Knott's Berry Farm | The Good Old Days, Pt 3

Dave Bourne of the Wagonmasters shares his memories of the farm.

[@TheZunigal]

Thanks for uploading this treasure. I love Knotts Berry Farm. One of my best childhood memories was spent at Knotts before my parents separated. I enjoy learning about rags to riches stories. The Knott Family are a true American success story. Long Live Knotts !!

[@drmaxwelldc]

This is great. I danced at the Wagon Wheel at age 7! Thank you so much.

[@bassetbaby67]

Thanks for the memories! I worked there for 10 years, I miss the original Knott's. I even rememeber when they had the seals that you could feed.

[@tippisdad]

This is great! I grew up in Orange County from '59-'68. We were always broke, so Mom & Dad would take us to Knott's because it was free! We'd play on all the stuff, old iron things. I could watch the train all day; it brought on a lifelong fascination with railroads. I remember Old MacDonalds farm (ten cents!) and the seals. The first real "ride" was the Calico Mine. Pretty lame, really. We'd get a chicken dinner to go and sit at a patio and eat it. Those were happy times...

[@bcgrittner]

I'm from Minnesota, but I lived in La Mesa, CA 1963-1964. Occasionally, Dad, now deceased, would get an urge for boysenberry pie and we would take off for Buena Park - Knott's. We would make a full day of it. I treasure those days. Thanks for the memories, Dave. Brian in Minnesota

[@LizzyTexBorden]

Great memories... I remember going to Knott's in the 60's and just loved Calico. I still have a bit of memorabilia including gold in a small container, coins, ticket books, maps etc. Thanks!

[@PHAEDRIDER]

knott's was such a big part of my life when i was growing up.

[@lpentis]

What a great public service to put this on youtube! Even footage of them putting the dead bad guy in the wheelbarrow! Thank you, thank you!

[@212annette212]

that was great! i worked at knotts in the 70's and 80's. i hav epictures of people from most departments an dlots of good memories. i even got married there! i remember harvey walker. the dancers in the saloon came to my wedding in costume. i played the time around their break so they could be there.

[@coliseumdog]

Nice trip down memory lane. Remember Henry's Livery that was located across the Park? My mom would always stop there and let me have a ride after shopping at Sears or Akron. Summers were great since we go there after supper and just have fun and pay for whatever attraction you wanted.

[@dreaminggirlish]

Yeah, I remember a line from the film "Poltergeist" where the dad says "So, what side of the rainbow are we working tonight, Dr. Lesh? Is this your Knott's Berry Farm solution?" Having known Knott's well that busted me up as a kid.

[@acgillespie]

Sure fun seeing my life as a child & I know I met some of those people. I talked to the Chef many times.. Glad I was a kid that got to enjoy the simple life & it was

[@kathleendery9342]

Jay - I haven't been to Knott's in years, but as a child in the 50's and 60's our family went twice a month. My dad built model steam engines, so he loved the train. I loved the bottle house with the painting of the Native Americans around the campfire and the many music boxes. (What happened to it? Is it still there?) I also loved playing in the school house, and getting gum from the baker scoop gumball machines. But my absolute favorite was the general store where my love of antiques was born

[@JustNess78]

knotts must have been extremely popular because i just saw a rerun of I Love Lucy when they're in Hollywood. One of the sights they say they want to see is "Knott's Berry Farm." Amazing! Lucy was the most popular show in it's day, so this really says something of just how popular Knott's was even back in the 50's. I'm a child of the 80's and spent most of my summer's at Knott's. I love visiting these days, but it's just not the same..... I feel sorry for kids of this generation =(

[@robertsheridan3377]

Love Knotts!

[@ncwdane]

Very good piece, Loved the footage I wished you'd mentioned Ronnie Morgan who worked at the Birdcage Theatre & Actually holds the Guinness book of world records for most Plays performed at a single venue He played several Parts through his career , both Villain & Hero but he sure was there a Long time & a big part of the good ole' days at Knotts :-)

[@nightmaretomb5294]

Thanks for the mention of my dad, Viking Knight. He was also Abraham Lincoln in that old commercial where he and George Washington, played by then owner of the Birdcage Theater George Stuart, advertised the park on the Corkscrew. The commercial is on youtube but their voices have been dubbed by someone else until the very end. He also built the very first maze for Knotts Scary Farm and was their first monster (a ghoul) and years later was the judge that started to hang Freddy Krueger just before Freddy pushed an actress playing Zsa Zsa Gabor off a building.

[@NevadaJack]

The first roller coaster was the Cork Screw it was built in the mid 70s as part of the 'new' roaring 20's section. The cork screw was torn down and the boomerang was put in its place.

