Mine Train & Cascade Peak, June 1963

Someday, when virtual reality is a regular thing, I hope that somebody creates a super-accurate ride-thru of the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. Wouldn't that be amazing? 

Today's first image shows one of the li'l yellow Mine Trains returning from that amazing Wonderland. Boy, did they get their money's worth! Bears, battling elk, beavers building a dam, colored mud pots, anthropomorphized cacti, geysers, mysterious rock formations, and last but not least, rainbow caverns. I am so jealous of every one of those people!

Next is the lovely Cascade Peak, with multiple waterfalls cascading away, just like the ads said. 

Town Square and the C.K. Holliday, October 1970

I'm still slogging through that batch of dark and dreary slides from 1970 - although at least the first of today's examples is not too bad!

See what I mean? I think I even see some of Henry Fonda's favorite, cerulean blue (these being GAF color film). Town Square looks great, as usual - and was a beautiful day to be in the park. As much as I love the more mature trees, they are definitely starting to block the view of the castle, even from the elevated vantage point of Main Street Station. 

If you shine a flashlight at your monitor, you might be able to tell that this is a photo of the C.K. Holliday. Man, those shadows just went inky black! But I can never get enough photos of the Disneyland locomotives, especially the two that were built at the studio. Notice the parking lot tram in the distance!

Miscellaneous Expos

Here are some scans from various Expositions - otherwise known as World's Fairs (I'm not really sure why "exposition" is used sometimes, and not others).

I like this great photo from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, also known as the "Century 21 Exposition". It's a crisp and well-composed look at the amusement zone, called the "Gay Way". These small souvenir and food stands are more akin to a state fair, though that's not a bad thing. Cotton candy! Sno cones! Caramel apples! The three basic food groups, if I remember my schoolin'. That giant puff of cotton candy atop that one stand looks like it was fashioned from pink fiberglass insulation (and perhaps it was). I like the way it looks slightly dirty, as if it has been dropped into a puddle a few times. Mmmm, gritty.

Meanwhile, the cute little Sky Ride (sponsored by Union 76) makes the perfect accompaniment. 

Next we are visiting the "Expo 86", or The World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The lovely lunar-module thingy (a 17-story geodesic dome) is the Expo Centre, which initially opened in 1985 as a preview center (centre?) for the Expo. FYI, this was the last World's Fair (or Expo) to be held in North America. The last Expo in the U.S. was in New Orleans in 1984 - the Louisiana World Exposition.

While this cool structure was slated to be torn down, the public rallied, and it still stands today as "Science World", with a 500-seat Omnimax Theater (theatre?), a "Futures Theater with push-button voting" (?), and a display of futuristic vehicles. 

The Sky Ride carried almost 10 million people over the course of the Expo!

And finally, here's a single photo from Osaka's "Expo 1970". Did I mention it was in Osaka? The theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind", and not "Cartoons and Candy" as I suggested. Their loss. I did a previous post with photos from Expo 1970 (see it HERE); like that post, I know so little about the structures and buildings at the Osaka Expo that I can offer no information. If any of you can chime in, please do so!

Monstro the Whale, May 1958

Monstro the Whale is still gobbling up Disneyland guests by the boatload after more than 60 years, and he shows no signs of stopping. That's just how angry he is!  I like this nice angle as he devours one of the canal boats ("Lady Guinevere") - meanwhile he almost completely eclipses the Pirate Ship with his bulk. 

To the right, between the tunnel and the tip of Cinderella's Castle, is a mountain peak. At first I thought it was Cascade Peak, until I realized that it wasn't built until two years after this photo was taken, AND there is no way it would be seen in that position. We're just seeing the back of the Alps or Dolomites or whatever those mountains are that provide a stunning backdrop for Geppetto's Village.

I always thought it was too bad that The Magic Kingdom in Florida never got a Storybook Land of their own. Imagine if they had made their Monstro twice as large - or bigger! By the late 1960's it might have been considered too tame or old-fashioned for the soon-to-be 1970's crowds.

It's funny to see a lone stroller parked near the trash can, as opposed to the fleets of strollers seen nowadays.

