The Unofficial History of Six Flags Over Texas
The Skull Island Barges were rafts that took Guests to and from Skull Island.
Skull Island
Skull Island was one of the original attractions at Six Flags Over Texas on opening day in 1961. Skull island was more of a section than just an attraction, in that it was a themed area consisting of other attractions. From its opening in 1961, it expanded to its largest in 1968. After the opening of the tower in 1969, it dwindled down to nearly nothing, when the last remnants were removed at the end of the 1982 season. The Island was a activity area themed loosely on the exploits of Jean Lafayette, and other pirates, off the Gulf Coast.
When the park first open, guest access to the island was solely by the skull rafts. The rafts, with their gas powered engines, where design to look like a log cotton raft from the days of the old South. The trip to Skull Island started at the raft ride que house, located in the Confederate section between what was Naler’s Plantation Chicken House and the Amphitheater/Southern Palace. (Now roughly the site of Runaway Mountain.)
The rafts, guided by host and hostess, traveled across the Skull Lake to the back side of the Island, where the guests disembarked. The rafts then carried those waiting back to the dock.
The “Skull Rock” was the central element of the Island. The skull shaped rock stood nearly two stories tall. The skull slide traveled out the left ear of the skull, turned 90 degrees, and ended to the front side of the skull. Entry to the slide was through the right ear. While waiting their turn, guest could look out through the skull’s eye sockets.
The other feature of the original attraction was the Swamp Tree Slide. Access to the 30 foot high tree slide was by a steel rail staircase which spiraled around the fake tree. Once at the top guests slide down a tightly winding spiral slide located inside the hollow tree. For the ride down, the guests sat on burlap sacks.
Skull Island was immediately expanded for the opening of the 1962 season. A whole new section of the island was opened to the north and west of the original section, in what is now the Tower area.
The new area contained a scaled down pirate ship, on which guests could climb and play pirates. There were also paths to travel and a pirate’s cave to explore. Bridges next to the loading dock connected the two sections.
In 1963, the bridges between the sections were expanded to included a tree house on each side of the water between the old section and the new section of the ‘island’. Suspension and barrel bridges connected each side. Slides come down from the ‘tree house’ on the new side.
In 1964, the island was again expanded with the addition of three more Swamp tree slides on the Island in the middle of Caddo pond. Access to these tree slides was through a climbing suspension bridge that started from the new section of the island, as well as a lower bridge which started at the same location. The Indian canoes circled around the Island and under the bridges.
The Pirate ship and cave were removed before the 1966 season, although the area they were in was still part of the island.
The construction of the Tower for the 1969 season lead to the removal of the Swamp slides on Caddo island, as well as all of the ‘new section’ built in 1962. Skull Island was now back to its original size. For the first time, however, access to the ‘island’ was not restricted to the skull rafts. Guests could now access the island from the suspension and barrel bridges that used to connect the two sections of the Island. The bridges now connected the ‘Island’ to the Tower area.
The Island was virtually unchanged until the end of the 1976 season, when the Skull Rafts and last remaining tree slide were removed after sixteen years of service. The log rafts were removed from the park to make room for the Spinnaker. The que house for the rafts became the que house for the Spinnaker. The tree slide was removed to make room for a Pirate Boat theater which opened for the 1977 season. Skull Island could still be accessed from the barrel bridges, and the original attraction, the skull rock slide remained.
The Skull rock was removed in 1978, as was the pirate ship theater. All remnants of the island were removed at the end of the 1982 season to make way for the Roaring Rapids.
Nothing remains of Skull Island in the park today.
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.
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.
Six Flags Over Texas
Mid 1970s
Good day my friends, I would like to welcome you aboard our little French Riverboat the [Nadine, Elizabeth (Belle), Juliet, Annabelle, Henrietta, Suzanne, Marguerite, Maria, Isabelle, Paulette, Georgette]
I am your captain and as we pull away from the dock, I would like to remind you to keep your arms and legs inside the boat at all times, for if you leave them out for just a ‘little too long’, ….they may come back a ‘little too short’.
Leaving the Dock
Boat pulls away from dock and starts around a corner
For we will be traveling down the dangerous Lavaca river which in 1861, our leader, Cavalier De LaSalle sailed looking for an alternate route to the Mississippi River. But he has was never been heard from since.
