Knott's Berry Farm, 1970's
Let's head back to the 1970's... those thrilling days of yesteryear! And while we're there, we'll head over to Knott's Berry Farm.
Here's a nice shot of the Timber Mountain Log Ride, not long after it opened. This is an unusual angle (taken from "Gate 3"), you can see how the show building is sort of sliced off next to the roadway (where the Stage Coach ran, I think). There's a little tunnel at ground level, was this for employees? Or maybe the pack mules went through there.
One of the railroad trains came by, and our photographer caught a slightly blurry photo of it.
Here's a detail of the exterior of the blacksmith's shop. I like the use of cattle brands as decor... something like Native American pictographs. Is the name "R.F. Kovacs" significant, or did somebody just like the sound of it?
After an emotional visit to the Undertaker's (in the background), this gentleman needed some comforting. Fortunately Nelle and Belle, our favorite dance hall gals, are always ready to help! Meanwhile, that coffin in front of the funeral parlor was a good place to have your picture taken while you pretended to be a corpse.
One of the railroad trains came by, and our photographer caught a slightly blurry photo of it.
Here's a detail of the exterior of the blacksmith's shop. I like the use of cattle brands as decor... something like Native American pictographs. Is the name "R.F. Kovacs" significant, or did somebody just like the sound of it?
After an emotional visit to the Undertaker's (in the background), this gentleman needed some comforting. Fortunately Nelle and Belle, our favorite dance hall gals, are always ready to help! Meanwhile, that coffin in front of the funeral parlor was a good place to have your picture taken while you pretended to be a corpse.
12 comments:
What a crime that none of the old Knott's is left. This just about makes me want to cry.
That tunnel/cave on the side of the Log Ride is an entrance for employees only.
What's the deal with this new way of viewing pics on Blogger? I don't like it! You can't click on the pics to enlarge them. It also won't display most of the pics from my older posts. Change is bad!
There is a surprising amount of the old Knotts left. They do deserve a lot of praise for the good work they have done with what they've been preserving, like the trains, Mine Train, Log Ride and many more elements. Unfortunately I would have to agree that there has been a serious dearth of taste and good judgement involved in an awful lot of the subsequent "development."
TM! I'm having the same gripe. Is there an option on your end to disable the new thing? It may be called "gallery view" "lightbox" or another funky term.
Great pics Maj! The top pic is extra neat and a sheer delight to me. Put me there. You kinda did for a moment - thank you! The 2nd may be blurry but it's still a treat, what a super locomotive that it. Blacksmith's shop is another example of how Knotts could also detail with the best. Cattle brands scratched in the panels - maybe they did that sometimes? And the last, lol... that guy says, it's nice to be here on the sunny side of the street, mm-hm!
Great blog, love all the fantastic photographs & souvenirs of these charmed places. They bring a bit of the best of the past to our present.
I loved how the Log Ride--when it first opened--had no attractions behind it, so you got a nice "wilderness" feel when you came out of the lumbermill and started down the flume. This ride blew my mind when I first rode it: It went so far above and beyond expectations.
Hey, does anyone else remember when "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" filmed one of their episode intros aboard this ride?
I find that if I open the photos in a new tab they display just fine and I can enlarge them.
trickortreat, SOME of the old Knott's is left. My last visit left me less sad than I expected. Ghost town is still charming, in spite of the changes.
TokyoMagic!, it's funny, I first noticed the new picture-viewing system when I was looking at your Dapper Day photos, and figured that you had done something fancy! I'll look into it and see what's going on, but wouldn't be surprised if it "is what it is" and we're stuck with it! Ha ha, "change is bad"... I don't want to be one of those old fogies who thinks that, but in this case the new system is slower and clunkier.
Chiana, I should have just directed "trickortreat" to read what you wrote, since it is RIGHT ON, sistah! I'm not aware of any new boxes to check when composing a blog post, but I do want to see why it has changed.
Time Spectator, thanks, and welcome! Hope you come back again.
Rich T. I still have this memory of that last dark tunnel, with a faint blue light, and that meant that the final drop was coming. Wheeee! And that pine smell, mmmmm! I used to watch "Courtship" when I was a kid, but don't remember the part of the intro with them on the ride. YouTube, here I come.
Irene is correct! If you select "open in new tab", they do open just like they used to! So at least there's that, and it's pretty easy. Thanks Irene!
Ha, the undertaker is where I would end up, if found sitting between two dance hall gals like that.
Very nice memories of the log ride, I also remember when that opened. It was a big deal and an excellent part of the park.
Knotts was always kind of "second fiddle" to Disneyland, but it had it's charms and good memories just the same.
The stories and comment make me afraid to go back.
Thank you Major, for the fun trip today.
JG
Yes. Open the photos in a new tab or new window and they work like they used to (like they're supposed to). Irene, you're a dream. Thanks.
(Oh, and great Knott's shots, Major. Always great fun to visit your blog.)
- Lurker Out
Regarding the "Eddie's Father" opening: It was just one episode. The opening father-son dialogue took place during a first-person POV on the ride from the sawmill exit to the first drop's tunnel. Then they cut away to a shot of Bill Bixby and the kid going over the big drop as the theme song started, then the rest of the opening featured a Knott's montage.
Why the heck do I remember this?!?
Anyway, I couldn't find it on YouTube. :( Another piece Knott's Log Ride trivia: do you remember the documentary on Temple of Doom where the FX guys showed their own first-person footage of the ride and discussed how they used it as reference material for the film's mine car chase?
I'm always up for a visit to Knott's. As long as I can remember a trip to Southern California, in our family, was referred to as "a trip to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm."
Great pics, as always.
Post a Comment