Mark Twain, 1950s
I have more scans from a large lot of 1950s slides, of which about 90% are from Frontierland. The photographer just loved the wild frontier, Disney-style.
We'll start with a standard (but pretty) look at the Mark Twain at the dock, with no Cascade Peak to our left (perhaps it would have been out of frame anyway, I'm not entirely sure). To the left is the fishing dock, with plenty of anglers hoping to land a big ol' catfish or trout or swordfish. "Here ma, put this fish in your purse, we'll eat it tomorrow when it has had a chance to age". In the foreground is a raft, and to the right of the cast member in red is the "Canteen Shack", where you could go and buy a canteen I guess?
Just look at the number of people waiting for their turn to ride the Mark Twain! Impressive. Bales of cotton and barrels of... lard? Whisky? Molasses? are waiting to be loaded to go up river. The crates are full of Slinkys, only in those days they were made of horsehair. Way more fun! There's a prominent palm tree in the distance, but I believe that the famous Dominguez Palm is harder to see against those dark trees to the extreme right. The Golden Horseshoe is bedecked with holiday garlands. I wonder if the show acknowledged Christmas at all?
Don't worry folks, it won't be too much longer!
15 comments:
Major-
Now that's what The Rivers of America should look like-!
"I wonder if the show acknowledged Christmas at all?" No. Inside, the venue was still festooned with decorations from Guy Fawkes Day-!
Thanks, Major.
Mmm,mmmm! There's nothing quite like the taste of aged day-old purse fish! Sign me up!
1) To the left of the Mark Twain there is a rock formation. Is that the entrance tunnel to Rainbow Caverns? There's also a building with a pitched roof, could that be the Skyway Chalet? I think I'm turned around. And oh look, Gilligan finally made it off his island and onto Tom's island! That's him to the right of the Canteen Shack, in the red shirt and white hat.
2) My, that IS a lot of people waiting at the loading dock. I wonder if they all made it onboard the MT, or if some had to wait for the next trip? Above the slinky crates there is a red fire hydrant. The CM squatting down on the dock is using trigonometry to calculate the correct speed and angle for the Mark Twain to pull in successfully to the landing.
Thanks again for the vintage Frontierland pics, Major. And thanks for the purse fish.
Wow, that pic of the dock is almost a little creepy, since most of the people in the crowd are staring directly at us.
During the Christmas season, the dancers in the Golden Horseshoe would do the can-can to Silent Night as their big finale.
There is a lot to love in these photos: fishing for real fish at Tom Sawyer Island. Red shirt costumes on Tom Sawyer Island. A Mark Twain with chain on the bow and folding chairs. A back drop of the Frontier that looks like the Frontier. Black smokestacks. Bales of cotton on the dock. Authentic looking garland on the Golden Horseshoe. Pepsi Cola at the Golden Horseshoe. A paint job at the Golden Horseshoe that does not scream "LOOK AT ME!" A Golden Horseshoe that is a show and not a fast food facility. Crowds of people staring in wonder and something amazing they've never seen before. Mark Twain costumes that haven't changed much. Dominquez Palm. Main St. Train Station in the distance. A sign that says Disneyland Steamship Co. Monochromatic paint on the Mark Twain dock. The Pendelton store and marquee. I could go on, but time is short this AM :) Thanks for the photos this morning Major!
Bales of cotton used to look just like that, and maybe still do.
Major, those crates are full of dragon parts. (Too soon?)
We can see the little church in Rainbow Ridge, but I think the other building is also RR, not the Skyway.
Definitely the Dominguez Palm. Dominguez fingers and elbows notably absent.
To complete the frontier experience, they should have had a smoker concession for the fish so you could clean and turn your catch into jerky and make pemmican churros. Authentic Western life.
Great stuff, Major. Looking forward to more!
JG
"Bales of cotton and barrels of... lard? Whisky? Molasses?"
