Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Fort Wilderness, 1950s

Many visitors to Disneyland probably have no idea that there used to be a fort over on Tom Sawyer Island. Not the abomination that is there now, but one that was accessible to guests, a place that encouraged interaction and exploration! That's right folks, I'm talking about Fort Wilderness. 

There it is, probably from around 1957 (just a guess), teeming with guests as they climbed up to look over the ramparts, or wandered over to Regimental Hdqrs to pay their respects to Andrew Jackson; as you can see in this photo, there was also a "secret escape tunnel to the river". So cool! Do you like ringing a giant triangle and yelling, "Come and git it!"? You could do that too.


I believe that guests could get drinks and light snacks in the Trading Post, but I'm not 100% positive about that. Up above, guests (mostly men and boys) head into that blockhouse where you could pretend to shoot at... well, let's not talk about it. Times have changed. Love the kid with the yellow Keppy Kap!


20 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
As you may remember - there was a Canteen in Fort Wilderness, and I know it had drinks and food - of a sort. Just can't recall the specifics.

Thanks, Major.

JB said...

#1: There seems to be a lot of people sitting around inside the Fort. I suppose they're waiting for someone in their party to finish exploring what the Fort has to offer before meeting up again.

#2: Interesting Mickey balloon on the left; black mouse ears and yellow everything else. The lady in the blue dress, just above the kid with the keppy kap, has what looks like a hot dog in her hand. So I'm guessing you're right about the availability of snacks in the Fort, Major. Plus, the little girl next to her has a cup of something drinkable... elk sweat, maybe. Meanwhile, Augustus Gloop is rushing down the stairs after detecting the scent of that hot dog. No one is safe when Augustus gets a whiff of food.

Nanook, thanks for the reminder of the Canteen. I remember now that it was discussed here before.

Thanks for the photos of daily life inside the Fort, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

It looks like those two barrels with the lids, might be trashcans. I guess in the early days of the Fort, guests had to lift the lids in order to throw something away? Later, the fort got those tree stump-looking cans with the swinging lids. I usually don't notice trash cans or their spacing, but since it has been discussed here so much lately, I have a question. Can that lady really finish her hot dog by the time she reaches the second trashcan?

The Canteen and the Trading Post were the same thing. The snack bar had two doors, with a different sign above each door:

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNMkto0Yv1E/W8i2PWtheuI/AAAAAAAAK6U/hX0rnmbnamU47zUt9tmldihFfyiQaaomACKgBGAs/s1600/FR0110%2BFort%2BWilderness%2B%25281-1971%2529.jpg

And for an interior shot from the Mysterious Benefactor:

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VMVSn9gH2GI/XIXCJW68gRI/AAAAAAAANBM/81wU1R3fwF0rLSj5tZpuLroB2wnRDPUjgCKgBGAs/s1600/FR0142%2BFort%2BWilderness%2BCanteen%2BInterior%2B%25283-1977%2529.jpg

In the interior shot, we can see a barrel on the counter with the apparent label, "Dill Pickles." I do remember the Canteen selling pickles, chips and drinks. And if you were in military uniform, you could dance with Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, or Barbara Stanwyck.

Stu29573 said...

As you probably know, Walt Disney World still has their fort. Although I had been there many times, I explored it with my grandson when he was six and it was like it was brand new to me! The guns in the towers make a (pretty quiet) shooting noise- just enough to add realism to your sniper attack on the Big Thunder Mountain trains. The best part of all is the pitch dark escape tunnel! I was reminded how scary it really is to a six year old (and a little unsettling to a grown-up!) I hope and pray they never get rid of the WDW fort, but the way things are going, I wouldn't be shocked if they did. Disney needs new management NOW or it will never recover.

DrGoat said...

I do remember the fort with fondness. I loved the island when I was a kid. Secret tunnels, forts and drinks. Dad would probably have a smoke like the guy in MB's photo. Thanks TM! Love the slippery shirt, gold watch and cigarette on the stylish guy.
Stu, don't hold your breath on that management thing.
Thanks Major, those were the good days. Also old.

Stu29573 said...

DrGoat, TRE...

JG said...

Very appreciative of the clearly marked sign to the Secret Exit. Always good to know it’s there.

Yes, cold drinks and snacks were all that the Canteen had on offer, but that was enough. I don’t think I ever ate on the Island, too much to do!

The figures in the peek-in meant nothing to me since I had a public skool edumacation, but later it all made sense.

There’s a themed metal trash can in photo 1, but having to lift the lid on the barrel trash can was another “hard fact” about the founding of America that we old ones had to face, along with “why” sniper rifles were needed in the blockhouses.

Thanks Major, these really bring it back today.

JG

Anonymous said...

