Cherokee, North Carolina
I have three photos from Cherokee, North Carolina for you today. We've been here before! In fact, I may as well quote myself from that 2013 post: Located about 30 miles from Pigeon Forge (in the Oconaluftee River Valley), Cherokee is the headquarters for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. It has been a tourist destination for years, home to several roadside attractions, such as "Santa's Land"(I think I might have pictures of that one). Scenes from Walt Disney's "Davy Crockett - King of the Wild Frontier" were filmed in Cherokee.
Below (from June, 1961) is a wooden Indian - of the cigar store variety, I suppose. I think there were quite a few of these along U.S. 19 (Tsalagi Road), where you'd find many gift shops, hotels, and restaurants.
You can tell that this place is legit because of the two teepees sprouting from the asphalt-shingle roof (photo from August, 1958). This stretch of shops (etcetera) displays the charms of a good roadside attraction - eye-catching signage, plenty of parking, and some programatic architecture that you can't ignore if you think you're just going to drive by unscathed.
Those sweet summer tourist bucks were probably the main source of income for many people, including these "chiefs", ready to pose for a photo - a cherished memory that will last forever. Say, I see a Dairy Queen over there, what are we waiting for?
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Cherokee, North Carolina!
21 comments:
That's an exceptional example of a Wooden Indian. I wonder if it's actually made of wood? It looks more like painted metal or plaster of Paris. Although, plaster seems like it would be way too fragile.
I can't tell what those things are in the rack to the left of the Indian. They look like they're made of wood, and many of them seem to have pretty women/Indian maidens on the front.
I've seen better totem poles. This one looks like it needs to spend some time in the gym.
Love the old chest-style Coke machine.
In the second pic, I spot a bin-full of souvenir spears and (probably) tomahawks and peace pipes; all with feathers dyed in primary colors. I wonder if it's the same merch found in Frontierland? (Or used to be; do they still have these in Disneyland?)
Not sure what those metal basket thingys are on the left. They look like the type that hotdog and hamburger buns would be delivered in.
3rd pic, I'm not very knowledgeable in Indian culture, but I don't think the Eastern Band Cherokee tribe wore those kinds of headdresses/bonnets. Especially dyed in Tweety Bird yellow. In fact, pretty much everything in this roadside attraction seems to be a mish-mash of all Native American tribes; from Alaska to New Mexico to New England. I suppose that's where its charm lies.
I wonder if the "Tomahawk Coffee Shop" and "The Coffee Shop" are one-and-the-same? I've never heard of Sealtest Ice Cream (tested by seals, evidently). I'd be curious to try it.
Thanks for letting us stop at this tourist tra...er... destination, Major. Fun and interesting. There may even be some genuine baskets, blankets, and such available here.
“Yep, son, back when I was a wee lad growing up in the hills, Indians roamed the land and we walked to ‘Everything!’”
Ah, the touristy strip in Cherokee. I remember getting quite a few souvenirs from those shops back in the early to mid 1970s: moccasins, rubber tomahawks and spears, as well as black bear toys (the old ones stuffed with straw) and taffy. I passed through Cherokee year before last and there was still a handful of souvenir shops selling Native American themed items but nowadays the place is naturally more about the local casino. At least the Pink Motel with its wonderful mid-century, neon Tinkerbell sign was still in operation. Sealtest – now there’s a name I haven’t seen in decades! Thanks for the pics and memories, Major.
Sealtest was a mid-west/east coast ice cream company from Milwaukee. I remember there was a Sealtest Ice Cream Parlor in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, on Main Street, USA in the early years.
Sealtest along with Breyers was later acquired by Kraft.
Great pics! Love the old roadside attractions.
Thanks, Major.
JB, you nailed it with the Indian mis- mash observation. How much of this has to do with the Eastern Cherokee? Not a lot.
Let's see, off the top of my head: teepees? Nope. War bonnets? Nope. Totem poles? Nope.