So that we don’t meet up with his same fate, I have sent ahead a French Riverboat captain and two river scouts, Jacques and Pierre, there camp should be just around this bend,
but wait? /excited voice/…. oh no? it looks as though the Indians have attacked the camp.
Campsite
a campsite; fires burning from the battle;
dead Indian figures laying on the ground;
dead riverboat pilot lying on a sea chest with an arrow in his back
There is our river boat captain, lying on his chest. That’s him in the arrow shirt. It looks as though he got the point of the Indian message.
But I don’t see our river scouts, Jacques or Pierre, anywhere about, perhaps they escaped with their lives and we can find them as we continue our journey down the river. I certainly hope so, because we will be lost without them.
Over to my left is a pack of hungry timber wolfs and it looks like they had someone over for dinner. I don’t think that they will be bothering us.
Timber wolfs
Pack of wolfs sitting around a pile of bones.
Over to my right is a more friendly scene. Some friendly Tejas Indians are helping the Friar build the Mission San Francisco de los Tejas.Spanish Mission
Partial log mission, Indians carrying logs
Friar looking at scroll and nodding up and down.
You know, though, they have been building that Mission for 17 years and they still aren’t through. Maybe they should just rename it….’Mission Impossible.’
But wait, /quietly/ up ahead is a Spanish Fort. And as you all know, Spain and France have been at war for ten long years over this little piece of land known as Texas. Perhaps if we are very quiet, we can sneak by. But wait, they have spotted us.
Spanish Fort
Spanish Officer raises up in the fort watch tower
and drops his sword signaling the cannons to fire.
Each of three cannons begin to fire, three times each.]// As the cannons fire
Oh no. I near miss to the front and another to the side. We will have to abandoned ship, Women and Children first, AFTER THE CAPTAIN OF COURSE. But wait, they have stopped. It appears as though the Spanish can’t even hit the broad side of a little French River boat and we can continue on our journey in safety.
But don’t look to my right. There’s Jacques and Pierre, our two French River Scouts, hanging from that tree.
Jacques and Pierre
Two French river scout type figures
are hanging by their necks from a tree branch.
Oh well:It looks like they are at the ‘ends of their ropes’.Oh Jacque and Pierre, they always were the ‘swingers of the swamps’.There they are, just ‘hanging around’.It seems that they found the last ‘stretch of the river.’
I guess we will just have to travel on without them, but wait, look up in that tree, it is the Famous French Fur Trapper, Francis. I’ll just ask him if it is safe to go on.Fur Trapper
French fur trapper sitting high in a tree, shaking his head. // Yell out of the boat. Francis, is it safe to go on?
Look, as you can clearly see, he is shaking his head back and forth, which in French means ? ‘no.’ We could turn around, but I don’t think we would get past that Spanish Fort again, so we will have to continue onward.
You can also see Francis shaking his leg back and forth. After 17 years in that tree, I think that is French for… ‘I need to go to the restroom.’
But wait, did you hear something ahead?//popping sound
Cross Fire
Indians on inside of river shooting at Frenchman hiding behind wine barrels on the outside of the river. Wine is leaking out of barrels shot in the fire fight.
Oh no, we are caught in a cross fire between these Indians on this side and our own Frenchman on the other. Everyone down to the bottom of the boat, for it would be quite a shame to be shot by one of our own country men.
I think that we made it safely by.
But look what the Indians have done to those barrels of wine. Once King Louie finds out what is happening to the wine that he is shipping to Texas, he will start sending Milk instead.
We have now entered the most dangerous part of the river, the ‘uncharted territories’. As you can see, everywhere are dangerous alligators, just waiting to make a meal of us. Why I have been told that there was once an English Teacher that stuck her hand outside of the boat right here, // pointing to alligators open mouth….
and now, she is teaching ‘shorthand.’
Oh no, everyone down, that’s a Caddo war party and those arrows are poisoned tipped, one scratch would mean instance death. That was very close, luckily they have decided not to fire.War Canoe
war canoe appears and moves behind the bushesPop-Up Bear
beside the boar on the other side, a bear pops up and growls
Don’t worry, that just a bear fishing for his dinner in the river.
Over here is a Caddo Indian burial pier, the Indians buried their dead six feet above the ground in the hopes that that would give them a head start to the happy hunting grounds above.
Here a momma bear and her cubs are stealing some honey from those bees. And boy are those bees mad. Then again, I bet you would be pretty mad if you came home one night and found out that some animals was ? trying to steal ‘your honey.’
