Kathy B. Wreden Collection

Summary: This collection consists of materials relating to Six Flags Over Texas.  Items include employee booklets and materials, stickers and various ephemera relating to the park in the 1970s. Six Flags over Texas was the brainchild of Texas real estate developer Angus G. Wynne Jr. After visiting the newly-opened Disneyland in California, Wynne decided his home state needed a similar attraction with a healthy dose of Texas history mixed in. Plans for such a park were developed in 1959 by Wynne, the Great Southwest Corporation and investors from New York. Construction began in August, 1960, with plans of opening the park a year later in 1961. The final price tag of the 205-acre park was $10 million. The park had a "soft" test opening from August 1-4, 1961, and an official public grand opening on August 5. Opening day attendance was 8,374. Park tickets for the inaugural season cost just $2.75 for adults and $2.25 for children, with parking priced at $0.50. Six Flags over Texas was also unique in the fact that it pioneered the "Pay-One-Price" model, requiring a simpler single admission price that included all rides and attractions. Image shown is the "Big Bend" toboggan train roller coaster, which was later removed from the park due to safety concerns.