Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 7, Number 2, Fall, 1995 Page: 35
48 p. ; 26 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
each of the six political entities that have claimed
Texas has a distinctive history, the slab thus serves as
a written record of epic, if somewhat simplified,
political history.
In some ways this slab of granite reminds one
of history lessons in school: it is written, it is tersely
composed, and the reader may soon think, "Oh, God,
this is going to be another boring history lesson!" It is
therefore not surprising that most visitors walk right
by this monolith, for they are on their way into Six
Flags to "experience" history as fun. Because fewer
than 1 per cent of the people I observed walking
through the gate actually paused long enough to read
the marker, they must get the Six Flags history lesson
in some other way-presumably by assimilating the
historical clues and symbols that appear throughout
the park.
Remarkably, many people I spoke to do know
the Six Flags that flew over Texas and can recite them
with little or no hesitation. Moreover, many of these
people remark that the Six Flags theme park helped
them learn this aspect of Texas history. Someone
might argue that even if visitors learn only this one
history lesson in the few hours they spend in the park,
they may be doing as well as-or better than-they
would have in some history classes. At Six Flags Over
Texas, the visitor experiences the presence of Spain,
Mexico, France, Texas, the Confederacy, and the
United States by seeing actual flags flying over the
park's entrance. These six flags are very pronounced,
for they form the park's logo. They are the first thing
one sees, in fact, before entering the park.
It should be noted that Six Flags Over Texas is
not the first amusement-oriented environment to use
the six flags theme: WPA artisans in 1936 (the Texas
Centennial) constructed the buildings in Dallas's Fair
Park to feature the symbols of the six flags. These are
what Scott Chase called "The Ghosts of Six Flags
Over (Fair Park) Texas," since they can still be seen on
lampposts and statues at Fair Park: the fleur de lis for
France; the castle and lion (the Spanish royal family
seal) for Spain; the eagle with serpent (of Aztec
mythological origin) for Mexico; the lone star for the
Republic of Texas; the eagle for the United States; and
the seven stars representing the original seven states of
the Confederacy.'
When one considers the origin of these six
flags, it becomes apparent that they are essentially
European or Euro-American. Politically correct historians
would chastise Six Flags for providing something of a "Eurocentric" view of history, since there is
little or no Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, or Caddo
history (i.e. Native American history) showcased in
the park. Rather, the history that is celebrated is that
which arrived with Columbus after 1492, or perhaps
Cabeza de Vaca in the first quarter of the sixteenth
century. The African-American experience is also not
visible, except perhaps by implication in the Confederacy
section.
The park's Eurocentric view, however, is inseparable
from the time that Six Flags was developed-the
height of the Cold War-and the patriotic
pride of the park's developers. A revealing anecdote is
told about the development of the name for the park.
One of the designers reportedly suggested "Texas
Under Six Flags" at an early meeting, but an influential
board member quickly retorted, "I don't like that
name because Texas has never been under anything."2
In Six Flags Over Texas, a Lone Star as well as an
American patriotism is evident. The park stresses
"independence" and progress on the one hand but
subconsciously perpetuates the ethnicity of those who
had power in shaping the Spanish, French, and Mexican
institutions of Texas before it became a Republic,
a state, and then part of the Confederacy.
SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS THEME PARK was created
to convey a sense of history and does so using
various themed sections. In this regard, Six Flags
reminds one of Disneyland, and it should: Randal
Duell, who worked with Disney and his designers to
develop Disneyland in California in 1954 and 1955,
designed Six Flags five years later. The Texas theme
park opened in 1961 and was envisioned as temporarv,
a generation of much-needed capital to help
establish the Great Southwest Industrial Park. Its
prototype, Disneyland, built upon many traditions,
including expositions and world's fairs, and was
America's first true theme park in that it was and is
configured into several lands separated either in time
or place. Like Disneyland, Six Flags was designed to
feature a railroad running around its perimeter, as well
as several different "lands" a visitor can experience. In
the case of Six Flags, however, these lands would be
chronological vignettes of the same place-Texas.
An aerial view of Six Flags reveals that the
different time periods of Texas history are nestled in a
relatively small area of fifty-six acres. Like Disneyland
(which is ninety-five acres), Six Flags is a small theme
park, and so space is at a premium. Strolling through
35
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Dallas Historical Society. Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 7, Number 2, Fall, 1995, periodical, 1995; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth35111/m1/37/: accessed May 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Historical Society.