Around Frontierland, August 1970

Here are two standard views of Frontierland, circa August 1970. Perhaps I was in the park, causing trouble! It was a cry for attention.

Until I saw this picture, I'd forgotten that you could go inside the Old Mill on Tom Sawyer Island. My theory is that the mill was yet another one of Walt's Apartments. "Just bring a raft over for me in the morning, boys!", he'd tell his staff. There's nothing like sleeping in an old mill to shake off the stresses of modern life. He had a grilled cheese sandwich press (painted to look like it was made of weathered wood) and plenty of cans of chili beans. Would he be in a great mood the next morning? You bet!

Next is this fun image from Tom Sawyer Island; there are two kids to the right, but we mostly see adults here. They secretly want an island with caves, climbable rocks, swaying suspension bridges, and even a frontier fort, just as much as children do. Walt must have known that. The Columbia looks impressive in the background.

 

1950s Pix

Here's a pair of Disneyland views, featuring a lady (visiting from the midwest?) as she checked things out.

Assuming that our heroine just arrived, walked up Main Street into the Castle forecourt without much dilly-dallying in between, she arrived pretty late in the day. Those sun is already sinking in the west! But that's how folks sometimes did it back then, allowing only a few hours for their visit. I just scanned some slides from another batch with a woman who went to Disneyland and Knott's in the same day (well, she's wearing the same dress at both places, at any rate). Perhaps folks like her only had one free day to see the amusement parks?

It must have been Ladies Day! Men were welcome, but they'd better be nice. Or it's the rolling pin for them! This group has just walked into Adventureland, strolling past the Bazaar, full of wondrous souvenirs. I hope that they were heading to the Jungle Cruise, that should put a smile on their faces.
 

Nice Randos

I love Randos! Today's first example is date-stamped "June 1971"' we're in New Orleans Square, there's the Creole Cafe right in front of us. Disneyland can't serve spicy food, so they just add a lot of salt. Works for me! I like the mother and daughter in matching polka-dot dresses - they aren't twins, but they still make me think of Melissa. I'd love to sit on that balcony above the restaurant, except that the chair is tiny, and the balcony is probably not even 2' deep.

Next is this very nice view from Main Street, dated July, 1963, which probably explains the patriotic bunting. An Omnibus is heading up to the Plaza, the Castle is mostly obscured here. I don't have a lot to say about this photo, but I find it to be very pleasing.

I'm happy to say that I will be back with you REAL SOON!

Blurzles From March, 1961

We all remember the Blues song, "Too Many Blurzles", from the 1930s. I'll pause while you put your scratchy 78 rpm disc (with an RCA "Bluebird" label) on your Victrola to give it another listen. Be sure to use a fresh stylus!

There, now you're ready to view some Blurzles, of which I have (no surprise) too many. But the Blues is all about dealing with life's misfortunes. Let's begin with this scan of a photo looking northward from Town Square; the Wurlitzer store is to our right, I like to go inside and show off my chops, playing Gershwin, or maybe Rachmaninoff on a rinky-dink electric organ. "He's a genius! We are lucky to be in his presence!".  Main Street is practically deserted in March, Grandma and the kids will have an amazing time.

There is a lot of stuff packed into this corner of Fantasyland, the old Pirate Ship, the Skyway overhead, Casey Jr.'s ticket booth (and the Storybook Land lighthouse in the distance), along with Dumbo, he and his indentical siblings love nothing more than flying around and around in circles. 

I'm still in the sanitorium... I mean, on vacation!

Stagecoaches

I always enjoy finding vintage slides featuring amusement parks that I am unfamiliar with; today I have photos of fun stagecoaches from two different parks.

First up is this one, dated "October, 1970"; a boy holds imaginary reins as he drives the stagecoach through some of the harshest lands imaginable. "Tweetsie Stage Lines" helps us to place us in North Carolina (between Blowing Rock and Boone, if you must know). The Tweetsie Railroad is particularly famous, completing its first trip as a tourist attraction on July 4, 1954... (it) quickly evolved into the first theme park in North Carolina — and one of the first in the nation. A western town and saloon were built around the original depot area. A train robbery and cowboy-and-Indian show were added to the train ride, playing off the Wild West theme that was very popular at the time on television and in motion pictures. In 1961, a chairlift and amusement ride area was constructed on the central mountain inside the rail loop, and over the decades the park has been expanded with additional rides, attractions, shops, zoo and restaurants.

Next, an undated slide featuring another more crude (but lovable) stagecoach - "Grand Island Stage" steers us in the right direction. This is from a park called "Fantasy Island", near Niagara Falls, New York. Fantasy Island was founded by real estate developer Lawrence Grant, and was opened on July 1, 1961. It was planned by co-financier and local jeweler Gerald Birzon with buildings designed by Milton Milstein & Associates. The ownership group was formed under the name Fantasy Land, Inc. before changing soon after to Fantasy Island, Inc. The group had originally planned to call the park Fantasy Land, but changed the name for legal reasons after finding out there was already an area of Disneyland called Fantasyland.

Upon opening, the park occupied only 12 acres of land that was divided into five themed areas: Action Town, Animal Kingdom, Garden of Fables, Indian Village and Western Town. Action Town featured amusement rides, Animal Kingdom featured a petting zoo, Garden of Fables featured explorable recreations of fairy tale scenes, Indian Village featured Native American dancers, and Western Town featured a live Wild West show.

The park still exists, though it has evolved and changed owners many times - it is now known as "Niagara Amusement & Splash World".

Just a reminder that I am away for the weekend!

