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Archive List Friday, May 23, 2008Carson City and Indian VillageGigi Elmes on Flickr has posted this picture of an uncovered billboard in upstate New York. It seems that at one time there was a "Carson City and Indian Village" in the Catskills. It probably was some kind of schlocky Old West town where you overpaid to watch a gunfight and drink sarsaparilla in the saloon. The Catskills were full of these places, as evidenced by this 1993 article in the New York Times. Clyde Peeling's Reptiland, House of Frankenstein Wax Museum, Secret Caverns, Catskill Game Farm, and the ubiquitous Mystery Spot. Carson City undoubtedly is closed now, since I can find very little about it on the web. But I did find this postcard of the place, presumably in its prime. A grim row of buildings in a dusty clearing in the forest, a couple of buckaroos and a horse. Not really selling the place very well. Update: I tracked down a little more info, but not much. This article says Carson City was owned by Arthur Gillette, who sold it in 1979. It was closed in "the mid- or late-1990s". I found a description of Carson City in the book "Let's Take The Kids!".
The site was sold at some point for $750,000. It is now being developed into a residential neighborhood called "Carson City Homes". Searching for "Carson City, NY" on Google Maps brings up the approximate location. CommentsPost A Comment |
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Greempa said:
on Friday, May 23, 2008 at 07:39 PM
I don't recall going to Carson City, New York, but I noticed the sign said it was 2 miles north of the "Game Farm". I can definately remember going to the Catskill Game Farm. What I remember most about the Game Farm was the parking lot. As you parked, a guy would follow the line of parking cars and slap a Catskill Game Farm bumper sticker on your car after you walked away. Well, Pop Pop saw that, and waited for the guy to get to our car, where he proceeded to tell him to stay clear of our car...or else! Ah, the things you remember from childhood...
karen pisani (site) (Guest) said:
on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 03:19 PM
My husband and I took our two children to Carson City every August for years. I think it was about 1985 until it closed. They have great memories of it. Does anyone remember the train where you got held up and told " Give me your Bubble Gum". My kids loved the gun fight and going into all the buildings, ie the jail, the doctor's office. They also loved the horse ride around the corral. We also went and saw the can can show each year. And we couldn't leave without going through the gift shop so my son could get a holster and gun. What fun! It's a shame that both Carson City and Caskill Game Farm is gone. We also always stopped on rte 32 to ride the go carts on the way up. That's all overgrown now. Also, does anyone remember the "MYSTERY SPOT"? Still do not know what that was. Give me your input.
Anonymous (Guest) said:
on Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 03:07 PM
I too saw that sign just this weekend! I commented to my husband that we should take our daughter up there some time this summer. Here I am looking it up and I came across this page. I am so sad now that it's closed. Everything that's fun like this is closed now. Another piece of our childhood gone.
I remember Howe Caverns from when I was small and lo and behold they are still there. We are definitely going there.
Anonymous (Guest) said:
on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 06:28 PM
I used to go to Carson City, Mystery Spot and the Catskill Game Farm all the time when I was a kid. It's really sad that these places are closed now. A part of my childhood is gone and there's nothing here for future generations. There was also a place for you to mine your own gold (I think it may have been part of Mystery Spot) but that too is gone. Mystery Spot had your requisite crooked house and ball rolling in the opposite direction, and yes you were right in your description of Carson City being 'schlocky' and 'overpriced'. The train and stagecoach robberies were always for bubble gum, haha. But ah, I'm getting nostalgic :)
Mark (Guest) said:
on Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Wow!
I'm 45ish now, but my dad took the family up the Catskills every summer. We stayed at the Edgemere House just up the hill from the town of Catskill, and I remember going to Carson City a number of times. We also did the Catskill Game Farm and Howes' Caverns too. I remember taking the lift to the top of Hunter MT in the middle of the summer just to do it.
I try and give my family now memories that will last as long.
Great stuff!
Mark
Anita (Guest) said:
on Friday, August 8, 2008 at 04:07 AM
Does anyone have photos of the men that use to put on the shows?
Anita (Guest) said:
on Friday, August 8, 2008 at 04:08 AM
Does anyone have photos of the men that use to put on the shows?
Mark (Guest) said:
on Monday, August 25, 2008 at 07:32 PM
yeah, I'm 45 too and my parents took me and my older brother upstate every August. I remember the gunfights at Carson City and the catskill Game farm. My daughter is 5 now. When she was born I wanted to give her the same good times of the beauty of upstate New York too. I did take her when she was 9 months old to the game farm, it was nostalgic for me, I didn't remember it so well afterall, what I remember most was how crowded it was back then. Well another year had passed and I wanted to take my daughter again, but by then I discovered they had closed up due to financial reasons. All I can say is that I gave it a shot, but then they closed. I remember at carson city, my father was getting restless waiting for the indian actors to begin their show. But my mom was stubborn, she wanted us kids to see it and she wouldn't budge. We used to stay at the Red Ranch Motel so many times. Well, while driving up a couple of years ago with daughter, I saw that the huge dairy farm that I remembered as a kid was still there on the other side of the road from the motel, amazing!