Over here is an Indian village and the Medicine man is trying to ward off the evil sprits.Indian Village
Hay ya, Hay ya, Hay ya
Indian Medicine man dancing around pot on the fire
Indian women cleaning clothes in the river
But wait, //excited// if you look carefully, you will see that all of the warriors are gone from the village. And when all of the Indian warriors are gone from an Indian village, it can only mean one thing,
…..’they are somewhere else.’ Lets hope that we don’t find out where.
Wait, everyone quite, there’s a cougar looking for his dinner, one wrong move and we will be it.
Quite everyone, ? careful,
Careful,
The Cougarcougar is on a branch hanging out over
the river next to the boat, slowly the
boat passes the cougar by.// Very loud scream:
on no, look out.
// calmer // – I thought he had that little fat man at the back of the boat.
Bear fighting Timber wolfsLarge bear waving off five timber wolfs.
Here to my right a bear is fight off a pack of hungry timber wolfs. And as you can clearly see, he is fighting them… ‘bear handed’. I bet that he will… ‘barely’ escape from that situation. I just can’t …’bear’ to watch.
Look though, there are only five wolfs in that pack. If there had been one more, that poor bear would have been up against ‘a six-pack’.
Oh no, everyone to the side of the boat, as you can see on my right, there’s a river whirlpool dragging that poor soul to a watery grave.
The Whirlpool
hand sticking up from the water
holding a stick going
around (causing?) in a whirlpool
There is one thing that I can say about him however, he sure knows his way ‘around’ this swamp?
….and around? and around?
Over here is a more friendly scene, a group of beavers are hard at work building a dam. But wait a minute, look out,
Beavers
Beavers standing in clearing near small tree//excited// that tree is going to fall,
T I M — B E R.
Why, I do believe if that tree had been just a little bit longer, this boat would have been ….just a little ‘bit shorter’.
‘Leave it to Beaver’ to pull a stunt like that.
It seems that one have come to a fork in the river and I don’t know which way to go. I guess we should try this way.
But look out, everyone down. We are surrounded by Caddo Warriors. I guess we should have gone the other way.War Party
Indians on both sides of the River
threaten the boat with spears and arrows.
Everyone smile and perhaps they will think we are friendly. It looked like it worked, they are letting us pass,
but, oh no, here is why. We are heading for a waterfall and a solid rock wall behind it. The river is much to narrow to turn around here and we can’t go back past those warriors. I guess this is the end of our journeyThe Waterfall
ahead is a Water fall and behind it is a solid rock wall. // The captain stops the boat.
But wait, the wall is opening.// Boat starts back up.
We must have discovered a secret Indian treasure cave, for the Indians were known to hide their treasure in caves such as this.
The Cave
treasure chest with dead skeletons. (as opposed to live skeletons?)
looks more like a pirate cave than an Indian cave.
Look out,
// skeleton swings out from the dark.
It looks like that pour sucker has been on ‘a crash diet’.
There is the treasure, it looks like many that have tried to take it have paid with their lives.
Oh no, the walls behind us are closing, we are trapped inside.// boat moving very slowly.
But wait, the walls in front are opening, the Indians are repaying us with our lives for not disturbing their treasure.
And look, there is the flag of France, viva La France, we have made it back to Fort St. Louis and safety.
Back to Dock
Back where we started
As the boat approaches the dock, I would like to remind you to keep your arms and legs inside the boat and please remain seated until the boat comes to a complete stop.
I hope you enjoy your day here at fun filled Six Flags Over Texas.
Crew claps and cheers and goes wild.
End of Spiel
Unloading Spiel: // in sort of a rambling manner.
Please watch you head as your heading out, and watch your step as your stepping out, but most importantly of all, watch out for my poor aching feet.
You see I have been standing on them all day long, and so have about a hundred other people. The difference is, I like to stand on the bottoms, and they like to stand on the tops.
Why just this morning a spaceship full of half-crazed Martians landed at the front gate, got out of their ship, checked their brains in at the public lockers and came down here just to step on my feet.
Enjoy your stay here at Six Flags Over Texas and remember that there is only [insert exact count] shopping days left until Christmas.
