Thursday, September 26, 2019

More Frontierland '77

The Mysterious Benefactor has bestowed another four photos (circa 1977) upon us, because we have all been good. Yes, the M.B. is a little like Santa Claus.

I love this first shot of the sign for Casa de Fritos, a combination of rustic wood, leather, wrought iron, and steel (with a little plastic so that it looked nice when lit up at night). It has a "patina" artfully applied, 10 points to Hufflepuff.


Tectonic forces thrust Castle Rock upward, but it they were feeling tired, so they only did it a little bit. And can you blame them? The important thing is that they tried. The rushes that line the riverbank give Tom Sawyer Island a more natural appearance, and they partially hide the trails (and people) from the shore.


I can't tell if this raft is a-comin' or a-goin'. At first I thought, "Aha, you can see the wake from the motor to the left, and that means it is heading back to the mainland. Major Pepperidge, you devilish, good looking (but humble) genius!". But then I remembered that the when the rafts arrive on the island, the pilots skillfully turns them around so that they arrive engine-first. If you know what I mean. Mystery not solved.


I love this very pretty photo looking through the entry gates of Fort Wilderness, with lots of warm sunshine and lush greenery. We miss you, Fort Wilderness.


A big THANK YOU to the Mysterious Benefactor for these beautiful scans!

15 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Boy, do these last three images make one long for the TSI of yore-! And if I were a transilluminated sign, I'd sure as heck want to look like this one. (I wonder where the Frito Kid has wondered off to-?)

Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

Awwww! That last pic makes me feel the same I way that I do when looking at pics of Tomorrowland, with the PeopleMover running and the Rocket Jets twirling around high in the air. And that feeling is SAD! :-(

Nanook, maybe he went searching for Klondike?

Chuck said...

Those rushes are conspiring to influence our feelings about that candidate for best photo of the day - definitive proof of rush-ian collusion.

Next to the mast in the raft picture, a blond woman is helpfully cleaning out the ear of a bearded man in sunglasses. You can always depend on the kindness of strangers.

That last photo makes my heart full. Weird how a photo can affect your circulatory system like that.

Andrew said...

These are all awesome (especially the one of the fort)! I had never even seen the sign for Casa de Fritos before and had no idea that it had one of those "knobby tree" posts.

stu29573 said...

I shall resist the urge to point out that WDW still has its fort, because I've done it multiple times before and because I actually just did it again. Oops. The toughest part of thrusting Castle Rock skyward was the thin bit of stone that became the flag pole. Now that's skill! Why do they call them rushes if they never move? I got a million of 'em, folks!

"Lou and Sue" said...

Great pictures, and even-better commentary!

I rarely take note of signs, but that Casa de Fritos one has got to be the most creative one I've ever seen in Disneyland. I like it! No skimping in the sign department on this one.

It looks like those folks on that raft don't know if they're a-comin'or a-goin', either!

Looking at the clothing in that last picture, there's no doubt it's the '70's. Those floppy hats were especially popular in the early 70's - and especially for bridemaids . . . back when the bridesmaids each wore a different pastel color.

Thanks, MP and MB!

Sue

Stefano said...

A fine view of Castle Rock, its red flag just asking for a wave of invading Yippies. The couple in the reeds staring at us appear mystical, Czar and Czarina of all the Rushes.

After leveling a forest for the Star Wars boondoggle, there would have been enough logs to rebuild Fort Wilderness, at little cost. TSI at its best probably drew more happy interacting customers than GE.

Nanook said...

@TM!-
Thank you for taking the bait-!

@ Stefano-
Not only were the customers happier, but they left TSI "... with change back from their dollar", instead of having to 'mortgage the house' to pay for an afternoon of "fun" at Wookie World.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, “transilluminated”, another 25 cent word! Use that word, and “intrauterine” in a sentence. The Frito Kid might be on another of his benders.

TokyoMagic!, I know exactly how you feel. Klondike was over at the Golden Horseshoe, ogling the purty gals.

Chuck, at first I thought you were making a comment about a certain radio host. I believe that woman is giving the gentleman a “wet willy”.

Penna. Andrew, I may have seen a photo of the Casa de Fritos sign, possibly in a guidebook, but views of things like that are certainly rare.

stu29573, yes, WDW has its fort, and its Swiss Family Treehouse. But they lost their “Mr. Toad” and “Snow White” dark rides, and their subs. It’s always a tradeoff, I suppose. From what I’ve read, Toad, Snow White, AND the subs in Florida were all superior to the Anaheim versions. Why DO they call them rushes??

Lou and Sue, it’s surprising how cheap and chintzy some latter-day signs look - tacky fonts, etc. Back in the old days, they’d use etched glass and other fancy techniques if the occasion called for it. Floppy hats, ha ha… I saw the original “Stepford Wives” a few years ago, and often when they showed one of the drone wives, they were wearing floppy hats, as if that was the height of desirablility at the time.

Stefano, these days the Yippies seem almost charming compared to some of the wackos that we hear about. Storming Tom Sawyer Island to smoke funny cigarettes is more “Animal House” than anarchist. And I really did have a slight hope that we might get our Fort Wilderness back when TSI reopened (or maybe the burning cabin); no such luck.

Nanook, I would have said it, but TokyoMagic beat me to it.

Anonymous said...

TSI as it once was. Gone but not forgotten. My bet is the raft is leaving the dock from the wake being brought up behind the raft pilot. KS

JG said...

Oh my, this is a trip back. I can hear hear the raft motor now.

All these pictures are winners, but the fort takes the prize. So much fun.

I agree with KS, the raft is heading back to the mainland since all the riders are facing that way.

Thanks Major and MB.

JG

zach said...

I think the raft is heading to the mainland because people generally look at where they're going (according to an unscientific study I did in my head just now).

Thanks to MP and MB

dz

K. Martinez said...

All the pics are winners today. It was Frontierland at it's peak like the rest of the park was in the 1970's, but also in between the closure of Nature's Wonderland and the opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Thanks, Major.

Andrew, those "knobby tree" posts are also used for the Frontierland Shooting Gallery facade/building.

JC Shannon said...

That MB, he's everywhere I tell ya! He has captured a perfect day on the river. Is there no end to his talent, I think not? Major, in his wisdom has shared it with us Disneyland lovers. Perfect, I think so? Thanks to all.

Major Pepperidge said...

KS, hmmm, an intriguing theory! That is a pretty clear engine wake.

JG, I agree, this was an especially nice bunch. I almost feel guilty using so many in one post. Almost.

dzacher, now I don’t know WHAT to think!

K. Martinez, it’s kind of amazing how beautiful Frontierland looks. I would be so happy to be walking in to the Fort with those other people.

Jonathan, don’t anger the MB! He shall smite thee! He’s pretty talented, too. I don’t know about my wisdom… I was happy to have more content to share!