This casino erased a fake frontier town built on stolen Cherokee stories

Frontier Land’s Twenty-Year Wild West Show in Cherokee

In 1964, Frontier Land brought the Wild West to Cherokee, North Carolina. Built on 140 acres of tribal land, this $1 million park was the brainchild of R.B. Coburn and Disney designer Russell Pearson.

For just two bucks, folks rode steam trains into a world with three zones: Indian Territory, Fort Cherokee, and Deadwood Gulch.

The park thrilled guests with mock attacks, war dances, and rides for 20 years until it shut down in 1982.

After brief life as a water park, the land sat empty until 1997 when Harrah’s Cherokee Casino opened, changing the tribe’s future. The casino now stands where cowboys and Indians once played.

R.B. Coburn Built a Million-Dollar Wild West Dream in Cherokee

R. B. Coburn opened Frontier Land in 1964 after his success with Ghost Town in the Sky.

He hired former Disney designer Russell Pearson to create a real Wild West experience on 140 acres of land rented from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The park cost over $1 million to build, worth about $9 million today.

Coburn bet on America’s love of Western TV shows and movies that were huge hits in the 1950s and 60s.

Steam Trains and Gondolas Welcomed Families to the Old West

Frontier Land kept prices cheap with adults paying just $2 and kids $1. Visitors could start their adventure two different ways.

Most people rode a custom-built 1860s-style steam train that chugged through the entrance, setting the Old West mood right away. Others took a gondola ride above the park for a bird’s-eye view of the Western world below.

Both options made guests feel like they were traveling back in time.

Cherokee Culture Came to Life in Indian Territory

The park built over 20 Native American-style structures in the Indian Territory section. Visitors watched local artists make Cherokee baskets, pottery, and beadwork.

Performers did traditional dances wearing colorful outfits daily.

Though meant to show Cherokee culture, the shows often mixed in elements from other tribes to match what tourists thought “Indian life” looked like.

This area became one of the most photographed spots in the park.

Ten Thousand Cypress Logs Created a Real Frontier Fort

Fort Cherokee stood as the park’s biggest structure, built with 10,000 cypress logs shipped from Florida. Workers made the fort look exactly like a military outpost from the 1800s.

It had guard towers, a parade ground, barracks, and a commander’s house.

Several times daily, crowds watched staged “Indian attacks” on the fort, complete with dramatic music. The fort walls gave great views of other park attractions.

Deadwood Gulch Turned Back the Clock to 1860

Deadwood Gulch was a complete Western town with 15 buildings along a dirt main street.

The town had a working blacksmith who made horseshoes, a gunsmith shop with old weapons, and a doctor’s office with old-time medical tools. You could also see a saloon, general store, jail, and bank.

Staff wore old-time clothes as they walked the streets greeting visitors. Many buildings housed small museums with real frontier items.

Cowboys and Indians Battled Daily for Cheering Crowds

Live shows kept Frontier Land buzzing all day long. Performers did “war dances” several times daily.

The attacks on Fort Cherokee became the park’s main show, with stuntmen taking dramatic falls from the fort walls. Gunfight shows broke out in Deadwood Gulch on schedule, with actors playing famous Western characters.

The park hired over 50 performers during busy season, many of them local Cherokee tribal members who got steady summer jobs through these roles.

Thrill Rides Mixed With Western Fun for Complete Family Entertainment

Frontier Land added classic amusement park rides to its history displays. Kids and parents enjoyed bumper cars made to look like old-time carriages.

A wooden roller coaster called “The Gold Rush” thrilled more daring visitors. The park later added a small Ferris wheel and carousel.

Food stands sold Western meals like “Cowboy Chili” and “Indian Fry Bread. ” Gift shops sold toy guns, cowboy hats, and Native American souvenirs that kids loved taking home.

Park Attendance Dropped as the Western Craze Faded

After nearly 20 years, Frontier Land saw fewer and fewer visitors. By the late 1970s, Americans lost interest in Western themes.

TV westerns lost popularity as new shows took over. High gas prices during the energy crisis meant fewer family road trips.

The park tried adding new attractions but couldn’t stop the drop in visitors. Frontier Land closed for good in 1982, marking the end of an era for Cherokee tourism.

Water Slides Replaced Wagon Wheels in a Failed Reinvention

The owners tried to save their business by changing the property to Water World in 1983. They took out most Western attractions and put in water slides, wave pools, and splash areas.

The changes cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but didn’t bring enough visitors. Water World lasted just three years before closing in 1986.

The quick failure showed how hard it was to attract tourists to Cherokee as bigger, newer parks opened across the Southeast.

Empty Land Stood as a Monument to Changing Times

From 1986 until the mid-1990s, the once-bustling Frontier Land property sat empty and unused. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians maintained ownership of the land but struggled to find a viable use for it.

Buildings deteriorated, rides were dismantled and sold off, and nature began reclaiming parts of the 140-acre site.

This period coincided with tough economic times for the Cherokee community, with unemployment reaching over 30% on the reservation. Various development proposals came and went without action.

Harrah’s Casino Transformed the Land and the Tribe’s Future

In 1994, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians started negotiations with North Carolina to establish a casino on the former Frontier Land site.

These talks led to a compact allowing Class III gaming on tribal land. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino opened in 1997, bringing new life to the property.

The casino created over 1,000 jobs and generated millions in revenue for tribal programs.

Today, the resort covers the entire former Frontier Land site, with no visible traces of the Western park that once stood there.

Visiting Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

Today you can visit Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort at 777 Casino Drive, where Frontier Land once entertained families with Wild West shows and attractions from 1964 to 1982.

The casino requires you to be 21 or older to enter its 150,000 square foot gaming floor with table games and sports betting.

You can eat at Gordon Ramsay Food Market or Guy Fieri’s Cherokee Kitchen + Bar, and explore Cherokee culture at the nearby Museum of the Cherokee People.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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