Knott's Mural: The Timeline Under the Overpass

September 5, 2025

Today, we will be sharing a hidden gem located just outside of Knott’s Berry Farm. It’s the tunnel under Beach Blvd that connects Grand Avenue to the east parking lot. Construction began on this tunnel back in 1959 to provide access to vehicles to the parking lot and a walkway for park guests. Today, the tunnel provides access for park guests to move between the park, Knott’s Soak City Water Park, Independence Hall, and the parking lot. But it isn’t just a tunnel.

After many years, the tunnel has been revitalized with a new mural. This artwork pays tribute to Knott’s past and present, featuring many beloved characters and attractions. Longtime fans may recall that this underpass once had a mural on the pedestrian side, which was removed shortly after Cedar Fair took over.

For the park’s 100th anniversary, a new mural now decorates the vehicle side of the tunnel, celebrating the park’s history. It looks absolutely fantastic!

We will describe the images on the mural from left to right, section by section, to get a better idea of who and what is represented here. By the end, we will have taken a good look at this snapshot of Knott's past and present through this mural timeline.

First, you will find a Pterodactyl, Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and glowing clocks. These are from Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, which opened on May 23, 1987. This was a journey into the past featuring 21 fully animated creatures and environmental special effects. The attraction closed in 2004.

The white tower in the back is Supreme Scream, which debuted in 1998 and still today transports thrill-seekers straight up 252 feet in the air, before propelling them back down at speeds topping 50 mph, experiencing three seconds of total weightlessness! The excitement doesn’t end there, as riders will bounce halfway back up the structure before finally returning to the launch pad.

The Volcano was originally built by Walter Knott in 1939, but the version shown here is what it looked like when it was moved in 1952, near Marion and Toni Knott's Sport Shop.

The wooden rollercoaster in the back is GhostRider, which also opened in 1998 and is the longest, tallest, and fastest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast and is the largest attraction at Knott’s Berry Farm.

And, along the bottom of the entire mural, you’ll find boysenberry bushes.

In this next section, the man on the left is Sad-Eye Joe, who can be found in the peak-in located at the jail in Ghost Town. His head was carved by artist Andy Anderson and put on display in the park in 1941.

Next to Joe is Sheriff Bryce Wheeler (aka Deadwood), as portrayed by the late Michael “MB” Hardy, who was a fan favorite at the Farm, portraying several characters over the years. He passed away in the summer of 2024.

Behind them is the Knott’s Berry Farm version of Independence Hall, complete with Italian cypress trees and the U.S.A. and California State Flags as found in front of the building at Knott’s. (To hear more about Independence Hall, check out our episode from July 4th.)

The train next to them is the Denver and Rio Grande Western Number 340 steam locomotive, which was America’s last operating narrow-gauge railroad. Walter Knott bought this train in 1952.

The TNT is a reference to the explosion that happens in the Calico Mine Ride, which can be seen behind the lumberjack, with the mountain and the train loading building represented.

The harmonica player, banjo player, and the lumberjack guy with the axe are references to the Timber Mountain Log Ride; they can all be found on Jeff Delgado’s attraction poster for that ride, created in 2019 for the ride’s 50th anniversary, along with a few other characters we’ll point out later. There was a Facebook post by Knott’s Berry Farm of this poster, where it describes the people as “some of our favorite Log Ride residents.”

The guy with the gun, smoking a pipe, is Handsome Brady, who sits on a bench with Whiskey Bill (represented below) in front of Gold Trails Hotel in the park. These two characters were added to the park in 1947 and were the first of a handful of sculptures created by Claude Bell at the request of Walter Knott.

Handsome Brady and Whiskey Bill are also sitting together on the mural, but with a barrel in between them, in which a raccoon is holding an apple.

The raccoon, the man behind him with the log saw, and the two women behind and beside Whiskey Bill are all from the Timber Mountain Log Ride poster.

Behind them is the fountain that is located in Charleston Circle in front of Knott’s Bear-y Tales. It was originally a prop in the film Hello Dolly in 1969 before being purchased by Walter Knott and put into what was then known as the Roaring 20’s area of the park.

Behind the fountain is the building for the lift hill on the Timber Mountain Log Ride.

The large character with his name, Whittles, on his hat, is based on a creation by Pete Winters of Orange’s Paul Mitchell Advertising Agency in 1960. Knott’s had requested a friendly character to be created to represent the Farm, and the character known as “The Old Timer” was created and put into employee paperwork, as well as ticket books, park signage, and advertising. In the spring of 1973, “The Old Timer” was transformed into a walk-around character named Whittles. He went away for a while, but an updated costume was created in 2021, and is still available for photos in the park today.

The wooden character to the right of Whittles is the Catawampus. The creature was created in 1939 and placed near the Knott Volcano. It was originally made of a branch, a scrub brush, and a set of ram horns. The current version, which looks like the one in the painting, was updated by wood artist Forrest Morrow in 1964, and is now found under the windmill at the Livery Barn in Calico.

Behind the Catawampus are two employees, one dressed in a Camp Snoopy uniform, the other in a guest services uniform. They can also be found in Jeff Delgado’s art celebrating the park’s 100th anniversary, called Knott’s Family Reunion.

