Two From Frontierland, September 1961
Well, whadaya know, a picture of the Mark Twain! I'll bet you didn't expect one of those. I can't decide if I'd rather be up on the top deck, or on the lower deck way out in front. Can you see the big horned sheep on Cascade Peak? He's hard to spot, but he's there. Waiting. Always waiting.
Here's an unusual angle; presumably the seating area to our right is in front of the Swift Plantation House (bock bock bock!). I can only assume that the photo was taken from atop a Keelboat, but perhaps not. Any ideas? Oh, and there's that camera-hog the Mark Twain again.
13 comments:
Wha-! *feet fly out, tumbles off as chair goes flying back* What's THAT doing on this blog!?!?
Well I tried putting on a good show of it hehe
Oh I do like that 2nd pic *sploosh* onto the desktop with it! Look, Oleanders adding to the wistful scene, and nobody thinking of suing for child endangerment.
At first glance I thought it was from the train going behind the Chiken Plantato. Boy has this scene changed. Busy spot. Chet and Melba are not happy. Little George, reaching into his popcorn, is entertained as he watches, wondering when the photographer is going to take one more step and notice he's standing in that there brier patch.
I think the 2nd pic was taken from the bridge that used to go over to the Plantation House.
These images make me yearn to be there. Failing that considerably, to toss a cloth about in some nice bit of countryside and picnic.
the second image is so pretty...look at all of those colors and textures!
the Mark Twain appears to be playing a game of hide & seek and whilst everyone is watching the birdie here he comes around the bend sneaking up to tag someone "it"! i love!!
On a glorious day like today, I don't care where I am on the Mark Twain, as long as I'm there. "Follow the River, that mighty River, there's real adventure 'round every bend..."
I have very distinct memories of the Mark Twain from my first visit to Disneyland when I was two and a half. We climbed aboard, the deckhands (OK, cast members) cast off, and I sort of lit out on my lonesome. I remember running all over the place, up and down stairs, through the cabin on the Texas deck and admiring the pictures on the walls, stopping periodically to check in with my parents and grandparents, and generally having a wonderful time, feeling free as Huck Finn. I'm sure I was being shadowed by my dad, my cousin, or Tom Sawyer, Detective, but I have no memory of that.
When we docked, I thought we'd traveled somewhere miles and miles away. That impression was reinforced by lunch indoors at the River Belle Terrace and a dive into Adventureland.
Thanks for bringing that memory to the surface. It brought a big smile to my face.
I think the second picture was taken from the Autopia.
Gotta be from the Monorail.
I think Gaffer is right. On the bridge.
What struck me about the 2nd picture was all the foliage. The trees, the oleanders. It is pure 100% concrete today as a wide cobbled concrete path along the banks of the river.
I must admit, when Fantasmic is going or just after it finishes, there is a huge traffic jam of people on that curve. So the wide expanse is probably needed. Such a shame.
It was taken from the bridge or a passing keel boat that was in that waterway that connected ROA and Jungle Cruise rivers.
Then again it might be taken by someone who was coming down the twisting turning exit ramp on the Alice In Wonderland attraction. ;)
1st Picture: Just look at Cascade Mountain. They really should rebuild it. It really adds to the scenery.
Chiana, I am imagining your reaction in 1950's comic book style! Meanwhile, I grew up around oleanders and managed to never eat one. I think you are right about the vantage point being somewhere on the west side of the Chicken Plantation. I need a vintage aerial photo to be sure!
Graffer, wasn't that bridge way over near Adventureland? Or was there another one?
Time Spectator, you can't go too wrong with a nice picnic.
Nancy, don't let it fool you, the Mark Twain is all full of itself!
Chuck, I am pretty sure I did not ride the Twain until I was a bit older; for some reason my family never boarded the steamboat. If photos of the Twain make you happy, then this blog must make you happy A LOT!
HBG2, like I said to Graffer, wasn't the bridge on the Adventureland side? I am not aware of a bridge on the west side of the Plantation House. Or am I completely discombobulated?
OC Native, the changes made for Fantasmic! were so drastic; I've never liked all that cement. The show IS popular, and when it is crowded, you can see why they needed to do it. But I still hate it. Frontierland on a warm, quiet summer night used to be the most beautiful thing ever. And you are the third (or is it fourth) person who thinks that photo could have been taken from the bridge, so I guess I'm nuts.
Weird thing is that family in the second photo looks just like my dad's family, the guy being my grandpa and the lady my grandma and the popcorn/hiding boy my dad.
Sad thing is that I just texted my dad to see when he may have gone to Disneyland as a child and he wrote back "No we never went. My dad didn't believe in theme parks :("
That just dampened my day a bit!
The pics are still great nonetheless :)
At first glance I thought, Chiken Plantato. But looking at the photo more, I noticed the Bandstand / Gazebo or whatever that is, and look at what we're seeing straight ahead on the island: the fishing dock! Look how close the Twain boarding dock is. So this photo was taken somewhere between the bridge to the Chiken Plantato and the Silver Banjo, yeah?
Major,
I just looked at an aerial photo of Disneyland from 1956. The picture shows the grandstand that hung over the ROA and the bridge. Your second picture was taken from either the bridge or a passing keelboat that is in the narrow canal that links Jungle Cruise and ROA.
The Plantation in the aerial picture is much further west of the bandstand the hangs over the ROA.
Hannahx2, I'm sorry that it didn't turn out to be your grandpa and father in the photo, that would have been awesome! Only two of my readers have spotted relatives in nearly six years.
Chiana, I am clearly not the person to ask! I just got home, and still need to find an aerial photo to orient myself.
OC Native, you sound pretty sure of yourself, which is more than I can say about myself. So I will bow to your researched expertise!
@OC Native, is there some way to get that aerial posted? I would love to see that. All the aerials in my collection are much newer, 1980's forward.
I know of the stream between JC and ROA from other old photos only, but this has the feel of a bridge in that region. I bet those tables with umbrellas are what we know as Riverbelle terrace. Not sure what it was called then.
The buildings in the center must be the mining town at the train ride, but they don't look quite right? Were those moved or taken down at some point? You can see the flags at the River boats landing, so those fronts are well along what is now the border of Big Thunder...Also, where is Cascade Peak?
A very attractive picture.
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