Can anyone figure out the sign on the flagpole in photo 1? Something about the flag that flew over Fort Something-or-Other...

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, somebody on Facebook once put up a photo of his mother working at the canteen, she was dressed as an “Indian maiden”.

JB, it’s possible that people are letting their kids run around and burn off some excess energy while they relax in the comfort (?) and safety of the fort. You see those black-eared Mickey balloons in early photos, I kind of like them. They need to bring them back! Not that I would pay $10 (or whatever) for a balloon. “Elk Sweat - TASTE THE ANTLERS!”. We’ll workshop it. Hey, I would run for a hotdog too!

TokyoMagic!, knowing how lazy people are (me as well), I wonder how much trash wound up not going in those barrels? Even with all the trashcan talk here, I have not caught on to the game of counting (or mostly even noticing) them. I blame public schools and junk food, and also violent cartoons. Thank you for the info about the Canteen/Trading Post. Each one could be portrayed by Hayley Mills in the big movie. I’d forgotten about that photo from the Mysterious Benefactor! I want to dance with Rita Hayworth.

Stu29573, I do know that WDW has their fort (and their Tom Sawyer Island has not been taken over by pirates). So jealous. I’m glad they still have the guns in the towers, and am surprised. You may have heard the story of a little girl at Disneyland losing part of her finger (really!) when it got caught (how??) in the trigger of a Frontierland gun. A gruesome fluke of an accident. Chapek just got a two year renewal, so… urg.

DrGoat, because I never went to the Fort as a child, I only went inside it one time. I’m so glad I did! Who would have imagined that it would go away? Another reason to not like Fantasmic. Tom Sawyer Island really was ingenious in its appeal, everyone (kids and adults) love the idea of exploring trails, caves, forts, and suspension bridges.

Stu29573, it is known as “doubling down”!

JG, how are you supposed to know about a secret exit if it’s not labeled? Sure, there were cold drinks at the Canteen, but they never had warm buttermilk or pig’s trotters. Rip off! If they’d kept the Fort open, they could have replaced Andrew Jackson with Michael Jackson. Heeee-hee! Shamone. Etcetera. As for sniper rifles, the more of those we have in America, the better.

JG, if I was home I would check the high-res scan to see if that sign is more legible, but sadly I won’t be able to check until late tonight.

MIKE COZART said...

The Fort Wilderness Flag sign reads :

“The Flag which flies over Fort Wilderness has 15 stars and 15 stripes. The original of this flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner.”

The wooden sign has been replaced several times of the years but always read the same message.

I have seen Fantasmic twice in my life. I despise it. It ruined much of the New Orleans Square and Frontierland atmosphere and showed Disney management they could get away with overdone light shows and “spectaculars” and cut down on quality WDI attractions. If you like Fantasmic know that it destroyed the budget of the Tomorrowland 2055 new Tomorrowland and a later variation allowing the embarrassing new Tomorrowland of 1998. Fantasmic Also killed the PeopleMover….The Carousel Theater. Fantasmic deformed and misaligned New Orleans Square. Fantasmic also killed the 1990’s resurrection of the Discovery Bay project ….. it’s last “hurrah” …..long before WOOKIE -Town. Fantasmic also one of the reasons Submarine Voyage was shuttered …. Part of the sway in NOT giving the green light for ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS was a “Tomorrowland” lagoon Fantasmic type show entertainment was proposing to do. Fantasmic destroyed many existing things and prevented many future things. “Some imagination huh!?”

Anonymous said...

Mike, I never saw Fantasmic in Disneyland and never plan to.
That area of New Orleans Square (and the river) was GORGEOUS at night, and the music/musicians added so much. Add a nice relaxing meal outside and you experienced Disneyland at its best. Even as a kid I loved it. Fantasmic killed that atmosphere.

I saw Fantasmic in WDW (Hollywood Studios) years ago and was very disappointed.

Major, thank you for today’s fun you-are-there pictures. At least the island is still there. It better be.

—Sue

DrGoat said...

Andrew, if you're there, I just caught your Aug. 12 post of your trip to the park. Great pics and looks like you had a good time. First time in LAX can be a trip. Hope to see more.
Stu...TRE? Getting old and I don't know the reference.

Melissa said...

Big Brother thinks he’s clever, deliberately making himself blurry so we won’t notice he’s wearing the same checked shirt as Little Brother. If I tried to tour Disneyland in a pencil skirt like the lady in the first picture, I’d be walking like Mrs. Wiggins by lunchtime.

I never got to see this Fort Wilderness, but I have very happy memories of WDW’s Fort Sam Clemens (now Fort Langhorne). And, as the good Major suggests, it’s often used as a place for grownups to get some peace and quiet while the little ones run around burning off their Dole Whips.

