The economic infeasibility of Sioux City causes the park
to soon close its doors
Grand Canary Islands - Sioux City Socorro is set 200
years back in history and a time to remember when U.S. troops fought to expand
the frontier of their country and colonize the lands to reach the Pacific
coast. Each day, for 42 years, time stops in the nineteenth century at this
theme park and visitors experience life in the Far West.
In this parallel universe, cowboys ride their horses,
Indians throw knives and ladies dance can-cans. A fictional world which,
however, is approached by a very real end. Closure of Sioux City hangs in the
balance, waiting for an investor to save the most delicate economic situation.
Workers and owners of the facility, the Castle family,
are negotiating a deal these days while consuming the extended deadline of a
Redundancy Employment (ERE) discontinuance affecting twenty employees. However,
this is not the first SRE facing the park.
"Four years ago there was a partial suspension ERE
working day, which became a discontinuance ERE for 13 workers, then objective
dismissals were made for economic reasons and finally a salary cut between 10
and 20% "explains Antonio Gopar, director of Sioux City and the town
sheriff. Gopar says: "We have done everything possible to avoid this
situation" and that even the owners "have put money in our pocket to
keep the park going." However, both he and the rest of the staff recognize
that the likely closure of this village in the West "is the chronicle of a
death foretold".
Sioux City opened its doors for the first time in August
1971. After the golden age of American westerns in the Hollywood of the 1950s,
and the newly generated spaghetti western (or Euro-western), a group of
American and German investors decided to look for a location to shoot these
films. The barren landscape of Eagle Canyon presented the perfect opportunity
in which to recreate an authentic Old West town.
After reaching an agreement with the family Del Castillo,
owner of the land, construction began in 1969, representing an investment of
two million dollars (1.5 million euros). Between filming in Sioux City “Take a
Hard Ride” in 1975, a production of Twentieth Century Fox which starred
American actor Lee Van Cleef, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Catherine Spaak and
Dana Andrews.
As Western movies began losing pull with theater
audiences, consequently, the number of shoots decreased, Sioux City began to
strengthen its role as an entertainment park. "At first they performed a
few shows that recreated pretty basic day to day in the village, but gradually
those numbers were growing and 80 people came from Italy, the Ledda family
which tied in shows with whips, knives ..." , relates Gopar.
Davide Ledda is the only one of this family still working
in Sioux City and is, among other things, a knife thrower. He arrived at five
years of age and now is now 38. Beside him his wife Lidia Alemán who also works
in Sioux City. Both say they do not fear the future. "If the park closes
we will seek work elsewhere, but remain hopeful that it will continue,"
they confess.
The 1990s was the heyday of Sioux City, sometimes
counting up to 76 employees. "I remember seeing the main street of full of
visitors," said Ledda. Foreign and Canaries filled the corners of the park
fascinated by the details of each of the buildings that stretch for more than
280,000 square meters that make up the park. "We attended to some 300
people a day and in the night show about 1,500. Now we receive 100 visitors a
day and 200 at night," says Antonio Gopar.
The facilities are also used for television programs,
commercials and film shooting and a place of concerts for the likes of James
Brown, Gloria Gaynor and Joaquín Cortés.
Hard times began to make an appearance in 2005. "The
western fashion passed and the outbreak of all-inclusive hotels that tourists
do not want to leave them and pay for a show when they can see the hotel's own
show," explains Gopar.
The facilities are also used for television programs,
commercials or films shooting and a place of concerts for the likes of James
Brown, Gloria Gaynor and Joaquín Cortés.
Hard times began to make an appearance since 2005.
"The western fashion passed and the outbreak of all-inclusive hotels that
tourists do not want to leave them and pay for a show when they can see the
hotel's own show," explains Gopar.
To win back tourists, Sioux City decided six years ago to
open a zoo, exhibiting exotic species. "We started with a collection of
venomous reptiles of the American West. With rattlesnakes, lizards scorpions,
with the only white crocodile in Europe, among others," adds the director
of the park. Among buffaloes, horses, goats and other animals, 180 different
species are now concentrated in Eagle Canyon. Despite this attempt to respond
to the new demands of the public and to adjust their expenses to the extent
possible, the economic viability of Sioux City is seriously resentful. "In
maintaining facilities it is more than 50,000 euros per month," said
Antonio Gopar.
Saving the continuity of the park and the 20 families
that depend on their work means having an investment of one million euros.
Money that, so far, no bidder has agreed to put on the negotiating table
American actor Jim Kelly died June 29th in San Diego, California of cancer. A pioneer figure of
Blaxploitation films and specializing in martial arts cinema, Jim Kelly's film
debut was in 1972 with “Melinda”. He’s probably best remembered for his role
with Bruce Lee in 1973’s “Enter the Dragon”. He also appeared in one
Euro-western “Take a Hard Ride” (1975) with Jim Brown, Lee Van Cleef and Fred
Williamson. 
