Crazy Horse Saloon

Year Installed: 1961
Last Year Operated: Currently Operating
Section: Texas
Manufacturer:
Other Names and Nicknames:

Crazy Horse Saloon Theater

     The Crazy Horse is show saloon, complete with a small stage for western singing and can-can dancing, as well as a bar. In keeping with the park’s family friendly atmosphere, park promotional materials make it very clear that “although it is a saloon, only soft-drinks are sold there.”

    The theater is rather small, with room for a small stage, a piano, and several tables for the guests. Four or five performers in saloon costumes sang period songs, danced on the stage and mingled with the guests.

     In keeping with the park’s historical emphasis, the entire back bar is an actual antique bar from an 1890 vintage saloon. Carpenters crafted a new front bar to conform to the original. Antique tables and chairs were acquired from a saloon in Little Rock, Arkansas.

A 1966 show courtesy of LaVerne Huselton Catter.

     While there are shows and performers in all of the sections of the park, the Crazy Horse is unique in that is the park’s first indoor show. It continued as the park’s only indoor show for the first seven years of operation, until the much larger Southern Palace replaced the amphitheater in 1968. It is also the longest running theater in the park, operating continuously since the first season. Inside, the singing and dancing showgirls still entertain visitors.

    Being the only indoor theater, the Crazy Horse also served as an employee auditorium, being used for orientation sessions, training, and other meetings

    The Crazy Horse Saloon opened with the Park in 1961 and is the oldest theater in the park.

The Gunfighters

Year Installed: 1961
Last Year Operated: On-going
Section: Texas
Manufacturer:
Other Names and Nicknames:

Section: Texas

Year installed: 1961

Gunfights in front to the Texas Courthouse. From Six Flags Postcard. Note Judge Roy bean on the porch with a “hanging rope”. Also note the park photographer with a Polaroid Camera in the Mid-left of the photograph. The photographers sold the Polaroid pictures to guests.

The Gunfighter Shows have been held in the Texas section since the park opened in 1961. The shows recreate the good-guy/bad-guy shoot-outs of the wild west. They are designed to be entertaining more than historically accurate. Typically they take place on the street in front of the Courthouse in the Texas Section.  Over the years, however, shows have been held in various locations around the park. In some shows, outlaws rob the Train while it is running, leading to a shoot-out in front of the Texas train station.  Shoot-outs have also been held in front of the Jersey Lilly, around the corner from the Courthouse.  

Gunfighters in front of the Texas Astrolift. The Texas Railroad station would be out of the photograph to the photographers left. The area in the upper left corner of the photograph is now the location of the Boot Scootin’ Ride.  

Starting in 1994, the Texas section hosted the Texas Backlot Stunt Show, an outdoor action-comedy stunt-show featured in the Texas sectionAdditional sets were built next to the Jersey Lilly for this show. The first show, the O.K Corral Shootout Backlot show,was tied to the release of the Warner Brother’s movie Wyatt Earp. The stunt shows continued through the 1990s.

At this time, the Gunfights continue in front of the Courthouse. 

Let’s Find a Cause

Let’s Find a Cause ~ Campus Review 1966
Unidentified Show Girl, Jay Johnson (of SOAP)
LaVerne Huselton Catter, Unidentified Show Girl


Unidentified Show Girl, Jay Johnson (of SOAP)
Cissy King (future dancer on Lawrence Welk Show)


Pictures from the 1966 production of “Let’s Find a Cause.” Of the cast, the ventriloquist Jay Johnson went on to be a star of the hit comedy  SOAP and Cissy King became a dancer on the famous Lawrence Welk Show.  Photos courtesy of Cast Member LaVerne Huselton Catter.

The Southern Palace

Year Installed: 1968
Last Year Operated: Currently Operating
Section: Confederacy
Manufacturer:
Other Names and Nicknames:

    The Southern Palace was built for the 1968 season. Prior to that time, an Amphitheater was at this location.

