We've seen 31 photos from this lot of early-70's Walt Disney World pix… today I am sharing the last four.
I like this first shot of Fantasyland… it looks so familiar; like Disneyland, only a whole lot bigger and fancier. I think that tall tower is part of the building that houses "It's a Small World". The Skyway was still going strong (as it would until 1999). The Carousel is to our right, and the Mickey Mouse Revue is to our left (the red/pink awning).
The Haunted Mansion looks so solid and grand - although curiously isolated in this angle at least. Some sort of landscaping is being done in the foreground. Either that or bodies are being disturbed.
From somewhere near Cinderella's Castle, we look past a manicured lawn and wide moat (it's like a golf course with a water hazard) toward the buildings at the "hub" end of Main Street. What a pretty picture.
And what better way to end things than with this nice view of one of the Nautiluses (Nautili?) looking like a prehistoric, ocean-dwelling reptile. I still can't believe that this attraction is gone.
That's the last of these, but don't worry, I have more WDW pictures for you!
The WDW Magic Kingdom as I prefer to remember it. There's no getting around the lack of 'the wall of human flesh' that unfortunately is the norm these days. And the beloved Nautilus still chugging along.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major.
I love seeing WDW in it's early years, Major! I'm not positive, but I think that land in the foreground of the Haunted Mansion pic is an undeveloped Tom Sawyer Island. Tom Sawyer Island didn't open until 1973, so if these pics were taken earlier than that, maybe construction was in progress.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic! - You're correct about the land in the foreground of the Haunted Mansion. It's part of the future site of Tom Sawyer Island.
ReplyDeleteMajor - The 3rd image was taken from the pathway to Adventureland. The canal or Hub Waterway used to be occupied by the "Plaza Swan Boats" which traveled around the hub as well as around the Swiss Family Treehouse island. Those were the days.
Nice set today! Glad to hear you have more WDW for us. Thanks, Major.
Great WDW pics today! Thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteNanook, it really does seem like every vintage slide of WDW I've seen shows a park that is open and uncrowded - it looks great! Those days are gone now.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, thanks for the info, it hadn't occurred to me that TSI was between the photographer and the Mansion. These photos could very well be pre-73.
K. Martinez, if only the 3rd photo had included a Swan Boat, that would have been perfect! Oh well, it's still a nice image.
Pegleg Pete, glad you liked these!
Although it's the angle and lack of TSI in this shot, I really do remember when I first saw the WDW Haunted Mansion in the early 1980's, it had a true feeling of being cut off from the rest of the park. It looked like that weird old house on the edge of town as described on the "Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion" record, even though the cover art used the architecture of the DL Mansion. This shot captures that feeling perfectly.
ReplyDeleteAw, I just realized this must be the end of the Stripey Brothers! Rock on, you magnificent adventurers! I hope you went on to experience the glory of EPCOT Center in its prime, and many other awesome family vacations with your cool sister and your photographer parents.
ReplyDeleteNothing compares to the early years of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Far too few pictures of their Skyway; so glad to see one among this final set. Looking forward to seeing more of WDW.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major! :)
Melissa, I have to admit that the isolated appearance of the HM is very cool; does it not look that way these days? (Love that "Story and Song" album). And you are right, it is the last of of the Stripey Brothers and their big sis. Wouldn't it be cool if one of them saw their pictures on this blog and commented??
ReplyDeleteNancy, I guess that the Skyway in Disneyland had so many photos because it went through the Matterhorn. I just scanned 30 WDW slides, so you'll be seeing more soon.
I'm probably a day late (and a buck short) to this conversation - but I'm not convinced that's Tom Sawyer's Island in the foreground but rather where the queue line dock launch building is for the Liberty Belle. The HM doesn't look as isolated any longer with all the plant growth around it - just off, slightly in the distance - looming. The Skyway pictures always amaze me, having been to MK twice as a child in the 80's - I honestly have no recollection of them at all! And thanks again for the WDW pics. I can only hope there is another batch in your collection
ReplyDeleteAnd being last to the party, I'll add that stakes in the foreground of the Haunted Mansion are indeed for Tom Sawyer Island. On the left side of the picture, you can see one of the river markers in the channel beyond the little spit of land (where two white mysterious objects lay on the ground). That little spit is where the south end of the suspension bridge now resides. For those unfamiliar with the MK's TSI, it is actually two islands, with a long suspension bridge connecting the two. The north island contains the fort with the neat little escape tunnel and also a pair of really comfortable rocking chairs alongside the river with a great view of BTMRR across the channel.
ReplyDelete