Here's another great trio of photo scans, generously shared with us by Keith Schad - these are photos taken by his wife's great-grandfather (Harold) back in 1958.
Over near the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship (just out of frame to our right) you had those funny concrete benches, painted in bright colors - striped umbrellas provided much-needed shade on hot days. The load area for the Casey Jones RR is just behind that Skyway tower. Let's ride that next, there is no line!
Here's a great shot taken from the Plaza looking past a Horse Drawn Streetcar toward the entrance to Frontierland. The white sails of the new Columbia can be seen, as well as the log stockade buildings.
Just north of the previous photo you'd find the Carnation Plaza Gardens, which had opened in August of 1956; it was home to many Big Bands, and guests could dance the night away, at least during the busy season. Notice the ladies on the bench! Keith wrote: The 3 women in "flying saucer" hats that appear on some of the pictures include my wife's great-grandma Caroline Hill, great-great grandma Helen Hill (Harold's mother) and Harold's sister, also Helen.
Many thanks to Keith Schad!
The light and airy and colorful Skyway tower features prominently in this photo. No "Nope Taupe" or "Go Away Green" here. Every time I see these Fantasyland umbrellas I wonder why they have that taller pointy shape, which I like, compared to the more traditionally shaped umbrellas seen elsewhere. More fantasy-like, I guess. I'm also just noticing that the tops of these umbrellas vary; some have the stripes shifted over one section, others have solid green tops, and some just continue the same stripes all the way to the top. I like that little detail but one has to wonder why they bothered to do it. Wouldn't it cost more to make them different?
ReplyDeleteThere's a nice old-timey look to the streetcar photo; muted colors, bathed in golden sunlight. I like the hat on the little girl in the red pants.
Ah, a very pleasant and peaceful photo with the ladies resting on the bench; very 'Disneyland'. I like the cast shadows of the tree branches.
Thanks again for sharing your family's photos, Keith. Thank you, Major.
Yay, the 1950's DL photos just keep coming, from Keith! Thanks, Keith!
ReplyDeleteIs there some kind of white banner with writing on it, hanging just below the "Frontierland" sign?
As for the Skyway support in in the first pic, at some point later, a high concrete block was poured around the base of that support. I'm guessing it was to keep little Jimmy and little Timmy from climbing around on the base? What year did they add the concrete......Mike Cozart?
Thanks again, Keith....and Major, too!
What a day to be at Disneyland!
ReplyDeleteTM!, I couldn’t find a photo of that exact banner, but it appears to be a variation of this one from Stuff From the Park. That weird red-and-white lettering is spelling out “Columbia,” which is apparently some sort of precious stone found in salt water.
Thanks again, Keith!
Chuck, great sleuthing job! I just hope that the banner at the entrance to Frontierland didn't have "Alice In Wonderland" printed on it. People might have gotten confused when they didn't find her, or her attraction in Frontierland.
ReplyDeleteThank you Keith and Major, a detail to love is revealed. It's the Surrey Silhouette above the Helens and Caroline, very finely wrought. Keep your Millennium Falcons and At Ats, and bring back the Surreys! A horse is at least human, as Holden Caulfield said.
ReplyDeleteThese pictures show Disneyland as it will never be again...relaxing!
ReplyDeleteAs with so many of these, I'd love to step through them and spend the day. Heck, I might not ever come back. Kind of like the guy in "A Stop at Willoughby." But not as creepy.
Thanks, Keith!
Thanks Keith and Major for continuing this series from back when Disneyland still had that New Park smell!
ReplyDeleteThe series is helpful in pinning down the dates of decorated trash cans. We see the elaborate Main Street look in the Carnation Gardens photo, but in the Fantasyland pic posted a few days ago, the plain olive drab cans are still in use near Dumbo. Undoubtedly a phased rollout, and the Main Street green and yellow can might have been the first decorated type, although I’ve never seen the plain cans in Frontierland. This Main Street design might also be the most-used pattern since its territory extended from the Ticket Plaza outside the Park all the way up to the Hub. This was the kind of “plussing” we can all support.
The Frontierland photo shows how Columbia and Mark Twain served as the “weenies” drawing you through those fort gates.
Great stuff, thank you again!
JG
@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteTry THIS ONE; or THIS ONE. No confusing "Alice In Wonderland" reference to throw you off-course.
Thanks, Keith.
Major, there was more than one Frontierland type.
ReplyDeleteThere were the "wood-grained painted" ones that were out in the promenade by the Pendleton block and shooting gallery. Those were fancy painted versions of the same cans seen on Main Street and other Park locations. I think these were standard "off-the-shelf" can products that were decorated by Disney staff.
Then there were the fiberglass tree trunk types that were on TSI (and maybe the Indian Village). I have never seen any like these anywhere but Disneyland and I think they were built by WED especially for those locations. I don't recall them being on the "mainland" anywhere. I don't recall seeing any on my last visit to TSI, and Street View doesn't show the Island, so I can't check.
I seem to remember some wood-grained decorated "bullet" cans in queues and near the Shooting Gallery, but can't be certain.
As you walk around the corner along the Esplanade towards NOS, the cans changed to the "X" pattern which was done in different colors and sometimes used in out-of-the-way spots in other lands too. NOS had it's own gray with pinstripes. I don't recall what was done in Bear Country, might have reverted to the wood grained ones.
Adventureland had the "bamboo" painted pattern which was my favorite.
JG
The bottoms of the Skyway buckets in #1 look like when a boom microphone peeks into view at the top of your TV screen.
ReplyDeleteThe little girl in red and white with the matching har in #2 is cure as a bug.
The sun hats worn by the ladies in #3 reminds me of a line from Noël Coward's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen:" "In the Malay States there are hats like plates, which the Britishers won't wear." At least these ladies aren't mad enough to go out in the midday sun.
I think the pointy umbrellas tie in better to the "medieval fair" theme than the normal flatter ones would. The Helens make me think of the "Thirty Helens Agree" sketches from The Kids in the Hall.
Thanks to Keith and the Major for sharing!
Major, that is so cool that your mother has one of those disc music boxes. The best we could do was the Fisher Price Record Player (and it really belonged to my little sister). And I completely agree - JG is our most talented Disneyoskubalochronologist.
ReplyDeleteMetal disk music boxes always make me think of this Polyphon disc that was specially made for the movie Labyrinth. They could have faked it in a number of ways, but instead they had a real disc cut and then recorded it.
ReplyDeleteChuck, LOL.
ReplyDeleteJG
Nanook,
ReplyDeleteThank you! And thank you! :-)
Keith, thank you for sharing more photos. It's nice to meet some of your family members...they must've had the best time together in Disneyland!
ReplyDeleteThanks, too, Major.