What history lives in an amusement park?

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As the 2025 Westerners Research Fellow at the Autry Museum of the American West, I researched the complex intersecting histories of Calico Ghost Town Regional Park and Knott’s Berry Farm, an amusement park in Southern California. 

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In the 1880s, John C. King grubstaked prospectors who had struck silver in the Mojave, contributing to the creation of Calico, California’s iconic Silver Rush town. Years later, King’s nephew Walter Knott would set out to create his own Ghost Town, one that borrowed the name and history of Calico. His project blurred the lines between real and imagined history as what began as a modest roadside restaurant became a nationwide tourist attraction.

 

I analyzed archival material from the early years of Calico and Knott’s Berry Farm within the collection of the Autry’s Library and Archives. This research revealed real material from the 1800s located within the modern amusement park. Living as set dressing in themed environments, these inconspicuous artifacts were collected by Walter Knott in the 1940s and displayed in his amusement park.

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This project combined extensive research with visitor interviews and field research within the amusement park. These interviews revealed the way “authenticity” has changed meanings over the years at Knott’s Berry Farm. In archival promotional materials from the 1940s, “authentic” was used to refer to material sourced from real 1800s mining towns. In interviews within the park, I found that “authentic” was more often used to refer to material from the early years of the park. This research reveals that “authenticity” is a dynamic concept at Knott’s Berry Farm, shifting in meaning through the decades while remaining a major appeal that draws visitors to the regional amusement park.