Frontier Village Western Theme Park San Jose CA Rare Home Movies Fun 1960s Tourist Attraction

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Жыл бұрын

Frontier Village in San Jose, California, was a wonderful and fondly remembered Western theme park that was open from 1961 to 1980. It was built by Joseph Zulkin, Jr., of Palo Alto. This film consists of two visits. If the dates are right they are from 1964 and 1967. The visitors were a San Francisco couple and they very much enjoyed going to Frontier Village as well as other Western theme parks and travel locations. My own family enjoyed going to Frontier Village as did so many Bay Area families and visitors from all over. I'd like to say hello to members of the Frontier Village facebook group and I encourage you to comment on this presentation here.
Thank you for watching. Your likes and comments are appreciated. Please help me reach my goal of 5,000 subscribers. There are many other vintage home movies only seen here as well as true crime and more.
A Stephen Jon Powers Presentation, 2023.
Music from the KZfaq Audio Library.

Пікірлер: 40

@R3508 2 ай бұрын

Went there as a child. It was epic.

@DianaLynn-ql5tv Ай бұрын

Precious memories,, ❤ thank you for sharing 🙏

@spinsandneedles Ай бұрын

Many people worked to make those memories so we hope they know they are appreciated, and you too for watching.

@christianuslembang4542 Жыл бұрын

Good day, Thank for sharing the beautiful Video 🥰🥰🥰

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Good day to you from way out West where never is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.

@gerryjohnston5675 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video! Fond memories of Frontier Village!

@spinsandneedles 3 ай бұрын

I am always pleased to hear that. Frontier Village is fondly remembered by so many people. KZfaq has made it possible for me and others to share these old films so I thank them for that and also viewers like you.

@JennyAlaman Жыл бұрын

Nice town thanks for bringing us therw

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Thanks and I am happy I could share it for others to see.

@pamelafuller3153 Жыл бұрын

Loved these films! It was a fun place to work back then!

@spinsandneedles 11 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. It's an honor to hear from a person who worked there!

@ItsJussLauren 3 ай бұрын

Just purchased a little cedar box from a thrift store on it that has a frontier village amusement park engraving on it. It’s in perfect condition, it even still smells of cedar wood ! Which is what brought me to this video as it closed down a few years before I was born 🥰

@spinsandneedles 3 ай бұрын

You are fortunate to have found it. There is an active community of collectors that looks for Frontier Village items. Some are even preserving costumes and parts of the old rides.

@OthmarsVlog Жыл бұрын

well done 👍🙏💯

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Mighty glad to share this film with all who watch it. Thanks!

@Godblessingtv8790 Жыл бұрын

Looks beautiful! ❤ Have a wonderful day💕 Big like👍

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Happy Trails!

@brianfos Жыл бұрын

Fantastic, and as I remembered in my youth-before the addition of the cartoon character branding. I remembered everything in this wonderful home movie except I never recalled seeing women in high heels or men in sports coats. When we went, it was absolutely casual, dusty, and fun! I'm sure that the adults loved the fact that kids literally ran all over the place and wore themselves out. I remember spending what seemed like all day going back-and-forth over the wobbly bridge, ducking into tee-pees, and exploring wooden buildings (though not too much time in the one-room schoolhouse). If we were lucky, we got to go on the mine ride, or if we were really lucky, we got to go on the canoes or the stagecoach, which seemed like an extra-special thrill. The facility was so well designed and scaled that it seemed limitless in space to the extent that we felt like we were in a different world, not in a theme park. I realize now how physically small the entire footprint of the park was, and lament the fact that it could not be saved. The magic is gone.

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Such great points and so clearly written. Thank you. Once families were in the park it did have the sense a totally safe place where the kids could run around as you say. Everyone loved the atmosphere which was casual, exciting, and even funny. Older and younger visitors were free to experience Frontier Village at their own pace. The shoot-outs were really amazing to kids and what a show the "dead" guy put on. It looks like he kind of kicked away the kid in this film who was pushing on him too much as part of the act. Also the trout was clearly visible and that was great fun for anyone to catch a fish. It looks like some kids were climbing into a stump or something in part of the film. I'm not sure what that was. Thank you again for your memories and sharing them here for all to enjoy.

