I have two photos from July, 1960 - but they are from different batches and different photographers.
First up is a view of Harbor Boulevard looking toward the famous Disneyland marquee, with the turnoff into the massive parking lot up ahead - you can just see part of the famous "Harbor Gate" if you look closely. A row of oleanders partially hide the sea of automobiles.
Next is this nice image, taken from the Disneyland railroad, which was stopped at (or near) the little Tomorrowland Station. The magical smog gives the Matterhorn a slightly dreamy feeling. I'm a bit confused by the fact that we are seeing what I assume are Mark IV Autopia cars (the Mark I through III cars are essentially identical in appearance), even though I have read that the Mark V cars (with the "eyebrows") were introduce in 1959. It's a mystery!
Hajor-
ReplyDeleteYou can almost 'taste' the anticipation in that first image. Let's jump-in-!
Thanks, Major.
That's weird about the car discrepancy - yet another mystery to solve! My guess is that the Mark V cars introduced in 1959 didn't count for the whole fleet. I also love the Matterhorn "through the haze" in that photo; it makes it look like it's in the distance and therefore huge in size!
ReplyDeleteI love that first pic of Harbor Blvd. and the entrance to the beloved parking lot! In the second pic, the Matterhorn looks more massive from that angle, for some reason. It also looks like it's tilting slightly. Maybe that old rumor is true and it is sinking slowly......VERY slowly.
ReplyDeleteNice thematic match of the photos, both of which features cars, roads and exits (the sign hanging from the lamppost in the second image reads "EXIT" if you zoom in real close and kiss your monitor). You should award yourself bonus points for them both being on the same side of the Park, although that needs to be tempered by the lack of telephone or power poles in the second image.
ReplyDeleteFor a guy who claims to know nothing about cars, you sure do know your Autopia models, Major. ;-)
TM!, if the Matterhorn had been built around here, it probably would be sinking due to mine subsidence. This area is honeycombed with closed coal mines from more than 100 years ago, and every few years we have to close a school or business because it's slowly sinking into the ground. When I lived here as a kid about 40 years ago, I remember a sinkhole opening up in a nearby town and actually taking part of a school with it.
ReplyDeleteTo give you an idea of the how widespread the potential problem is, check out this interactive map from the Illinois State Geological Survey and search for Swansea, IL. All of the red areas are above known "room and pillar" underground mines, while the yellow areas could also be subject to subsidence if there is an underground collapse since the surface effects cane come out at an angle from where the actual collapse occurs due to variations in soil density, other underground cavities, etc.
While my house is about 200 yards north of a yellow zone, I still carry mine subsidence insurance just in case; there are plenty of undocumented mines.
So, um, yeah, anyway, great photos of Disneyland, Major!
FOLLOW THAT WHITE CAR!!
ReplyDeleteI always liked the Mach V cars. That button that activated the built in jacks that could launch them into a full jump when at speed was so cool! Wait...what were we talking about again?
ReplyDeleteStu, come back after you've had your coffee . . .
ReplyDeleteSue
Right behind Lou and Sue. I can almost smell that California air...and at about Defcon 5 on the excitement scale.
ReplyDeleteYep, coffee (or hot chocolate) and some Mickey shaped Beignets, covered with powdered sugar.
Love the Matterhorn/Autopia pic. That dirt mound covered in shrubs is very cool. It reminds me of the sand dunes along the coast on a drive from Santa Cruz to Monterey. Thanks, Major.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I think the Matterhorn looks more massive and majestic here because of the haze. An old movie trick was to a haze effect to make something look farther away and more majestic. Also, there were not a lot of huge trees nearby to diminish its mountainous presence during the early years.
Can you imagine archeologists from the future discovering the remains of Disneyland? In among all the urban sprawl, lies the magic land of our ancestors. The sub lagoon would become a ritual bathing pool, and the Matterhorn a place where they communed with their ancestors. I still get excited when I see pictures of the Disneyland sign. Thanks Major for the great uggies.
ReplyDeleteNanook, there’s just something about photos of that Disneyland sign! Seems strange that they haven’t replaced it with something bigger and crazier.
ReplyDeletePenna. Andrew, I agree that there was a transition period when new Autopia cars were being introduced, but it still seems strange to me that we aren’t seeing any of the Mark V cars. I’m sure you are right though.
TokyoMagic!, I love that one too! I wonder if there is any truth to that rumor about the Matterhorn slowly sinking. Seems like I’ve read it before. Maybe in a million years it will only be six feet high.
Chuck, er, um, I totally intended the juxtaposition that signifies man’s existential something something. I will take those bonus points and change them into Bitcoins. As for knowing about Autopia models… I only have to remember a few models and dates, unlike the 10 zillion other real makes and models out there. I don’t know how Nanook does it.
Chuck II, every once in a while you’ll see a news story about a sinkhole swallowing a car or a house. It’s so crazy! I can’t imagine how freaky that would be to know that there was a chance it could happen at any moment. I’ll bet the kids cheered when they heard about the school being partly swallowed up! “Room and pillar” mines makes me think of the dwarves from “Lord of the Rings”. Watch out for the Balrog. Subsidence insurance is a new one to me.
Lou and Sue, I will follow that white car, happily.
Stu29573, it’s amazing how handy that jump feature can be. Why don’t they include in cars these days??
Lou and Sue, this is just how Stu is all the time. He likes the cartoons!
DrGoat, yum, that smell of exhaust mixed with asphalt and oil, with a pinch of eucalyptus and/or sagebrush. It’s intoxicating! I’ve never had a beignet.
K. Martinez, funny, I didn’t even really notice that dirt mound, and it’s right in front. My eyes just automatically blipped past it. It must be leftover submarine lagoon dirt. I agree about the haze effect, and am sure that the reason the castle was painted in muted colors originally was to simulate the same illusion. What do you think?
Jonathan, I envy those archeologists! Best job ever. “Look at these large caterpillar idols. They must have sacrificed their enemies in these. And judging from the size of those teacups, the people were giants!”.
Pictures of the original entrance to the Park never grow old....nor the excitement of knowing that the family had arrived!. KS
ReplyDeleteMajor, Yes, I believe Sleeping Beauty Castle colors were muted to give it a more impression size and feeling of distance.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I should pay more attention to the comments as I see you already mentioned the haze affect well before I did.
Yes, I once had a girlfriend who said, "You think in cartoons." I took it as a compliment!
ReplyDeleteStu - :) I was only suggesting the coffee because you said, ". . . what were we talking about again?" Caffeine always helps. There's no problem with you thinking in cartoons - that's why you're on GDB! :)
ReplyDeleteSue
Had some Beignets with powered sugar and hot chocolate at the French Market Restaurant, or whatever it was called back then, in New Orleans Square back in '96 in think. My hair stood on end for about an hour from all the sugar.
ReplyDeleteThe future archeologists would also discover that the Disneyland people defended their territory with lightsabers, and were skilled in "taxidermying" cute, little fluffy/plush animals.
ReplyDeletePowder-sugared Beignets and hot chocolate sound WONDERFUL, right now! I'll meet everyone in NOS, in 15 minutes!
Sue
Matterhorn? More like a foghorn, amirite?
ReplyDeleteI got nothin'.