Huck Finn's Tree Fort

[kerrydale]

I went for the first time in 1984 and I remember Injun Joe's Cave...then when our family went back in 1989 I remember the Infinity Room...does that help anyone's timeline?

[rubedugans]

YES!!! It echoes the memories that I have and allows me to know that I am not going crazy (well not too badly at least)

[kerrydale]

I just remember my brother and I going into the Tree Fort together in 1989 and being amazed by all there was to do up there...we didn't go back as a family until 2001 and by then we were both way too old to climb up the trunk!

[coalesce99]

I seem to remember punching bags...

Also I'll never forget that crazy song that was playing in there. Also the lights in the cave.

[Zephon]

I don't know about "Injun Joe's" but I can say with assurance that the "Infinity Room" was there in 1976.  I patrolled that area and had to go in there from time to time to roust out teenagers that would hide in there and grope women as they came through.  Fact.

[coalesce99]

I put this one in "My Old Photos" too, but I figured I better go ahead and put it here, too.

Looking in the mirror...are those the guns at the opposite end?

[DollarCityBoy]

This was a picture I took on our last visit to SDC the weekend after Thanksgiving 2010. I took the picture, thinking to myself, "Man I hope this isn't the last picture I take of Huck Finn's Hideout." We shall find out in March!

[Zephon]

Yes, coalesce99, those are air guns, which guests used to shoot at old clothes hanging on a line outside the windows.  That was one of the later renditions of the treehouse before it was closed down.

[Junior]

Zephon is right. The airguns went in about '80 or '81, if I remember correctly.

[GeyserGulch33]

I am guessing the slide at the treehouse was there the first couple of years.  It wasn't that long of a slide, probably 20 to 25 feet.  It might not have been totally concrete, but to the best of my memory it was.  The slide started at what was later the infinity room to the best of my knowledge.

20 to 25 feet? Wasn't that long?!?! Hello! It makes what kids typically play on nowadays look tiny!

Not sure If'n I spurred that thought in you, but if not Junior...were on the same page here!

Enjoy ya'all...this might be the last view of the interior that you'll ever have!

When were those from? I don't remember that bridge (or the treehouse) being there, even in the late '90s (the only things similar to that I remember were entered by a wide climbing rope that was pretty hard to get up to and said "DO NOT ENTER" or "WRONG WAY" or something like that on a sign if you tried to go down that way; and also a little structure very close to the ground that had a small sailor's wheel and you would exit via four very wide metal cylindrical slides that were no more than 3 feet off the ground).

[History Buff]

GG, this is the original treehouse in the park.  This treehouse is actually in the trees (a false tree anyway).  It is not in the "Huck and Tom" area of the park, where the most recent slides and ropes have been removed.  It is up the hill from the Christmas store and has been there for dozens of years.  As you will find in these discussions, the structure is unsafe and is not very accessible by folks who are overweight or handicapped.  It is still there, with a working ghost trap beside it (one of the subtleties that gives the park character).  Look for it the next time you visit.

[pintrader]

20 to 25 feet? Wasn't that long?!?! Hello! It makes what kids typically play on nowadays look tiny!

Well to tell the truth GG, I was 8 or 9 yrs old the last time I laid eyes on that old slide, which was about 42 yrs ago.  At that age things seem a lot bigger or longer when you think back and try to remember them.  But I would still have to say it was very close to that distance, because it went from what was later known as the infinity room to the outside of the treehouse .

[sanddunerider]

well we all miss the tree house and it special effect on us.  Wouldnt it be great if they did a remake or a complete rebuild for us all to enjoy.. 

would make another great "kid" attraction , Because i know none of adults would ever go in.!

[Swoosh]

Sorry I'd rather they tear it down then sock money into it.  It is way past its prime.

[History Buff]

At risk of having vegetables thrown at me, I must agree with Swoosh.  Though I have memories of the treehouse, I can't say it had a nostalgic effect on me.  I liked aspects of it, but never considered it anything special.  In fact, I think my favorite part was the narrow spiral stairs that led up the trunk.  I don't mind that it's still there, but I think they could point it out more and at least decorate it for Christmas.

It would be interesting to see some of the actual pieces from inside show up in HDH, but I seriously doubt they would match the decor.