Fun Facts about SDC:
-When Herman the Hermit's Tree Top House originally opened, guests could exit by walking down a flight of stairs, or by sliding down a huge slide!
-When Jim Owen's Float Trip Ride was dismantled to make way for the American Plunge, the lift used to stop and release boats for loading was moved over to the Flooded Mine and used there!
-Grandfather's Mansion originally was a much smaller "gravity house" attraction called Slantin' Sam the Miner Shack! (The basement playroom of Grandfather's Mansion is the original room left over from Slantin' Sam's.)
-In the winter prior to Silver Dollar City's opening, Pete Herschend arrived on the construction site early on a cold morning in February, started a wood heat fire in a stove, left the building for a short while to eat breakfast, and the mill, print shop and photo gallery were accidentally burned down! (They were rebuilt in time for the grand opening in May, 1960.)
-Portions of American Plunge, Wildfire, and Powder Keg footprints cover the majority of the trails used for the Butterfield Stagecoach Ride!
-The Oak Trail Schoolhouse used to be located where the furniture factory is!
-The Apple Butter Cabin was originally built on the town square for a fall crafts festival showcase, packed with furniture and arts and crafts made by SDC craftsmen! The cabin and contents were offered for sale, but there were no takers, so the cabin was moved to it's present location, and has been used for various shops since.
-The original entrance to the park...when it was known as Marvel Cave Park...was in the vicinity of where the Grand Exposition is now! The small nursing cabin adjacent to Red/Gold Hall is what is left of an old cabin dating back to when the Lynch Sister ran the cave, I believe it was rented out for overnight lodging for guests, and later, it was once lived in by Shad Heller and his wife. Later the cabin was used as a security office before being seriously remodeled into the nursing station it is now.
-In 1960 the entire SDC staff consisted of 17 people!
-When Mary Herschend went to People's Bank of Branson for a loan to build SDC, she surprised the bank president by paying off the loan in full at the end of the year!
More fun facts to come at a later time. In the meantime, add your own, if you know some!