Frontier City

Frontier City

Official Logo of Frontier City.
Location Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Coordinates 35°35′05″N 97°26′28″W / 35.584845°N 97.440990°W / 35.584845; -97.440990
Theme Western "town" Theme Park
Owner CNL Lifestyle Properties
Operated by Premier Parks, LLC
Opened 1958 (1958)
Operating season April – November
Area 55 acres (220,000 m2)
109 acres (0.44 km2) total
Rides
Total 28
Roller coasters 5
Water rides 3
Website www.frontiercity.com

Frontier City is a western-themed amusement park in Oklahoma City. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Premier Parks, LLC.

Currently Frontier City is the only theme park in Oklahoma after the 2006 closing of Bell's Amusement Park. The park is the subject of the song "Frontier City" by the Nashville band Kings of Leon, as drummer Nathan Followill once worked there.

History

Front of rooming house at original Frontier City location at the Oklahoma State Fair grounds (1959 photograph)
Last Chance Saloon and skyride at original Frontier City location (1959)

Frontier City was opened in 1958 as a Western "town" theme-park. It opened up at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, but moved to its current location a few years later to become a "boom town," since it sprung-up quickly. The park added spinning rides, several roller coasters and a log flume ride starting in the 1960s and 1970s. Rather than a traditional ribbon cutting, Frontier City was scheduled to have an old fashioned six shooter aimed at a piece of rope stretched across the stockade entrance. The rope stretched across main street is still used today for the opening of the park.

Frontier City was originally owned and operated by Premier Parks. It was the company's first and flagship park. Premier Parks' corporate offices were located at the southeast corner of the Frontier City property until 2006 when the company's offices were moved to New York. Premier Parks purchased Six Flags Inc. in 1998. It was thought that Frontier City, Wild Waves/Enchanted Village, and Great Escape would eventually be re-branded as Six Flags parks, but they never were. The other two parks sold Six Flags season passes good at all Six Flags parks except for Frontier City and White Water Bay. The Frontier City passes were only good there and not at other Six Flags parks. But in some years, Six Flags passes were also available for purchase at a higher price. Six Flags corporate offices remained in Oklahoma City, but left in 2006, despite Oklahoma City's now booming economy.

On January 27, 2006, Six Flags put Frontier City and White Water Bay, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Elitch Gardens, Darien Lake, a couple of waterparks, and Wild Waves/Enchanted Village for sale. At the same time, Six Flags also announced its plan to close corporate offices in Oklahoma City and move to New York City. Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro had said he expected the parks to continue operation after the sale. But rumors surfaced that some of them could close.

On January 11, 2007, Six Flags opted to keep Magic Mountain, but then announced that it would sell Frontier City and White Water Bay, along with Elitch Gardens, Darien Lake, Splashtown (near Houston), and Wild Waves/Enchanted Village to PARC 7F-Operations.[1] As a part of the deal, the Six Flags prefix was removed from the names of Elitch Gardens and Darien Lake. Frontier City and White Water Bay were never branded as Six Flags parks. PARC sold the parks to CNL Income Properties, Inc., and the two companies set up a long-term agreement in which CNL would lease the parks to PARC, which would operate the parks.[2]

Since the management was changed from Six Flags to PARC Management, Frontier City has been granted the largest capital investment that the park has seen in its 50 years. The new ownership allowed for the addition of the Steel Lasso, as well as a few minor changes within the park.

On November 24, 2010, CNL announced that it had reached an agreement to terminate PARC's lease of Elitch Gardens and up to 17 other locations.[3] The move came after, according to their 2010 SEC filings, PARC defaulted on their lease obligations on the properties.[4] Five of the original six parks originally purchased from Six Flags are also involved in the lease termination.

In 2011, it was announced that, as the result of an agreement with owner CNL Lifestyle Properties, former Six Flags executives Kieran Burke and Gary Story would begin managing the properties as Premier Parks, LLC.[5]

Rides and attractions

Roller coasters

Coaster Opened Manufacturer Description
Diamondback 1993 Arrow Dynamics Relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure to Frontier City in 1994.
Silver Bullet 1986 Anton Schwarzkopf Oklahoma's tallest coaster, at some 83 feet (25 m) high.
Steel Lasso 2008 Vekoma Steel Lasso is the first, and currently the only, suspended roller coaster in Oklahoma.
Wild Kitty 2013 Allan Herschell Company Relocated from Elitch Gardens.
Wildcat 1991 N.A.D. Relocated from Fairyland Park (Kansas City, MO) in 1991.

Thrill/Family Rides

Rides Opened Manufacturer Model Description
Brain Drain 2015 Larson International 22m Super Loop Located between The Prairie Schooner and The Mindbender.
Casino Chance Rides Trabant
Dodge 'Ems Bumper Cars
Geronimo Skycoaster Skycoaster Inc.
Grand Carousel Chance Rides 36 ft. Carrousel
Grand Centennial Ferris Wheel Chance Rides Century Wheel
Mindbender Chance Rides Inverter
Mystery River Log Flume Arrow Dynamics Log Flume
Ol’ 89er Express Chance Rides C.P. Huntington
Prairie Schooner INTAMIN Bounty
Quick Draw 2008 Sally Ghost Blasters Revamped dark ride
Renegade Rapids
Rodeo Round-Up HUSS Enterprise
Sidewinder Eli Bridge Scrambler
Thunder Road Raceway 1999 J&J Amusements Go-Karts
Tin Lizzy’s
Tornado Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl
Tumbleweed Chance Rides Spinning Barrel Relocated from Six Flags Over Texas
Wild West Water Works 2012 Five stories tall and features an 1000-gallon tipping bucket, 8 slides, and a large lounging deck
Winged Warrior 2014 Larson International Flying Scooter

Kids' Rides

Rides Opened Manufacturer Model Description
Flying Dragons
Indian Canoes
Rio Grande Zamperla Rio Grande Train
Tina’s Tea Party Zamperla Mini Tea Cup
Tom Toms Mini Swing
The former 89er Ghost Mine, one of the original attractions at Frontier City (1959 photograph)

Defunct/Removed Rides

Rides Opened Removed Manufacturer Model Description
Bumper Boats 2008
Eruption 2003 2012 S&S Power Sky Sling Removed due to "manufacturers inability to produce parts for this ride"
Excalibur 2003 2005 Arrow Dynamics Mine Train Relocated from AstroWorld, sat in storage and never installed
Hangman 2014 Chance Rides Slingshot
Nightmare Mine 1979 2000 S.D.C. Galaxi Originally outdoors, SBNO since 2000
Swingin' Six Guns 2008 Chance Rides Yo-Yo Removed for Steel Lasso
Treasure Mountain 1959 2006 Dark Ride Renovated into "Quick Draw"
Tomahawk 2007 Vekoma Air Jumper Removed for Steel Lasso
Wild Kitty 1991 2012 Allan Herschell Company Little Dipper

References

  1. ↑ Heath, Thomas. "Six Flags Sheds Seven Parks," Washington Post, January 12, 2007. Accessed February 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ Dunn, Julie. "Elitch Gardens Name to Remain," Denver Post, April 10, 2007. Accessed February 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ "CNL completes ouster of PARC Management from Frontier City". The Daily News. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  4. ↑ "CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc. October 2010 Form 10-Q". 2010-09-30. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  5. ↑ "Six Flags Execs to manage Frontier City & White Water Bay," NewsOK, January 25, 2011. Accessed February 20, 2015.

External links

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