Holiday World

The history of the nation's first theme park is the story of a family which has, for seven decades, dedicated itself to providing millions of guests with good, old-fashioned family fun.Evansville, Ind., industrialist Louis J. Koch created the world's first theme park as a retirement project. He was troubled that the tiny hamlet of Santa Claus, Ind., was visited by children who were disappointed when they discovered Santa was not there. With nine children of his own, Koch loved children, holidays and celebrations.