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Santa Claus
9781467110860
Regular price $24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Santa Claus, Indiana, acquired its famous name in 1856 and has been celebrating the spirit of Christmas ever since.
Postmaster James Martin began answering children's letters to Santa and his elves in 1914, a tradition that continues to this day and makes Santa Claus a favored destination for those seeking the holiday spirit. The town's unique name prompted Robert Ripley to feature it in his popular cartoon strip, and businessmen such as Carl Barrett and Milton Harris raced to erect Christmas attractions as early as 1935. Beating Walt Disney by nearly a decade, Louis J. Koch opened Santa Claus Land, the nation's first theme park, in 1946. Today, visitors still flock to Santa Claus to share in the magic of "America's Christmas Hometown."
Holiday World
9780738540658
Regular price $24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Louis J. Koch had a dream--one of family, fun, and Christmastime year-round. And so he created Santa Claus Land, the nation's first theme park, in Santa Claus, located in the gentle rolling hills of southern Indiana. Now, six decades later, Koch's legacy lives on at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari. Still owned and operated by the Koch family, Holiday World and Splashin' Safari are consistently voted the friendliest and cleanest parks in the country, and their wooden roller coasters are rated in the top ten list among coaster enthusiasts. The Koch family members treat visitors to the park as family and welcome everyone into what has become a true extension of their home.
Michigan City's Washington Park
9780738583389
Regular price $24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The sand dunes stretched higher than many skyscrapers, with the remnants of an abandoned lumber industry at their feet. The sandy, overgrown land was nothing that Michigan City residents cared to develop, let alone visit.
The area was largely forgotten until Mayor Martin Krueger decided that his town would have a park and bathing beach. In a few short years, the deserted area was transformed into a family amusement center on Lake Michigan's southern shores. These beginnings helped shape the Michigan City community. However, the lakeside park and bathing beach of today barely resemble the famous amusement area of the early 1900s. Somewhere along this town's history, its greatest asset of that early time--its amusement park--transformed into a natural beauty that is still treasured by families today, though nostalgia remains for the park of the past. Michigan City's Washington Parks traces those lost amusement years with images and the complete amazing tale, from the building of the large wooden roller coaster with a lake view to the communal turn toward a nature park.
