Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut

Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut (June 13, 1918 – January 5, 2011)[1] was a designer, builder, entrepreneur, and one of the first creators of theme parks in the United States.

[1] The family moved to Whittier, California, where Ray managed a successful oil tool company.

[3][4] Hurlbut's amusement park experience began with designing and building small-scale trains for people to ride.

[6] 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.

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.

[9][10][11][12][13] Hurlbut sold his ranch, his home, and his new Cadillac to raise money to build the experiment.

As a gift, Hurlbut created an exact replica of the Liberty Bell and gave it to Knott,[14][15][16] which is still on display in the hall.

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.