Nothin' too inspiring today, homies... just a couple of pictures looking across the calm waters of the Rivers of America. ALL OF THEM. Why, I see at least six rivers right here. Some call it a gift, I call it a curse.
The most interesting thing about this first image is that you can see a li'l Stagecoach bouncing along on the distant shore. Everyone loves a Stagecoach! Even kids with chicken pox. Tom Sawyer Island is to our left - little did he dream that pirates would one day own that property. Is that little shack the baños? You'd think that I would know, but I'm too busy studying particle physics. You can just see the top of the Mark Twain's stacks peeking up above the trees.
I love these early views of the western edge of Frontierland, when it was so undeveloped. Think of all the stuff that is there now! The Haunted Bungalow, Sploosh Mountain, the Mangey Bear Restaurant, and so on. All that was there in the 50's was the DLRR (look carefully, it's there), and a split-rail fence. The fence required one "C" ticket.
Major-
ReplyDeleteTalk about spartan-! It's pure loveliness.
Thanks, Major.
And now I'm craving an Armour Hot Dog.
ReplyDeleteWell, somebody's on fire today, and it ain't a settler with an arrow in his back!
ReplyDeleteSmart kids, stupid kids,
Kids with mismate socks,
Neat kids, sloppy kids,
Even kids with chicken pox
Love stagecoach, armored stagecoach:
The coach kids love to rob!
if they change the Mangey Bear Restaurant to an all-Italian menu, they can call it the Mangia! Bear Restaurant.
It's so utterly "frontier-ish". Disneyland was so charming in those early days. It really had that "backyard attraction" feel to it.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Armored Stagecoach immediately reminded me of the John Wayne classic, "The War Wagon." I saw it as a kid, but other than the really cool armored wagon, I can't remember a dang thing about it!
ReplyDeleteFun Fact #2431: These pictures are actually of the Tomorrowland subs being tested. You can't see them because...nevermind, even I think this one is stupid...
I can see the infamous fishing pier in the first shot. What I can't see is the outdoor vending cart that was right next to the pier, which offered a "premium" experience (for an upcharge, of course): the raw fish without the work of having to fish for them! I'm still scratching my head as to why that didn't last.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wouldn't give to step in to my time machine and take a walk through Disneyland in it's infancy once again. Wide open spaces, no crowds and plenty of 50s coolness. I don't know why you would waste a "C" ticket on the fence when you can visit the particle physics pavilion for free. I'm pretty sure you can build your own particle accelerator in Wookie World for a mere $500.00. Thanks Major for these super scans.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the Love Shack where The B-52's hung out. Gawd, I'm running out of things to say.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I love Disneyland in its infant years and wish I could've been there to see it all begin.
Thanks, Major.
@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be a Swift's Premium hot dog-? ("As served exclusively at Disneyland", after all...)
Nanook, I could almost understand how a 2019 person might look at these photos and think that Disneyland looks boring, but the park had charms that didn’t necessarily come through in pictures.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I’ll bet there are good 4th of July sales on hot dogs right now!
Melissa, more commercials need to mock stupid kids! I’m all for it. I love the idea of a frontier-style Italian restaurant. There must have been some folks from the Old Country on the prairie!
steve2wdw, if only I had a backyard like 1956 Frontierland!
stu29573, war is so mean, couldn’t John Wayne have made a movie called “The Hugs Wagon”? You know, he would travel from town to town and give people hugs. In 3-D! Also, I think I see a submarine.
Penna. Andrew, oh man… upcharges for premium experiences at Disneyland are one of my pet peeves. You just know there are rooms full of people trying to figure out what to charge extra for. “If they want to sit down on the train, they have to pay an extra $15!”.
Jonathan, particle physics are cool, but there’s usually not a lot to look at. It’s not like you are allowed inside the accelerator. Meanwhile, with a split rail fence, you can sit on it, or climb over it, place things on it, or just admire it from afar. When you think about it, it’s better than that dumb “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride.
K. Martinez, ha ha, re: running out of things to say… welcome to my life! ;-)
Nanook, NEVER! It’s Armour or nothing.
Nanook, when Major mentioned chicken pox, it immediately made me think of Armour hot dogs....but sure, I could go for a Swift's Premium hot dog, or a Ball Park Frank ("They PLUMP when you cook 'em!"), or even a Hoffy Hot Dog, which was the official hot dog of Knott's Berry Farm
ReplyDelete