Six Flags Over Texas

This article is about the Six Flags theme park. For the historical "six flags" that flew over Texas, see Six flags over Texas.

Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located at 32.755, -97.070 in Arlington, Texas and was the first park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 1, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of $10 million

History

Following a visit to the recently opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California, wealthy oil tycoon and real estate developer Angus G. Wynne, Jr. decided that his home state of Texas should have a local park for entertainment. Planning for such a place began in 1959, under the leadership of Wynne and the Great Southwest Corporation, along with the backing of various New York investors. Construction on the park began in August, 1960.

Origin of the name

The park's name "Six Flags Over Texas" stands for the six different nations' flags which have governed Texas, including: France, Spain, Mexico, The Republic of Texas, The Confederate States of America, and the United States of America. The story goes that Wynne originally intended to name the park "Texas under Six Flags," until his wife objected stating that "Texas isn’t under anything." The original park was (and still is) split into separate regions, such as the Spain and Mexico section which featured Spanish-themed rides, attractions and buildings.

Silver Star Carousel

The Silver Star Carousel is the last carousel built by William Dentzel of the Dentzel Carousel Company in Philadelphia. It was originally erected near the municipal boardwalk at Rockaway’s Playland Amusement Park in Long Island, NY in 1928. Dentzel owned the ride and a good friend of his operated it as a concession when it was first built. When Dentzel died in March 1928, Rockaway’s Playland purchased the carousel from his estate, and operated it until 1937. In that year the carousel was put into storage until 1945. It was then put back into operation at Rockaway’s until it was purchased for $25,000 by Six Flags in late 1962.

The Silver Star Carousel at Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1963. Because of the ride’s historical background, the Texas Historical Commission declared the ride an official historical site in 1966. In 1988, the Silver Star Carousel reopened after a three-year renovation period at the front gate.

Six Flags Over Texas Railroad

The Six Flags Over Texas Railroad is the only attraction still operating from the park's inaugural 1961 season. Two engines transport guests on a one mile journey around the park, with stops at two stations located on opposite sides of the park. Both train engines were originally built at the turn of the century for a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana. Engine #1, known as the "Green Train" (due to its color scheme) or the "Mary Ann," was built in 1901 by the American Locomotive Company. The smaller engine #2, known as the "Red Train" or "Lydia," was created for the plantation in 1897 by the Porter Company.

The engines were later rebuilt for $50,000, and renamed the "General Sam Houston" (originally the 'Mary Ann') and the "Mirabeau B. Lamar" (originally the 'Lydia') in honor of these Texan heroes. The rebuilding also involved several minor changes, including the conversion of the wood-burning steam engines to oil-burning steam engines. Photos of the original engines can be found at the train station in the 'Texas' section of the park. As of the park opening 2006 Six Flags closed one of the engines (prior to it breaking down) & named the last train to the "Charles Jefferson Patton"

The railroad continues to run at the park daily, operating much the same as it did more than 40 years ago when the attraction first opened. Six Flags maintains the trains as close as possible to their original specifications. In fact, despite a popular movement to transform theme park railroad engines from steam-powered to the newer diesel-powered trains for lower maintenance and operating costs, Six Flags Over Texas has resisted, to favor a more authentic experience.

Firsts

Six Flags Over Texas has also been home to many theme park "firsts" including:

First mine train roller coaster – The Runaway Mine Train (1966)
First log flume – El Aserradero (1963)
First roller coaster with consecutive loops* – Shockwave (1978)

*This is often disputed with Geauga Lake’s Double Looproller coaster, despite Six Flags claiming it publicly on their website[http://www.sixflags.com/parks/overtexas/Rides/list.html.

Accidents

The only customer death in the park's history occurred on March 21, 1999. A 28-year-old Arkansas woman was trapped underneath a Roaring Rapids water ride raft that capsized as it dipped through an area of rapids. The other ten riders on the raft were able to escape and suffered only minor injuries.

Safety experts concluded the inner tube of the raft had deflated, causing the raft to ride low in the water and to tilt to one side. The deflated inner tube became lodged against a pipe underneath the surface of the water and the force of the water caused the raft to flip over.

In March 2006, Texas Tornado malfunctioned and its operators brought it to an emergency stop, causing five swing chairs to collide at high speeds. Several riders suffered minor injuries.

Events

Six Flags over Texas hosts several seasonal events throughout the year including:

Spring Break Out – Taking place in the month of March, the Spring Break Out event welcomes the warm Texas weather with plenty of outdoor attractions, events, games, and concert performances. The event usually takes place over a couple of weeks, allowing various local schools’ differing spring break holidays to coincide with one of the event’s weeks.
Best of Texas Festival – Texas heritage is celebrated during this event in September. The park is decorated with pumpkins, hay bales, and scarecrows and filled with skilled artisans and Texas souvenirs such as woodcarvings, homemade soaps, and hand-crafted leather boots. Several authentic Texas foods are also popular at the event, including homemade breads, kettle corn, skillet potatoes, and fried green tomatoes. Originally called the Texas Heritage Festival, it was renamed the 'Best of Texas' festival for the 2006 season and the parks 45th anniversary.
Fright Fest – The annual Halloween festival at Six Flags Over Texas, Fright Fest, takes place throughout the month of October and features several specialized additions to the park. Haunted houses, decorated pathways, patrolling ghouls, and spooky music all contribute to the park’s transformation into a giant “haunted” attraction.
Holiday in the Park – A tradition started in 1985, Holiday in the Park is now one of the park’s most popular seasonal events as the park’s season winds down towards the end of November and throughout December. Hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights are strung around the park buildings and rides, and an authentic snow hill is available for visitors to sled down (made possible in the usually mild Texas winter by a specialized refrigeration machine under the attraction).

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