@thatplace1 Жыл бұрын

I did not get to go to this theme park but think it is awesome. The stage coach ride would have been a complete adventure as a kid. The story lives on! Thanks for sharing. Cheers

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

People just loved Frontier Village and now it really has that nostalgia factor in these parts matched only by Playland at the Beach and Santa's Village. There were a lot less people living in California in the 60s and the traffic wasn't bad. Of course you had to make it in one piece in the cars we drove in without seatbelts, safety glass, smog control, or airbags. L.A. had some pretty bad air pollution. In any case that little trout farm as you can see was well stocked and the fun, carefree atmosphere really prevailed. I hope you did get to go to places like Disneyland and Knott's when you were a kid. So good for the imagination and getting a bit of that travel bug I know you have now. Thanks for your comments and I'll see you again at that place. (check him out folks for lovely travel adventures)

@PowerSource301 Жыл бұрын

Good day, fellow vloggers! What an amazing and awesome Tourist attraction video this has been! Keep it up, friend~

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Might big thanks pardner! The west is the best!

@GTCCD7354 Жыл бұрын

This is awesome! Some of the best early film I’ve ever seen of Frontier Village!

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I am so happy to have you here from the great Frontier Village facebook group! It's an honor to show this not only to those who remember visiting Frontier Village but to those who were not able to or who were not born yet.

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

Did you figure out who the men were having the conversation as they briskly walked? Any other people or details? Lastly do you know of a Western-themed town that had a small artificial geyser? Thanks!

@GTCCD7354 Жыл бұрын

I believe it’s Ed Hutton in the blue sweater and Warren Weitzel in the green shirt. I don’t know about the other park you are talking about.

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

@@GTCCD7354 Thank you so much. Those guys talking and walking is really a unique shot. Thanks too about the other town. I don't know where it was either so that's why I asked. One good thing about social media is that if I post a photo or even the whole clip with knowing the place a viewer might know and then it can get a proper title.

@TrishLee Жыл бұрын

Looks like a really nice theme park on its time, it shows how things back then and it feels so nostalgic watching the video! Thank you for sharing it with us!❤

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

That is a fitting description. It was a really nice theme park. It had elements of Frontierland and Knott's Berry Farm and yet created its own unique setting and pace. Thank you for your comments.

@Travelmakerin Жыл бұрын

Very good job my friend, loved the video and enjoyed it

@spinsandneedles Жыл бұрын

So glad! What did you love about it?

@ragtimeKG Ай бұрын

Does anyone remember "Indian (Injun) Jim?" I am interested in who played the character and whether he did television in the mid-60s?

@calikalbocalikalbo6082 4 ай бұрын

Great memories. the sheriff locked us up in jail because we went into the train ride through the back door.

@spinsandneedles 4 ай бұрын

Ha. You were an outlaw!

@calikalbocalikalbo6082 4 ай бұрын

@@spinsandneedles....Yup, locked up in Frontier Village jail.

@youthecat 8 ай бұрын

Was there a stand-alone booth with a "prisoner" (mannequin) sitting in the back talking to you (via speaker) through the bars over a window? I remember being told later that before kids went up to talk to him, their parents would fill the speaker-person in on details about the kid's life. That frozen prisoner asked how my dog, Bridget, was! It was so magical.... was that here?

@spinsandneedles 8 ай бұрын

The western tourist towns tended to copy each other so more than one had similar exhibits and jokes the cast told. Knott's Berry Farm had a mannequin that talked to people. I don't know if Frontier Village had one but like others it probably did. Someone told me that what was said at the Frontier Village gunfight shows was copied by other theme parks however Disneyland's Frontierland and Knott's were around before FV. There were also gunfights at the Tucson, AZ, western town, and several other places across the U.S. I have some film from Tucson that I hope to add to the channel one of these days.

@youthecat 8 ай бұрын

@@spinsandneedles : I had no idea! Do you know if the mannequin at KBF was in a mock jail cell (a roughly 6'W x 10'D "room")? Thanks for the info... really appreciated!

@spinsandneedles 8 ай бұрын

@@youthecat Yes I believe they had a jail cell and maybe a barber shop too. There are probably a lot of postcards on ebay and then an online search will show even more photos. There must be Knott's history videos too. Mr. Knott's built the ghost town for people to have something to look at while they waited for their chicken dinners. It grew from there as the train and the mine ride, etc., were added. One of my favorite places was Mott's Miniatures with a large display of miniature buildings and room displays with collections in them. Happy trails and I hope you find your answers.