Guns and Knives at Knott's, September 1969
Today I have five images from Knott's Berry Farm, from September 1969. None of them are very exciting, but maybe when you have five or them, they add up to a semi-interesting post.
A gun was standard equipment in the old west, so it only made sense that Knott's had a gun shop. I can only assume that you couldn't buy a real gun there (can you imagine??). So what was in there? A display of vintage firearms and related paraphernalia? Toy guns? I really have no idea. 
You know what grandma needs for her birthday? A knife. The bigger and pointier, the better. Guns scare her, but she can wield a shiv like a pro (from her gangsta days). And when she's done protecting her turf, she can use it to peel potatoes or skin a mule. Mmmmm, mule....
Trees were scarce in the more arid parts of the old west (like Aridzona), so you used what you had, including old shipping crates. The same theory applied to Tom's Treehouse at Disneyland. 
The next two images are from the Fiesta Village area. Apparently there were a number of brightly painted aviaries in among what must have been a petting zoo (notice the black chupacabra in the lower foreground). This first cage contained some doves and - look! - on the ground, is a rare, man-eating mallard duck.
We can't see who lives in this aviary; even though this photo is from the end of the 60's, the multicolored design reminds me of many amusement parks of the day (I swear they had something just like this at Hershey Park a few years later).
11 comments:
Great Knott's pics! I believe that last photo is of the Monkey Cage that was located in Fiesta Village over by the Stage Coach path and the models of the missions. Fiesta Village had it all....Seals, Monkeys and Birds, OH MY!
I'm intrigued and tried to walk into the gun shop but hit the screen...
Always enjoy the Knotts pics :)
Super set of rare images... And any post the makes mention of the "chupacabra" is tops in book, thanks Major!
cool how the tree grew right thru the roof of the gun shop! the first 3 photos make me think of Butch & Sundance ;)
i love birds, would have liked the aviary
nice ones today, Major!
I don't know what was in the last cage, but they were serious about keeping people safe. It's a cage inside a cage, and since parrots and monkeys both bite...
The last photo is indeed the monkey cage! Two cages because the monkeys could stick their fingers through the cages.
The gun shop was filled with....you guessed it...vintage antique guns! It was very fascinating to gun aficionados. Kind of like a museum.
I so miss the real Knotts....thanks for posting these photos!
The Gun and Knife Shop was also a place were you could buy hand made knives made right in the shop (complete steak knife sets, cooking knives, etc) Replica Bowie knives, short swords, antique guns and replica non-firing guns were also sold. In 1966 I purchased an antique silver french 5 frank coin (1837) that was cut in half and a knife, a nail file and scissors were made to fold inside. Then a silver chain was added for a key ring. It was a birthday present from my wife and I still carry it.
I gasped when I saw this photo. Yes, the monkey cage. I was no bigger than that little goober there when I last looked through that tight meshed cage. I distinctly remember the double cage to protect little fingers.
I LOVE this blog! Been going through it backwards, I hope to get to the very start of it one of these days. I even like the “boring” shots, because they give you just a bit more of a sense of actually being there. Mostly like the D-land stuff, but I grew up in Buena Park, so it’s always fun to see the Knott’s of my distant childhood. I moved to Oregon a few years back, and all these pics make me pine for D-land and all that glorious sunshine.
Thank for all the hard work Major! I know how tedious scanning can be. Oh, and I love your sense of humor, it’s a big part of the experience. You have me in stitches all the time.
Kurt C, thanks for your great comment. I am glad that you are enjoying the blog and the trip to the past. I definitely have fond memories of my early visits to Knott's and (of course) wish I coiuld see it the way it was then!!
Thank you for sharing old photos and memories from our "OC" theme parks. I remember attending birthday parties at Knott's in the 1960s where we climbed a staircase to a raised platform in a tree. Not quite a "tree house" but more like a deck for parties. ( It was definitely NOT D-Land.) Ive been searching for images but haven't found any. Oh well. :)
Thank you for sharing old photos and memories from our "OC" theme parks. I remember attending birthday parties at Knott's in the 1960s where we climbed a staircase to a raised platform in a tree. Not quite a "tree house" but more like a deck for parties. ( It was definitely NOT D-Land.) Ive been searching for images but haven't found any. Oh well. :)
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