Tote that lard, life that bale,
Get a little drunk and spew like a whaaaale...
Nanook, ”the venue was still festooned with decorations from Guy Fawkes Day”, yes, Wally Boag and Betty Taylor wore those creepy masks too!
JB, a day without purse-aged fish is like a day without sunshine, if you ask me. As for that rock formation, if I am looking at the correct thing, I think that might just be a bare hillside. If we could see anything of the Rainbow Caverns tunnel, I think it would be to the right of the Mark Twain… but I don’t see anything. Maybe I’m wrong though (yes, it’s happened)! I don’t believe we can see the Skyway Chalet either. I know they used to load up the Mark Twain until it was pretty full, if people used all three decks, maybe they could get all of those waiting guests onboard.
TokyoMagic!, the photographer wanted everyone to look at him, so he took off all his clothes. “Worked like a charm!”, he chuckled to himself. I love the idea of a weird slow can-can dance, ha ha. At least it wasn’t to that dumb ‘Little Drummer Boy” song (though I like the Bing Crosy/David Bowie version).
Bu, yes, there is nothing like the original, classic Frontierland. It sounds ridiculous to say about something at Disneyland, but these photos show a sort of pure version without any (or much?) IP to muddy up things. The colors that were used all over Disneyland were somehow so perfect. Some message boards say that old Disneyland was not colorful - they are wrong. It had plenty of color, but it was tasteful and not all purple, blue, and gold. I like all of the same things that you mentioned!
JG, I hardly ever buy a bale of cotton anymore, thanks to Amazon and Walmart. I used to go down to the mom and pop store and buy a bale or two “just because”. “Dominguez fingers and elbows”, I’m afraid I’m going to have to report you to the FBI. Smoked fish, you know, I’ve never had smoked fish in my entire life, which is weird because my dad like it. The smell always put me off (same with pickled herring, sardines, etc). However I used to like pemmican (or the store bought version of it) when I was a kid!
Melissa, oh I forgot about lard, you can’t have too much lard. It’s the only thing that will keep my cowlick down.
And look at that line outside the turnstile waiting for the a ride on the MT. Don't know what they did back in the 50s but we would only put the capacity number of guests in the waiting area so that it cleared out before admitting more. And I don't recall what that number was. As for the Mine Train. That rock formation is way too high above grade to have been a tunnel entrance. Now it's back to work for me. KS
Very nice ones today, Major!
At first I was a little freaked out by everybody looking at us, and then I realized that they're looking at the boat. DUH! Ok, so they aren't Time Zombies coming to eat my brains. I'm a little disappointed, really.
Still these are great examples of early Disneyland river life!
Thanks, Major!
Interesting note regarding the Frontierland north facing facades or “the Pendleton block” the far left facade ( based on a structure once standing in Leadville Colorado ) still has its center double door and transom entry. For decades it’s been all windows - at some point its doorway was removed making it an entry less facade. The building next to it is painted in a grey/ driftwood color. I’ve only ever seen it in a red / boxcar red color ….
Tokyo!, haha. Those Golden Horseshoe dancers either had to dance reeeeal slowww, or "Silent Night" had to be played realfast (one word).
JG, so, the crates of dragon parts... are they replacement parts? Or carbonized remnants?
Major, I suppose that could be just a bare hillside. What looked like a blue-ish roof to me is, I think, just smoggy trees in the background.
Stu, why hasn't anybody made a movie with the title "Time Zombies"?!? (Maybe they have?)
Rock behind Mark Twain…maybe the pack-mule overpass? I think the mules had to climb a hill to cross over mine train tracks and descend back into town.
MS
Maybe I'm a crazy person (Maybe?) but I think the park was more immersive back when things were painted to look like the things they were supposed to be.
@ Melissa-
Ya think-??!! I do, too.
"...I think the park was more immersive back when things were painted to look like the things they were supposed to be."
Melissa, you hit the nail on the head!
Great shots today, Major - thank you!
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