More Frontierland in Black and White
It's time for more photos from Frontierland (scanned from 35mm negatives), in spectacular shades of gray. It was good enough for Orson Welles, so it's good enough for me.
Everybody gets to be "King of the Mountain" for at least a few seconds if they have the gumption to climb Castle Rock. No supplemental oxygen is necessary. This interesting geological formation was probably pushed up by tectonic forces hundreds of millions of years ago. Or maybe in 1956.
Here's the peak as seen from a different angle. The kid with the souvenir trilby looks like he's auditioning to be in the Rat Pack. Hey, he already has more appeal than Peter Lawford.
Castle Rock was such a simple feature - a winding "natural" staircase up, and another one returning to the ground. But it obviously held a lot of appeal for kids and adults.
Now we're inside Fort Wilderness; the only oasis of safety for hundreds of miles! The fort was one of the features on Tom Sawyer Island that added an air of authenticity to the Land. With Westerns being a staple on television, I'm sure that more than a few kids and adults felt as if they were stepping into one of those classic dramas.
Here's a zoom; on the upper level, you could walk into the corner stockade and point a rifle at any guest who looked like they might cause trouble. Down below you could visit the headquarters, where a waxwork Andy Jackson conferred with Davy Crockett and Georgie Russell.
We miss you, Fort Wilderness!
I assume that The Magic Kingdom still has their fort?
7 comments:
Major-
Castle Rock is most-assuredly a real crowd-pleaser. And although our chapeau-wearing friend may be channeling the Rat Pack as far as his hat is concerned, his gianto belt buckle would have him laughed-out of any casino in Vegas-!
The two ladies standing together in Fort Wilderness certainly could pass for grammar school teacher and cafeteria worker (clutching a Tom Sawyer Island map). But it's the gal with the pedal pushers and [possibly] Kodak Brownie Holiday Camera who really rings the bell. (I wonder just how comfortable those open-toed sandals feel right about the time this image was shot-??)
Thanks, Major.
Peter Lawford unappealing?!? I won't have it! I shan’t!
I want that dress with the bow. I wouldn't pair it with high-heeled strappy sandals for a day at the park, though.
I wonder if the animal hide on the wall is real or imitation?
Yes, Fort Langhorn (formerly Fort Sam Clemens) still stands in the Magic Kingdom.
Yep! All the cool stuff that used to be cool has been neutered or watered down on Tom Sawyer Island.
At least most of us got to see TSI in its full glory back in the day. I even remember when there was a snack & beverage bar in Fort Wilderness as I used to go there after working up an small appetite and thirst from walking and climbing around the place. Those are some great memories.
That last image (blow-Up) is great for the three women dressed in their colorful attire even if in B&W. Thanks, Major.
Melissa, that sure looks like a real wall to me.
Nanook, I don’t know what is wrong with a giant belt buckle; it’s what separates us from the animals. I suppose those ladies did not expect to be walking on anything but cement all day. Roughing it on a dirt path was a curveball!
Melissa, OK, OK, let’s say Joey Bishop instead. The lady with the dress & bow reminds me of my great grandmother. I’m sure that’s a real animal hide… people were not only fine with animals being killed for decoration, they often just killed random critters at cocktail parties. Those were the days.
K. Martinez, of course I wish I had spent much more time on TSI… my mom and dad would only go there grudgingly. I’m trying to remember if the giant batch of Frontierland scans recently given to me contains any photos of the snack bar in Fort Wilderness… guess I need to go back and check.
Chuck, we need to have a little chat about sentence structure! ;-)
@Melissa, pretty sure that animal hide in the picture is a real one. I think the antlers on the roofs were also real, at least initially. Probably all changed out now for plastic resin that doesn't wear.
Major, Ft. Wilderness and TSI in black and white look like historic photos of the real thing. The folks in modern clothing look like the anachronisms.
Castle Rock will probably be closed soon since there is a real danger of some modern kid getting stuck in the narrow passages.
JG
@ JG-
The current Castle Rock 'issue' is probably a real thing. However, can't the openings merely be "re-profiled" to better accommodate the wider 'girth' of many of today's youngsters-? (So much for the Husky Boys department). I mean - I know Disney would rather not spend any extra cash if it can better be used to pay-out moola to the big corporate shareholders - but still. How can they be so mean to kids-?
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