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31-513: Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut (June 13, 1918 – January 5, 2011) was a designer, builder, entrepreneur, and one of the first creators of theme parks in the United States. Hurlbut was born on June 13, 1918 in Watertown, South Dakota , the only child of Ray and Emma Hurlbut. The family moved to Whittier, California , where Ray managed a successful oil tool company. Bud worked in a printing company, worked as

62-402: A Family entertainment center , featuring a castle themed building housing a large two level video game arcade, and an outdoor miniature golf course. In 1985, the park expanded by adding an adjacent amusement ride area, featuring a collection of classic rides such as a Dentzel carousel built in 1905, a miniature railroad, and a log flume ride, thus becoming a legitimate amusement park. In 1999,

93-563: A chicken dinner restaurant and "ghost town" into a major theme park. Hurlbut began as a concessionaire at Knott's, operating an 1896 Dentzell Menagerie carousel . In 1958, he added the Antique Auto Ride, designed and built by Arrow Development (later renamed Tijuana Taxi), and in 1959, he began to operate one of his small trains around Knott's Lagoon. The major innovation occurred with the Calico Mine Train ride in 1960. This ride

124-660: A pattern maker for Vultee Aircraft , and was a mechanical engineer for F.A. Nemec Combustion Engineers in Whittier, before getting into the amusement park business. Hurlbut's amusement park experience began with designing and building small-scale trains for people to ride. He sold 12 of them to other operators, then installed one in his own kiddie park in El Monte, California in the parking lot of Crafords market. One of Hurlbut's trainsets operated at The Pike in Long Beach. He also designed

155-570: A promotional film for the new ride. Hurlbut was able to complete construction and the ride became an instant success. In 1966, Knott built a full-scale replica of Independence Hall at the park. As a gift, Hurlbut created an exact replica of the Liberty Bell and gave it to Knott, which is still on display in the hall. Bud Hurlbut's train business was bought and is under production at Western Train Co. since 2011. The Amusement Rides Manufacturer keeps up with

186-500: A warm-summer ( Dfb ). Although it is a humid city, it is relatively dry for its climatic category, due to its position in the Great Plains , which still provides an even greater thermal amplitude, especially in the higher values. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,994. About 5.7% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over. As of

217-607: Is Watertown's only public middle school. Construction of the school was completed in 2015. The community's "Prairie Lakes Wellness Center" opened in 2017, adjacent to the middle school. When the middle school opened in 2015, the former middle school was renovated and became the Intermediate School (5th and 6th grades). Watertown has multiple elementary schools. The five public elementary schools are Lincoln Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, McKinnely Elementary, and Mellette Elementary. Immaculate Conception School

248-703: Is a private Catholic elementary school. St. Martin's Lutheran School is a private Lutheran elementary school of the WELS . Watertown Christian School is a private non-denominational Christian elementary school. The Watertown Regional Library is the town's main library. It is on 6th St. NE and open every day of the week. Harmony Hill High School was a Catholic girls' boarding school in Watertown from 1967 to 1974. Watertown also has one airport , Watertown Regional Airport , served by Denver Air Connection with flights to Denver and Chicago O'Hare, and local bus service provided by

279-506: Is a public technical school classified as a community college, offering degrees in areas such as agriculture, nursing, and welding. There is also a satellite campus of Mount Marty College , a private Catholic school based in Yankton , South Dakota. Lake Area Technical College received the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, following three previous Finalist-With-Distinction honors in 2011, 2013, and 2015. The Aspen Institute awarded

310-544: Is between Pelican Lake and Lake Kampeska , from which Redlin derived inspiration for his artwork. The population was 22,655 at the 2020 census , making Watertown South Dakota's 5th-most populous city. It is also the principal city of the Watertown Micropolitan Statistical Area , which includes all of Codington County. It is home to the Bramble Park Zoo . Watertown's residential real estate

341-599: Is considered the most expensive in South Dakota for cities of its size; the median price for a home in Watertown is approximately $ 200,000. Watertown is along the Big Sioux River . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 25.04 square miles (64.85 km ), of which 17.45 square miles (45.20 km ) is land and 7.59 square miles (19.66 km ) is water. Watertown sits on

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372-498: The Watertown Public Opinion , began publishing in 1887. In the mid-20th century, Interstate 29 was constructed through eastern South Dakota. The route included a slight bend to bring it closer to Watertown. Its construction was a major economic benefit to Watertown and the communities near it. In the last decades the climate is configured as hot-summer humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfa ); it previously had

403-461: The Big Sioux River and two major lakes, Pelican Lake and Lake Kampeska . Most of Watertown also sits on a short plateau . Watertown Regional Airport's elevation is 1,745 ft (532 m). Watertown was founded in 1879 as a rail terminus when the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad reactivated part of a line it had constructed to Lake Kampeska . The city was named after Watertown , New York,

434-494: The census of 2010, there were 21,482 people, 9,278 households, and 5,563 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,231.3 inhabitants per square mile (475.4/km ). There were 10,050 housing units at an average density of 575.9 per square mile (222.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 94.8% White , 0.4% African American , 2.4% Native American , 0.5% Asian , 0.5% from other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of

465-577: The Castle Park Riverside Co. Train. Hurlbut died in Buena Park on January 5, 2011 at the age of 92. Watertown, South Dakota Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County , South Dakota , United States. Watertown is home to the Redlin Art Center , which houses many of the works of Terry Redlin , one of the nation's most popular wildlife artists. Watertown

496-688: The Hobby City complex in Anaheim. Others are at Canaan Land Christian Retreat in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, Maricopa Live Steamers in Phoenix, Arizona, Castle Park in Riverside, California (see below), and numerous private individuals' backyard railroads across the United States. His experience and collaboration with Walter Knott would make a name for Hurlbut Amusement Co. and transform Knott's Berry Farm from

527-540: The Watertown Area Transit Corporation. Jefferson Lines provides intercity bus service to Watertown. Former President Barack Obama has visited Watertown twice, in 2008 during his presidential campaign, and in 2015 to address the graduating class at Lake Area Technical College . According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Watertown's largest employers are: Castle Park (amusement park) The park opened in 1976 as

558-427: The city. The population density was 1,328.9 inhabitants per square mile (513.1/km ). There were 9,193 housing units at an average density of 603.7 per square mile (233.1/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 96.25% White , 0.14% African American , 1.65% Native American , 0.33% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.71% from other races , and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of

589-419: The hometown of brothers John E. and Oscar P. Kemp, two of the city's founders. The town was originally planned to be called Kampeska. During the 1880s, Watertown prospered as a transportation hub after the railroads had extended farther west. Along with several other cities, it had been a candidate for capital of the new state of South Dakota, losing to the more centrally located Pierre . The city's newspaper,

620-418: The park opened Ghost Blasters , an interactive dark ride designed by Sally Corporation . The ride features laser guns which riders use to shoot at targets to accumulate points. The attraction is the park's first and only dark ride, and occupies the entire second floor of the former arcade area inside the main castle building, reducing the arcade to only the first floor. In 2008, the park opened "Dragon Flyer",

651-442: The population. There were 9,278 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

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682-488: The population. 47.1% were of German , 19.8% Norwegian and 5.9% Irish ancestry. 96.5% spoke English , 1.7% Spanish and 1.1% German as their first language. There were 8,385 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who

713-627: The prize in March 2017 in Washington, D.C., after an intense data collection process that included a rigorous review of critical elements of student success, such as learning, completion, and employment after college. Watertown has one public high school, Watertown High School , and one private boarding school, Great Plains Lutheran High School , of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod . Watertown Middle School (7th and 8th grades)

744-735: The replica 1880s train that ran for many years in Santa's Village in the San Bernardino Mountains, and now is at the Santa Ana Zoo . He built the first train for the Nut Tree restaurant complex in Vacaville that would ferry incoming flyers from the Nut Tree Airport to the toy shop and restaurant plaza. Another of Hurbut's trains, built in 1938, is in operation at Adventure City, which is part of

775-528: The service of Bud's original trains and offers replica train rides now known as "Hurlbut Miniatures". In 1968, Hurlbut broke ground on building the Timber Mountain Log Ride , another collaboration with Arrow Development , which, along with the Mine Ride, is still considered one of the iconic rides of the park, and one of the most popular. Many guests ride it twice or more when they visit - on some days

806-509: The talent, determination and creativity of Bud Hurlbut." With parts of rides from which he took from Knott's, Hurlbut designed and operated his own amusement park, Castle Amusement Park, opened in 1976, now named Castle Park , in Riverside, California . Some elements from Knott's, such as the Calico Train and theming, were used in creating the rides, with using some leftover train carts to create

837-472: The turnstile ridership of the Log Ride exceeds that of the front gate of the park. The ride demonstrates great attention to detail, which is the key characteristic of Hurlbut's creations. Many of the items seen on the ride are actual cast-iron gears, steam donkey engines, and sawmill equipment from over a hundred years ago. He was also one of the creators of Knott's Scary Farm , an annual event at Knott's. Hurlbut

868-439: Was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 36.6 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 20,237 people, 8,385 households, and 5,290 families residing in

899-528: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males . Watertown has two institutions providing post-secondary education. Lake Area Technical College

930-547: Was one of the original Haunt Monsters, wearing an ape costume. He hid inside the Calico Mine Train ride, and popped out to scare guests. There are now more than 1,000 "monsters" at Halloween Haunt, and the event has grown to be the most successful special event of any amusement park in the US. Marty Keithly, former general manager of Knott's Berry Farm, said, "There would not be a Knott's Berry Farm theme park today if it were not for

961-715: Was the first authentic "dark" amusement ride, and it has been emulated by amusement parks ever since. Guests boarded an old-time mine train that took them into a "mine" inside a "mountain." Walt Disney frequently came to watch construction on the ride. Hurlbut sold his ranch, his home, and his new Cadillac to raise money to build the experiment. Part way through construction though, he had to go to Walter Knott and explain that his funds were running out. Knott asked him, "Well, you know what you're doing, right?" Hurlbut described his reply to Knott this way: "I told him 'Yeah, sure.' I never lied to him again." Knott allowed Hurlbut to suspend his rent payments, and Knott also agreed to pay for

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