Stack's Liberty Ranch Collection Volume Two

Available Now!

If you're a hard core theme park enthusiast looking to enjoy the best in rare imagery and obscure amusement park details then you may already be familiar with our theme park book series. And if you follow all the fun on our Stack's Liberty Ranch Facebook page you know that Volume One is selling out fast. Now, Volume Two has been issued and it's bigger than the first! Fans of Walter Knott, Bud Hurlbut and Knott's Berry Farm will be happy to find that Volume Two is jam packed with Knott's rarities, obscure information and incredible one of a kind historic photos.

For a closer look and for ordering information please visit our website at

 StacksLibertyRanch.com

Available in both hard and soft bound copies

With an extra surprise included with each book ordered!

 

New Theme Park Book!

The Liberty Ranch Collection - Volume One is available now in limited edition! This full color picture book of eight legendary Southern California theme parks is a photo lover's dream. Full of one of a kind historic images from these parks, Volume One will satisfy the theme park enthusiast in your family! Limited edition copies are going fast; you'll find details at StacksLibertyRanch.com - ordering information may be found there, as well!   StacksLibertyRanch.com

Bud Hurlbut: Master of Amusement

Visitors are in for a real treat when they journey to the Orange County Archives in the coming months. In celebration of what would have been Bud Hurlbut's 100th birthday this year (1918-2011), the archives have outdone themselves with the stunning creation of their newest special exhibit, 'Bud Hurlbut: Master of Amusement'.

Wendell 'Bud' Hurlbut was an amusement park pioneer and genius of themed design. Starting his career as a miniature train builder in the 1950s, Hurlbut went on to fund, create and operate some of the most iconic attractions in the theme park industry including both the Calico Mine Ride and Log Ride at Knott's Berry Farm.

In addition to these popular attractions, Hurlbut might also be known to many in Southern California as the builder and operator of the old Knott's Lagoon rides located across Beach Blvd. These include his beautiful miniature train ride, merry-go-round operations and the spectacular Liberty Bell recreation. In the archives exhibit, visitors will find fascinating information, blueprints and relics from many of these well-loved attractions.

A friend to both Walt Disney and Walter Knott, Bud Hurlbut assisted each in helping them create their dreams. And we are all very lucky for it!

'Bud Hurlbut: Master of Amusement' is a display not to be missed by any theme park enthusiast. Multiple large displays showcase the impressive Hurlbut collection that the OC archives have taken under their protective wing. Archivist Chris Jepsen and company are to be congratulated in achieving something remarkable with limited time and funding. Photographs, artistic renderings and models help tell the story of Bud Hurlbut's impressive career. Don't let this exhibit pass you by.

The free exhibit is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and will run until the end of the year. The Old Orange County Courthouse is at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd in Santa Ana, California. You'll find everything in the first floor lobby!

Rudy Boysen and the Boysenberry

The latest issue of the Orange Countiana journal published by the Orange County Historical Society includes a marvelously insightful article about Rudy Boysen. Written by Chris Jepsen and Stephen Faessel, this rare look at the man behind the Boysenberry and his relationship with Anaheim and Walter Knott is fascinating and long overdue.

Full of rare photographs and coming in at a satisfying 22 pages, this lengthy article comes about as close as we will ever come to having a well researched book on Mr. Boysen and his achievements. It's a must read for anyone interested in the early development of the Boysenberry and Knott's Berry Farm. The rest of journal XII is pretty great, too! 74 pages complete. Copies of this fine journal may be ordered through the Orange County Historical Society at orangecountyhistory.org or by mail at PO Box 10984, Santa Ana, CA. 92711. But here's an even better thought; become a member of the society and be the first to enjoy future writings!

The Walt Disney Studios

The newly released book The Walt Disney Studios - A Lot To Remember offers armchair historians a fascinating backstage look at the history of Walt Disney's Burbank studio. Authored by archivists Steven Clark and Rebecca Cline, this much anticipated book takes the reader on an up close journey through the fabled lot and includes a wonderful sojourn into the formative years of Disneyland and Imagineering, too. While not overly detailed on individual subject matter, the book more than makes up for its brief historic outlines with pages of remarkable, rarely seen photos, maps and conceptual art. The text of the book may be a swift, easy read, but the captivating images inside will keep one spellbound for hours! No doubt, it will make a welcome addition to your Disney library.

                   Conceptual art for Walt Disney's formal office

Todd James Pierce Lifts The Curtain On CV Wood

Todd James Pierce has achieved a remarkable feat. With his new book, Three Years in Wonderland, he has managed to pull away the dark shroud of speculation that has surrounded the mysterious and stormy relationship between Walt Disney and the larger-than-life con man CV Wood, Disneyland's first general manager. Most of you may already know that CV Wood served Walt Disney steadfastly during Disneyland's difficult birth, building phase and first year of operation. Many of you may even know that the relationship ended poorly and that, from the earliest days, the Disney Company scrubbed any mention of Wood and his suspect shenanigans from their official history; treating Wood's contribution as an unmentionable little secret. While the dust jacket entices the reader with 'The Making of the Great American Theme Park', the book is primarily concerned with Disneyland. That's just as well because, after reading this masterful work, a second more comprehensive look at CV Woods important contributions to the theme park industry is nearly demanded - and would be a blessing. Pierce is clearly up to that challenge, as well. One can only hope. To be sure, the well read Disney enthusiast will find some familiar ground here in Three Years in Wonderland, faithfully repeated from other rare sources and previously published books. However, what Pierce does with the existing material is astonishing. Here, in this book, he concisely brings each nugget of information into a more proper context and reveals something fresh - and often jaw dropping or newly discovered - to enhance the existing narrative. Each successive page leads the reader in a steady, anticipatory march towards the final, stunning Chapter Seven where everything comes to a decisive head; an explosive confrontation at the Mickey Mouse Club Circus, of all places, between Walt and CV Wood. It's jaw dropping to imagine the scene. This is a powerful, revelatory book. Any serious student of Disneyland history should anxiously guide their mouse towards Amazon immediately upon finishing this sentence.

Knott's Preserved - Revised Edition!

Good news! The expanded, revised edition of Knott's Preserved is now available at Knott's Berry Farm and Amazon! Even if you already have a copy of this excellent book by Christopher Merritt and Eric Lynxwiler, this fresh, revised edition promises sixteen additional pages of astonishing photos and  wonderful history. How great is that?