Wild West City, Netcong, NJ History & Memorabilia

Wild West City is a Western theme family amusement park that continues in full operation in 2022.
We encourage you to spend a day at Wild West City, the website link is at the bottom of this page.

This page of our Netcong, New Jersey historical website celebrates the history and memorabilia of the park.
This page is not associated with Wild West City, and all trademarks are theirs alone.


1960 Wild West City Grand Parade of horses, cowboys, cowgirls, stagecoaches and covered wagons

From the time of the 1890s, the Lake Hopatcong region was a premier summer resort area for the entire northeastern United States. In the early years grand hotels dotted the shore of the lake, and the wealthy & famous summered in large "cottages" they built around the shoreline, homes so large they would be classified as mansions anywhere else.

The 1930s brought a leveling of the playing field as beaches and attractions opened that catered to everyone. In the aftermath of World War II, the growing availability of personal cars put many resort areas within a few hours drive of the crowded New York / New Jersey Metro area. Vacation hotels and parks in the Catskills and the Poconos became popular, as well as many dozens of small amusement parks and novelty attractions, marketed to a population with growing leisure time and income in the midst of having children.

Movies and television of the 1940s and 1950s popularized the Western genre, and every small child wanted to have a cowboy outfit. As a result over a dozen amusement parks with a "Western Cowboy theme"  opened around the United States during this time, and the "Skyland's" vacation area of northwest New Jersey, which already had "Triple Lakes Dude Ranch" in Succasunna, saw the opening of its own Western theme amusement park.

Wild West City opened in 1957 on a plot of land in Byram Township, just several miles north of Netcong. If advertised its location as Netcong, New Jersey. The layout was modeled after Dodge City, Kansas, and the building facades were historically accurate.

Live action shows with horses took place throughout the day, along with mock gunfights, bank robberies, stagecoach hold-ups and horse rustling. - ALL of the images on this page are over 45 years old - date from earlier than 1975 !!


A window stick-on decal sold in 1967

The shows at Wild West City were live, and in an era when Americans were watching Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, "America's Singing Sweethearts" on TV, Dot & Bill Greene were the local substitute at Wild West City.

The postcard above is circa 1964 (yes, area codes were in use then), and Dot & Bill autographed it on the back.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU, 'TILL WE MEET AGAIN !!


This button is early, circa 1960, about 2 inches across, and was an inexpensive souvenir for the kids to bring home

Looks like Texas Jim Robertson was a singing cowboy who also practiced his craft in New Jersey.

All the kids got the proverbial 'Tin Badge'


Leather Prospectors Pouch
Keychain


WHOA!! Looks like some some bandits are robbing the stagecoach !! Put your hand in the air !! Try not to grin !!
 


Felt banner, 14 inches long, circa 1970, pristine stored

These postcards were sold as souvenirs, the scan below is from the back of the card above. A historical artifact of the 1960's.
 Chief Iron Horse may be a bit lost in Jersey, his headdress and teepee are the style of the Great Plains Native Americans, not the Lenape Delaware Nation of this area.

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Caption on the back of this circa 1964 postcard: THE SLAYING OF THE FRONTIERSMAN'S SON

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 Wild West City website:  www.wildwestcity.com

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