Behind them, a log vehicle with four guests is going down the final drop of Timber Mountain Log Ride, which opened in 1969 and was renovated in 2013.

The bandit with the red handkerchief over his face represents one of the bandits that hold up the Calico train pictured above.

The two bears are Girlsen Bear and Boysen Bear from Knott’s Bear-y Tales, originally opened in 1975, but was replaced with Kingdom of the Dinosaurs. In 2021, Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair premiered.

Above them are two more park employees, one dressed in the uniform for Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, and the other for GhostRider.

Behind them is the arch of Xcelerator, which opened in 2000.

The woman with pink dress is a Calico Saloon Girl.

The young man behind her is dressed in the uniform they used to wear at the Haunted Shack.

The older couple at the center of this mural is Cordelia and Walter Knott, with the Knott's Berry Farm logo on a wooden wheel that reads: Est. 1920.

Behind them is the original berry stand.

The man behind the Knotts to the right is an employee dressed in the Boardwalk uniform, like you would see at the loading area for HangTime.

The large white beagle and oversized young man represent the costumed walk-around character versions of Charles Schulz’s Snoopy and Charlie Brown. You can find them in Camp Snoopy, which opened in 1983.

Far behind them is the Knott’s Sky Cabin Tower, depicted back when it was also the Sky Jump, a parachute drop ride that closed in 1999.

The employee to their right is dressed in the uniform found on the ushers at the Walter Knott Theater (formerly Charles Schulz Theater, Good Time Theater, and John Wayne Theater).

Next to her is the Old Prospector and his mule. They used to walk around Ghost Town, but today, a statue of them can be seen from the corner of Beach Boulevard and La Palma Avenue.

Behind them are two bakery employees,

Behind them is HangTime, which opened in 2018.

To the right is the legendary Bigfoot, representing the former namesake of Calico River Rapids, back when it was Bigfoot Rapids from 1988-2019.

On the bench next to Bigfoot sit the Calico Belles, from another one of artist Claude Bell’s bench people statues. These ladies were modeled after Marilyn Schuler and Cecelia Peterson, two Calico Saloon entertainers. The sculptures were put into the park in 1954 and are usually found in front of the Calico Candy Shop. The colors in the painting match closer to the original versions than what is found in the park today.

Behind them are two citizens of Ghost Town, Ike Mayfield is on the left with the red bandana around his neck, and Flint Stahlak is on the right with the safety pin in hat.

Behind them is the General Blacksmithing shop that is in Ghost Town today.

To the right of the blacksmith shop is Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant, along with the giant white chicken with the green sash that stood outside the restaurant for years.

In the background is Silver Bullet, which opened in 2004.

In the foreground is a woman holding the folding fan - that is Miss Cameo Kate, from the Burle-Q Revue show at the Bird Cage Theater.

To her left (our right) is a Wells Fargo Stage Lines stagecoach, which is one of the six stagecoaches used on the Butterfield Stagecoach attraction in the park.

The totem pole behind them is located between the Bottle House and the stage at Indian Trails.

Behind the horses drawing that stagecoach is Cloud 9, which according to the signs, is currently playing Sea Dream 3-D. Cloud 9 opened in 1976 in a building that was previously used as stables for the horses of the Butterfield Stagecoach Line. The show Sea Dream 3-D was created for Marineland in Florida in 1978, but was run in Cloud 9 to compete with Disneyland’s Captain EO in 1987. Sea Dream 3-D was a 23-minute quasi-documentary film, featuring a number of spectacular into-the-lens 3-D shots, both above and below sea level. It is now the Boardwalk Ballroom, which is used for corporate events and Knott’s Scary Farm shows.

In front of Cloud 9 is a raft from Calico River Rapids, and behind Cloud 9 is Montezooma’s Revenge, originally opened in 1978, but closed in 2022 for renovations. It is due to reopen sometime in 2025.

To the right is a bear and prospector having his hat removed by a squirrel, they are both also found on the 50th anniversary poster for Timber Mountain Log Ride.

Behind them is the original entrance of Knott’s Bear-y Tales, and also the entrance of Soap Box Racers, complete with cartoon cat over the old entrance sign. Soap Box Racers opened in 1980 but closed in 1996.

There is also a spinning ride vehicle for Hat Dance, which is still in Fiesta Village.

To the right is a woman in a traditional Mexican dress.

Behind her are the tracks for Jaguar, followed by the entrance to the ride, which debuted in 1995.

To her left (our right) is the angel fountain that used to be in front of Casa California in Fiesta Village before the area was refurbished in 2023. In front of the fountain is a bush of marigolds, symbolic of the sun, life, and death in Mexican cultures.

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We hope you enjoyed this review of the mural and the stroll through the visual history of Knott’s Berry Farm. Be sure to take a little detour to the tunnel to get a closer look at this amazing mural.

Just a reminder: if you want to see the details that were discussed in today’s episode, head over to our Facebook Group: Where In The Park Explorers. There you can join the conversation and even share your own pictures and stories! Until next time, we’ll see you somewhere in the park!