Rainbow Ridge, 1960s
Ordinarily I would be pretty stoked (as the kids say) to share photos of Rainbow Ridge with you, but I can't deny that today's images, taken on an overcast day, lack some of the pizzaz that they would have in the bright sun with a deep blue sky. But... we take what we can get.
There are some of the most-familiar Rainbow Ridge structures, especially the pink "adobe" Miner's Hardware store. "Mother Murphy Meals", I'll bet there was a lot of stew. What's in the stew? Don't ask! Next is the Barber Shop, mostly hidden except for the red and white-striped pole. The El Dorado Hotel has nice beds, but if you want sheets, it'll cost you 50¢ extra. Perhaps a weary cowboy would welcome a soft warm bed, even without sheets.
Pat Casey's Last Chance Saloon is where you could get a shot of redeye - it'll make your hat flip, just like in Bugs Bunny cartoons. Above the Saloon is the town dentist, though the golden tooth hanging from the window looks not-so-shiny here. Get all your news from the Rainbow Ridge Clarion (they have a notary, if you need one), and then it's the General Store, for all of your goods and sundries.
I have to wonder if the Mine Train was closed at this point, there's not a single Redshirt or guest visible in either of these photos!
9 comments:
Major-
What a nice way to start the week seeing Rainbow Ridge in all its glory. And I've something in common with the El Dorado Hotel: I got sheets... but I didn't have to pay extra-!
Thanks, Major.
These pictures aren't so bad once you get past the drab lighting. Like you said, they're lacking in excitement. They're also running a little low on joy. I was gonna launch into a long, silly tirade about not taking "what we can get".... but I'm feeling lazy tonight. I think the drabness of these photos is sapping the cheer out of me.
This being an old west barbershop, I'm sure you could get a limb or two amputated while you're getting your haircut. Not to worry though, they will also have leeches to clense the ragged bloody stump. (Sorry, but this is what happens when the cheer is sucked out of me.)
So, is that a store that sells generals? (That could be handy if you happen to be planning a war.) Or a store that only generals can shop at?
I think you're right about the Train being closed. Maybe everyone was so filled with ennui, due to the drabness of the day, that they didn't bother to open it.
Thanks, Major. Maybe by tomorrow I'll be out of this Eeyore slump.
I suspect the attraction is open … the photographer is in the train at the loading platform and you are seeing an unused train on the spur track between the town and the active track. Guests would not have had access to the platform or the view the photographer is at .
Rainbow Ridge is a “ghost town with a whole lotta life left in it” so you see no activity - only hear it … the snoring miner in the hotel … the patient getting a tooth pulled in the dentist office , the hammering from the blacksmith , saloon piano and brawl , piano music from the cafe , and a ringing bell from the church.
Not long ago it was discovered that there were about 6 additional town buildings completely designed and drafted for original 1960 Rainbow Ridge including a Fire Hall, School House , mining president’s home. Why they were never built is unknown … it’s likely because there was no room left!
Not have access to the platform and photo view IF the attraction was closed that day.
I’m happy with any view of Rainbow Ridge, gloomy or not. We are having July here right now, dark cold mornings with sunshine later in the day. My favorite kind of summers since it isn’t hot.
I seem to remember a typewriter clacking in the newspaper building. Maybe the Clarion is like the other 3 museums in Virginia City that each has Mark Twain’s typewriter. Was a notary needed to file a mining claim? Nice work if so.
This old view of the town was better since you could really study and enjoy the little storefronts. The Big Thunder queue is a masterpiece of design, but you don’t get the same views of the buildings. I’d happily ride either version today.
I think General Store retired from the Union Army along with General Hardware and General Delivery. They moved west and went into business, with the results we see about us.
Thanks Major! A good Disneyland day. I’ve had several this week.
JG
*July Gloom*
I'd like to order up a General Audiences. Do they make "G" movies anymore? I think with the slightest bit of "scary" they'd have to dumb it up to a PG. Is "My Little Pony" scary?...maybe at night when they turn into vampires. That being said, I'd like a whole lotta General's...starting with Mills. General Mills was the great great grandfather of Hayley Mills. Who knew? And who knew there was so many generals. What can you do with a general when he stops being a general? Ask Irving Berlin, he knows. I probably could go on, but I will stop and say that I love that these buildings exist in some manner...so very charming...since they are slightly Lilliputian. I got stuck on Big Thunder right at the end, and it was nice to see these buildings close up. It looks like they marked the mine car with "Living Desert"....was there another place for other cars to be used? Kind of odd, but interestingly so. Thanks major for a trip to Frontierland. There WAS a Rainbow Ridge Clarion: it was a newsletter put out by the West Side....Main Street had their "Gazette"...and the Tour Guides had their "Times"....I don't remember if Fantasyland or Tomorrowland had a newsletter. Worth some investigation. Thanks Major!
@ Bu-
"It looks like they marked the mine car with "Living Desert""
All the mine cars have names: Living Desert; Saguaro Forest; Bear Country; Olympic Elk; Rainbow Caverns; Beaver Valley; and Cascade Mountain. There may be more - Mike might know.
Nanook, I have sheets, but they are rubber.
JB, to me that gray sky just sucks most of the joy out of these photos! It feels like “sweater weather”, though of course in SoCal it could be humid and warm. I’m surprised that they had a dentist AND a barber, since a barber could yank your teeth handily. Just take a few swigs from this bottle. I don’t really think the train was shut down that day, but it sure feels weirdly deserted. I can’t remember what tomorrow’s post will be, maybe more LA postcards? It will be a surprise for both of us!
Mike Cozart, yes, I’m sure that the Mine Train was operational, it’s just surprising that we don’t see a single CM or guest. I didn’t know that Rainbow Ridge was supposed to be a ghost town - sure we didn’t see the occupants, but we could hear them. Strange that they designed those buildings, you’d think they would have only gone to that effort if they knew where they were going to be placed.
Mike Cozart, I knew what you meant!
We have July Gloom too, gray skies and a mist so heavy that I had to turn on my windshield wipers this morning. I know the miserable heat is coming, probably late August and into September. I have a whole collection of Rainbow Ridge audio tracks, and there are a bunch of them. Singing in the Saloon, snips from the Barber Shop, a fight (maybe in another saloon??), and so on. I agree, somehow the town isn’t quite so “observable”.
JG, yes!
Bu, I assume that at least some animated movies are rated “G”, but maybe not? Throw in a few f-bombs for the kiddos. “Intense situations” is vague, and I think a G rating is almost considered box-office poison. Did General Mills fight for the North or the South? Wow, I’ve never been stuck on Big Thunder - in fact, I’ve only been stuck on “Pirates” (for at least 20 minutes, listening to the same sound effects over and over), and other rides relatively briefly. Somehow a roller coaster would be more concerning. Was the Rainbow Ridge Clarion a cast member bulletin? I’ve never heard of it before, I’d love to see at least one! I have four or five issues of The Disneyland News (newspaper, that is).
Nanook, there’s something about those names (many are True Life Adventures of course) that are so great!
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