Sometime in the 1920s Walter Knott, an unsuccessful farmer, nursed several dying berry vines back to life at his Buena Park, California, farm. Little did he know, his fortunes were about to change.
These unique vines were created by Rudolph Boysen, a horticulturalist, by crossing a blackberry, red raspberry and a loganberry. The hybrid boysenberry, named after Boysen, turned out to be a huge hit, and the Knott family began selling massive quantities of the exclusive berries, preserves and pies, from a roadside stand along State Route 39.
About a decade later, Knott’s wife Cordelia began serving fried chicken dinners. Who would have thought, but within a few years her chicken dinners had turned into a popular restaurant, with lines often several hours long.
Knott must have known the saying, ‘if you can get them to stop, you can get them to shop.’ For, before long, he’d added several specialty shops to entertain visitors while waiting for dinner. Soon these became a major tourist draw. Continue reading
