Beyond Colossus: Tracing 50 Years of Thrilling History at Six Flags
Six Flags Magic Mountain in the Santa Clarita Valley community of Valencia turned 50 years old in May 2021.
And while it's now known as the "Thrill Capital of the World" — and, in the early 1980s, was the largest amusement park in Southern California (yes, even bigger than Disneyland) — it had more humble beginnings, with only 70 acres in its original $20 million complex.
Building the amusement park on the 44,000-acre Rancho San Francisco — renamed Newhall Ranch after its purchase by Henry Mayo Newhall in 1875 — was a feat that the original director of engineering likened to "building an entire city."
It was a joint project of Sea World, Inc. and The Newhall Land and Farming Company — one that included $1 million worth of thousands of trees, shrubs, bushes and flowers (thanks to landscape architect George Devault, who brought in many of the trees from a nearby riverbed above Castaic Dam) and, as an early brochure touted "blue, smog-free skies."
On Memorial Day Weekend 1971, families could experience the "magic of the mountain" for the first time — for only $5 for adults and $3.50 for children.
According to a Los Angeles Times supplement (digitized by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society), it began with 500 employees and 33 attractions — and over 90 buildings, no two of which were alike.
And it put Valencia on the map.
Newhall Land and Farming company sold the park in 1979 to a company that actually knew how to operate amusement parks — Six Flags, then a Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary.
In the decades that followed, Six Flags changed hands multiple times and even declared bankruptcy. But through it all, Magic Mountain has survived — and boy, has it grown.
To 260 acres, in fact.
A canopy of mature sycamores, live oaks and California Toyon now enshroud the rides (and provide some desperately needed shade during hot summer months). And rollercoasters themed to DC Comics characters dominate the new ride openings and headlines.
You might even think that Colossus (er, rather, Twisted Colossus) is the only historical ride left at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
But keep your eyes peeled, and you just might spot some original — or, at least, very old — signs of that ol' "mountain magic." (Hint: Start with the tower sign that's visible from the 5 Freeway, next to a Wendy's parking lot).
In fact, you don't have to invert yourself — or brave a free fall or a staggeringly speedy loop-de-loop — in order to enjoy Six Flags Magic Mountain today. Because believe it or not, there are still original rides from Magic Mountain's opening 50 years ago. And the park has lots of other vintage surprises in store, too.
One thing is for sure: Six Flags Magic Mountain will continue to make itself over. And some of these remnants may not stick around for the long haul.
So here are nine areas of "old school" Magic Mountain that you can visit today for a true throwback Southern California theme park adventure — all year round.
Given the quickly evolving situation surrounding COVID-19, please check with the park regarding face covering requirements, proof of vaccination, and other current policies, safety protocols, and closures.
1. Jet Stream
Although not original to Magic Mountain's 1971 opening, the Jet Stream flume ride opened the following year, in 1972 — and it's only one of two "water rides" left in the park (and the only flume). When it was built, it was the first of only seven "Hydro Flumes" built by ride manufacturer Arrow Development, so named because of the "hydro jump" experienced during splashdown after a six-story nosedive in a fiberglass race boat.
Known from 2001 to 2006 as the Arrowhead Splashdown, the Six Flags website describes the Jet Stream as "a modern water coaster that glides on a river instead of a track." The thrill level is now considered "Moderate" (children must be at least 42 inches tall to ride alone) — but when it opened, it was one of the park's "white-knuckler" rides. It feels a bit bumpy these days, but you can hop on at the turntable loading station without worrying too much about getting scared (or soaked).
Today, you can find it in "The Underground" section — previously known as "Cyclone Bay," which opened in 1991 where the olde tyme craft fair Spillikin Corners stood since 1978. The Underground has been anchored by West Coast Customs since 2019 — but for now, there's still a relic from The Dragon car ride (1974-1981). Its lower station platform is still located next to the boarding for Jet Stream, although it's currently unused (and inaccessible to the public).
2. Gold Rusher
Then considered a "white-knuckler" (and one of two rollercoasters at the park opening), these days the Gold Rusher is one of the tamer rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain — themed for the 1849 California Gold Rush and whose "runaway" mine car is somewhat reminiscent of the "Old West" style rides you might find at Knott's Berry Farm.
According to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, it was built by the now-defunct Mountainview-based Arrow Development Company (known as Arrow Dynamics after 1986), which Walt Disney had discovered in 1953 and actually invested in — contracting them to create six of the opening day rides at Disneyland (like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White's Scary Adventures) and, later, the Matterhorn Bobsleds.