DrGoat said...

PS Major,
Previous post about Goofy Golf...we had one in Tucson. It was abandoned about 10 years or more ago. A lot of the sculptures were sold or given to people to put in their yards and the giant identical Tiki head was moved via a crane and was put down on 4th Ave. in front of The Hut, an eating establishment. It sits there looking down on all the people who use the outside dining area. Don't know how to link the street view from Google, but it only appears in on spot.Move down the street and it's gone. Obviously only one image is new enough to show it.

DrGoat said...

Found these...
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=tiki+head+tucson+the+hut
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=magic+carpet+golf+tucson&t=chromentp&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images.
Wasn't called Goofy golf, it was Magic Carpet Golf.

Major Pepperidge said...

Mike Cozart, thanks! I looked through my other photos from inside the fort, but any shots that showed the sign were just as illegible. I didn’t despise the actual Fantasmic! performance, but I hated what it did to Frontierland/New Orleans Square. As I’ve mentioned many times, one of my all-time favorite Disneyland experiences is a ride on the Mark Twain at night. Since the Twain was used in the Fantasmic! show, it was not available to guests after a certain hour. I did get lucky years ago when Fantasmic! was not running, and got to do one last nighttime voyage, it was just as beautiful and wonderful as I remembered. Truly one of those experiences that is so fundamental to my love of Disneyland.

Sue, the idea of people claiming their seats 3 or 4 hours in advance (or more) is mind-boggling, but I guess is you had an AP and went to the park all the time, maybe it isn’t so strange. I wish they’d somehow been able to put Fantasmic! elsewhere, though I think that the idea of the dragon setting the river aflame is pretty cool. Again, I don’t hate the show, I hate everything that it has done to the nearby areas.

DrGoat, TRE is short for “They Ruin Everything” and “TREd” is “They Ruined Everything”.

Melissa, I wish I could make myself blurry. What a superpower! I’m sure it would come in very handy, I just have to figure out HOW. “Mrs. Wiggins”, ha ha, sometimes I’ll see people crossing at a crosswalk, and I either think of Mrs. Wiggins, or Duane Toddleberry (Tim Conway)! Who knows, maybe sometime in my life I’ll actually make it to Florida and the Magic Kingdom, and I can see Fort Langhorne (why the name change?) for myself.

DrGoat, if I ever managed to have a tropical lagoon backyard, I would definitely need a giant Moai statue (with glowing eyes, and maybe smoke coming out of the nose) looming over everybody. Cool, right? I’m glad that the one you mentioned is still there, I’ll look for pictures on Google.

DrGoat, thanks for the links! It sure looks very much like the one at Goofy Golf! Very cool!!

Melissa said...

Ever since somebody mentioned 1814, I’ve got “The Battle of New Orleans” stuck in my head. Somebody needs to write a Disneyland version about the Battle for New Orleans Square.

In high school, I lived across the street from an abandoned miniature golf course. It was a small town, so it was nothing on the grand scale of what we’ve seen here on GDB, but it was creepy as heck.

Dean Finder said...

There's an abandoned water park and mini golf course we pass on the drive to Lancaster, PA. It totally looks like a real-life setting of a Scooby Doo episode.

MIKE COZART said...

Melissa: “The Battle of New Orleans Square” is underway as we speak …. Between Disneyland , the Disney Company and WDI. The public will probably begin to get wind of the “battle” very soon.

Major…. The show itself is fine … but not where , when and why it’s performed. In the late 90’s(??) there was a new Disney movie called The Adventures of Tom & Huck . In the film there was a Fort Langehorn …. So during a general rehab , WDW’s Fort Sam Clemons was temporarily renamed FORT LANGEHORN … and it was left that way. During this time both Disneyland & Walt Disney World featured live actors of both Tom and Huck - mostly appearing on the “mainland” and interacting with guests …. But sometimes riding over to the Island with guests. The characters were actually very believable and costuming did an excellent job with the designs …. More accurate to 1840’s school boys garb with rolled up sleeves and cuffs , no socks and open shirts and one has a vest. ( as opposed to cliches of Tom & Huck clothing) infact the costumes were close in style to the 1973 Tom Sawyer musical with Jody Foster, Johnny Whittaker, and Jeff East - the one the Sherman Brothers did the music and song. A very very 1970’s Disney Productions movie - that Walt Disney Productions DIDN'T DO!!

Melissa said...

It's such a shame that Fantasmic! didn't come along just a few years later. They could have put a purpose-built venue for it in DCA like they have in DHS. Not only could it have preserved that whole area of Frontierland, but it could have drawn more guests into DCA in those early years when attendance was so much lower than hoped for.