Defunct Rides Western Playland Should Bring Back From the Dead

We all can recall the excitement we had for a particular ride that always had a long line at Western Playland. The best thing about being a part of a group on Facebook that focuses on past old times is great. I have had so many flashbacks to my childhood and teenage years thanks to that group. It sure is nice remembering one of the coolest rides everyone enjoyed at Western Playland when it was at Ascarate. The popular ride I am referring to is the haunted house ride that burned down, The Gold Nugget. The Golden Nugget always had a line from hell which was luckily in the shaded area at Ascarate Park. The Gold Nugget had an abandoned gold mine appearance that had first opened in 1971. The Gold Nugget would only last 23 more years until the fatal afternoon it burned down. It was a Sunday afternoon when a fire burned down the popular haunted house ride The Gold Nugget at Western Playland.

I was about 9 years old when The Gold Nugget burned down at Ascarate Park in 1994. Just like me, I'm sure you can recall the emotions you felt after hearing the tragic news about The Gold Nugget. It's heartbreaking for a child because it limits the number of rides you're allowed on due to your age and height. But that wasn't the only ride that went out of service some El Pasoans loved and miss. The other ride that was taken was the slides located right beside the Himalaya. First, they had the old school slides that you slide down on a flat mat. Then later down the line, Western Playland upgraded to waterslides which you will also see in the video above thanks to Albert Ayala's family footage.

Another ride that was taken down that I never got to ride was the Crazy Cheese. That was another roller coaster at Western Playland that was located at Ascarate Park then. There are more than a few rides we wish Western Playland could bring back from the dead. But let me know which defunct ride you would love to see again at Western Playland in the poll below.