Arrow custom built the Gold Rusher for the terrain of Magic Mountain (a.k.a. the "treacherous hills of the frontier") — and with all its twists and turns, it still manages to reach a maximum speed of 35 mph (though it no longer travels over the open water of the Lagoon). The minimum height for this moderate intensity ride is 48 inches tall. You can find it in the Metropolis section of the park (formerly known as The Movie District and Monterey Landings) next to the Studio 6F souvenir shop, just beyond the Boardwalk themed "land."
3. Funicular
If you've ever ridden Angel's Flight in Downtown Los Angeles, you're already familiar with the tiny incline railway known as the funicular. Turns out, the original Magic Mountain had its own "Swiss-style" funicular to take you 120 feet up to the summit of the "mountain" — which is really just a natural 110-foot hill that the developers didn't plow but simply built around. But you could come aboard and pretend as though you were ascending the Alps.
The funicular was in fact built in 1970 by Korneuburg Shipbuilding Company Austria, which was affiliated with the then-relatively new Swiss firm Intamin AG (whose name is a portmanteau of INTernational AMusement INstallations) of Wollerau, Switzerland. Upon the park's opening, it was known simply as the "Funicular" — but from 1988 to 2016, it was rebranded as the Orient Express (to go along with the Asian theme of Samurai Summit, see #4 below).
Amazingly, it's still in operation — as the "Helpful Honda Express," which it's been called since 2016. Although it opened with a live operator who functioned as a kind of tour guide, it's now automated. And its original red color has been foregone for a Honda blue hue. There are two stations — one at the bottom and one at the top. You can find the bottom one on your right after walking through Six Flags Plaza towards the carousel (see #6 below) and the top one at Samurai Summit between the entrance plazas for the rollercoasters Ninja and Tatsu. (The boarding station for Ninja is the old top station for The Dragon, and dates back to 1974.)
It's the last remainder of the in-park transportation systems that acted as "rides," like the two old-time trains (including the Grand Centennial Excursion), the Eagle's Flight gondola ride/ski lift, and the Metro automated monorail system (a.k.a. the "People Mover"), which was designed and built by Universal Mobility Inc. (Unimobil) of Salt Lake City. (According to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, the Metro was decommissioned in 2001; its trains were relocated to Hershey Park in Hershey, PA in 2011.)
4. Sky Tower
The former observation tower that looms above Roaring Rapids/Rapids Camp (see #8 below) was built by Intamin and installed by Los Angeles-based firm Aggressive Erectors & Bridgemen Inc., which had to lift the observation platform and place it with the help of a giant crane. Miraculously, it survived the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, which occurred just a couple of months before the park's grand opening.
A pre-opening park brochure claimed that the Sky Tower elevator would "whisk visitors 365 feet above the park" — and, in total, the tower stands 386 feet high (or the equivalent of 32 stories). At one time, the hexagonal top of the tower housed a museum of Magic Mountain history. But the elevator's last ride for the public was in 2014.
Today, the red tower is closed to the public, but visible from throughout the park. Although it originally opened with a yellow paint job, its current color scheme matches the Samurai Summit — an original themed area dating back to 1971 that once housed the Magic Pagoda and the Oriental Gardens. (Now there's a small Japanese garden with some nice landscaping at the bottom of the tower.) Samurai Summit was restored in 2018 and is now home to the Ninja and Tatsu rollercoasters, as well as the former Four Winds restaurant (original to the park's opening), which now operates as The Laughing Dragon Pizza Company.
5. Jammin' Bumpers
Formerly known as the Sand Blasters from the park's 1971 opening, Magic Mountain's original bumper car ride by the now-defunct French manufacturer Reverchon Industries featured dune buggy cars. They've since been swapped out with more traditional bumper cars in the contemporary iteration, known as Jammin' Bumpers since 2018, when the Boardwalk carnival themed-area that houses it also made its debut.
But there's one thing that is decades old at Jammin' Bumpers: a painted image of Bloop, one of the costumed mascots that reigned at Magic Mountain from 1972 (its second season) to 1985. (I owe an incredible debt to the Magic Mountain fanpage on Facebook for helping me find this.) As far as anyone knows, this is the last remaining image of Bloop — or fellow cohorts Bleep, King Troll (a.k.a. King Blop) and the Wizard — in any publicly visible area of the park.
After its inaugural year, Magic Mountain saw its contract with Warner Brothers to use Looney Tunes characters (like Bugs Bunny) expire — so it needed its own Mickey Mouse, so to speak. The "trolls" were found throughout Magic Mountain advertisements, promotional materials, merchandise and souvenirs, and even the park itself — with walkaround characters interacting with visitors and a children's ride called the "Stream Train to Trollywood." But when Time Warner gained a controlling financial interest in Six Flags in 1985, Bugs came back — and Bleep and Bloop got deep-sixed. Looney Tunes characters continue to dominate the younger-leaning areas of the park, like the former Children's World that transformed into Bugs Bunny World that same year (and retains that branding today).
