Chillin' at the Chalet, September 1959

There's really nothing like finding a little box of Disneyland slides, and HEY, they're dated 1959! Whoo hoo! Only to discover that the photographer was a spazz. A very nice person, I'm sure, but a spazz when it came to taking pictures. In fact, I have just decided (right this very second!) that I'm going to post some of the more baffling examples tomorrow. So stay tuned!

Meanwhile, as the saying goes, even a stopped clock is right twice a day. So there were bound to be some OK pictures! Like this nice portrait of the Matterhorn queue area, themed to look like a Alpine ski chalet. The Matterhorn had opened only three months before, and everyone was enjoying the heady aroma of fresh mountain. Mmmmm! Our photographer (and hero) never let his wife get less than 50 feet from the lens, so we don't get to know her very well.


In spite of the blur, this photo still manages to be interesting since it provides us with a rare look at the Space Bar. There it is way back there! Just visible are the signs for hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, coffee, soft drinks, and tarantulas. To the left, some bright yellow vending machines for those customers who prefer to get their food from a slotted gizmo.


This is a pretty nice photo of the cliffs and tiny pueblos up on the mesas (and the lonesome coyote in his cave), part of the "Living Desert" portion of Nature's Wonderland. If there was any attempt at forced perspective involving the indian dwellings, it isn't working! They look like little adobe doll houses. But it's OK because it is charming in its way.