Out Front
I always enjoy a look at the entrance to Disneyland from just outside the gates - they evoke just a bit of that anticipation that I felt as a child. At this point we were so close! I'm sure that we could already hear the "area music", as well as other sounds that I love to this day.
This first one is dated "July, 1962"; it looks like we've purchased out ticket books (Jumbo 15s, of course) and the view of Main Street Station with the Disneyland Railroad's freight train is so impressive that we've already fired off one photo. The chain link fence isn't so great, but it was practical, and you could see through it for the most part. I like the bright flower beds, long-gone today. There's what I believe is a souvenir booth that seems to be zipped up to lock in freshness. And you know that I'm all about freshness! I can see a rare Flying Saucers poster to the left, can you see it too?
One year later (yes, July 1963) somebody took this pretty photo - it's interesting how different the colors look. Different film stock? Look at all those dang flowers! We're actually just outside the EXIT, though I have no doubt that our photographer had just come from the parking lot and was headed toward the ticket booths. Unless they were one of those psychopaths who left the park at 2:00 in the afternoon. The chain link fence has been gussied up with beautiful red roses, but watch out for that barbed wire on top!
Zooming in, we can see some bike racks, with five or six bicycles parked - did kids even have to lock them up back then? There's also a group of men in suits gathered at what I believe was an entrance for people with "special admission" tickets or some such thing. Are they all Disney executives?
5 comments:
Lou and Sue
^ Ooops, I’m commenting on my cell and accidentally did that, plus I’m about to fall asleep…but I had to mention that I see Mickey in that first image!
Major-
Those of us who regularly experienced Disneyland starting at the original entrance 'esplanade' will never forget all the feelings that would run through one's head in anticipation of the excitement ahead.
Those 'gussied-up' red roses are actually the Carousel rose. And those pink flowers beneath them are satin petunias.
Thanks, Major.
"a rare Flying Saucers poster to the left, can you see it too?" Nope. All I can see is that trashcan in the foreground; my eyes gravitate towards it.... Maybe it has a black hole inside. Oh... I (and Sue) can also see Mickey's head on a pike. Well, on that flagpole atop the Station, anyway. The Station clock looks like it says 10:20, but the sun's shadows are coming from the west. So the time must be 10 minutes 'til 4. Or maybe it's set to Greenwich Mean Time. Or maybe they set the Station clock to the Clock of the World in Tomorrowland (Disney couldn't figure out how to tell time from that clock either). Despite this being in the afternoon, the photo has a morning feel to it, to me anyway. It does seem odd that the souvenir stand is "zipped up".
Oooh, this IS a nice picture! It's the "blue sky" effect... Plus all the colorful flowers... and the graceful foreground tree... The green grass... The shiny train... OK, everything about this pic is nice. There appears to be a security guard with the 'suits'. I bet they tried to sneak in, and got caught! To the churro mines they go!
Nice photos, Major. Thanks.
These are great images! Just seeing them Re-creates that excitement of entering Disneyland !
I will say that as many times as I’ve seen early entry pictures of the park , the chain link fence looks really junky to me. WED and Disneyland wanted to completely redo Disneyland’s entrance as far back as the early 70’… but other priorities came up. They did have a goal however to have it competed by Disneyland’s “silver anniversary “ in 1980. Because of extreme rains at the end of the 70’s in Southern California the deadline was barely met. It’s seems the area was just called “Main Entrance” … in 1980 with the front extension lined with trees - that is referred to as “main entrance promenade “ …… I don’t think “esplanade” is used till construction of DCA.
Reg. The 1980 main entry renovation , WED said the number one goal is to get rid of the chain link fence and the large areas of black asphalt. The red concrete that replaced the asphalt was 4” to 10” deep depending on how heavy the traffic in the area was anticipated . The roofs to the new 16 ticket booths ( replacing the old 14) were made backstage by the Disneyland staff shop … in one piece out of molded fiberglass! ….. like the castle’s turrets. I wonder if any of the ticket booth roofs had and “dents” ???
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