One of the reasons the Cherokee are less marketable than other tribes is that when the plains tribes were dolled up in war paint and shooting arrows at settlers, the Cherokee were more likely to look like the settlers. They were known as one of the "Civilized Tribes," which meant they had adopted European dress and housing. In fact, rather than smoke signals, they started one of the nations first newspapers. Obviously, this was NOT what tourists expected or wanted, lol! You gotta give the crowds what they want if you want them to cone back, so they obviously did!
Cherokee has/had a lot of classic neon. Here's The Pink Motel sign. Thanks, Major!
Wonderful tourist trap here, Major!
I love the signs, especially the coffee pot, and the Pink Motel (thanks Andrew!).
I’ll bet there was some serious Pigeon Forgery going on in those rooftop teepees.
Thanks for the info on Sealtest Ice Cream, a remarkably ineuphonious name, they should have had the Marineland franchise.
Wonderful post everyone, thank you.
JG
JG, I have no idea about whether the wooden Indian was the real deal, though it might be carved wood that was then coated in gesso and painted? The way some folk carvings and even religious carved figures were made. I would imagine that the souvenirs were generic, which you could also say about the ones at Disneyland, so they could very well have come from the same supplier. I doubt Walt insisted on the highest quality rubber tomahawks! And you are right, the Indians were clearly trying to give tourists what they wanted. Authenticity was not the goal! People watched countless westerns on TV, and that’s all they knew. Sealtest Ice Cream! I’ll have to share my set of Sealtest “Big Top Circus” badges, I’m so proud of them (ha ha)!
Lou and Sue, somehow my dad walked uphill TO and FROM school. In the snow, year-round!
Pegleg Pete, oh I’ll bet Cherokee was still quite a place in the 1970s, it sounds like you got some quality merch. I’m sure you’re right about the casino now being the big draw, people love to gamble! I’d rather see a tourist trap like the one in these photos, but that’s just me.
K. Martinez, I didn’t know that Sealtest had a presence at WDW. Interesting! I thought that Borden was the ice cream sponsor, but as always my knowledge of the Florida park is rudimentary at best.
Stu29573, I always feel bad for the Indians we see at touristy places, but they had to make a living, and who knows, maybe they actually did OK in those busy summer months. And yes, based on what you said, the authentic Cherokee would not be what tourists wanted. They needed the big feathered headdresses, the beaded clothes, the teepees, and all that jazz.
Andrew, thanks for that link, what a great sign!
JG, much like “motel row” in Anaheim, there is a certain appeal to these vintage tourist traps, even though they were probably eyesores to others. All Sealtest ice cream came with a single anchovy hidden inside each tub. It was good luck to be the one to get it!
JB, I apologize, my fingers just want to type "JG" after so many years! I'll try to be more attentive.
I wonder if they have pork chops st the Tomahawk Coffee Shop? I’ll have to go in and ax.
We always had Sealtest Vanilla Bean Ice Milk in our freezer when I was little. The flavor was so rich you didn’t miss the full fat content of ice cream.
Many fond memories of childhood road trips stirred up today. Lots of lovely vintage people and cars to gaze at.
Major-
In the second image, that's a 1958 Ford Fairlane in 'Sun Gold' and 'Colonial White'. And in the last image, that's a 1955 Mercury pulling some sort of trailer rig.
You're not entirely wrong about Borden's Ice Cream at WDW. The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor originally served Bordens Ice Cream from opening thru 1981 - calling itself the Borden's Ice Cream Parlor. Then it switched to Sealtest Ice Cream (The Sealtest Ice Cream Parlor, naturally), lasting thru 1993, when Breyers acquired Sealtest, and the name was shortened to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. Whew.
Thanks, Major.
