Knott's Berry Farm, April 1971
Here's a series of photos from Knott's Berry Farm, circa 1971. Nothing great, but Knott's is always fun.
In earlier years, there was on older lady who played the old steam calliope, but by 1971 a young woman had taken over. Play "Freebird"! Was that unusual wagon built just for Knott's? Or did they purchase a genuine circus antique and modify it?
I wonder if these two were a couple, or if the lady to the right just wanted to pose with a Knott's cowboy? We can see part of his nametag so we know he was an employee. She's holding her hand on her tummy, she might be expecting.
The Timber Mountain Log Ride was less than two years old in 1971, having opened in July of 1969. It was a hit from day 1, and is still one of the most popular attractions today. It's a masterpiece!
Flamingos were really a thing for a while, there wasn't a zoo or amusement park that didn't have at least a few of these long-legged birds for guests to look at. I assume that they were bred in captivity, sort of like ostrich farms. Only pinker.
The little red schoolhouse was a popular exhibit, allowing groovy late 1960s folks a chance to see the kind of school their grandparents might have attended. The VHS machines were hand-cranked! It looks like they've added boards to the roof in case the maintenance workers needed access to the little belfry.
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Knott's Berry Farm!
22 comments:
Major-
I'm trying to figure out if the 'harvest gold' sweater is alpaca or mohair... Either way - you've got to love that color-!
Thanks, Major.
Flaming-o's and flamigno's!
Nanook: 'harvest gold' a/k/a 'Century 21 jacket color'! (My first kitchen appliances were also in that color, back in 1981.)
Fun pictures - especially GOOD one of the log ride!
Thanks, Major!
You can’t really tell from the picture, but I’m willing to bet that Harvest Gold garment is a poncho. Either way, that couple is adorable.
They used to have a steam calliope like that play at our local fireworks show when it took place at the university football field.
That Log Ride photo is pretty darn clear. It's too bad about that blurry lantern in the foreground, but maybe that makes the shot "artistic." Still, we are able to see the employee positioned inside the mountain, at the very top of the drop. They were there to make sure that guests weren't attempting to stand up or exit the vehicles.
I love how well we are able to see the riders that are about to reach the bottom of the drop. The one in the front is covering his/her face. The second one is attempting to cover the top of his head with his jacket. The one behind him just might be "Jo Jo, with a Bow Bow." Actually, since this is 1971, it might be her mother. And then the poor little boy(?) behind her is so small, he can't see a thing with those other three people in front of him. Maybe he prefers it that way?
Thanks, Major, for a terrific set of groovy 1971 Knott's goodness!
What everybody else said.
You just made my day, Sue.
I forgot to mention that I remember the "Flamingo Pond" at Knott's. But I don't remember that thing that looks like a plywood cutout of a cat, behind the flamingos. Was that supposed to keep the flamingos alert and active, so the exhibit wouldn't be just a bunch of sleeping birds? If so, it wasn't working. Even that duck wasn't afraid of it!
Major: that calliope wagon is a “modern” concoction. It’s far too simple to be an authentic 19th Century example. Whether Knott’s or someone else built it. The actual steam calliope is real.
Love the shot of the flamingos. I miss it when animals had more of a presence in theme parks with the exception of the SeaWorld/Busch parks.
Love all these Knott's pics today. Thanks, Major.
What Chuck said. Great way to start out on a Monday.
That pic of the couple really shines. She looks a bit like Katherine Ross (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).
Melissa, that's definitely a poncho, with frills yet. She wore that to the Led Zeppelin concert the night before. Makes me smile. I do think she has "a bun in the oven", and he is just beaming.
Good other pics too. We just did an upgrade of the Reid Park Zoo here in Tucson, which included a Flamingo exhibit. Got to hang with them for a bit. Lovely creatures, very pink. Fun to watch.
Thanks Major and company.
Pictures of the early 70s always make me want to macrame something. I heard that during the mid-century modern era, flamingos developed swelled heads and refused to work for less than scale. Miss pancho/sweater girl has contracted a bad case of helmuthair. It mostly struck women in their early 20s, and could be treated by weaning them off of their Aquanet one spritz at a time. These are all fantastic, Knott's has an atmosphere all it's own. Thanks Major.
Nanook, that sweater/poncho thing is definitely made from the hair of the finest mos!
Lou and Sue, my mom’s kitchen was that color when they moved into their current house. It also had indoor/outdoor carpeting in the kitchen, a pattern of harvest gold and avocado. As soon as they could afford it, they had the whole room redone!
Melissa, yes, I was thinking “pancho” too. Kind of an unusual one though. I’ve always liked the tooty sound of a calliope ( I also like it when people pronounce it “kally-ope”).
TokyoMagic!, I think the person who took these photos was in a photography class. Just a guess, but the box of slides had a lot of what looked like student assignments. Thanks for pointing out the employee at the top of the Log Ride drop, I didn’t know they stationed a person there. I’m surprised they didn’t put the smallest person in the front of at least one larger person, though my guess is that they had plenty of fun anyway. Glad you liked these!
Chuck, was it the mention of “Century 21”??
TokyoMagic!, yeah, what is up with that cat cut-out anyway? Very strange, I can think of no logical reason for it to be there.
Mike Cozart, you make a good point. If it was authentic, it would be covered in gold-leafed cherubs and rococo scrollwork.
K. Martinez, I’ve mentioned this before, but not too long ago I went to Independence Hall across the street, and there were still quite a few chickens just wandering around. It was kind of neat! There was still a bit of the old farm there.
DrGoat, I sure remember Katharine Ross, hubba hubba. I guess I need more ponchos in my life. I did own one at some time, probably around when these photos were taken come to think of it. I lived in Huntington Beach, and all the surfers (I was not one of them) wore ponchos. I guess it’s a good thing that flamingos seem to be able to adjust to being around humans so well, they’re just big chickens!
Jonathan, I predict that macrame will come back in a big way in 2021. You can lead the charge! There’s a lot of houseplants that need to hang from hooks. And how about a nice blanket to throw over the back of the sofa? I’ll bet that woman used half a can of Aquanet every morning, single-handedly reducing our ozone layer.
Major, I can't even imagine carpet in the kitchen. Same as carpet in the bathroom. No!
Katherine Ross was gorgeous. Every guy's dream girl.
I had a great poncho back in then 60s. Went to a Jethro Tull concert in '67. It was out in a parking lot with no seats so the crowd just sat on the pavement. I just happen to sit on someone's cigarette (or joint) and it burned a big ugly hole in it. Never wore a poncho again. To much to keep track of.
Nice photos of a great period at Knott's.
It was still the Calico Log Ride in '71. By either name, a fantastic ride!
~Huck
I never had a poncho (except for the rain type at Disney) but as a kid I had a leather jacket with fringe on the sleeves. And an ascot. I didn't wear them together. I wouldn't mind fringe jackets coming back. Not so much ascots.
I think it will come as a surprise to no one that my sister and I had matching fringed macrame ponchos.
Melissa: In ‘harvest gold’?
Major, they haven't had a person sit at the top of the drop for decades now. Instead, they have an electric eye that detects if someone is standing up (or even just raising their hands), which triggers a recording of a very stern voice saying, "SIT DOWN!" Personally, I think a cutting laser beam would be more efficient.
@Sue, off-white with a big stripe of that shade of dark brown they paint buildings in state parks!
DrGoat, yea, that carpet was really gross, it was so nice when it was removed and replaced with nice hard wood. Wow, you saw Jethro Tull in 1967! Sounds pretty cool. Too bad you sat on that burning cigarette (or whatever it was)!
Huck, ah, I should have caught that myself. D’oh.
Stu29573, An ascot! Just like Austin Powers! I predict that someday those stiff, starched shirt fronts and stiff detachable collars will come back in style. What’s not to like?
Melissa, I admit that I am not that surprised. The only thing greater than what you described would be if they were fringed with pom-poms.
Lou and Sue, I can see that your Century 21 jacket was a real nightmare for you! ;-)
TokyoMagic!, you and I think a lot alike; a deadly laser beam would definitely show those disobedient teenagers what’s what. Or how about long spikes that spring out of the cliff walls, a la “Indiana Jones”? Time to write a long, rambling letter (manifesto?) to the Cedar Fair people to tell them of our brilliant idea (yes, I will give you co-credit, and also give them all of your personal info).
Melissa, it sounds…. GLORIOUS!
Major, it was the shout-out Sue gave Melissa & I for our families' intentional (but different) mispronunciation of "flamingoes" that made my day. I'm touched she remembered - that discussion goes back a year or more (October 5th, 2019, to be precise).
I know I’ve mentioned this before , but by the late 70’s CALICO LOG RIDE was being called TIMBER MOUNTAIN LOG RIDE . I think this change was to keep speed with Disneyland and its run of MOUNTAIN attractions during the same period of time .
No time to post yesterday, sorry Major.
The flume ride photo is very fine. I remember riding this with Dad when it was brand new. Probably 50 years since I was back there.
Thanks for all the comments.
JG
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