by Sarah Williams

Created on: July 24, 2008

Six Flags over Texas, in the city of Arlington, has a history that is almost as colorful and unique as the state in which it was built nearly fifty years ago. Today this amusement park has the distinction of being the first in a long line of successful ventures that bear the "Six Flags" name, and is one of the most popular "family fun stops" in all of the Western United States. Still, in order to truly appreciate the success of this park, you must understand it's almost "humble" beginning.

In the late 1950's, wealthy real estate developer Angus G. Wynne Jr took a trip to California, where he visited the newly opened Disneyland theme park in Anaheim. He was immediately taken by the amazing experience that the park provided for guests, and he believed that his great home state of Texas should have an amusement park of its own that was as grand as Disneyland. He almost immediately went to work on his brainchild and after a partnership with the Great Southwest Corporation, and the help of several New York investors, in 1959 plans were being drawn for his park; in August of 1960, construction began.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the park's history is how it actually got its name. Wynne was a great lover of his home state of Texas. Over the years, six different nations have flown their flags over the state of Texas (France, Spain, Mexico, The Republic of Texas, The Confederate States of America and the United States of America), and this is what gave Wynne his inspiration for not only the name, but also the layout and overall theme of the park. Legend has it that Wynne had originally planned on calling the park "Texas Under Six Flags", but his wife, who was also a great lover of Texas, objected saying that "The great state of Texas isn't UNDER anything!".

The park was broke in to different regions, originally Mexico, Spain, France, The Confederacy, Texas and Modern, where guests could enjoy themed attractions, food, and buildings. Wynne wanted to show an "evolution" of sorts in terms of the state of Texas, from the past all the way to the future. The park officially opened on August 5, 1961, and was almost an overnight success.

The years saw many changes at Six Flags over Texas. In the 1960's, two new themed sections were added to the park, Boomtown, which commemorated the "boomtown's" that sprung up in the state's oil boom era, and The Tower Section, which included an Oil Derrick observation tower. This decade also saw the birth of one of the most classic amusement

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>