A few notes about this Spiel:
For the park’s twenty-fifth anniversary, the Conquistador, the Flying Ship of Spain was introduced. While technically themed as a Spanish attraction, and situated near the exit to Flume II, the ride was physically located within what had before always been the Mexican section. This placement created a blurring of the sections to the extent that they are sometimes referred to as if they were one section. The ride is a traditional swinging ship ride in which the riders sit facing the center of the boat. The ride is suspended from a structure so that it can swing back and forth like a pendulum. The ride slowly starts to rock back and forth, until it reaches the point where it seems as if it will go completely upside down. As that point, each time the ride reaches the top of either point, the riders experience a moment of weightlessness while the ride changes directions.
The Six Flags Silver Star Carousel opened with the opening of boomtown in 1963. It is tied with the Flume Ride as the fourth oldest attraction in the park, behind the Six Flags Railroad, the Chaparral cars, and Casa Magnetica (and excluding the Crazy Horse Saloon, which is a show). It actually has been open less years than the Log Flume, as it was out of service for three seasons.
DESCRIPTION
The Silver Star is a Sixty-six (66) horse carousel located at the Frontgate of the park. There are four rows of horses, fifty jumpers and sixteen “standers”. (Standers do not move up and down with the ride.)
In addition to the horses, there are two double bench seat “chariots”. The ride does not have menagerie animals.
Neither the brass ring machine, nor the band organ operate and the organ has been removed.
BACKGROUND
The Carousel is a Dentzel, meaning that it was manufactured by the Dentzel Carousel company of Philadelphia. Dentzel was started by Gustav Dentzel who manufactured his first carousel in 1867. He started the first manufacturing company in America which built carousels on a regular full time basis.
Carousel horses at the time were carved from wood by skilled wood carvers. They were each individually crafted. Some of the Six Flags horses actually predate the ride itself and were crafted in 1900.
Gustav Dentzel passed away in 1909 and his son William Dentzel took over the family business. The Six Flags Carousel was manufactured around 1925 or 1926. The Dentzel company was sold to another major ride producer, Philadelphia Toboggan, in 1928.
Some published articles state the Six Flags Carousel was the last Dentzel?s Carousel made. This is considered unconfirmed, since the company operated for at least two years after manufacturing this particular Carousel.
ROCKAWAY PLAYLAND
Prior to being purchased by Six Flags, the Carousel was at the Rockaway Playland on Long Island in New York. Rockaway had owned and operated it since it was bought new from Dentzel. Rockaway Playland closed in 1987.
Six Flags bought the Carousel for approximately $25,000, in 1962, the year before it opened in the park.
BOOMTOWN
The Carousel was originally placed in the Boomtown section of the Park in the current location of the Texas Tornado Swing Ride. It was simply referred to as the “Merry-go-Round” in early park maps and publications.
RESTORATION
The ride was removed from Boomtown in 1985 for restoration, with the hope that it would reopen for the park’s Twenty-fifth anniversary in 1986. The restoration, however, took two years longer than anticipated and the ride did not reopen until 1988.
It took over 30,000 hours of labor to restore the Carousel. The horses were completely rebuilt, with new body parts being created as needed. A coating of fiberglass, and old layers of paint, were stripped off the animals before being repainted.
Two of the original horses are missing and have been replaced.
FRONT GATE
The ride reopened on a raised platform and under a protective roof at the park?s Frontgate. After reopening, the ride was renamed as the Silver Star Carousel.
Located amidst the Park?s Six Flags, entrance to the ride is by a set of stairs which cross over the park’s “dancing waters.”
CURRENT STATE
The ride is now valued at over Five million dollars, and the individual horses are worth between $50,000 and $100,000. Ten years after being restored, some of the Horses are again becoming cracked and looking their age.
Although it is an impressive sight, the ride’s placement at the Frontgate is inconvenient for children wanting to ride the horses. Traditionally, rides are not placed at the front gate of amusement parks due to the congestive nature of front gate areas. Front gate plazas are always crowed with people coming and going. Having a ride in the area only adds to the confusion.
This is particularly true of the Carousel, whose stairs now constitute the majority of seating in the front gate area. Children wanting to ride the ride have to negotiate their way through layers of guests sitting on the stairs waiting on their parties. They then have to negotiate their way down the same steps after exiting the ride.
It is obviously too expensive and unwise to move the ride again. The Park should, however, explore the possibility of moving the entrance/exit to an area behind the Carousel. In this manner the ride would maintain the visual impact it has at the front gate, while at the same time, the congestion problems could be avoided.
