Unbelievable Find - 6 Gun Territory

[Ocklawaha]

This entire 'city' along with its REAL steam railroad once sat just north of Silver Springs (Ocala). I just located this old film clip shot in the streets of "6-Gun Territory."

The old advertising pamphlet said:

Welcome to Six Gun Territory, a complete 1880's western town, carved out of the Florida scrub. The Jail, Courthouse, Wells Fargo, and Bank provided backdrops to gunfights, as well as guest services and restrooms. At the time the map below was printed (early 1980's) most of the remainder of the town was given over to gift shops: Six Gun Apothecary, Ann's Hat Shop, Six Gun Photo, General Store, B & B Shirt Emporium, Cousin Will's Variety Store, etc. There were also many empty stores. Refreshments could be had at the Palace Saloon and Miss Kitty's Ice Cream Parlor, with fast food burgers and hot dogs at the El Sombrero Cafe.

Attractions:
Southern Railway and Six Gun
The main entry way into the park, along with the Skyride (at top of map).
Palace Saloon
The park's main house of live entertainment. (#10 on Map, upper left).
Indian Village & Trading Post
Indian shows, museum, and gift shop (lower left on map).
Mexican Border Town
Once offered live entertainment and Mexican food (bottom of map).
County Fair
A midway with amusement rides (at right on map).
Dry Gulch Trail Livery Stable
Horse rides around the ring and even a live pony and donkey merry-go-round (off bottom left corner of map).
Relics of the Past
A small "antiques museum" exhibiting ancient farm implements and old housewares (E-1 on map).

It was torn down just as it was looking weathered enough to have been a real ghost town. While the theme park boys thought it had to be designed to be in the old west, it actually could very well have been just as it was in old Florida.

This park closed sometime in 1984 and was completely razed for a new 'Woolco' Store and shopping center called... 6-Gun Plaza. Woolco (a Walmart look alike) promptly went out of business and the shopping center became just so many local shops.

https://www.youtube.com/v/eNntmkCZxgA?version=3&hl=en_US

OCKLAWAHA

[CG7]

we went to six gun territory 4 or 5 times when I was a kid. It had a western town and a midway full of games and rides. The best part of the whole park was the train ride in when the train robbers would attack the train, it was awesome for a young kid.

[Ernest Street]

Great find OCK!    Was this place advertised in the Jacksonville newspapers of the time?




Just a side note:  R.I.P  James Arness who played Marshall Matthew Dillon for close to 5 decades on Gunsmoke and other movies.
Died June 3rd 2011.
Matthew only drew his gun unless he absolutely had to.   He was personally recommended for the role by his long time friend John Wayne.

[Ocklawaha]

James or should I say Sheriff Matt Dillion was a frequent visitor to 6-Gun AND Jacksonville's western shows. I don't know how he did it but the guy really was THAT fast with a pistol draw, I saw him demo it at the Gator Bowl. One second he was saying, "Many people have asked me if I really draw the gun and how fast I really am..."  Then within the blink of an eye he had the gun in hand pointing M/L at the stands! He smiled and said, "Bout that fast."
I still have the shows program.

Another stunner was a group of American Indians that could and DID take a tiny sliver of paper from a volunteers hand, neatly slicing it in half with a whip. But perhaps the best of the show for me was a young man that sang traditional western "Sons of the Pioneers" type pieces in the Saloon. I don't remember his name and don't know what happened to him but he had all the talent of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rolled into one person. 

OCKLAWAHA

[dougskiles]

One of my fondest childhood memories was a vacation we took sometime in the late 70's.  We rode the train from FTL to Ocala and visited Silver Springs and Six Gun Territory.  There was a little roller coaster that I believe was called the Mighty Mouse.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Thanks Ock.  This is great.

6 Gun Territory and some other lost (or still living but no longer as prominent) FL attractions are lovingly highlighted in Tim Hollis' wonderful books "Dixie Before Disney" and "Selling The Sunshine State."

[copperfiend]

I am not old enough to have gone to Six Gun Territory. But I have heard stories about it from my dad. He got to meet alot of the old western actors when they visited. I am sure he met Mr Arness. He definitely mentioned meeting Fess Parker there. That must have been a thrill for kids growing up at that time.

[Timkin]

Six-Gun was really cool.   Too bad it will probably never  be re-created.

[Debbie Thompson]

Us too, Doug!  We moved to Jacksonville  from Miami in 1966. I think it was 1967 we made the tour of the north/central Florida attractions for vacation. My mom remembered Silver Springs from way back, so we visited there.  Rainbow Springs was even better.  Instead of glass-bottomed boats, the entire keel of their tour boats were underwater.  then we did Cypress Gardens, Bok Singing Tower, checked out Ghost Hill, and of course, Six Gun Territory.  The celebrity guest that weekend was...Ron Howard! A teenager then, probably, he sat on the steps signing autographs for the kids.  My little brother just loved Six Gun.

Thanks for the run down memory lane, Ock!  Mickey Mouse is great, but between the building of I-95 and I-75, and the coming of the Magic Kingdom, it put all those quirky 1940-1960's tourist attactions along with all the mom-and-pop stuff along Highway 301 and Highway 441 out of business. It was fun to remember.

[Ocklawaha]

I always thought it funny that 6-gun territory 'HAD' to have a western theme to be believable. Yet two of the most notorious gunslingers of all time were local Jacksonville area boys.

Doc Holiday spent much of his early years between Valdosta and Jacksonville, he lived in Valdosta but his father shipped goods to and from Jacksonville's port.

John Wesley Hardin, perhaps the most deadly gunman of them all owned and operated a butcher shop (of all things) right here in Jacksonville. In fact when the federal boys came looking for him, our sheriff hid him and then assisted him in being spirited out of town.

6 Gun territory indeed!