Life in the Sixties #51 - Little Beaver Town Grand Opening 1961

We have something a little a different today. We actually know where this came from. This movie came from the estate of Fred Harmon (purchased by me in Pagosa Springs), the extremely talented artist of the hugely popular 1940s cartoon strip "Red Ryder and Little Beaver". In 1961 Mr. Harmon was key in the opening of an amusement park on route 66 called "Little Beaver Town". It struggled along for several years and closed in 1964. What we have here is opening day! I am not sure if Mr. Harmon shot this himself, but it was obviously shot by someone who had full access to the park and could stand in the middle of the street during a shoot-out!

This is the finest record we have of this park, so enjoy! 5,000 people were there, and the park never had more people in it.

Digitized from 16mm Kodachrome.