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| The early years (1969-1975) In 1969, the Newhall Land and Farm Company formulated the idea to create a more thrilling alternative to the Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm amusement parks. The company selected Valencia as its location, and construction began that year. The park was the result of a joint venture between SeaWorld and NLFC and cost approximately 20 million dollars to build. When the park opened on May 29, 1971, there were 500 employees and 33 attractions, many of which were designed and built by Arrow Development Co. which designed and built many of the original attractions at Disneyland. The admission price in 1971 was $5 for adults, and $3.50 for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Aerial view of Magic Mountain, August 2007 At its 1971 opening, the rides included Goldrusher, a steel coaster, the Log Jammer log flume, the Sky Tower observation tower, Grand Prix (similar to Disneyland's Autopia ride), El Bumpo, Funicular, The Metro (a monorail ride that encircled the park), The Skyride, a Carousel, and other smaller rides. The Showcase Theater (now known as the Golden Bear Theater), was part of the original park and featured Barbara Streisand as the first of many headline performers who would appear at Magic Mountain over the years. |
