Greetings family, friends and neighbors. Walter Knott is known for assembling a collection of historic structures and artifacts to create Knott's Berry Farm's Ghost Town, however he also was always on the lookout for colorful characters to populate his popular roadside attraction. Today's Snippet takes a look at a few of these memorable characters from the 1940's and 50's........Bill
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Theme Park Snippets
GHOST TOWN CHARACTERS
Walter Knott was always on the lookout to find ways to improve the
visitor experience at the families popular Buena Park Chicken
Dinner restaurant by providing entertaining diversions for two hour
or longer waits for a coveted table. He traveled throughout the
Southwest seeking authentic relics and historic structures to
bolster his growing “Ghost Town”. During a trip to the Ozark
Mountains in Arkansas in 1949 Knott came across an authentic
vintage log cabin that got his attention as a potential display. He
had the structure disassembled, shipped to the farm, reassembled
and placed in a presentment location in his new immersive gold
mining attraction.
Knott had several Old West characters roaming Ghost Town and
interacting with guests including former vaudevillian Jim Lewis who
took the bus from Los Angeles every day to perform as Sheriff
“Dad” Lewis and often break into an impromptu clog dance while
mugging a contorting rubber face.. Deputy Rex “Dude” Sands lived
on the farm with Mac, his “educated” horse who could bow, point
and count. Jim Brady, alias Chief Red Feather, made all of his own
large turquoise jewelry and his wife made his beadwork and
headdresses during his thirty five year career entertaining park
guests. “Slim” Vaughn, known as the park romeo, sported long hair
and beard, necklace, earrings and corncob pipe, and Gus
Boydston could usually be found leading a burro down Main
Street. Other memorable character actors roaming Ghost Town
and posing for photos in the 1950’s included Whiskey Bill and
Handsome Brady.
Walter figured that Nellie McKinney would make a perfect addition
to the farm’s atmosphere by playing old songs on the strings of her
Appalachian dulcimer from the porch of the Ozark log cabin. He
had heard Nellie playing old songs on the radio and “ discovered”
her washing dishes at a Buena Park malt shop. “Aunt Nellie”
happily joined Knott’s Berry Farm’s cast of colorful characters
greeting guests nearly every day for the next decade while tapping
out tunes on the antique instrument.
Circa 1950’s vintage postcard “Aunt Nellie” from the collection of Bill Ralph
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