Man, I loved visiting this place. I have fond memories of walking that strip in the late ‘90s; I’m positive we went into the building that houses the Coffee Shop in the last photo, although I’m not sure it was still a coffee shop. A door or two down out of frame to the right was a fairly extensive doll shop where my wife almost bought a Gene doll (it was another 20 years before she finally pulled the trigger on that purchase).
Like Pegleg Pete, I drove through Cherokee a few years ago (2018), and the main tourist strip looked depressingly run down in comparison to what I had seen in 1996 and 1998. I have mixed feelings about that. While we have fond memories of these mid-century “tourist trap” sorts of places, they ultimately existed because people needed to make a living. The Eastern Band of Cherokee built the casino as a way to improve employment opportunities in the community, and local employment patterns changed as local tourism patterns changed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in the grand scheme of things.
While I wasn’t able to stop, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Oconaluftee Indian Village, a recreation of an 18th-century Cherokee village, both seemed to be going strong. Though things have changed, I was pleased to see that the community and tribe have not lost sight of their heritage, even if they’ve left making a living from the “Hollywood Indian” image mostly behind them. I have a personal interest here as my wife is of 1/16 Eastern Band descent (although not enrolled in the tribe since her closest Cherokee ancestor was living in Kentucky and not included on the 1924 Baker Roll), and I don’t want to see us lose that part of our family heritage.
Thanks again, Major!
Melissa, thank you for another sampling of your sharp wit. And I remember Sealtest Vanilla Bean Ice Milk exactly the same way.
Major-
I think the 'vast internet of things' has once again cannibalized itself when proffering info on the name of that ice cream parlor. On more careful observation, the name appeared to always be the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, with the brand of ice cream du jour appended elsewhere. (I've yet to locate any images depicting the Sealtest name - although as with Ken, I easily recall seeing the Sealtest name around WDW during the 1981 - 1993 period).
Inauthentic or not, the geometry to make the fake teepees sit on the asphalt shingle room is impressive. The place reminds me of the Cherokee Trading Post that used to operate in northern NJ.
Andrew, thanks for the link to the sign. I'm surprised Disney didn't come down hard on them for that Tinkerbell likeness. Disney wasn't as hard-nosed about such things back then ('50s, early '60s).
Also, what does your avatar depict, Andrew? It seems to be a rollercoaster (probably a famous coaster in PA), but I can't read the sign.
BTW, what does Tinkerbell have to do with a motel in North Carolina anyway? And why is it called "Pink"? Real, non-quiche eating men wouldn't think of staying there! ;-)
JG, "ineuphonious". I'm writing that one down for future use!
Major, au contraire! You just KNOW that Walt insisted on the very best rubber tomahawks. Vulcanized rubber all the way, baby! Made from the best shredded old tires that money can buy, wholesale.
And no worries about the typo, Major. It's gonna happen from time to time. The universe isn't a perfect place.
Melissa, "chop", "ax", "tomahawk"... I have no idea what yer driving at. ;-) As busy as the coffee shop is, I'm surprised they don't have a ticket scalper out front. (sorry)
We usually had ice milk when I was a kid as well, and I too liked it just fine. In fact, to this day I prefer ice cream that has a less creamy texture, more icy/grainy. I don't think you can get ice milk anymore?
Chuck, leaving the "Hollywood Indian" image behind strikes me as a move in the right direction. I suppose the casino, and all the money it rakes in, might cause different sorts of problems with the tribe. But all in all, better than the old days.
And I caught your "sharp" remark to Melissa. ;-)
Dean Finder, yer right. Somebody got an "A" in geometry class for figuring out those conic sections.
