| Looks like gold digger
Tumbleweed is hard at work inside the Lost Dutchman Mine. Good
thing he has that hat or we wouldn't know his name. |
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| Believe it or not,
a fluorescent green gorilla with a cowboy had was one of the
big promotional tools on local television commercials. Meet Kactus
Kong. As the souvenir brochure says, "you never know what
this gorilla is up to and he is always trying to con someone
into taking his picture." |
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Theodore the Bear,
according to Allen Weitzel, was one of Laurie Holling's ideas.
He sketched the bear out and a costume company made the first
one. The first Theo was around 1971 or 1972. Frontier Village's
second Theodore and the guy who did it the longest was Marc Druge.
Marc has a story about getting sick in the head on the Round
Up, but you'll have to ask him about that event. Marc went on
the have a great career at Great America, first as their first
Bugs Bunny, then as a long time Area Food Manager there. Later
Marc got into the Real Estate business.
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| Frontier Village
had Princess Tenaya, a "full-blooded Yosemite Indian"
at the park's Indian Island. Here she is with one of the celebrities
that would visit the park on occasion. That's Tonto, the sidekick
character on the Lone Ranger television show. Before your time
perhaps? |
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| The show "Bonanza"
was THE western TV show for many years. So when Lorne Greene
visited Frontier Village, the star of Bonanza, it was a big event.
An autograph he signed at the park was a popular item at the
auction of Frontier Village items after the park closed. |
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| A San Francisco Bay
Area resident, singer/entertainer Bing Crosby brought his children
to the park for old west fun. This picture was taken at a birthday
party. |
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| In 1968, Vice President
Hubert Humphrey made a campaign stop at Frontier Village. He
lost his bid for the the big job to man named Richard. |
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