Editing Knott's Berry Farm (section)

===Origin===
[[File:Timber Mountain Log Ride.jpg|thumb|The Timber Mountain Log Ride is one of Knott's Berry Farm's most popular rides.]]
The park sits on the site of a former berry farm established by [[Walter Knott]] and his family. Beginning in 1923,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Breaking New Ground The Early Years of Knott's Berry Farm&nbsp;– Orange County Historical Society |url=https://www.orangecountyhistory.org/wp/?page_id=251 |access-date=December 23, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> the Knott family sold berries, berry preserves, and pies from a roadside stand along [[California State Route 39|State Route 39]]. In June 1934, the Knotts began selling fried chicken dinners in a tea room on the property, later named "Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant."<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 5, 2009 |title=75 years of Mrs. Knott's chicken |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2009/06/05/75-years-of-mrs-knotts-chicken/ |access-date=December 29, 2022 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}}</ref> The dinners soon became a major tourist draw, and the Knotts built several shops and other attractions to entertain visitors waiting for a seat in the restaurant. In 1940, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town on the property, the beginning of the present-day theme park. Ghost Town was Walter Knott's tribute to the pioneers, which included his own grandparents who came to California in a covered wagon from Texas in 1868 (when his mother was about four years old).<ref>Holmes, Roger and Bailey, Paul.  ''Fabulous Farmer: The Story of Water Knott and his Berry Farm,'' pp. 20–21, 125–6, Westernlore Publishers, Los Angeles, California, 1956.</ref><ref>Nygaard, Norman E.  ''Walter Knott: Twentieth Century Pioneer,'' pp. 16–17, 93–94, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1965.</ref><ref>Kooiman, Helen.  ''Walter Knott: Keeper of the Flame,'' pp. 3–4, 100–1, Plycon Press, Fullerton, California, 1973.</ref><ref>Merritt, Christopher and Lynxwiler, Eric.  ''Knott's Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott's Berry Farm,'' Knott's 100th Anniversary Edition, p. 39, Angel City Press, 2015.  {{ISBN|978-1-62640-085-6}}.</ref>  The idea of an amusement park picked up in the 1950s when Walter Knott opened a "summer-long county fair."<ref name=":1">Brigandi, Phil.  ''Orange County Chronicles'', pp. 117–132, The History Press, Charleston, South Carolina, 2013.  {{ISBN|978-1-62619-133-4}}.</ref>
[[File:Knott's Berry Farm-Prospector on Signpost, with Mule.gif|thumb|left|Knott's first theme park logo, composed of a prospector with a pack mule]]
[[File:Wood carver Andy Anderson with Sad Eye Joe, 1941.jpg|thumb|Wood carver [[H. S. "Andy" Anderson]] with Sad Eye Joe in the Ghost Town area of the park, 1941]]

[[Paul von Klieben]] was Walter Knott's key employee in the creation of the Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm and the restoration of the ghost town of [[Calico, California]]. In 1941, he joined Knott's as a staff artist, then served as art director there from 1943 to 1953. He traveled to [[ghost town]]s in the West, conducted research, and designed most of the Ghost Town section of Knott's Berry Farm. He created concept art for most of the buildings that were built there. He also drew up floor plans, oversaw the construction of buildings, and even spent some time painting concrete to look like natural rock. His Old West paintings and murals adorned the walls of many structures in the park, and a number of them still do.  His art was also used extensively in Knott's newspapers, menus, brochures, catalogs and other publications.<ref>Merritt, Christopher and Lynxwiler, J. Eric.  ''Knott's Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott's Berry Farm,'' pp. 48–61, Angel City Press, 2015.  {{ISBN|978-1-62640-085-6}}.</ref><ref>Woodson, Weldon D.  "Saga of a Ghost Town Artist", ''Design'' magazine, pp. 24–7, Vol. 73, Issue 6, 1972.</ref><ref>Stack, Ken.  Stack's Liberty Ranch Collection, Volume Two, pp. 84–5, Stack's Liberty Ranch, 2020.</ref><ref>Kooiman, Helen.  ''Walter Knott: Keeper of the Flame,'' p. 103, Plycon Press, Fullerton, California, 1973.</ref>