6. Grand American Carousel
Original to the Magic Mountain park's 1971 grand opening, the Grand American Carousel offered "gentler fun" for the whole family — including younger kids — compared to the more elaborate rides and rollercoasters elsewhere in the park.
It was built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1912 and previously housed at Savin Rock Amusement Park in West Haven, CT before its $300,000 restoration and relocation to Valencia. Not all 64 horses (48 of which are "jumpers") are original, as some have been replaced with fiberglass replicas.
To get there, walk from the entrance gate and through Six Flags Plaza — past the fountain and Valencia Falls (which is why the area was once called Valencia Falls Pavilion) and the Plaza Café (briefly also known as the "Cyber" Café). You'll find it across from the funicular (see #3 above).
7. High Sierra Territory
This themed "land" of Magic Mountain may look old, but it was first introduced 20 years after the park's grand opening, in 1993, under the direction of the Time Warner-owned Six Flags. As it was meant to resemble Yosemite National Park (home of Yosemite Sam, of course), changes included converting the former German biergarten Das Alpenhaus (built 1974, the Timbermill since 1980) into the Moose Burger Lodge in 1994. Today, it's the Full Throttle Bar — a full-service, sit-down restaurant that serves alcohol, named after the Full Throttle ride across the way.
Across from Full Throttle Bar and next to Full Throttle is the last vestige of the Log Jammer, an unusually long log flume ride by Arrow Development that opened among the park's original 33 attractions in 1971. It closed (or, as The Coaster Guy wrote, had to "quietly float into the night") in 2011 and was dismantled in 2013, with many parts removed (including the hollow logs riders sat in). One exception is its entry station, which now bears a sign for "High Sierra Traders."
Built into the hillside and still standing is the former 3,400-seat 7-Up/Dixi Cola Showcase Theater, which was rebranded Golden Bear Theatre along with the debut of High Sierra Territory. This was once a world-class amphitheater, with past performances from the likes of Barbra Streisand, The Carpenters, Sonny & Cher, Tina Turner, R.E.M., Paula Abdul, New Kids on the Block, Vanilla Ice, TLC and a "Legends of Rock and Roll" lineup that featured the likes of Chuck Berry.
8. Rapids Camp Crossing
The Roaring Rapids whitewater rafting ride was built by Intamin in 1981 as the first-ever man-made rapids built in the West. Today, it's located in one of the areas of Six Flags Magic Mountain that looks the oldest — Rapids Camp Crossing.
The entire "land" is themed to the American West wilderness, or perhaps the Old West, with a "saloon," a "livery," a "hotel" and all the storefronts you'd expect to see in an old western town (or ghost town, for that matter). The public restroom there is known as the "Shadyrest Room." And the snack bar across from the Roaring Rapids entrance is a little wooden shack known as "Soda Springs."
Since Tidal Wave closed in 2018 (and was removed in 2021), Roaring Rapids is one of only two water rides left at Six Flags Magic Mountain (besides those at Hurricane Harbor, the separate water park next door). It offers a "Moderate" thrill level — but expect to get soaking wet. The ride itself is only open from spring (date varies) to the end of the park's nighttime Halloween attraction, "Fright Fest" — but Rapids Camp Crossing is open daily, year-round.
9. The Revolution
One of the most famous coasters in the U.S. is located at Six Flags Magic Mountain — and it dates all the way back to 1976. That was the year of our country's bicentennial — and in honor of that, Magic Mountain debuted a ride called the Great American Revolution. It's gone through a number of rebrandings — including in 1981 with the debut of the Baja Ridge area of the park, when it was made over to reflect the Mexican Revolution as La Revolución — and today, you can ride what's known as The New Revolution Classic.
The looping rollercoaster with a tubular steel track — the first of its kind in the world — was built by Intamin, with contributions from famed German engineer Anton Schwarzkopf and German designer Werner Stengel. It was designated an American Coaster Enthusiasts landmark in 2002 not only for its groundbreaking design and influence on future rollercoasters, but also for its role in pop culture. Its starring role in the 1977 film "Rollercoaster" was followed in 1978 with a supporting role in "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" and in 1983 with "National Lampoon's Vacation" in which it portrayed the "Whipper Snapper" at the fictional Walley World (a.k.a. Six Flags Magic Mountain).
Look for the plaque at its present-day entrance, behind the Grand American Carousel (see #6 above). And for a little historical sleuthing, head up the Calle de la Revolución to the former Plaza de la Revolución (now the plaza entry to the X2 rollercoaster). You'll see the fake adobe structures that, according to The Coaster Guy, used to serve as the queue area for the Revolution.
