Walter Knott

Walter Marvin Knott (December 11, 1889 – December 3, 1981) was an American farmer and businessman who founded the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park, California, introduced and mass-marketed the boysenberry, and founded the Knott's Berry Farm food brand.

Early life Knott was born on December 11, 1889, in San Bernardino, California. His parents were Rev. Elgin Charles Knott, a Southern Methodist minister originally from Tennessee, and Margaret Virginia Daugherty Knott. Knott's father was a preacher at a church in Santa Ana, California when he was born.

When Elgin died of tuberculosis in 1896, Margaret moved Walter and his brother to Pomona, California.

The next year, in addition to a new house for his family, Knott built an 80-foot-long stucco building on the farm to house a new berry market, a nursery, and a tea room for Cordelia to sell hamburgers, sandwiches, and pies (Cordelia cooked the food in the Knott family kitchen).

Building an amusement park

To entertain the waiting chicken restaurant crowds, Knott built several roadside attractions, exhibits and shops, culminating in the building of a western ghost town on the property in 1940. The buildings were dismantled, trucked down to Buena Park, and reassembled on the farm. Knott gradually added to the ghost town over the next few years—including a saloon show, melodrama theater, and a full-scale railroad.

Other attractions came in later years: a San Francisco cable car, a pan-for-gold experience, a stagecoach ride, the Calico Mine Train dark ride, the Timber Mountain Log Ride log flume ride, and a Mexican-themed area. In 1968, the Knott family fenced the farm, charged gate admission for the first time, and Knott's Berry Farm officially became an amusement park.

Even after Disneyland Park opened in 1955 only eight miles away in Anaheim, Knott's Berry Farm continued to thrive. Walt Disney and Walter Knott had a cordial relationship. Knott and Cordelia attended the opening of Disneyland in July 1955 and Walt Disney visited Knott's on several occasions both before and after Disneyland opened. The Knotts and the Disneys even dined at a local Chinese restaurant not far from Knott's Berry Farm.

Death and legacy On December 3, 1981, just eight days shy of his 92nd birthday, Walter Knott died from complications of Parkinson's disease at his home in Buena Park, California. Knott is buried at Loma Vista Memorial Park in Fullerton, California.

Knott's Berry Farm continues to operate year-round today. The Knott family remained owners of Knott's Berry Farm until 1997, when the park was sold to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (now Six Flags Entertainment Corporation) for $300 million.

The J.M. Smucker Co. owns the "Knott's Berry Farm" brand of jams, jellies, and snack foods—which Smucker purchased from ConAgra Foods in 2008. Smucker discontinued selling Knott's branded products in 2024.

Personal life

Walter Knott married his high school sweetheart, Cordelia Hornaday, on June 3, 1911. They had four children: Virginia, Russell, Rachel, and Marion.

After leaving his business operations to his children following the death of his wife on April 12, 1974, Knott focused his attention on conservative politics. Knott was active in a variety of conservative causes, including founding the California Free Enterprise Assistance and endowing various private schools and colleges. He campaigned for Republican politicians like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Knott also financed the Orange County chapter of the John Birch Society.

Through his time as a struggling farmer and businessman during the Great Depression, Knott became a firm believer in rugged individualism—that anyone could be successful through hard work, and any form of government intervention was wrong. Critics say this 'Old West' theme of his amusement park was a romantic and one-sided reflection of his beliefs.

Because of his interest in American pioneer history, Knott purchased and restored the real silver mining ghost town of Calico, California in 1951. As a child, Knott spent a lot of time in Calico living with his uncle. During World War I, he helped to build a silver mill in Calico. In 1966, he deeded Calico to San Bernardino County, California.

Knott appeared on the December 23, 1954, episode of You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx.