By Jim Tortolano
Orange County is Ground Zero of themed amusement parks. The first one in the nation, arguably, was Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. The first major park was Anaheim’s Disneyland, and the OC has seen water parks, safari parks, alligator farms and more.
But the most unusual park, and the one whose decline is most shrouded in tragedy, is the Japanese Village and Deer Park in Buena Park. What started as a place of tranquility met its end amidst an episode of heartbreak.
The Deer Park opened in 1967 on a 32-acre site on Knott Avenue, close by the Santa Ana Freeway. It was the brainchild of Allen Parkinson, who also owned the Movieland Wax Museum on Beach Boulevard in Buena Park.
Inspired by a deer park in Nara, Japan, Parkinson brought a little corner of Nippon to Orange County. It featured koi ponds, a five-acre Japanese garden, a classic tea house, pearl divers and martial arts exhibitions.
But the principal attractions of the park were the beautiful deer, 300 of which were imported from Japan. Tourists could buy biscuits and hand-feed the tame creatures.
Other animals featured were white doves, large carp fish and in the Sea Theater, dolphins, sea lions and bears provided entertainment.
Sound like a pretty good idea for a Pacific Rim area? Maybe, maybe not, at least not then. The park was sold to a Newport Beach firm in 1970, and then sold again in 1972, to Six Flags.
Declining attendance was cited as reason for closing the park in 1975, but not before tragedy struck. More than 200 deer tested positive for tuberculosis and eventually the whole herd was destroyed.
The park had a new life, though, in 1976 when it was re-opened as Enchanted Village where hundreds of creatures, from giraffes to tarantulas, were exhibited. The innovative ‘friendly” style of interaction with animals – as opposed to the presentation of animals in zoos – by new operators headed by animal trainer Ralph Helfer was different, but the attendance didn’t meet the cost of the renovations and daily operation.
Enchanted Village closed in the fall of 1977 and its Bridge of Enchantment, Wilderness Theater and Amazon Cliff Divers passed into history. Most of the area once occupied by the deer park and village has since been developed into a business park.
Sources: Wikipedia, micechat.com and “Early Amusement Parks of Orange County,” by Richard Harris.
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So Sad. We visited in the early 70’s the place was magical.
I remember this theme park. Although I was very young at the time, I still remember how nice it was.
I spoke to my older brother about this last night, he reminded me of his long running joke he made up after visiting here. “Where Bambi goes, nothing grows” He’s awful but he does remember it too.
I remember this park with great fondness…at the time I had a green stick fracture and walked on a heal cast.
The smell was beautiful , incense was Japonese and immersive and mood setting.
I loved the pearl divers…they were fantastic.
The deer were so friendly , you could purchase rabbit pellets from gumball machines the deer knew the sound…I miss the food too…my father studied shotokan in Japan for sevenyears. I often wondered if dad had a child over there…..wouldn’t that be nice.
I’ve read that Sho Kosugi used to be a part of a group which did martial arts demonstrations there. What a cool time to have been there!
I worked there and sold gold elephant shit for the man who had everything. It was spray painted gold and came in a plastic box. The stand was next to where the kids did a tug o war against an elephant and of course the elephant always won and would drag them into the mud
My Grandma and grandpa took my sister and I. Great memories of the beautiful pearl divers and deer and doves in a large enclosure. Maybe this park at such a young age of 6 led me down the trail of being attracted to Asian women. Married a Japanese lady from Tokyo. Just saying. Thanks for the beautiful article.
I read that the deer didn’t have tuberculosis, but the owners gave them lethal injections due to economic difficulties. I read it here:
http://www.ocalmanac.com/History/hi01i.htm
Went here 70s, so Beautiful, great memories, took my baby sister …
I still have a sticker from Japanese Village. I barely remember the park, I was 5 or 6 when we went. I lived in Orange off Tustin and Katella
I have pictures of myself and my family in 8×10 of feeding those beautiful fish back then. I treasure those memories. I’m 61 know and purchased a Japanese slot machine. Because, I remember watching it being played there. I found one and purchased it, get this at a Gemco. I found a place that would restore it but never got around to do it. So, it sits and get dusty. The silver marbles I’ve replaced over the years. It can be hooked up to electricity. Cute machine.