Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Jungleland USA, April 1959

Happy 4th of July, everybody! Today seemed like a good day to visit a wonderful piece of Americana... Jungleland USA, in Thousand Oaks, California! As I have mentioned before, I was lucky enough to visit Jungleland when I was a kid; and years ago my family moved to Thousand Oaks - but Jungleland had been long closed by then. The empty animal enclosures could still be seen as you passed by on the freeway, but even those are gone, replaced by a monolithic "civic center".

Today's photos date back to 1959; first up are a few pictures of the elephants putting on a show. Here's Jumbo and, um, Todd? engaged in a tug-of-war. Or maybe they are just shaking trunks. We are the world...! The oak trees and familiar hillsides in the background bring back fond memories. And as always, I love the old cars.


Awww, I hate seeing those amazing heffalumps chained up like that. But if they weren't chained, they would play three-card monty with the guests and fleece them. I seen it with my own eyes!


Bears, lots of bears! Well, three anyway. Polo Bears, how can they even sit on a horse? And yet that's what they're called, so who am I to argue. I hope you are all taking notes.


This little amphitheater was where you could watch some less-dangerous animals performing amazing tricks. Tightrope-walking goats and stuff like that. I still remember sitting in one of those seats (years after 1959!), and being distracted by a squirrel running back and forth on an overhead wire. Goats, shmoats!


I'll have part two of this series next week. If I remember.

7 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

"We are the world" Ha! How about Trunks Across America?

TokyoMagic! said...

P.S. Happy Fourth of July to you, Major!

Alonzo P Hawk said...

Wow don't remember this place. I'll have to ask my older brother as he he may have been there.
Might have closed before I got a chance to go.
Anybody know when it closed?

Cool pix tho, happy 4th.

K. Martinez said...

Alonzo P Hawk, Jungleland closed in October 1969. I missed the opportunity to go as well.

Happy 4th of July to all!

Major Pepperidge said...

Happy Fourth, TokyoMagic! And I personally would like to see a line of elephants that spans America.

Alonzo, I've posted pix of this place before, but maybe that was before you joined us. And as you can see, K. Martinez knows when Jungleland closed. Thanks, K! Happy fourth o' July to both of you.

Melissa said...

Jumbo and Todd make me think of Tim Conway and the Siamese Elephants. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp-W5nr9N14

Connie Moreno said...

I'm sorry I never got to see Jungleland but I'm ever sorrier that I didn't get to see YOUR version, LOL!