Chipmunk Rampage! July 1972

Many of you will probably remember an eye-shattering pair of pants from a previous post, and you might even remember the kid attached to those pants, not to mention his father. Well those pants are back, and so is the kid and his dad! This time they are over by the entrance to Tomorrowland, beneath the Peoplemover track, and in the reflected warmth of the silvery panels that flank T-land's walkway. Not to mention those odd "flying cuttlefish" fountain thingamajigs. 

As you can see, Chip and Dale are signing autographs, and handing out copies of their memoir, "Nuts! Our Lives in Show Business" (with a forward from Kurt Vonnegut). The boy's pants are WAY outmatched by the young lady's red dress. I think I had a bedspread made from that same red and blue fabric.

If there's one thing Chip knows, it's how to connect with his fans. In those days it was perfectly OK to hand kids a pack of smokes or even a genuine Cohiba. Jerry Lewis did it all the time on his telethon. Notice the kid's mouse ears with the rare chin strap - I guess that kid was a test pilot or somethin'.

Also notice that kid to the extreme right, who is cooler at the age of three than I will ever be. "Chip! Baby! Let's  you and me meet at the Sands next week. Dino will be there, and Frank might show up too. We can ditch Joey Bishop if he shows his face, am I right?".

Dale is a shameless ham, but he doesn't care. He lives for the business of show! 

Random Walt Disney World, 1971

I chose a random selection of scans from the recent set of November 1971 negatives gifted to me by good old "Mr. X" (that generous fellow). 

First up is this shot of Main Street Station. Man that structure looks huge! I think Disneyland's version might reach to the bottom of the cupola. I've heard that they did this because everyone in Florida is full-size, instead of 5/8 scale like the people in California. But that might just be a rumor. 

Mr. X was such a die-hard Disneyland fan, it must have been quite a sight to see Florida's train station for the first time.

Here's a nice shot of one of the two-decker "Osceola class" sidewheeler steamboats - in this case it's the "Southern Seas" (the other one being the "Ports-O-Call"). What a nice way to get from a parking lot to the Magic Kingdom! Of course there was the Monorail option (in the background) too. 

I could tell you more about these steamboats, but what I am going to do is recommend that you read FoxxFur's excellent post on the always-awesome "Passport to Dreams Old & New" blog. Check it out HERE! You'll be glad you did, it's amazing in its detail and wealth of information.

And just to round things out, here's yet another nighttime view of the Grand Course, looking down on two Monorails (and some of those koo-koo krazy acrylic trees). The blue Monorail has its doors open - for some reason I did not expect them to swing inward like that. 

Stay tuned for more vintage Walt Disney World photos!

Orlando Sentinel

Today I present part two of Ken Martinez's scans of a very scarce and historic edition of The Orlando Sentinel, from 1967. Until Ken sent me the images, I don't think I was aware that this neat collection of early stories about the Magic Kingdom even existed! Once again, I've tried to post the images in a very large size (click on the thumbnails, in case you didn't know) so that you can read the complete articles for yourselves. Here's Ken:

Orlando Sentinel - Disney World Souvenir Edition Part 2

Today is part two of the Orlando Sentinel Disney World Souvenir Edition.  This special edition of the Orlando Sentinel was released on February 3, 1967.  Featured today are a full page and various clippings from this edition.

I love these two drawings for EPCOT.  The Mark III Monorails are shown here and a different style PeopeMover which appears to be completely enclosed. The second image is reminiscent of World Showcase at Epcot. Also there’s an article on the “School of Tomorrow” and law enforcement with the coming increase in population of Central Florida.

Here’s the conceptual rendering for EPCOT which by now has been seen by many Disney fans.  In addition, there’s an article on the coming building boom in Central Florida.

Here’s an architect’s cross section of the Dynamic Urban Center of EPCOT.   I wonder how many other architectural drawings and renderings exist but have never been revealed to the public.  I’ve love to see them.

Here’s an early artist’s idea layout.  The monorail transportation system shown here seems to cover all the major activity centers on the property.  Much was to change from this early rendering.  I wonder how much of what was originally planned never came into being.  For sure the “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” and “Jet Airport of the Future” didn’t happen. And the monorail system didn’t quite expand and grow to cover all points of interest.