SeasonShowShow TwoTheater
1961Variety show Amphitheater
1962Six Flags Campus Revues  Amphitheater
1963Six Flags Campus Revues: Gilchrist Clitters Amphitheater
1964Six Flags Campus Revues: The Singing Flags Amphitheater
1965Six Flags Campus Revue: Thank You Mr. President”, subtitled “A New Play with Old Music Amphitheater
1966Six Flags Campus Revue:  Let’s Do It, (Let’s Find a Cause) Amphitheater
1967Six Flags Campus Revue:  Numbers Games Amphitheater
1968Red, White and Blue RevueBC-TVSouthern Palace
1969Fabulous Flickers Southern Palace
197045 minutes from BroadwaySing-in-70Southern Palace
1971Sing Out! America Southern Palace
1972Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! Southern Palace
1973The Passing Parade (Original Parade of Progress)(Gilbert Girls) Southern Palace
1974Great to Be Here* Southern Palace
1975Jukebox Jubilee Southern Palace
1976Celebrate! Southern Palace
1977“Good Times, Good Music, Good Friends”  Southern Palace
1978Jazz Crazy! Southern Palace
1979  Southern Palace
1980Six Flags Follies Southern Palace
1981Six Flags’ Follies  Southern Palace
1982America – Saluting American Music Southern Palace
1983  Southern Palace
1984Star Struck Southern Palace
1985Celebrate America! <new – 85 fact sheet> Southern Palace
1986  Southern Palace
1987The Incredible Acrobats of China *Stars & Stripes Salute!” (“All American Revue” on some materials)Southern Palace
1988The Incredible Acrobats of China * June 5 to July 2Stars & Stripes SaluteSouthern Palace
1989Flashback, the MusicalTexas Themed Southern Palace
1990  Southern Palace
1991PIZZAZZ!*  Southern Palace
1992We are the World (Do you hear the people sing?) Southern Palace
1993Ice Express (First SP Ice show)(Chevrolet/GEO) Southern PalaceSouthern Palace
1994Warner Music Rock Revue *Pure Country alsoSouthern Palace
1995Hot Rockin’ Country * Southern Palace
1996Hot Rockin’ Country * Southern Palace
1997Hot Rockin’ Country Southern Palace
1998Hot Rockin’ Country Southern Palace
1999Hooray for Hollywood! Southern Palace
2000  Southern Palace
2001American Rock * David Blackburn Southern Palace
2002State of Rhythm  Southern Palace
2003The State of Rhythm * Southern Palace
2004The State of RhythmIt’s Alright *Southern Palace
2005The Amazing Acrobats of ChinaIt’s Alright *Southern Palace
2006The Amazing Acrobats of China *Hello Texas (Spring Show)Southern Palace
2007X-Treme Country Southern Palace
2008Dick Clark’s Academy of Country Music: Back TraxSouthern Palace
2009Country is my Rock Southern Palace
2010Country is my Rock Southern Palace
2011Chart-Toppers 5.0 * Southern Palace
2012Iluminate Southern Palace
2013Chart-Toppers 5.2 Southern Palace
2014Chart-Toppers 5.3 Southern Palace
2015Chart-Toppers 5.4 Southern Palace
2016Chart-Toppers 5.5 Southern Palace

Confederate Reenactment Players

Year installed: 1961

Located across from the theater and the Skull Island dock stood one of the park’s historical recreations, the Confederate Soldier’s headquarters and recruitment station. This area was a recreation of a small confederate encampment and included a group of large tents, protected by cannon and framed by colorful civil war recruitment banners mounted on the scaffolding above the tents. Park guests could “enlist” in the Confederate army by signing on the dotted line. In addition, guests could visit with the reenactment players, who displayed their knowledge of civil war times.

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The reenactment players were outfitted in the authentic distinctive gray uniform of the Confederate States of America. They marched through the streets of the confederate section and performed precision drills with their rifles. From time to time during the day, a union spy would be spotted in the crowded. At that time, the confederate soldiers would search the crowd, find the spy, and execute him by firing squad.

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Cowboy Stunt Show

Section Tower

Year installed 1991

Last Season Operated 1991

The Hollywood Stunt Show was staged during 1991 at the Tower Theater, where it replaced the Dolphin Show. The show featured trained stuntmen performing various action scenes. There was little change in the theater for the new show. The pool itself was covered to create a large performance area, with a western town facade added at the back.

The Hollywood Stunt Show was produced by Benros Worldwide Entertainment and was staged for one year. Benros later produced Gunfight After the OK Corral and Bad Day at the Backlot stunt shows in the Texas section of the park.

In 1992, the show was replaced by the Batman Stunt Show. 

In addition to producing shows in numerous other parks, Benros staged the Colossus show for Freedomland in 1961.

During the show, one character entered the arena using a zip line mounted on the fifty foot platform of the tower.

Music Mill

Year Installed: 1974
Last Year Operated: Currently Operating
Section: Tower
Manufacturer:
Other Names and Nicknames:

The Music Mill Theater opened in 1974 as a venue for various shows and events.

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Music Mill Theater before Expansion viewed from Tower.
Ice Skating Show in Music Mill Theater during Holiday at the park. 1980

The Indian Village

Year Installed: 1961
Last Year Operated: 1967
Section: Mexico
Manufacturer: None
Other Names and Nicknames:

The Indian Village

Although the Native Americans did not have a flag to be recognized in the park’s theme, they did play an important role in the development of Texas. As such, an area representing their contribution was appropriate.

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The Indian Trading Post and Village is not contained within a single section, but rather sets on the border between the Mexican and Texas sections. The front of the Indian village is the trading post. The Trading Post is a large souvenir shop selling Western and Indian related items.

Behind the trading post was the Indian village. A set of four tee-pees sat in the corners of a small square blacktop performance area. Here Native Americas performed authentic hoop dances during the day.  Typically, two Native American’s perform the Hoop dance with wooden hoops, not unlike a hula hoop. A third slowly marks time on an Indian tom-tom.

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The Indian trading post still sits at is original location. The Indian village, however, has been removed.