Knott's Berry Farm history

The Great Depression took hold of America in 1929, which caused land prices to drop, and even though the Knott family was barely making ends meet, Walter doubled down, buying more land to expand his farm.

- Knott's has remained the leading consumer of boysenberries in the United States since the 1930's​

In 1932, their fortunes changed even more.

And in 1933, he had his first small crop of what he called the Boysenberry.

In 1934, the Knotts began selling fried chicken dinners in a tea room on the property, later called "Mrs.

The small dining room originally sat 20, and in 1935 they expanded it to 40, only to have to expand it again the following year to accommodate 70.

In 1937, two new rooms were built, and a real kitchen was added, bringing the total seating to 225.

During the restaurant’s first full year of operation in 1938, more than 265,000 chicken dinners were served.

In 1939, in an attempt to give the people waiting something to do, Walter and Cordelia’s daughter, Virginia, set up a card table with small gift items for sale.

In 1940, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town on the property, the beginning of the present-day theme park.

On a banner day in 1941, they served nearly 6,000 chicken dinners.

On Washington’s Birthday, February 22, 1942, the “Covered Wagon Show” opened to the public for the first time.

In 1947 Walter named his expanding enterprise Knott’s Berry Farm and, in the same year, Pan for Gold arrived.

In 1954, the Bird Cage opened for vaudeville and melodrama performances where the likes of Steve Martin and Dean Jones got their start.

In 1955, the Knott family attended a pre-opening tour of Disneyland, just a few miles away in Anaheim.

In 1956, Walter Knott made an arrangement with Marion Speer to bring his Western Trails Museum collection to Knott's Berry Farm.

In 1960, Knott's Berry Farm added the Calico Mine Ride, described at the time as the park's "most adventurous undertaking." Six years later, Knott completed construction of a brick-by-brick replica of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, including a one-ton, cracked Liberty Bell.

Independence Hall opened July 4, 1966 to great fanfare and is still a source of inspiration and education today.

In 1967, Walter and Cordelia’s youngest daughter, Marion, began to assist her father with Ghost Town operations.

In 1968, an admission charge was instituted, adding to the park’s profits.

The Calico Log Ride (the original name of the Timber Mountain Log Ride) opened in 1969.

Gypsy Camp opened on May 28, 1971, and guests explored caves to find a magic shop, arcade, get their fortune told and enjoy music from colorfully attired musicians from an outdoor stage built above the caves.

October had always been a slow time at the park, and in September of 1973 people from marketing and entertainment came up with an idea that would change Knott’s forever — a three-night Halloween event called Knott’s Halloween Haunt.

On April 12, 1974, Cordelia Knott died.

The Roaring 20s area opened June 6, 1975.

Motorcycle Chase, modernized steeplechase rollercoaster built in 1976 by Arrow Development, featured single motorbike themed vehicles racing side-by-side, each on one of four parallel tracks, launched together.

By 1979, however, attendance at Knott's Berry Farm had started to slip, dropping the park into sixth place behind Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood Tour, Six Flags Great America in Chicago, and Busch Gardens Dark Continent in Tampa.

On December 3, 1981, Walter Knott died, survived by his children who would continue to operate Knott's as a family business for another fourteen years.

In 1991, Knott's Berry Farm formed a restaurant division and opened the first offsite Mrs.

In 1992, Knott's Berry Farm reported that the offsite restaurants were struggling, in part because people perceived them as extensions of the chicken-only Mrs.

The division had sales of $60 million in 1994.

The Jaguar! was opened June 17, 1995, to add another roller coaster to the mix of Fiesta Village alongside Montezooma's Revenge.

Knott's Berry Farm grew from a small roadside berry stand 22 miles south of Los Angeles into one of the most popular amusement parks in the United States, attracting more than 3.5 million visitors in 1996.

Guests raced against each other in another new roller coaster, Windjammer, which replaced Wacky Soap Box Racers in 1997.

In 2000, to honor the creator of the beloved Peanuts, the Good Time Theatre was renamed the Charles M. Schulz Theatre and continues to showcase incredibly fun shows, often including members of the Peanuts gang.

In 2004, the park renamed the Radisson Resort Hotel the Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel.

When built, Sky Tower was the tallest structure in Orange County (a distinction briefly held by WindSeeker before its relocation to Worlds of Fun in 2012.)

For the 2014 season, the historical Calico Mine Ride underwent a major refurbishment that was completed in six months.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Knott’s Berry Farm.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 June 2017, www.britannica.com/place/Knotts-Berry-Farm.

“Knott’s Berry Farm.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 June 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knott%27s_Berry_Farm.

In June 2020, Knott's Marketplace reopened with health guidelines in place.