[@minxy123able]

Remember the seals? What about the goat on the roof of the building...the chicken playing a "piano"...the volcano with the little devil...the tee pees?! I was born in California (1957) and it was a family thing to go there so much. Wow, a lot of memories! They used to have little representations/replicas of the California missions and a small chapel. I could go on...does anyone else remember?! Oh ya...the burro rides...:)

[@neffada53]

Absolutely priceless and amazing videos and photos! Thank you for posting!

[@CasperH626]

Amazing documentary thank you

[@TSMD]

this is really neat to learn the history. my parents used to take me and my brother there for vacation. Ghostrider was the first roller coaster my brother ever rode.

[@LKJNBFD]

Jennifer Finley xnxnxj

[@DanHarkless_Halloween_YTPs_etc]

Thank you so much for doing all this research and interviewing! I really enjoyed your film and will definitely be picking up a copy of your book. I am kind of continuing the tradition of documenting Knott's (modern) history over in my channel, albeit only Haunt so far (though I have some non-Haunt footage I'll eventually be posting as well). Thanks again for everything you've done to preserve these great memories of America's first theme park!

[@bratschmom]

I remember the seals too! My brother-in-law was a train robber in the 60's. See my video "in loving memory of Sherry." There are some really old photos of him in is robbery costume.

[@pheadrasfall]

been going to Knott's since the 1950's and truthfully I can't even stand to drive by it now, so depressing to see what they have done to it a lowlife carnival now, California is indeed becoming and has become a rotting orchard..disgusted native..loved seeing what was and shall never be again! thanks much for that..p.s this should have been about 20 parts long :) burro rides, tin lizzy ride, sad eyed talking to us kids from jail and so much more so sad..

[@sharkyff4]

this was awesome, thanks for making it. :)

[@strokedmustang66]

Wow I really like ur videos, There is so much i never knew about the park. I just started working there this week. I bet the people that i work with dint know about all that. thanks for the video.

[@gaylelampert1787]

I was 13 and part of a square dancing group that did our thing there and filmed by KTLA. But before that age we spend so much time at Knott's. Haunted house, Chicken Dinner to die for. Went to school with one of the grand daughter--the chicken dinners were more fun!!!!!

[@LKJNBFD]

I wasn’t even born when this vid was out

[@strokedmustang66]

well i can tell u a few things. they have all the new hires in a class for a few days, telling us about the farm and how it started. a few ins and outs.

[@toyoko9]

Love this knew most of gunfighters, And indians ,cheif redfeather use to dry out buffallow heads on my fathers roof in cabazon, and sold my dad blankets and squashblosum necklasses until mom said to stop ! Knew High star and white eagle he gave dad a cerimonial belt it was quite sacred.Las tmemory I have of redfeather was him sitting for a portrait at our studio, but fast asleep ! Oh he was such a ladies man to. The campfire singers was the most home felt memory , our studio was accross from them and I have such warm heart felt feelings for them.The smell of the fire, wow. My mom was friends with ronnie morgan and many others like george stuart from the bird cage theater, and I recall many a night visiting them. and Tony the sweet gentle pupeteer use to give us his worn out puppets, Mom worked with marrionetts professionaly so they became friends. I remember she tried to help him his life had been hard. The place is haunted theyve told me and I can totally see why, the memories are imprinted in the very foundations in ghost town.

[@nightmaretomb5294]

bonnie bell I remember Chief Redfeather had to retire after a botched surgery left him barely able to walk. The park started going downhill around then.

[@60yroldwhitechick99]

does anyone remember serano ? the horse that could spell ? my love of horses always had us kids at his showing at 2;00. we lived a stones throw from knotts and i attended the elementry school named for it. we lived at knotts. the old miner with the mule/ donkey/burro, with the 'belled tail ' was always catching us in the donkey corrals trying to ride the donkeys. if you got one sided up to a fence you were in for a ride to the manure pile !! where can i find thier music ? owned the album with the campfire on the front . all songs were great and i would love to find it somewhere. in my opinion.... the wagonmasters that i knew were superior to any talent of thier time. and they were live!! they sang el paso , masters call, cool water, tumblin tumbleweeds etc. better than roy rogers or marty robbins ever did. runnin gun , lobo scarlet ribbons...chuckawalla...thats the album im looking for. great memories of my very younger years...born in 54'. had to take a short cut thru a cornfield to get home when we'd stayed too late. remember the stuffed buckin horse you could get on and have a pic taken ? we were blessed to have that place. buy a bag of old time candy and sit in one of the wagons and eat it. my sister had a crush on vern.! oh...those were the days....thanks to everybody who shared...

[@TheMollyPitchers]

Aunt Nellie!!!!