Florida's Wild West Amusement Park That Is No More
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- This here's the ballad of Six-Gun Territory. In the 1960's a successful businessman and entertainer decided that his small amusement park would benefit from a larger version, built somewhere where land was cheap and plentiful: Central Florida. That park managed to be both ahead of its time, and behind the times, all at the same time. It saw plenty of success and fame, that is, until Walt Disney World came to town.
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*sees the bit about people drifting away from Westerns and shifting towards space/sci-fi*
...oh yeah, the whole conflict between Woody and Buzz had an actual historical basis in changes in entertainment! Neat-o.
Bonus points for the Orlando-Ocala fake-out.
It says a lot about how much theme park history videos I watch that I immediately went "OH GHOST TOWN IN THE SKY" the second you mentioned the name of the land for his first project was changed to Ghost Mountain.
So happy to hear the rest of his story with this second park!
Kirby Farms in Williston FL has Six Gun Territory days where original actors and crew get together and re-enact their shows. Kirby Farms also has a steam locomotive to ride. It’s lots of fun.
I grew up in Gainesville, Fl. and we knew Six Gun as a much more casual place to go for the day.
Disney World was such a huge deal to visit as far as time, money. hassle etc.
If you were a kid it was a blast.
I’m a cowboy at heart
Michael Eisner oh we know Mike. We know...
@@Wildbarley Better than Robber Baron Iger.
29 MINUTES!!! YES! I know what I'm watching over dinner!
Rob, I think this is your best stand alone episode yet. The writing, the pacing, the visuals--all on point. That half hour just flew by. An interesting story well told, you can't ask for much more than that. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
This one was so fun while staying informative (had a few good belly laughs over your Orlando/Ocala bait and switch and the various sarcastic quips). I love the source listing in the description - shows how much research went in! Excellent video.
I was there and will never forget Sixx Gunn. It was a historical part of the legacy of Florida.
This video is so much of my childhood: Ghost Town In the Sky, Frontier City, Silver Springs. Six Gun Territory was right in my wheelhouse.
This swamp ain't big enough for the two of us
I got to use that when going up the stairs to Big Thunder at Disneyland. I’m a big guy and I bumped into another big guy on the stairs, so I said, “well pardner, I guess this hallway ain’t big enough for the two of us.”
Ooh let me try
Uhh... hey punk. Ha ha.
I'm enjoying these old Florida amusements videos.
Man. This sounds really awesome. Sad that it's gone. I'd love to see a modern version like Westworld.
I’d give a kidney to go to the Yul Bryner 70s WW, or S1 of the new WW lol.
Lets hope Evermore, and the like survives the crisis... the world needs more "Westworld without the killer robots".
Loving these longer form, more informative videos. Im sure they're much more work, but they're worth it, and you do it really well.
21:50 - I feel like I can audibly hear Stinky Pete complaining about Sputnik.
This channel deserves a lot more love!
I visited both Six Gun Territory as well as Ghost Town in the Sky as a child. Both were such fun and very memorable. This was a wonderful video on the history of Six gun. I'd love to see the same for Ghost Town. Great job!
I grew up basically down the road of the old lot. Theres so many stories about the place, it's so cool.
I went to Six Gun many times as a kid. Got Jerry Mathers (The Beaver) autograph there one time. It was a great place.
Can’t seem to find my six gun newspaper…1973 or 74, you could have your name printed up in various scenarios…one of my favorite places as a child. I loved the slide…burlap sacks made you just fly! Bumper cars were always a favorite too. The gunfights and the cancan show made it a favorite of my dad’s as well😀
Love your videos. Never went to Six Gun but as a child (in the late 1950’s) my father took me to Wild West City in NJ. Same concept, live action shows, western history displays. It’s still open.
I live in Nj I went there with my grandparents as a small kid I am 14 as of posting this they are still open
I really thought this would be a funny, cringe-worthy tourist trap telling a distorted history of the west for a quick buck, but honestly Six Guns sounded really well-done. A level of sincerity and dedication that really paid off.
Thanks for posting this! I grew up in Ocala and remember going to six gun as a kid. Just like a classic song a video like this can bring back so many great memories!
