line into the small lake and get a bite. Instantly! Great, huh? Then a park employee would come over, yank the hook out with a pair of pliers, and beat the fish over the head with those same pliers until the poor thing was dead. YIKES! No wonder I don't like eating fish. (And what the heck did we do with the dead fish carcasses we caught that day the rest of the time we were there -- especially during the hot summers?) 

I was never big on the actual western theme of the park, oddly enough. The place, taking a cue from Disneyland, opened in 1961--when westerns were popular at the movies and dominated television stations. But I never cared for the stagecoach ride, the canoes, burro rides, seeing the Native Americans dance, or visiting the Trading Post (which is crazy, because I can't wait to get to the gift shops anywhere I go now). As a kid, there were so many other aspects of the park, I could easily ignore those things. 

There used to be a kid show on KNTV Channel 11, HOCUS POCUS. Hocus Pocus was a clown. I don't recall the show exactly--don't remember if it showed cartoons or if it was an actual show with new content every day--but I do remember that I was on HOCUS POCUS a few times. (Well, in the studio audience, anyway...) After the show was over, and all of the little boys and girls were leaving the studio, we were handed little HOCUS POCUS goody bags. (I actually still have one somewhere that I came across a few years ago.) Inside of the bag, among other things, was a big button (I also still have one of those somewhere) that not only promoted HOCUS POCUS, but got you into Frontier Village for free. (I can't find any photos of those things on line. When/if I ever find mine again, I'll post them here.)

I also remember seeing my very first concert at Frontier Village. There was an amphitheater that faced a lake. A stage was set on a little island across from it. Somewhere, I have pictures of The Banana Splits performing live! Ha!

I didn't get to go to Frontier Village very often. My parents split up in 1969 and my Mom, brother, and I moved in late 1971. Occasionally, my brother and I would go and visit our father who moved around the San Jose area a while before settling in the Santa Cruz Mountains. On visits to see him, we would sometimes be lucky enough to get to make the trip to San Jose and visit the park.  On one of the last visits, there was a new rollercoaster-type ride that had just been added. Of course, I had to check it out.

Unfortunately, the park closed in the fall of 1980. Frontier Village is entirely gone now, but a good portion of it became Edenvale Garden Park, with remnants of the some of the attractions still there--if you know where to look. The playground area has subtle reminders of what was once there, and there are birdhouses here and there with tiny replicas of rides and attractions that once stood in their place. Where the parking lot stood, there is now a condo complex...called Frontier Village.

Selling the plate was like severing a connection to a cherished childhood memory. It was the only thing I had left from the park and the happy times I had there. I even remember one of their theme songs from the television commercials for the place:

"Frontier Village, that's where the action is--the fastest fun in the West!

For thrills and excitement, for things to do...

You'll find everything from A to Zoo at Fron-tier Village!

--The fastest fun in the West!"

While it would be wonderful to step back in time and revisit the place, that's an impossibility --- and life marches on.

I looked up Frontier Village on the internet, and there is a  surprising amount of material out there on it. There is a Frontier Village Remembered group on Facebook. I took a gander through the posts. There were pictures and videos and souvenirs... and I also saw posts from the guy who bought the plate today. Ha!  NO--I didn't contact him. I'm just glad the plate is going to a good home. As an obvious fan of the park, I am sure he will take great care of it.

Later in the evening, I looked through our old home movies and found this snippet of my (probable) very first visit from 1967 (?). Mind you, there are no thrill rides shown. I was only a tyke, after all. Here's it is, if you want to see:

(Almost all of the photos in this post were found online and are not mine. Thanks to the many who have shared their pictures of that great old park. A few more tidbits found online are below.)

View the follow-up story, RETURN TO FRONTIER VILLAGE, HERE.