OTHER TEXAS DENTZELS
The Carousel at the State Fair grounds in Dallas is also a Dentzel, being manufactured around 1914. The Carousel at Astroworld is an even older Dentzel, manufactured in 1907.
During the early 1970’s when the ride was in boomtown, the Railroad spiel stated that the ride was identical to the one at the Smithsonian Institute. In fact, prior to the bicentennial, the Smithsonian purchased a Dentzel Carousel, but was never able to restore it and make it operational. (Updated information provided by Anthony.)
| Silver Star Horses | |||
| 1 Dentzel | 17 Silver | 31 Casper | 49 Denny |
| 2 Snorty | 18 Den Keeper | 32 Galaxy | 50 White Gold |
| 3 Pegasus | 19 Spot | 33 Grace | 51 Last Chance |
| 4 | 20 | 34 | 52 |
| 5 Sound Wave | 21 Thunder | 35 Pale Rider | 53 Calypso |
| Fluffy the Happy Dragon | 36 Destiny | 54 Melon Ball | |
| 37 Clay Born | 55 Smokey | ||
| 6 Patent Leather | 22 Rex | 38 Double Trouble | 56 Wild Rider |
| 7 Desert Runner | 23 Jumper | 39 Breaker | 57 Lucky Star |
| 8 Curley | 24 Scotty | 40 Cupid | 58 Nice Gem |
| 9 Wild Runner | 25 Olympic | 41 Cyclone | 59 Jello |
| 10 Spike | 26 Grand Runner | 42 Miss Anne | 60 Blue Boy |
| 11 Sun Dancer 2 | 27 Dark Start | 43 Distant Runner | 61 Do Right |
| 12 Native Dancer | 28 Dasher | 44 Daisey | 62 Sleeper |
| Buttercup the Happy Dragon | 45 Feather | 63 Fighter | |
| 46 Blaze | 64 Midnight | ||
| 14 Moon Rider | 29 Porky Pig | 47 Sudden Motion | 65 Wind Rider |
| 15 Cruncher | 30 Ghost | 48 Blondie | 66 Soul Crusher |
| 16 Man a War | |||
Pre-opening pictures of the Joker, to open in 2017.
Harley Quinn Spinsanity (originally the Crazy Legs) is one of the three villain rides in Gotham City. It is a Trokia style centrifugal force ride manufactured by HUSS Park Attractions.
The ride has three arms that each hold seven ride gondolas. When the ride is running, the arms travel around in a circle, as well as up and down at an angle up to 40-degrees. The units reach a height of thirty feet. As the ride arms rotate, the vehicles spin around the end of each arm. Each gondola holds two guests, for a total of forty-two riders. When run with two minute rides, the hourly capacity is estimated at 900 riders.
The ride was previously installed as the Warp 2000 at Astroworld. It was transferred to Arlington after Astroworld closed in 2005 and was part of the ten new rides opened in 2006. At that time it was named the “Crazy Legs”. It was renamed the Harley Quinn Spinsanity in 2016 as part of Villain Village in Gotham City.
Another ride named the Crazy Legs operated in the park from 1973 to 1982 at a nearby location. This ride is similar to the original Crazy Legs ride. The original ride was, however, a different type of ride.
Section Gotham City
The Batwing is an airplane carousel ride. Riders ride in fourteen small two seat “batplanes” around a base. Each plane as a flight stick to allow the riders to raise and lower the plane as the ride runs. The planes rotate at six rpm for a ride time of one minute and forty-five second. Around 700 riders can ride an hour.
The ride is a Telecombat style ride from Zamperla. The Batwing units are customized for Six Flags.
Section Gotham City
The Catwomen Whip is one of three villain rides in Gotham City. It was installed in 2016.
The ride is 65.6 feet in diameter. It is 13 feet tall when not operating and 68.5 feet when fully elevated. It rotates at 14 rpm, with a maximum acceleration of 3 gs.
Zamperla manufacturers the ride.
The ride holds 48 guests in suspended seats mounted on a circular structure. The ride starts by spinning around. As it does the seats wing out sideways from the structure. The ride structure then starts to rise up perpendicular to the ground, in the style of a Ferris Wheel. As it does, the units continue to spin around it, turning completely upside down as it spins. After a few moments, the ride slows and returns to its starting point.
The ride is similar to the “Enterprise” style ride Spinnaker, which was previously in the park. The Spinnanker, however, used enclosed gondolas for ride units and not suspended seats.
Section Gotham City