Thanks for this. I don't recall the exact year I went, but I think it was shortly after we went to Disney World for the first time (which was January of '72) so I'm thinking the summer of '72 or '73. I remembered I decided it was a perfect time to wear my brown suit since I was growing out of it and I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to wear it (don't ask...I was 8 or so :-) ). Anyway, we took the train to the town and explored it and the indian village (I got to explore a tepee which, as simple as it was, I thought was cool) and then I got to go on the rides (rode the Round-Up, my favorite fair ride, a couple of times). It only took us half a day to do every thing, so we took the skyway back. At the gift shop, I got myself a pen stand with a mechanical calendar on it. I still have that. :-)
We had planned on hitting Silver Springs the following day, but since we only took half a day here, we decided to go on to there. This upset me terribly because I WAS IN THE WRONG SUIT (I also had a blue one I was growing out of)!! I ended up changing in the car. Kids. :-)
Enjoyed the video! I remember going here with my Grandparents in the mid 70's. At that age I thought the gun fights were real and would get so scared. I like the longer video...
Went there many times as a kid. Great memories. Loved it. Wish I could have taken my son and grandkids there.
Hi Rob!
Great video!! I remember going to Six Gun Territory as a kid😄
Thanks for the history lesson!
Wow!! I didn’t know about this. I knew about Silver Springs and visited that when I was little w/my parents. It’s sad that some of these parks didn’t last. I truly believe if they created other different areas, they could have survived.
Wow! What a great video, I'm in Orlando native and I had no idea this attraction even existed. Thank you Rob for always producing such great content!
I've only been at one ghost town attraction in Arizona. this is a good glimpse at the history of this type of park.
Im from Ocala! Growing up, my dad would tell me about six gun territory. Older citizens have told me how Ocala was turning out to be the entertainment of capital of Florida before Disney showed up. You should look into Silvers Springs and Wild Waters which were all in the same area.
You can visit parts of the actual 6 gun territory at Kirby family farm in Williston Florida just 30 minutes from Ocala.
Thanks for the great content. I love your transition from strictly Disney content. Keep it up!
Had no idea Ghost Town in the Sky and Six Gun Territory were the same people!
Watched it come.,...watched it go!! Grew up with it! Auctioned off in mid 80's train now with great Jefferson Bayou RR., Tx.
Wow you brought back alot of old memories we use to vist!👍❤❤❤ Thanks for sharing and the memories. ❤❤❤
Really wish this was still around, I love immersive experiences and this is absolutely one I would love to try.
I grew up in Pasco county and now live in Silver Springs and I remember going to six gun territory as a kid and it was probably one of my favorite attractions that I went to.
Thanks for the memories use to go there several times a year as a kid. Now gonna try to find my old pictures from those years. Thanks Rob love your content.
I know views might be off a bit because of the latest videos not being "pure" Disney, but boy do I love these latest videos! Great job again!
This is why I love this channel. I’ve been to Ghost Town in the Sky when I was really little and don’t remember a lot of it. Seeing a poster and images to it unlocked a whole bunch of new memories for me. Thanks!
Thank you for doing this. I went to Six Gun back in the day. As a kid I loved it. Was wondering what had happened to it. Sad to see things from my distant childhood memories...gone forever.
👍 I lived in Florida from 1965 to 1970 and never knew of this attraction!
I LOVED this place went a alot as a kid ...way before Disney was EVER Built. My family from England was even taken there in late 1980
There is a small park outside of Ocala trying to revive the Six Gun concept, Kirby Family Farms, if you are ever in the area check them out it is hard to describe it, you just have to experience it. Go during their haunt event or their six gun week.
Your videos are excellent. We really enjoy learning so much!! Very interesting
An incredibly well done documentary. It feels like you're really growing as a creator. I hope you continue to create amazing content like this.
Thanks for sharing such an amazing video! I grew up only an hour and a half from Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, NC. This is, arguably, the "original" Wild Western Theme Park. The best part? It's still operational! If you get a chance, I highly recommend you check it out someday! It's a wonderful place!
You know the western genre is notable when even Star Trek does it (likely several times).
