Six Flags Over Texas Opens

Setting the scene

Texas businessman Angus Wynne Jr. wanted a regional theme park cheaper than flying families to California; he chose Arlington land between Dallas and Fort Worth and named the park for the six flags that had flown over Texas—Spain, France, Mexico, Republic, Confederacy, and United States.

What happened

Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961 with the Mine Train coaster, a stagecoach, and themed areas evoking Lone Star history for suburban crowds discovering automobile leisure.

Why it still matters

The chain later spread across North America with Warner Bros. licensing and record-breaking steel coasters; Six Flags bankruptcy restructurings in the 2000s never erased Wynne's template of accessible thrills outside Orlando's Disney shadow.

Background

The chain later spread across North America.