"Sealtest"...just the word screams "ice cream" to me! Or...."Ice Milk"....whatever the case is, I do remember my WDW brethren vendors selling Sealtest out of their seal wagons. The name didn't make sense to me back then, doesn't make sense to me now. "Carnation"...well that is sweet :) "Blue Bunny"....even sweeter. "Sweet Seal", "Aunt Marthas old fashioned Seal blessed ice cream"....millions of choices. Let's make our name "Sealtest". Sounds like the rubber around the inside of the door of a refrigerator. The SEAL HAS BEEN TESTED! Your GE refrigerator is now ready to use! In any case, Sealtest met their fate. I'm surprised WDW used them actually...and now the official Ice Cream of WDW is Edy's...also known as Dreyers, not Breyers, which now is known as the Unilever/Kraft company that took over Sealtest...soo confusing. Dreyers invented Rocky Road and cookies and cream. Breyers didn't invent anything but has been in business since 1866. Tomato/Tomahto. I remember the song "Indian Reservation" commonly referred to as "Cherokee People" by Paul Revere and the Raiders. Their only hit actually. The band played at Disneyland when I worked there- back in the time when Summers were a big deal with headliners. I did a movie on a reservation back in the day. That was a very interesting two weeks of my life. Production companies need to do a lot of partnering with Tribe(s) to shoot on Reservations. I went to a more authentic store after visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano when I was about 10 or 11. I'm sure the area around the mission is all built up now...back then it was very much the country. The store sold authentic turquoise and other really cool things. Just like Pigeon Forge, the home of Dollywood. There is something called the Dolly Parton Stampede now. .I am putting "visit the Everything Store" on my bucket list. Also, taffy always sounds good, on or off the reservation.
Melissa, I have an old magazine with an add for Sealtest vanilla and raspberry swirl ice cream, every time I see it I want some so much!
Nanook, I was wondering if you were going to ID any of those cars. Love the Fairlane. Wow, Sealtest was at WDW longer than I would have thought, it kind of makes me sad when these old brands go away forever.
Chuck, you were lucky to see Cherokee when you did! I know that SO many places that look vibrant and fun in old photos now look drained of all life and interest. What’s a “Gene doll”?? Does it have chromosomes and stuff? I can’t blame the tribes for wanting to build casinos, as there is so much money to be had; even though I personally am not a casino person. I went to Vegas once, it was sort of fun, but I don’t feel the need to go back. Unlike one of my best friends, who goes several times a year. I’m all for people embracing their cultural heritage, it makes life so much richer.
Chuck, I guess I missed out on Sealtest ice milk - I always think of ice milk as being … well, icy.
Nanook, hmmm, I still have a lot of WDW slides that I have not scanned, what are the odds that any of them show the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor when Sealtest was the sponsor?
Dean Finder, good point! I can definitely see the family resemblance between Cherokee, North Carolina and the Cherokee Trading Post.
JB, Tinker Bell’s family is from North Carolina, though she doesn’t talk about it much. How could Walt have ever acquired rubber from the planet Vulcan? Come on, JB! Don’t be silly.
Bu, I still think of Baskin-Robbins Rocky Road as one of my all-time favorite ice creams, I had no idea the concoction was originally thought up by Dryers. I recently went to an ice cream parlor in San Luis Obispo and had a scoop of Eureka lemon with a scoop of Marionberry. So delicious! There’s a place in downtown L.A. that is famous for its oddball flavors, strange herbal and floral things that I admire more than I enjoy. Still, it was full of high schoolers the one time I went, so business was good. I’m always amazed at the actual popular bands that used to perform at Disneyland, Paul Revere and the Raiders is a good one. I need to start scanning some of my old flyers that list the bands playing that weekend. Kool and the Gang, Linda Ronstadt, pretty impressive. “The Dolly Parton Stampede”, the mind reels.
Major, Ha! I fully expected a "Vulcan" comeback, I just didn't know what form it would take. And "Silly" is my middle name. (It's always been a thorn in my side.)
My avatar is the Comet from Forest Park Highlands in St. Louis, JB. It closed in 1963 but had an amazing station and Art Deco trains. Pretty obscure!
Thanks for the info, Andrew. I just spent a half hour at:
http://www.forestparkhighlands.com/
Going through the old photos and reading some of the history!
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