I can think of only one episode: Spectre of the Gun...disclaimer...I've always considered Next Germination and those other series as Fake Trek. IMO if a show doesn't contain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and the originals...its a Spectre of the Trek
John P. I was referring to everything up until Discovery. For the record, I’m not really here to start a war of which Trek was the best one, I was just making a funny observation about a scifi series.
They did it because they had the sets for free use on the studio backlot.
Off the top of my head I can think of 'A Fistful of Data' from TNG and 'North Star' from Enterprise. I suppose you could also throw in 'The Paradise Syndrom' from TOS since it had the stereotypical movie depiction of native Americans at the time.
28:00 - Oh my gosh he mentioned Evermore here in Utah! We're relevant!
A really well done, fascinating piece of storytelling
The Defunctland guy sounds different today
He’s off making feature length documentaries, so I had to step in.
20:00 I see your a man of good taste. Putting the Pacific States of America theme from Kasierirech in the soundtrack.
My man.
Great episode Rob!
I grew up in Central Florida and I remember going there often as a kid. We kids loved it so much, can't speak for the adults though because I never asked them. But since we went often, I'm guessing they loved it too. It was so different from anything else. The closest thing that I know of like this is Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock NC. I don't think they have shootouts but it's pretty similar to what Six Gun was. I miss going there!
I used to go to a similar attraction called Wild West City in Netcong, NJ. Imagine if they had just put a campground or western zoo on the property. It would be Fort Wilderness.
@Andrea Maccarrone I just looked it up and it's still there!
@Andrea Maccarrone I haven't been there in 50 years, but the website said they still have a train, stage coach, and shows. Just google Wild West City.
I have a home video of my dad when he was a little boy getting Dan blocker's autograph at six gun Territory
This video is amazing start to finish. You deserve a ton more subscribers and views, quality quality content. Thank you so much!
One of my favorite bands, called Cactus, played there once in May of 1978. An audio recording of the gig has been up on the internet for decades, and on TH-cam for only a couple of years. That recording is how I first heard of 6 Gun Territory. I went to their annual Six Gun reunion and re-enactment last February at Kirby’s Family Farm in Ocala. I loved it! Got to meet former cast members, saw a live can-can show, got on a train (which drove past the now abandoned Barnum & Bailey boxcars), got train robbed, met some Indians, witness a shootout, visit “Boot Hill”, and checked out a VERY antique merry-go-round. I also made sure to wear one of my two Cactus band shirts. It was such a great day!
Curious that the trains were sold to someone in Arizona. I wonder if that someone ended up using them for the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel in Williams, AZ?
Love this! Your production values just keep getting better and better!
Thanks Rob, I had no idea of this. As a lot didn't I'm sure. I'd love to have a time machine and travel back to mid 1960s and see the Town and experience the shows first hand. That would have been a lot of fun, I'm sure.
Nice one its good hear the history of this place
As much as I can go to a literal old west town any day I want (Virginia City, NV), I would've LOVED to go to this...
Ah Ghost Town In The Sky...my original home park. Oh how I miss it!
Thanks for the video. Growing up just SW of Jacksonville in a town called Orange Park we used to enjoy all the Florida parks. My last memory of Six Guns was when I was seven or eight years old. I can still recall riding the train from the parking lot and passing a couple of teepees. Barely remember the actual town, however.
this video took me into a weird memory hole. turns out the reason this is so familiar is because there was a park in NH where I live called Six Gun City, which THEN led me to OTHER NH theme parks... very weird. guess I gotta thank you!
That was a really great video i really enjoyed that thank you. I love your videos they are always so great and great history. It give me the opportunity to learn new things and I love it.
Rob, you’ve outdone your with this one. Great, great work.
Went to Six Gun as a kid. There was a train robbery and shootout. The outlaw was actually hanged from a gallows. It was grisly and I loved it!
Wow, great well researched video! I love this new direction
This park sounds like a lot of fun! So sad that it's gone. Do you know what happened to Ghost Town in the sky? And why did the original owner want to sell his parks, when it was his passion? Was he getting too old lead a company?
