A Knott's Selection
Here's a somewhat random assortment of photos from Knott's Berry Farm.
I never get tired of the trains at Knott's. This locomotive (seen in a 1956 image) is the real deal - big cast-iron beast. No 5/8 scale for Walter Knott! And yet there is a beauty to it. It really is something to consider when you think that this particular locomotive was hauling freight and passengers back in the 1880's! Just beyond the train you can see part of the depot; and beyond that... plenty of trees!
Jumping forward to 1977, and take a look at the old fire wagon. This amazing contraption was originally steam-powered. It was like a train without tracks. I'm sure it's been many years since it has moved under its own power; now it's happy to have kids climbing aboard.
Here's a very authentic looking Prairie Schooner over at the Covered Wagon Camp. Folks could sit in one of these and look down into a dug-out amphitheater (which had additional seats/terraces, sculpted with concrete to look something like rockwork). They could eat a box lunch or dinner and enjoy live musical performances and square dancing. Swing your partner, do-si-do! A group known as The Wagonmasters played at the Wagon Camp for many years.
Jumping forward to 1977, and take a look at the old fire wagon. This amazing contraption was originally steam-powered. It was like a train without tracks. I'm sure it's been many years since it has moved under its own power; now it's happy to have kids climbing aboard.
Here's a very authentic looking Prairie Schooner over at the Covered Wagon Camp. Folks could sit in one of these and look down into a dug-out amphitheater (which had additional seats/terraces, sculpted with concrete to look something like rockwork). They could eat a box lunch or dinner and enjoy live musical performances and square dancing. Swing your partner, do-si-do! A group known as The Wagonmasters played at the Wagon Camp for many years.
10 comments:
In the first pic, that man is getting a drink of water out of one of those concrete tree stump drinking fountains!
Too bad they destroyed 90% of the Firehouse just so they could have some Ghost Town "ruins". I wonder what that little structure next to the Firehouse was? It was gone by the time I started working there.
Wait a second... I've seen that kid before - he's usually at Disneyland - with his just as stylish sister with the dark brown pixie cut.
"Wait a second... I've seen that kid before - he's usually at Disneyland - with his just as stylish sister with the dark brown pixie cut."
...and without Bob's Big Boy.
Boy, these are some nice ones Maj! Can I live in the upstairs behind the window facing the fire dept.? Okay so it's probably haunted but in a town like that, it's a good thing to be near the fire dept.
Great wagon and the train looks super in that paint scheme. Which I don't recall seeing before! The brown anyway.
That's either a treestump fountain or the fool don't like chicken dinners and he's grabbing himself some sparrow.
Gosh Tom Sawyer painted writin' on Knotts' wagons too!
Beautiful train.
JG
TM!, I wondered if anyone would comment about the drinking fountain! I didn't know that the firehouse had been mostly destroyed. What the hell?
LauraJ953, you have been paying attention! Yes, that kid was at Disneyland with his sister(s).
Chiana, ha ha! It's the checked pants, isn't it? I guess you can't live above the fire dept (read TokyoMagic's comment above), sorry. And yes, Tom Sawyer got around. Mmmm, cruchy sparrows!
JG, as a kid I totally took those amazing trains for granted. "Oh, another train". But now I appreciate them a lot!
Oh! Welcome back Connie!
(just saw yr post from yesterday you got back from vacation :) )
To answer TM's question about the structure on the left side of the "Firehouse" picture, that was used to house the "Frosty the Snowman". So, this picture must have been taken in the Fall. Also, the fire wagon is still here tucked away in a warehouse backstage. I walked over at lunch today and took a closer look at it. It was pulled by horses the steam-power was used to pump the water out. I will bring my camera tomorrow and take some more detailed pictures of it and post them on my blog.
Allan P., thanks for answering my question! I remember Frosty The Snowman being housed in a similar structure, but he had been moved out to Grand Avenue for my first Xmas at the Farm (1982). Now that I think of it, that might have been the very last year they ever had a "real" Frosty. I don't remember seeing him in later years. But the next year they did have real reindeer on display. I have a pic of Frosty from 1982....I'll have to post it this Xmas season!
Allan P., and TokyoMagic!, I have never heard of a Frosty the Snowman character (or was it just a static figure?) at Knott's before.
Major, I just posted some pictures of Frosty. He was a static figure that they would bring out just for the holiday season.
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