Frontier Village Collection

The collection comprises administrative records, photos and ephemera from San Jose's local theme park, Frontier Village.

About the Collection

The collection comprises administrative records, employee manuals, photographs, clippings, various printed matter, plans and drawings, and scrapbooks. The majority of the photographs are of costumed characters, amusement rides, stunt shows, mock gunfights, and promotional activities.

About the Park

Frontier Village was a western-themed amusement park which opened in 1961 and closed in 1980. The park was located on approximately thirty acres of what had previously been part of the Hayes' estate on Monterey Highway in San Jose. It was founded by Joseph Zukin Jr., a Palo Alto entrepreneur and small businessman inspired by a family trip to Disneyland in 1959. The look and design of Frontier Village is owed to Laurence (Laurie) Hollings, an experienced Hollywood set and amusement ride designer. After the park's closure, part of the property was made into Edenvale Garden Park.

The Digital Collection

This collection currently includes a representative selection of material from the Frontier Village Collection. New images are added to the collection as they are digitized.

For information about using images from this collection, contact the California Room.