In 1956, Walter Knott arranged with [[Marion Speer]] to bring his Western Trails Museum collection to Knott's Berry Farm.  Speer had been an enthusiastic supporter of Walter Knott's efforts to create Ghost Town, and had written articles for Knott's newspaper, the ''Ghost Town News.''  In 1956, twenty years after creating his museum, Marion Speer (at age 72) donated the carefully cataloged collection of 30,000 items to Knott's in return for Knott's housing it, displaying it and naming Speer as curator.  Speer continued in that position until he retired in 1969 at the age of 84.<ref>"Western Trails Museum Opens to Public", ''The Knotty Post'', p. 8, November 1956, Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park, California.</ref><ref name="Merritt pp. 98-99">Merritt, Christopher and Lynxwiler, J. Eric.  ''Knott's Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott's Berry Farm,'' pp. 98–99, Angel City Press, Santa Monica, California.  {{ISBN|978-1-883318-97-0}}.</ref><ref>Heywood, Mike.  ''Walter Knott and Family: Knott's Berry Farm,'' p. 112-3, Mike Heywood, 2021.</ref><ref>Epting, Chris.  "In the Pipeline: House of history under our noses", ''Daily Pilot'', January 5, 2011, Los Angeles, California.</ref><ref>Lewis, Jack.  "Guns that Also Won the West", ''Gun World'', p. 17, May 1962, Gallant Publishing Company, Covina, California.</ref>
[[File:Orange County Archives, Western Trails Museum, Knott's Berry Farm, ca 1983.jpg|thumb|left|The original [[Marion Speer|Western Trails Museum]] building at Knott's was either made of rammed-earth construction or concrete made to look like rammed-earth. This construction technique is fireproof and was used in the old mining town of Calico, California. This {{Circa|1983}} photo is courtesy of the Orange County Archives.]]

The museum was once housed in a building (which has since been razed) at Knott's Berry Farm between Jeffries Barn (now known as the Wilderness Dance Hall) and the schoolhouse.  The Western Trails Museum at Knott's is now just south of the saloon in Ghost Town.<ref>Western Trails Museum Now Open!, ''The Berry Vine'', 1993, Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California.</ref><ref name="Merritt pp. 98-99"/><ref>Jennings, Jay.  Knott's Berry Farm: The Early Years, pp. 106–7, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2009.  {{ISBN|978-0-7385-6921-5}}.</ref>

The park became a popular destination for conservative college students in the 1960s, especially as conservative organizations like the California Free Enterprise Association, the Libres Foundation, and the Americanism Educational League were based there.<ref name="mcgirrsuburban100">{{cite book|last1=McGirr|first1=Lisa|title=Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right|date=2001|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|location=[[Princeton, New Jersey]]|isbn=9780691059037|oclc=44578931|pages=[https://archive.org/details/suburbanwarriors00mcgi/page/98 98–100]|url=https://archive.org/details/suburbanwarriors00mcgi/page/98}}</ref> According to Assistant Professor Caroline Rolland-Diamond of the [[Paris Nanterre University|Paris West University Nanterre La Défense]]:

{{Blockquote|it also appealed to conservative Americans, young and old, because the idealized representation of a past devoid of social and racial tensions that it offered stood in sharp contrast with the political and social upheavals affecting California since the [[Free Speech Movement]] erupted at the [[University of California, Berkeley|University of California at Berkeley]] [[1960s Berkeley protests|in 1964]].|sign=Caroline Rolland-Diamond|source={{lang|fr|Revue française d'études américaines}} (2016)<ref name="rollandiamondanotherside">{{cite journal|last1=Rolland-Diamond|first1=Caroline|title=Another Side of the Sixties: Festive Practices on College Campuses and the Making of a Conservative Youth Movement|journal=Revue française d'études américaines|year=2016|volume=1|issue=146|pages=39–53|doi=10.3917/rfea.146.0039|url=http://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=RFEA_146_0039&WT.mc_id=RFEA_146|access-date=October 24, 2016|via=[[Cairn.info]]|url-access=registration }}</ref>}}

