Three From Knott's, July 1963
It's time once again to visit the Berry Farm!
That's the Bakery to our left, which means that the Candy Parlour or the original berry stand must be behind us. I believe that the little group of folks is waiting outside the Steak House. Meanwhile, a few ladies are taking a break next to flower beds full of colorful roses and a modest fountain little fountain. If you continued past the Steak House, you'd have the "pan for gold" area to your right.
I wonder how long this feature was at Knott's? Fairbanks Gold Dust Washing Powder was a real product featuring two black children known as the Gold Dust Twins. According to one online article ...the twins were one of the best known trademarks of the 19th century. Let the Twins Do Your Work was the tag line. 
And finally, a too-dark view of the Calico Mine Train's distinctive exterior rock work... it ain't realistic, but I love it for its quirkiness. The waterfalls help keep you cool at certain points in the queue. Notice the little mine train in the lower right!
4 comments:
Yay, vintage Knott's! Those buildings in the first pic are all still there. That modest little fountain was replaced with a larger one in 1984 and it's still there too. Unfortunately, the rose garden was taken out at the same time.
Just behind the fountain is a line in the asphalt. I remember those painted lines were popular at the time, especially in hospitals (follow the yellow line to urology, follow red line to blood lab, follow green line to accounting, follow the brown line to...)
Anybody know if this is a directional line, and if so, where it went to?
Ah, those waterfalls in the queue, what a relief those were.
I loved that ride, petrified with fright during the dynamite scene, blinking in the sun at the end and straight into the shooting gallery on the left at the exit.
Don't remember the Gold Dust sign, might be before my time.
Thanks Major
JG
Aaaah nice pic, the top one. Boy what perfect faces for that Gold Dust sign! What a great ride, Calico Mine Ride.
How lucky we are that Knotts did Ghost Town / Calico / Log Ride and Disney did Frontierland. Both are huge crowd pleasers to this day yet if they hadn't been done then, none would have ever crossed the minds of more recent park builders. Long may they last...
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