 

Randos

Going through a box of slides, I found one hand-labeled, "Disneyland, August, 1964". Eureka! Hey, wait a minute... this isn't Disneyland! It's that crazy World's Fair in New York. I'm walkin' here! Perhaps the person who wrote the label held the slide up to a nearby window, saw Alice and the White Rabbit and that was enough to make an ID. But we know that this group is in front of the UNICEF/Pepsi pavilion, where "It's a Small World" drew in millions of guests (a tiny bit of the supports for the Tower of the Four Winds can barely be seen). The Schaefer Center is to the left in the background.

Next is this nice perspective (dated "October, 1959") showing the vehicle load area for the Matterhorn, with NINE bobsled's, for a cornucopia of good luck. I love the different colors on the bobsleds. I see what appears to be a black and white-striped trashcan (oil barrel?), was that the ticket stub receptacle? 

I'll be out of town and away from my computer for the next few days. There will be new posts for you, as always, and I'll talk to you all when I get back!

 

Main Street, August 1969

Here's a pair of good Main Street views from 1969. Starting with this view looking into West Center Street, where the Flower Market used to be. It makes sense that the Carnation truck would want to be near the flowers, Walt thought of everything. It's fun to look at the people, such as the little girl riding on the back of her brother's stroller, the kids in the Carnation truck (and the other kids, perhaps waiting for their turn), and even the lady with the green shorts holding a souvenir wall map.

And here's a very nice look down Main Street on a busy (but not too busy) August day. The clock tells us that it is 2:30. It sure looks like a lot of people are already heading toward the exit! Hey, there's still plenty of time to visit the attractions that we want to do. In fact, a dedicated guest could probably hit every attraction (I think) before the park closed at 1:00 AM. The lady in the tree shadow to the right appears to be pursuing her complimentary INA guidebook. 

 

Pins From the Bag

Hey, what's in that bag? Why, it's a bunch of old PINS!

This first pin (or button) is fun, from the days when SoCal had the only Universal Studios. Most people know that there was a walk-around Frankenstein's Monster, but for a while there was a Baby Frankenstein! I'm unsure of the exact time, though I think "the 70s" would be at least partially correct (Google says BF was there into the 90s, much to my astonishment). There are a few Baby Frankenstein toys (plush dolls, at least), and I've seen souvenir slides showing Baby Frank, but so far I've haven't seen any that were taken by guests. I sure would love to have one!

Just for fun, here's a scan of a postcard with Baby Frankenstein:

Speaking of babies, in the 1950s your milk would be delivered to your doorstep by babies wearing hats. Things were screwy after the war. My dad used to talk about opening a bottle of milk and finding the layer of cream that had risen to the top, but that never happened once it was HOMOGENIZED. You get the good with the bad. 

I don't believe I ever went to a Piggly Wiggly market, even though my family moved a lot. I do remember going to the A&P in Pennsylvania! And the Rainbow Market (?) in Minnesota. Anyway, I love this employee name badge with the cheerful piggy himself, paper hat at a jaunty angle.

I've mentioned the many pins that I purchased when I would visit a particular antiques store in the midwest, from states such as Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, and so on. I love the small-town celebrations; in this case, it's Benson, Minnesota's "Kid Day", circa 1958! The little girl with the tiara looks like the ideal midwest sweetheart, the Queen of Kids, perhaps. 

I did not buy this one in that antiques store - I've had this one for decades. "Land in Cleveland Ohio In '36". Don't mind if I do! Back in the early days of the 20th Century, many cities hoped to lure folks to their fair land (via colorful pinback buttons), to start businesses, work in the local factories, and stimulate the local economy in various other ways. Find happiness and prosperity in Cleveland!

And finally, something a bit more modern. I think I bought it because I remember when McDonalds introduced Shamrock Shakes (in 1970)... going to McD's as a kid was a real treat (possibly not for my mom and dad, though). In my memory, Shamrock Shakes were just vanilla flavor with green food coloring added. My understanding is that they have been mint-flavored for many years, but I haven't had one of those shakes since I was under 10 years old.

That's it for this installment of PINS FROM THE BAG!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - July 17 1980

Sue B. has scanned more of Lou Perry's slides (Lou is her dad, of course); these are from 1980, and they feature the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which had opened less than a year earlier (on September 2, 1979). Based on the number of photos Lou took, he was mighty interested in this new attraction!

I can almost hear the fast "chugga-chugga" sound that these runaways trains make - reminds me of a pressure cooker. And the high-pitched whistle keeps ghosts away, as has been proven by science. 

Lou was faster on the "draw" and got this locomotive as it screamed past! I can't help thinking of the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland, but I really do like BTMRR - if only there had been a way that we had both. Impossible with Disneyland's limited real estate.

It's comforting to see some of the familiar old Rainbow Ridge buildings, repurposed for the new attraction (I am unclear if the buildings were completely rebuilt or not). We've seen many vintage photos of the El Dorado Hotel, and Miner's Hardware!

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

Mad Tea Party, March 1961

Here's a fun pair of photos featuring two sisters riding in their teacups on the Mad Tea Party attraction. For color and kinetic movement, the MTP can't be beat! I told Walt that people would enjoy riding in jars of mayonnaise, but I guess he didn't hear me, so... teacups it is. 

I'm assuming that the ride was in motion at this point, the little girl in the greenish cup is looking right at us, and it looks as if she is doing her best to turn the center wheel - it takes some arm strength to get them going! I've always loved the kooky abstract swirls and pictograms on the cups, somehow it evokes the artwork of the animated film, though I'm not sure why, exactly. Just above the girl's head, we can see the Casey Jr. ticket booth.

A second photo brings our girls closer to us. There were no doors on the teacups back then (unlike now), instead they used a thin piece of woven nylon that looks as if it wouldn't do much. Was it better than nothing? Hard to say. The swirling design of the turntable keeps guests HIP-MO-TIZED, anyway. Hello, Pirate Ship!