I love this first photo of Cascade Peak, dramatically lit as if it hoped to be painted by Albert Bierstadt. Yes, even a fake mountain has hopes and dreams. If only a little yellow Mine Train had been chugging past the waterfalls - then this picture would have been especially great. Lucky for me, I have some pictures like that. You'll just have to wait, though!
The dark moody atmosphere are this photo suits the subject matter... an Indian burial. You can see the dead guy up there on the little platform. Nearby is a circle of buffalo skulls, which is badass.
Ah yes, the unfriendly Indians... It's always surprising just how much of Tom Sawyer's Island is taken up by those folks. I'd guess that it's maybe 50%, at least by area.
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDeleteCascade Peak looks particularly-looming in this shot. Really nice.
Badass Buffalo Skulls - kinda sounds like a very boozy 'specialty drink' that goes down easy, but packs a wallop when the imbiber attempts to stand up. Hic-!! (I'm ready for mine-!)
Thanks, Major.
"Badass Buffalo Skulls" would also make a great name for a roller derby team.
ReplyDeleteI had completely forgotten about the Indian burial tableau. Is that still there?
Note how from this angle the teepees appear to be set in a forest clearing. I'm going to guess that a lot of that was cleared out when they put in the animatronic storyteller and his random-looking, garage-sized rock outcropping backdrop.
I think I may head to the art museum this afternoon to look at the Bierstadts. Thanks for the inspiration. And if I see his "Autumn Afternoon on Cascade Peak," I'm not sure I'll be pinching myself to wake up.
The Cascade Peak image sort of looks like a model railroading image. Maybe because the focus is a little soft on the edges. I like it. Especially the lighting.
ReplyDeleteI always loved that artist's paintings but could never connect a name to it. Thanks for sharing that bit of info about Albert Bierstadt.
Thanks, Major.
I think Disney made a mistake by not re-building Cascade Mountain after it was torn down a few years ago (or was it 10 15 years ago- time flies). I think the water fall adds to who feel of the area. Just my opinion of course.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame it was torn down and not replaced.
Whole feel of the area. Not "who." And 10- 15 years ago. My typos.
ReplyDeletePatrick, I think (but am not positive) that the burial grounds were supposed to be part of the "friendly Indian" territory. I always got the impression that Walt Disney generally wanted to portray Native Americans in a positive light - though of course we did have that burning settler's cabin.
ReplyDeleteNanook, the main ingredient in a "Badass Buffalo Skull" is formaldehyde. Whoo-hoo!
Chuck, are there still roller derby teams?! I don't think the burial tableau is there anymore. You are so right about that "garage-sized rock"… I like the storyteller idea, but it really does look like the Indians are in a Stonehenge garage. What museum do you have nearby that would have paintings by Bierstadt?
K. Martinez, I should have done a "tilt shift" version of it! In fact I still might. Of course it would work best with the mine train in the picture. I think that almost any of the "Hudson School" of landscape painters would work for Cascade Peak.
OC Native, from what I have heard, the large pumps that powered the waterfalls used a ton of expensive electricity, which is a major reason that the peak was not rebuilt. Sounds legit to me.
Major, I'm about 30 minutes from the world-class St Louis Art Museum, originally built as the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1904 World's Fair. Unfortunately, their four Bierstadts are not his most iconic work, but there's a representative cross-section of the rest of the Hudson River School.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see a "tilt shift" version of the Mine Train. You know what else would be cool? A Tilt-a-Whirl version of the Mine Train.