In class today we discussed the rise
of commercialism in the Adirondacks once tourism became a primary source of
income for the region. I found the 1950’s theme park attractions like Santa’s
Workshop in Lake Placid very amusing. The entire class so far has been looking
at the Adirondacks as wild and the North Pole is seemingly very out of place
here.
Santa’s Workshop began as a family
run business in 1949 and claims itself as the oldest theme park in America. A
businessman named Julian Reiss created this “North Pole” in the Adirondacks
after his daughter asked him where was Santa’s summer home. Reiss decided to
capitalize off of the popularity of Whiteface Mountain at the time and bought
land located right off of the Whiteface Memorial Highway. This makes the theme park
a perfect location to stop for families with small children driving around the
Adirondacks on a vacation get away.
Santa’s Workshop immediately gained
popularity. The theme park utilized new refrigeration technologies that allowed
for a year round winter atmosphere and was home to the world’s first petting
zoo. It was awarded its own area code and was the basis for Disney theme park
planners in the early 1950’s. Today Santa’s Workshop has a variety of
activities like holiday themes rides, live reindeer, carolers, Nativity
pageants and holiday skits, and various characters such as Frosty the Snowman,
a talking Christmas tree, Mother Goose characters and of course, Santa Claus.
In 1999 Bob Reiss, Julian’s son,
sold the theme park to local Greg Cunningham. In 2001 however, in the perfect
archetype of a tacky, rundown theme park, Greg was arrested for forgery,
embezzlement and grand larceny and the North Pole did not open that summer. Bob
Reiss regained control of the operation, however and the park lives on. It is now a
testament to an older era of American tourism, where roadside attractions
ruled.
Sources and more info:
Ironic ending; Really interesting history and cool that Disney based something off of it.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what "Santa's Workshop" was before you reading your post. I liked learning about its history and creation!
ReplyDeleteIronically, Whiteface isn't even halfway to the North Pole from the equator. The 45th parallel lies north of the mountain. However, it is very interesting how such an incredibly successful theme park as Disney based their initial ideas off this small park in the Adirondacks. It is surprising that anyone from Disney would have ever heard of Santa's Workshop.
ReplyDeleteSanta's Workshop seems to be a perfect example of what Terrie is talking about when he describes the human desire to experience man-made entertainment while enjoying the views of the natural world. I see a definite parallel between this idea and with the hands-off approach to wilderness of the Great Camp owners.
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