Well, that’s it for the Orlando Sentinel Disney World Souvenir Edition from 1967.  I hope you enjoyed this bit of pre-history before Walt Disney World was built.

MANY THANKS to Ken for scanning this rare document and sharing it with us!

Swan Moat

The lame title for today's post was supposed to be a play on "Swan Lake", but I doubt it landed for anybody. Oh well. Sorry, Pyotr Ilyich! The good news is that there are swans today. LOTS of swans. Did you know that a group of swans is called a "bevy"? More lameness. At least when they're in the air they are called a "wedge", which is cool and makes me want to buy their licensed products and drink their energy drink. TASTE THE WEDGE!

SO... there's two of them. Sure, swans don't seem that exciting to you and me, because we are citizens of the world and have seen it all. But in 1958? No American had ever seen a living swan! Some considered it an example of "cryptozoology" - maybe swans only existed in folk tales. And then suddenly, swans were discovered riding on the backs of coelocanths off the coast of Africa, and everyone had to have one. This is a true story that is totally not made up.

This explains why the people on the bridge are so darn excited to see a fershluggin' swan.

That thing is swantastic. The innocent suburbanites from 1958 can't believe their eyes. What is the swan thinking? Does he (she?) have hopes and dreams? If you prick it, does it not bleed? Is it true that they are poisonous?

Now it's 1972. The swans have tuned in, turned on, and dropped out. The charred remains of a draft card can be seen on that little platform. Swans don't have to live by society's rules, man! I think the one in the foreground might actually have sideburns. 

Even our sailors are impressed (and they've been to Tijuana). In spite of the swans' hippie attitudes, they appreciated the men and women in the military for their sacrifices. Aww, they're just big softies after all!

Guess what? I have more swan photos. Sorry.

Flower Market, 1961

I doubt that the old Flower Market on West Central Street was anybody's favorite "attraction" (if it even qualified as such), but it sure was a popular subject for photographers. I suppose it was hard to not be dazzled by the brilliant colors of heaps of artificial blossoms. Need a bouquet to take home? It would look perfect on top of the grand piano! Don't worry, they'll deliver.

More flowers, arranged by hue. Next door there is plenty of outdoor seating at the Carnation Ice Cram Parlor. 

Miscellaneous Amusements

I have two somewhat random scans from fun places in the U.S.A! You like fun, don't you?

This first one is date-stamped "April, 1966", And portrays a happy group of visitors standing out in the bright sunshine. But the slides had nothing to indicate where this lovely park was. Palm trees, eh? Could be California. Could be Florida. Those might be mock palm trees, planted by the Russians in order for people to relax and lower their guards, thereby leaving wide open to a real-life "Red Dawn"! 

Anyway, I was determined to find out where this place was located. Say, what's that in the background?

Why, it's the cutest li'l monorail you ever saw! It's like an Edsel married a submarine and had a baby. At first I thought perhaps this was the monorail at the L.A. County Fair, but when I compared the two, I realized that they were quite different. After a bit of research...

... I found this swell photo of the very same Monorail - called the "Spacerail", at the Miami Seaquarium.  It was the first hanging Monorail in the United States, debuting in 1963. Here's what Wikipedia sez:  It existed solely for entertainment, not transportation, as it had only one station. It offered views not only of the Seaquarium exhibits and buildings, but also of the Miami skyline. There were six cars, though only five were run at a time, and the cars had names after fish. The cars had unique styling until they were redesigned in 1978 to be rectangular and their names were removed. The cars operated around the loop counterclockwise, and had an Automatic Block Signal system.

Sadly, by 1991, the Spacerail suffered from low ridership and high operations costs. It closed, and the cars have been used as storage sheds.

Next is this photo from May, 1962, from a mystery park. The ride is known as the "Jolly Caterpillar", and it dates all the way back to 1938. Many Jolly Caterpillars were built, and some still operate - the exuberant larva goes 'round and 'round in a bouncy motion.

If anybody has a clue as to where this photo was taken, please chime in! There's not a lot to go on, I admit.