What began as a simple hobby to keep a millionaire entertained blossomed into something that all of the community has come to enjoy. Silverwood theme park has a history that many people would not have even imagined. This dream of one simple, whimsical man turned into memories and fun for millions of families. Founded on the sole idea of fun, Silverwood theme park has already one thing going for it. Then add on the different attractions, food, and entertainment Silverwood becomes the total package. However, Silverwood was not always like this, many painstaking hours went into the creation of this place. Time, money, and dedication are only three words of many that describe the rough start that Silverwood …show more content…
All began with a man named Clayton “Clay” Henley. This man was the founder of Henley Aerodrome just South of Athol in Northern, Idaho. This place was transformed into one of Clay’s dreams; one wing was a private airport and the other became an antique plane museum. In 1972, Henley opened the airport to the public and many people were wary of it. Being the black sheep of local airfields, local Spokane flying schools prevented their students from using it. Little did they know that this piece of land was destined to become something so much more. When Henley passed away in 1977, the aerodrome was up for the taking. Owned by many little companies, they knew it was going to be difficult to sell. That was until the millionaire Gary Norton came along and payed to have the land in his possession in its …show more content…
He wanted to expand his love for old craft and sought out to find an old train. Luckily, he came across a 1915 steam train and decided that this was the perfect addition to his “park”. Next was the task of laying over three miles of track so that the train could ride all around the place. Bored with just the train, Norton made the decision that the train needed a town to chug through. However, with Norton’s imagination this town was no small project. Having a love of the old Victorian style houses, Norton took this style and ran with it. Intricate, elegant designs were all in the grand plan and with Norton’s attention to detail everything had to be and would be perfect. Skimping on money and design was not an option for Norton. Little did Norton know however, that all this planning and designing were just the beginning of what would soon become a