In my day Knott’s Berry Land was FREE to enter. The hippies changed that. Dirty hippies.
Exactly 2nd. I returned from active military police duty in I Corp. S.Korea in 1968 to my old job on final assembly of the then new DC-9 at McDonnel Douglas, which had been Douglas when I left for duty. I left M.D. as I really hated the union, and went to work in security for Knotts that first year of the gates, and walls.
It was no longer free to wander the park, and enjoy anymore due not only the Hippies, but locals leaving their kids all day for park security to babysit free of charge. The kids wreaked havoc on the place as well the costs, especially taxes were increasing, and had to be compensated for.
But you are correct that one of the major reasons was the Hippie’s taking over the place, and stinking it up driving away the families that had been the mainstay of the park.
Think they had a train ride where outlaws would come on and hold you up with scary guns.
Imagine an amusement park doing that now?
I remember when I was a kid that Knotts was free. They had panning for gold.
Walter Knott was a genius.
Boysenberry jam is delicious.