In the late 1960s, a {{Convert|10|ft|4=-high|adj=mid}} brick wall with barbed wire embedded into the top was constructed around "Ghost Town" and for the first time, in 1968, an admission price was required to get into that section of the park (ostensibly to keep out the "hippies" and local long-haired youth from freely "hanging out" in the park that were, on occasion, causing problems and degrading the Knott's "family" image).  The entrance price originally being set at $1 for adults and 25¢ for children.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Knott's Berry Farm |url=http://bos.ocgov.com/legacy3/newsletters/pdf/Knotts%20Berry%20Farm%20script.pdf |access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=bos.ocgov.com}}</ref> Previous to this, entry was free and the cost was based on purchasing a ticket for each ride, using the A-E ticketing system similar to that of Disneyland.  The Calico Log Ride (the original name of the [[Timber Mountain Log Ride]]) opened in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wooley |first=Eric |date=July 3, 2019 |title=Timber Mountain Log Ride Celebrating 50 years at Knott's Berry Farm! |url=https://www.coaster101.com/2019/07/03/timber-mountain-log-ride-celebrating-50-years-at-knotts-berry-farm/ |access-date=January 6, 2023 |website=Coaster101 |language=en-US}}</ref>  Also during this period, an attempt to create a monorail system between Knott's and Disneyland was reportedly in the works for many years, however, project construction never began due to costs and legal issues obtaining needed property and gaining necessary right-of-way access.

When Cordelia Knott died on April 12, 1974, Walter turned his attention toward political causes.<ref>Kooiman, Helen, ''Walter Knott: Keeper of the Flame,'' pp. 171–84, Plycon Press, Fullerton, CA, 1973.</ref><ref>Salts, Christiane Victoria, ''Cordelia Knott: Pioneering Business Woman,'' pp. 75–78, The Literature Connection Books, Buena Park, CA, 2009.</ref> The Roaring Twenties<ref name="Adams">{{cite book | last =Adams | first =Judith A. | title =The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of Technology and Thrills | publisher =Twayne Publishers | year =1991 | location =Boston | pages =[https://archive.org/details/americanamusemen00adam/page/125 125–127] | isbn =978-0-8057-9821-0 | url =https://archive.org/details/americanamusemen00adam/page/125 }}</ref> rethemed Gypsy Camp in the 1970s with the addition of a nostalgic traditional amusement area, Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars, and [[Knott's Bear-y Tales]]. Then with the northward expansion of a 1920s-era Knott's Airfield-themed area featuring the Cloud 9 Dance Hall, Sky Cabin/Sky Jump and Motorcycle Chase [[Steeplechase (roller coaster)|steeplechase]] roller coaster above the electric guided rail Gasoline Alley car ride.<ref name="flickr.com">[https://www.flickr.com/photos/traderchris/2565334619/ "Motorcycle Chase, Knott's Berry Farm, 1976"] photograph of steeplechase-style roller coaster lift hill</ref>

The Sky Tower with the illuminated "K" in logo script at the top was built to support two attractions, the Sky Jump, operated from 1976 to 1999,<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 21, 2019 |title=10 former Knott's rides and attractions we miss the most |url=https://www.ocregister.com/10-former-knotts-rides-and-attractions-we-miss-the-most |access-date=December 30, 2022 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[Sky Cabin]]. The Sky Jump boarded one or two standing riders anticipating the thrill of the drop into baskets beneath a faux parachute canopy. From the top, twelve arms supported the vertical cable tracks of wire rope which lifted the baskets. The Sky Cabin ringed the support pole with a single floor of seats that are enclosed behind windows. Its ring revolves slowly as it rises to the top and back offering a pleasantly changing vista. It is very sensitive to weather and passenger motion, such as walking, which is prohibited during the trip. During winds 25+&nbsp;mph or rain it is closed. When built, the tower was the tallest structure in Orange County<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sky Cabin has re-opened at Knott's |url=https://discuss.micechat.com/forum/other-theme-park-news-and-destinations/knott-s-berry-farm-and-cedar-fair-parks/8548343-sky-cabin-has-re-opened-at-knott-s |access-date=December 30, 2022 |website=MiceChat |date=February 14, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> (a distinction briefly held by [[WindSeeker]] before its relocation to [[Worlds of Fun]] in 2012.)

