Friday, February 26, 2016

Special Guest Photos - The Devlin Family - Part 06

Today I have more photos from the Devlin family... we've moved April, 1960 to September, 1961. 

First up is this beautiful shot taken from the Skyway as we head from Fantasyland toward the Matterhorn, and on into Tomorrowland. The snow level is still pretty high at this point... seems like in later photos, the mountain became icier and snowier. One of the twin Fantasyland eateries is to our left (beneath the "tent"). Part of the "Mr. Toad" façade is to our right, while a bit of the Alice in Wonderland attraction can be seen in the distance.


Two Skyway vehicles pass each other in opposite directions, and what do you know... two Devlin boys are in the other bucket! It's Joe and Patrick. Below, we can see the House of the Future, and the geodesic dome that was used to display plastic wonders such as patio furniture and artificial grass.


Stay tuned for more photos, courtesy of the Devlin Family!

14 comments:

Nanook said...

More nice images. So much color in that first shot.

Major, I believe the "twin fantasyland eatery" pictured, is 'Fan 2'.

Thanks to all.

TokyoMagic! said...

Hmmm, now I want to know if the Devlin family planned to be in passing Skyway buckets or if it was just a coincidence. Without cell phones, I imagine that would be difficult to coordinate back in the day.

Major, I don't believe I've seen a picture of the House of the Future's geodesic dome here on GDB before, or anywhere else for that matter. I'm only familiar with the tent-like patio structure that later became a souvenir stand.

Chuck said...

I was thinking exactly what Ken says in both of his comments above.

It's always fun to run into someone unexpectedly on a ride. I have a picture from the ground of my wife and youngest son on the Skyfari at the San Diego Zoo shot under similar circumstances. The family had split up to meet differing animal interests, and my older boy and I had just exited one of the giant aviaries when he looked up and said "Look, Daddy - it's Mama!" Not planned or expected at all, but still pretty cool.

Anonymous said...

The pink and white badge on Patrick's shirt signifies that this was an MKC directors' day at the park, and the badge meant unlimited rides all day (20-plus years before the park eliminated ticket books.

Monkey Cage Kurt said...

My immediate thought was exactly the same Tokyo-M. How did they coordinate this without the aid of cell phones? Boy! Those Devlins sure knew how to take a picture!

Great stuff as always! Thank you so much Major and Devlin family!

Unknown said...

TM, I was thinking the same thing regarding the second shot's timing. It's pretty cool if it was a happy accident.

That alpine pool of run-off at the Matterhorn's base looks bigger than today's version. But Google Maps shows the pool's still there.

K. Martinez said...

Love the first image. It's the ultimate image of Disneyland for me. And as everyone else noted about the second image, great catch on snapping a photo of Joe and Patrick in the Skyway bucket. Again, thanks for sharing these wonderful Devon family Disneyland photos.

Tom said...

I love that second photo: so much goodness in one shot! The HOF, the dome, the flagpoles, the atom grazing the top of the world clock... makes me want to jump in and explore. I'd give my left arm to take my digital camera back then for just an hour (I'll need my right arm to work the camera shutter).

Anonymous said...

Thanks again to the Devlins for sharing the family pics. So much fun. I especially enjoy photo 2 with the unexpected vistas.

JG

outsidetheberm said...

Hey TokyoMagic! If you have not seen the House of the Future's geodesic dome before, take a look at the Facebook page today for Stack's Liberty Ranch. I believe you're already on the feed, but if not, be sure to stop by!

Great pics today, Major! Thanks, Devlins!

TokyoMagic! said...

Thanks, OTB! This is completely new to me!

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I can never remember which “Fan” is which. I’ll just let people correct me every time!

TokyoMagic!, I thought the exact same thing… it was quite a feat to capture some family members going the opposite direction. I’m pretty sure I’ve posted photos with that dome before, but I’ll be darned if I can find them.

Chuck, I’ve never run into anybody I know at the park! However I once went to a club to see a band in downtown L.A., and ran into a girl who I last saw in Paris. What are the odds?

Anonymous, cool, thank you for that info! Very interesting.

Monkey Cage Kurt, have you completely forgotten about ESP? The Devlin family has powers that we cannot even conceive of!

Patrick Devlin, I was wondering, in that first photo, is that your mom and your sister Mary in the bucket in front of us? Hard to tell, I know.

K. Martinez, like you, I’ve always loved that perspective on Fantasyland, the Skyway, and the Matterhorn. It’s SO Disneyland!

Tom, this marks you as a true Disneyland fan… my guess is that the average person would find the picture to be not that interesting. But you have to know what to look for!

JG, we’ll have more from the Devlin family coming soon.

outsidetheberm, OK, I’m going to have to stop by the Stack’s Liberty Ranch FB feed too!!

Unknown said...

Just a quick note here, Major: it does look my Mom's profile there. It strikes me that splitting up and getting on the Skyway from opposite ends was the sort of thing my Dad was capable of.

TommyTsunami said...

This is Tom Devlin, and I know I'm a little late on my comment, but here's the family photo from that 1961 MKC trip. (Courtesy of Daveland)
http://davelandblog.blogspot.com/search?q=MKC