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I wasn't aware of this little frontier town specifically because I thought most of the Irish Hills postcards depicting Old West motifs were related to Stagecoach Stop. From the postcards I can see there was a an Old West downtown (jail, general store, saloon, bank), live action wild west shows, a riverboat ride, horse and buggy rides, covered wagons, a small train (on wheels), a circus tent attraction (probably event-based), a loom workshop, and other things to do. I wouldn't be surprised if some of this was also shared by other attractions in Irish Hills.
From Leanne Smith MLive
IRISH HILLS, MI - With 26 shows airing in primetime, Westerns pretty much dominated TV viewing in 1959.
There was Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Maverick, Wagon Train, Have Gun - Will Travel, Wanted: Dead or Alive and many, many more.
Ivan Hunt, who lived in the Irish Hills, was a fan. And he was noticing that his neighborhood was growing in popularity as a tourist destination due to such spots as Walker Tavern and Mystery Hill.
"He'd read an article that theme parks were going to be the next big rage, probably because Disneyland had just opened a few years earlier," said Ivan's son Allen, who still lives near Onsted.
So, Hunt sold some log cabins he'd built as an investment near Evans Lake and used the money to join Maynard Minier in constructing Frontier City in 1959. The western-themed amusement park grew out of Irish Hills pastureland Minier owned on M-50 just south of Cambridge Junction.
"It was built with dollar-an-hour labor and used lumber," said Ivan's other son Leon, a longtime East Jackson teacher, administrator and coach.
But, boy did Frontier City look and feel like an authentic western town, complete with a jail, livery stable, bank, general store, blacksmith shop and Longhorn Saloon.
When it opened in 1960, people flocked to see foiled robberies and gunfights in the streets. They rode a paddle-wheel boat and stagecoach, toured a mock gold mine, fed deer and baby farm animals and saw buffalo, Longhorn steers, peacocks and authentic American Indian dances.
"I was the first stagecoach robber when I was in junior high school," Allen Hunt said. "I was shot four times every Sunday and loaded into the ox cart and taken to Boot Hill."
Visitors entered Frontier City through a lush picnic area. A fort was built on a hill behind the livery stable and there was a giant slide in a 45-foot tower.
Sundays were the best days, though, as popular up-and-coming country and western singers came to perform. On the bill were the likes of Johnny Cash, Ferlin Husky, Sonny James, Roger Miller, Tex Ritter, Lynn Anderson and Loretta Lynn.
Frontier City opened weekends after Mother's Day, opened seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day and opened weekends in October for fall-themed activities like sorghum and apple butter making.
For seven years, business was good.
From John Robinson 99WFMK:
My parents took me to Frontier City when I was a kid…even though it’s been closed since 1974, it’s a hard place to forget. It was cool.
Frontier City was the brainchild of Irish Hills resident Ivan Hunt, who saw the prospect of success of a western-themed amusement area. Along with partner Maynard Minier, the two planned & constructed their fantasy cowboy town in 1959 on M-50 south of US-12.
When Frontier City opened in 1960, word had spread fast, and families were anxious to get in and check it out. Fueled by over 25 different western TV shows on only three networks, the public’s appetite was rabid.
All the typical western establishments were there: bank, blacksmith, general store, jailhouse, livery stable, and saloon. The saloon served snacks, and drinks like sarsaparilla and redeye (root beer).
Music was provided by Freddy Clemons & The Frontiersmen. Even though Freddy and his guys were the ‘house’ band, many well-known country performers appeared, including Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Tex Ritter, Ferlin Husky and many others.
Frontier City had staged events like stagecoach holdups, and street shoot-outs. There were buffalo, longhorn steer and other animals, Indian rituals, gold mine tours, a picnic area, fort, and paddlewheel boat rides. There were how-to sessions on making your own apple butter and sorghum.
There was also a 45-foot tall tower with a spiral slide inside…I remember sliding down that darn thing and getting sliced & cut up from the edges of metal plating that the slide was made from.
Then, in 1974, it all came crashing down when Frontier City closed for good, thanks in part to Stagecoach Stop opening in 1965. The two competed for many years with Stagecoach Stop having the advantage, since it was an easier access for tourists, sitting among all the other Irish Hills favorites: Prehistoric Forest, Mystery Hill, Mini-golf, go-karts, souvenir shops, and amusement rides.
Sad, because the two were very different from each other.
Cedar Point bought Frontier City along with some extra property that totaled 432 acres, with the inclination of building a huge amusement park.....Never happened.