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P.O. Box 209
Santa
Claus, IN 47579
(812)
937-5000
Fax (812) 937-5500
From Santa Claus Land
to Holiday World

Over a half-century of
family fun!
SANTA CLAUS, IN-----The history of the nation’s first theme park is the
story of a family which has, for three generations, dedicated itself to
providing millions of guests with good, old-fashioned family fun.
Evansville, Indiana, industrialist Louis J. Koch created the nation’s
first theme park as a retirement project. He was always troubled by the fact
that the tiny hamlet of Santa Claus, Indiana, was visited by children from
throughout the country who were ultimately disappointed when they found out
Santa was not there to visit with them. With nine children of his own, Koch
loved children, holidays and celebrations.
Koch was actually planning to open his park earlier in the 1940s, but
World War Two forced him to wait until 1946. Santa Claus Land originally
contained a toy shop, toy displays, themed children’s rides, a restaurant,
and, of course, Santa Claus.
When Louis J. Koch’s son Bill returned from the war, Bill was curious to
see what his father was up to. At first, he admits, he thought his father had
created a great folly. But he worked with his father and before long became
the head of Santa Claus Land. In 1960, Bill married "Santa’s daughter,"
Patricia Yellig. The couple had five children; the eldest, Will, is now the
president and general manager of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. Over the
decades, Santa Claus Land grew and flourished. Children from throughout the
country came to sit on the real Santa’s knee and talk glowingly about
their Christmas wishes. Guests included Ronald Reagan, who stopped by in
1955.
As the park expanded, the Koch family knew that Christmas was just one of
the theming possibilities for the park. In 1984, Santa Claus Land grew to
include Halloween and Fourth of July sections, and the park’s name was
changed to Holiday World. Larger rides were added, including the very popular
Raging Rapids white water raft ride. In all, Holiday World features 100 acres
of rides, shows, games, and attractions.
In 1993, a whole new park was added. Splashin’ Safari Water Park features
The Wave pool, The Congo River action river, the AmaZOOM and the Bamboo Chute
water slides, plus Crocodile Isle children’s activity area with two pools and
five water slides. In 1996, the Watubee family water adventure was added;
1997’s addition was the Otorongo, an in-the-dark triple water-slide complex.
And in 1998, Monsoon Lagoon, an interactive, multi-leveled family waterplay
complex opened.
To celebrate its 50th season in 1995, Holiday World introduced The Raven,
a $2 million wooden roller coaster, the largest in Indiana and Kentucky. The
Raven, located in the Halloween section, features 86-foot and 61-foot drops,
a low, banked curve over Lake Rudolph, and a 120-foot tunnel, plus a few
other surprises. The readers of Inside Track magazine voted The Raven
the world’s #3 roller coaster in 1995 and ’96; in 1998 and ’99, the readers
of Amusement Today voted The Raven the nation’s #2 Wooden Roller
Coaster; in the same survey, readers named Holiday World the #1 Friendliest
Park.
In 1999, a new area opened in the 4th of July section.
Holidog’s FunTown includes Holidog’s Treehouse, America’s biggest family-play
super-structure; The Howler family roller coaster, Doggone Trail jeep rides,
Magic Waters, and more.
For the park’s 55th season in 2000, Holiday World unveiled The
Legend wooden roller coaster. Themed after The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the
new coaster creates a wild ride through the woods of the Halloween section
and through part of Splashin’ Safari. Amusement Today readers in 2000
voted Holiday World the #1 Friendliest Park and the #1 Cleanest Park. The
legend was voted the #7 best wooden coaster in the world and The Raven was
voted the #1 wooden coaster in the world.
In 2001, Amusement Today readers again voted Holiday World the #1
Friendliest Park and the #1 Cleanest Park. The Raven was again voted the #1
wooden coaster in the world and The Legend moved up the list to the #5 best
wooden coaster in the world. Readers also voted Splashin’ Safari the #3 water
park in the world. Holiday World is the only park featuring two roller
coasters ranked in the top-five.
In 2002, a new ride was added to Splashin' Safari. It's the largest
enclosed water slide in the world...The ZOOMbabwe!
Throughout its half-century of existence, Holiday World has set high
standards for the theme park industry, with beautiful grounds and
landscaping, plus a steadfast adherence to the values established in the
company’s cornerstones: safety, service, cleanliness and friendliness.
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Lake Rudolph & RV Resort History
Kringle Place Shopping Center History |
Koch Development Corporation History
Koch Enterprises History |
Santa Claus, Indiana History
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