Along the River, 1950's

I get a kick out of today's views of a very early Frontierland - I hope you do too!

Here's a great shot of a raft that ferried guests to and from Tom Sawyer Island. Two little boys gaze down into the water, maybe they are hoping to see a hideous alligator snapping turtle. They can bite a 2 X 4 in half! The bit of the island that is visible here looks very barren, it probably hadn't been open to the public for very long. 

One thing that always blows my mind is the western shore, with nothing there but a path to the Indian Village. No Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, or Hungry Bear restaurant. A lot of people seem to be making their way over to check it out.

I really love this family portrait - the beautiful sunny day, the Mark Twain, the small trees and shrubs around Frontierland, and the general "50s-ness" of it all.

Here's a little closeup, just because.

Black and White From Lou and Sue

I have some real beauties (in glorious black and white) for you today, courtesy of Lou and Sue! These are from June, 1956, which Sue says was the first time her parents went to Disneyland. JEALOUS.

I love this great shot of Main Street Station with the turnstiles and various signs ("Strollers and Wheel Chairs ENTER HERE"). I've never done the research to see when the framed posters were placed near Mickey's floral portrait, but there they are, less than a year after Disneyland opened. Notice the passenger cars stopped at the station!

It's hard to be certain, but I think the clock says that it is 2:04-ish.

Here's a second great view, and we haven't even set foot inside the park yet. There's the old ticket booths, notice the sign for special admission prices for juniors, service men, and "members of clergy". Adults, $1 - children, 50 cents. The little booth to the left says "Admission Only", for those guests who wanted to come in, walk around, listen to the Disneyland Band, but might not want to ride any attractions. I've never seen that before!

I thought that this woman might be someone familiar to Sue, but as far as she knows, the lady is just a random guest. The phone booth to the right appears to be occupied. "Judy? You'll never guess where I'm calling from!".

Who are those boys? Sue says, Stu and Steve came along, too.  They're a couple of my dad's nephews -- 12 year old twins.  My dad got Stu interested in photography at an early age.  Maybe we'll see some of his pictures in a future post.  He grew up to be a Bob's Big Boy restaurant manager in the Anaheim area.  Steve, on the other hand, did not have a hobby, that I know of.  But I do know that he liked to let the air out of my dad's tires.  Often.

This picture of the Horse Drawn Streetcar and a bustling Town Square is SO GREAT. Melissa will appreciate that the mother and daughter in the center o the photo appear to be wearing matching skirts. The girl is wearing a souvenir Keppy Kap - good choice! Looking at the people in the distance (to the right), they are so well-dressed, I can't help wondering if this was a Sunday.

A BIG thank you to Lou and Sue!

Frontierland, 1998

Today I have three very nice slides from Mr. X, showing Frontierland the way it had looked for a very long time - of course some things had come and gone, but it still had that frontier feeling. 

You can tell that the guests aboard the Mark Twain are excited that the Disneyland Band is on board - my guess is that this happens several times a day, but it's still a special treat for those lucky enough to be there. 

Somehow I would expect to be able to see some of the massive Fantasmic! stage, but for some reason it's just lush green island.

I presume that this pic was taken from the Hungry Bear restaurant - it's a great view looking south. I like the Explorer Canoe crossing in front of us. The Columbia is moving in spite of the lack of sails - folks might have noticed the large, veiny craniums of the CMs, who move the boat with psychokinesis.

And oh yeah, Cascade Peak, practically hidden by the large trees. But I'm still glad it's there.

Above Fantasyland, November 1958

SoCal had an invasion of a billion "painted lady" butterflies this year (it was a nice invasion!). Well, in 1958, they had an invasion of giant carnivorous "voodoo" moths. They were a nuisance, because they would sometimes swoop down, grab somebody, and carry them off to their mothy lair. You've probably read about it. President Eisenhower made a famous speech in which he proclaimed, "Moths are totally gross!". All of today's photos were taken by an unfortunate guest who was on his way to the larva lair.

Here's the first moth's-eye view (notice the metallic blue moth leg in the lower left!) from above Fantasyland; it's all pretty familiar stuff, including Monstro, and Casey Jr., the snow-peaked mountains of Storybook Land, and even the pony farm in the distance. In the lower right there are trees and shrubs... I think this is the edge of the area where the Matterhorn would be plopped in less than a year.

Those moth legs sure are strange. Say, now we're looking down on a little rest area right next to the "Fan 1" snack bar. The little ticket booth for the Skyway, often obscured by trees, is visible to our right. The addition of those cloth awnings that provided shade for diners was probably very welcome. 

The woman to the right has never seen such a large moth in her life. Thank goodness they aren't interested in babies - too small to make a good meal.

Cap'n Mike Returns! June 1977

Much like Frankenstein or Dracula, you can't keep Cap'n Mike away for long. He always comes back! And while he was aboard the Mark Twain the last time, he's moved on to another big boat - the Columbia.

Did U.S. sailors ever wear outfits like that?? Seems hard to believe. I mean, it looks good on Mike Nesmith, but then again, everything does. Cap'n Mike is regaling them with a story about the time he went to Tijuana.

"What kind of gas mileage does thing thing get, sailor?". Paul is trying to think of an answer. "Um, 35 mpg?". "SPLENDID, my boy! Did I ever tell you about the time I stole a mule with Frank Sinatra?".

Everybody loved Cap'n Mike and his outlandish stories. "He certainly has led a picaresque life", Paul muses to himself. "You'd never guess that he was a roadie for The Beatles and actually wrote most of their songs" (even Cap'n Mike disowns that dumb "Obla-Di, Obla-Da" tune though).