Motorcycle Chase, a modernized steeplechase rollercoaster built in 1976 by [[Arrow Development]], featured single motorbike-themed vehicles racing side-by-side, each on one of four parallel tracks, launched together.<ref name="flickr.com"/> One or two riders straddled each "[[Indian Motorcycle|Indian motorcycle]]" attraction vehicle. The tubular steel monorail track closely followed dips and bumps in "the road" and tilted to lean riders about the curves. Gasoline Alley, an electric steel-guide rail car ride below, was built together and intimately intertwined, which enhanced ride-to-ride interaction thrill value.<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/traderchris/2565334421/ "Motorcycle Chase, Knott's Berry Farm, 1976"] photograph of a steeplechase-style roller coaster with car ride combination.</ref> Rider safety concerns of the high center of gravity coupled with the method of rider restraints caused it to be rethemed Wacky Soap Box Racers with vehicles themed to look like soap box racers, each seating two riders, strapped in low (nearly straddling the track), surrounded by the close-fitting car sides, and the dips and bumps of the track were straightened flat in 1980. Motorcycle Chase/Wacky Soap Box Racers was removed in 1996 for a dueling loop coaster [[Windjammer Surf Racers]] and now [[Xcelerator]], a vertical launch coaster, takes its place.

On December 3, 1981, Walter Knott died,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Walter Knott |url=https://www.ochistoryland.com/walter-knott |access-date=January 6, 2023 |website=OC Historyland |language=en-US}}</ref> survived by his children who would continue to operate Knott's as a family business for another fourteen years.

In the 1980s, Knott's built the Calico Barn Dance featured Bobbi & Clyde as the house band. It was during the height of the "[[Urban Cowboy]]" era. The "Calico Barn Dance" was featured in Knott's TV commercials.
[[File:BigFoot Rapids 2.JPG|thumb|[[Calico River Rapids|Bigfoot Rapids]] (now Calico River Rapids) was located in the Wild Water Wilderness section of the park.]]

During the 1980s, Knott's met the competition in Southern California theme parks by theming a new land and building two massive attractions: '''Kingdom of the Dinosaurs''', a primeval retheme of Knott's Bear-y Tales), in 1987 and '''Bigfoot Rapids''' in 1988, a whitewater [[river rafting ride]] as the centerpiece of the new themed area Wild Water Wilderness.

The [[Boomerang (roller coaster)|Boomerang]] roller coaster replaced Corkscrew<ref name="Adams"/> in 1990 with a lift shuttle train passing to and from through a cobra roll and a vertical loop for six inversions each trip.

The ''Mystery Lodge'' (1994),<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472543/ | publisher=IMDb |title= Mystery Lodge}}</ref> inspired by [[General Motors]] "Spirit Lodge" pavilion, was a live show augmented with [[Pepper's ghost]] and other special effects, which was among the most popular exhibits at [[Expo 86]] in Vancouver, [[British Columbia]], Canada, which was produced by [[Bob Rogers (designer)|Bob Rogers]] of BRC Imagination Arts<ref name="BRC Imagination Arts">{{cite web|title=Knott's Mystery Lodge|url=http://brcweb.com/brc/projects/knotts_mystery_lodge|publisher=BRC Imagination Arts|access-date=May 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103183600/http://brcweb.com/brc/projects/knotts_mystery_lodge|archive-date=November 3, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and created with the assistance of the Kwagulth Native reserve in the village of [[Alert Bay]], British Columbia.<ref name="Mystery Lodge">{{cite web|title=Knott's Berry Farm: Mystery Lodge |url=http://brcweb.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mystery-Lodge.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221044953/http://brcweb.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mystery-Lodge.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 21, 2013 |publisher=BRC Imagination Arts }}</ref> Mystery Lodge recreates a quiet summer night in Alert Bay, then guests "move inside" the [[Longhouses of the indigenous peoples of North America#Northwest Coast longhouses|longhouse]] and listen to the storyteller weave a tale of the importance of family from the smoke of the bonfire.

The [[Jaguar!]] was opened on June 17, 1995, to add another roller coaster to the mix of Fiesta Village alongside Montezooma's Revenge.