It’s still there....kinda. Ghost Town was quite successful up until the 1990s, when it started having issue after issue. Ironically, the biggest problem it faced was the explosion in popularity of Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg less than an hour away. So just like Orlando and Ocala. People stopped coming to the Maggie Valley area in favor of staying around Pigeon Forge. The park is currently standing, but not operational.
@@underoath048 Thank you! So it's really a Ghost Town...
Been to Evermore Park, it's pretty cool
I have recently asked my childhood friends if they ever went to Six Gun Territory and it has been erased from their minds. I only went once and it was pretty cool but no as expected from the commercials which were awesome if you wanted to be a cowboy. Apparently not very memorable to the gang but I remember the commercials on Saturday mornings and after school.
6 gun territory is going strong at Kirby Family Farm in Williston Florida each year normally in November. You should come and check it out
As a kid living in Orlando, 6 Gun was one of the places y family visited when Dad was on vacation.
Really nice storytelling and production! 👍🏻
That whole thing about having enough land in Florida had to be an homage to Walt discussing The Florida Project, right?
😁
went there in 1966 on vacation with my family, my favorite show at the time was Flipper, Tommy Norden who played Bud Ricks was there in the show, got to meet him and get his autograph, as a kid that was really cool
I went this park as a kid and loved it. I truly believe Disney is the reason she went under. There were other parks like this and they survive and even thrive today. Plymouth plantation, Mystic Village, Sturbridge village, Colonial Williamsburg to name a few. They survived because Disney was not their main comptition
I remember going to six gun territory when I was kid. loved it
Like Silver Dollar City with the gunfights. Clint Walker is from Alton my home town.
There was a park catering to a similar niche somewhere in New Jersey that I used to go to as a kid in the 90s. It was on its very last legs at that point and had a very gritty, creepy, unkempt feel to it that as a burgeoning horror fan I adored. There were days when I was the only non-actor in the entire park.
Only one I can find is Wild West City near Stanhope. It's still open.
Such an interesting story! Thank you for telling it!
I visited there when I was a small child. If was still open, I would visit it again. Looking back on it, it reminds me of Westworld.
Hi Rob! Interesting as always. Do you also know about Frontier Town? I went there when I was a kid, a long long time ago. I think it is abandoned as well.
The more recent history of “Ghost Town in the Sky” is pretty fuckin nuts, a young-money, strange and eccentric owner who went on a long crazy breakdown basically destroying it over the course of a few months
I'm surprised you didn't bring up Knott's Berry Farm and it's Ghost Town Comes Alive.
I live in northern Illinois, we have a theme park/museum here called Donley's wild west town. Though the name was changed this year to Onesti's wild west town after it got purchased.
I was 8 years old in 1975 when Gunsmoke (was the last Western to go off major network after 20 yrs) born too late to experience Six Gun, but would have loved it. It always spells "doom" for a park or other enterprise that purchases these & not know how to run them. Example (Rio Grande Railroad bought Arrow Development) couldn't figure out why ppl. paid money to ride scary rides??!!! Rob, you should also do one on the ill-fated Marco Polo Park in Daytona, FL. CircusWorld was sad too, but it was around longer than Marco.
And here we are wanting the old west back......2021..imagine that sci fi freaks
I was thinking the whole time Rob was going over this that I should mention Evermore in the comments after the video and have him check it out. Looks like he's already ahead of the game. I still haven't had a chance to go, but would really like to eventually.
I loved Six Gun Territory
Great video💕👏👏👏🥂🌟
you forgot to talk about bush gardens because that was the first theme park in florida
I grew up at a wild west theme park in Sweden, it's called High Chaparral. Opened in 1966. The founder always dressed as a sheriff and at one point started building the worlds tallest statue portraying himself but the authorities forced him to demolish the structure. There's no documentaries on TH-cam about this place in English. The founder, Big Bengt was inspired by the wild west in many ways and even avoided paying taxes because he wanted freedom. A real character who went his own way.
Actually went here as kids in the mid 1970s, likely when the amusement rides had been added.
Love Mother Earth ......She is so majestic...so unexpected...so unknown....six gun plz come back
i believe you misspelled heritage in Western Heritage