"This boat would be a lot tidier without all of these blasted ropes everywhere!", the Cap'n thinks to himself. And can you argue with him? His steamboat hardly used any ropes, and those were under protest. We love you, Cap'n Mike!

Thank you, Mysterious Benefactor.

Murkety Murk, September 1966

I have a fairly large lot of photos from September, 1966, and most of them are very nice. But there is a small number that are weirdly dark. I don't know if it's a case of having the wrong aperture setting, or (in some cases) were they taken through a tinted window, or what. Whatever the reason, it's kind of a bummer, because a few of these would have been really interesting if they didn't look like The Shadowlands. 

Trust me, I lightened this one WAY up, and it still takes place in some weird "day for night" world. I think this might have been taken from the Monorail, which might fall into my tinted window theory. And as nice as it is to see the Disneyland Hotel in the distance, I am very curious about the little construction zone that we can see in the lower portion of the picture. Being 1966, I wonder if it had to do with New Orleans Square?

I can only assume that these photos were actually taken before September of '66, since the New Tomorrowland would have probably been under heavy construction. Do you think this could be another photo taken from the Monorail? 

St. Joseph County Airport, Indiana - 1951

Sometimes it's fun to find really old slides, even if they don't initially seem that interesting. Images can be chock full of vintage goodness. 

Like this first one, showing two ladies in their best travel clothing, circa 1961! They've got their nice dresses, overcoats, gloves, and hats. Mid-century fashion at its finest. But where was this picture taken?

Well that's helpful; we're out in front of St. Joseph County Airport, located 3 miles south of South Bend, Indiana. Love that awesome Ford!

The airport started as "Bendix Municipal Airport" in 1933; At some point the name was changed to "St. Joseph County Airport", and after that, "Michiana Regional Airport". 

Here's an old postcard (1960's?) showing the front as it looked back then.

And here's another postcard from the runway side.

On January 1st, 2000, the name was changed yet again, to "South Bend Regional Airport", and again in 2014, to "South Bend International Airport". Whew!

Flying Saucers, 1960's

Boy oh boy, do I love today's clear, colorful photos of the old Flying Saucers attraction!

If I understand correctly (and I probably don't), the large blue oval structure on which the saucers flew was divided in half, so that there were two separate sections - basically like two Saucer rides next to each other. A boom would sweep around on each half (sort of like a hand on a clock), trapping  the Saucers that had completed their rides, and freeing the ones that were ready to go. Does this make any sense at all? I think that the boom is that raised walkway with the rounded end that we can see to the right.

I know that you will correct me if I'm wrong - and I'm counting on it!

It sure looks like this attraction appealed to younger guests - there are kids and teens almost exclusively. I don't think I've ever noticed the CMs before, in their black and blue costumes. They are wearing hats (or visors?) with what appears to be a logo for the attraction - why don't I have one of those in my collection??

Notice that the Saucers in the background are now empty and new guests are walking toward them. It's kind of fun to see the people aboard their vehicles, torquing their bodies this way and that in an effort to make their giant air-hockey pucks move in the desired direction - all in the hopes of colliding  with somebody else!

Around the Plaza, September 1966

Neither of today's photos are that exciting, but they convey and nice sense of the relaxed, parklike atmosphere that Disneyland could have if you were there at the right time of the year. Look at all the trees! So green and lovely. The Monsanto House of the Future is to the left, and I even enjoy seeing the trash can and little mail box. Wouldn't grandma love a card from you, sent from the Happiest Place on Earth?

This family looks like they are straight out of an advertisement, especially with the little boy wearing Mouse Ears. They're walking toward the circular planter where the "Partners" statue would eventually be placed. The "Avenue of Flags" can be partially seen; notice the pink and orange construction wall to our right, where wondrous things were about to happen in Tomorrowland.

Here's another angle on the same area (more or less) - it looks like it was a perfect day at Disneyland!

Disneyland's 30th from Lou and Sue

Here is a series of photos from Lou Perry and his daughter Sue B, from Disneyland's 30th anniversary - 1985. It seems so long ago now! 

This first one is from near the ticket booths, looking back toward the parking lot. No DCA yet! It's so strange to see that walkway through the lot - somebody once mentioned when it was added, but I've forgotten, as usual.

I am curious about those red/orange things on either side of the walkway, as if there was shaded parking for some lucky people? Notice the car in the distance - if the stars aligned, and you had your rabbit's foot and four-leaf clover, it could be yours.

The logo isn't the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, but I'll give it a pass. Hey, it was the 80's.

The organ (or caliope?) pipes remind me of the instrument that Captain Nemo played in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea With Squiddy and Friends".

More organ pipes! They were part of the "Countdown Clock", which was also part of the "Gift Giver Extraordinaire". I'll bet a lot of readers have at least a few of the pins that were give out by the thousands - I did, until I sold them on eBay for 20 million dollars.

In just three minutes, 38 more guests entered the park. Math - it's your friend. There sure are a lot of men loitering near the clock, what's that about? Maybe they just like stuff with gears.

Another six (ish) minutes have elapsed, and almost 100 more people have walked through the gates. Why, this place is minting money! It's funny, I went to the park in 1985, but I have no memory of seeing this stuff at all - though I do remember me and my friends looking at our pins. Even then I was all about the merch.

There are more photos from Disneyland's 30th! Thanks as always to Lou and Sue.