The History of Six Flags

The first Six Flags amusement park, originally known as Six Flags Over Texas, held its soft opening on August 1, 1961 followed by its official grand opening on August 5th. Built on 212 acres of land in Arlington, Texas, it was the brainchild of Texas real estate developer and oilman Angus Wynne Jr., who originally intended it to be a temporary attraction to make money off his parcel of land before he developed it into an industrial complex. (When he recouped his personal investment of $3.5 million in just 18 months, he decided the park would be a permanent fixture!) Notably, Six Flags Over Texas was the first amusement park to feature log flume and mine train rides. (Later, Six Flags also became the first amusement park to feature a 360-degree looping roller coaster, modern parachute drop, and a man-made river rapids ride.) Six Flags Over Texas also pioneered the idea of all-inclusive amusement park pricing. Previously, amusement parks charged an initial admission fee as well as separate fees for each ride. During its opening year, Six Flags Over Texas charged a flat fee of just $2.75 for an adult and $2.25 for a child. Additionally, a hamburger cost 50 cents and a soda cost 10 cents. But why the name Six Flags Over Texas? The amusement park wasn’t just made up of a random collection of rides, but rather was developed around the theme of the history of Texas. The name Six Flags Over Texas represented the six different flags that had flown over the state over the years: those of France, Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy, Texas, and the United States. Attractions within the park were grouped into six sections and each was tied to a particular period when Texas was governed by each of these entities, allowing visitors to experience everything from Texas cowboy culture to Southern belles and pirates. The name was originally going to be Texas Under Six Flags, but this was deemed disrespectful to Texas, so Six Flags Over Texas was chosen instead, and this was eventually shortened to simply, Six Flags. In 1969, Wynne sold Six Flags and the company expanded and was resold again. Today, Six Flags is the world’s largest regional theme park company. It is best known for its impressive roller coasters and, more unfortunately, for various safety incidents. Today, Six Flags, Inc. operates around 26 theme parks, waterparks, and zoological parks in North America.