Random Knott's Berry Farm
I have a random selection of vintage slide scans from Knott's Berry Farm today. Enjoy! This first one is date-stamped "January, 1963", and shows a very happy kid aboard one of the little coin-op antique autos. It would shimmy and shake just like Jack Benny's Maxwell! He'll need an unguent or nostrum from the apothecary when it's all over.
Next is this undated shot, certainly from the 1950s, with several nicely-dressed ladies checking out a corner of Ghost Town. I'm discombobulated, any idea where they are? What's that building to our left? I like pictures like this, I always imagine that the ladies were in their Sunday best, and were killing time before a table opened up at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
And finally, an unusual shot from the early 1960s, I don't believe I've ever shown Mrs. Murphy's Boarding House before. Good meals! Fish on Fridays! I assumed that this building contained one of the wonderful "peek-in" scenes, so I did a little Googlin'. The OC Historyland website has a nice article that says that Mrs. Murphy's... was the post office in Downey, California. It was moved here in 1952 and remodeled. (The Church of the Reflections, now located on the other side of Beach Blvd. also came from Downey, which was growing rapidly in the 1950s). For many years, Mrs. Murphy’s featured an animated family dinner scene. In 1967 it became the Calico Spice Shop. Later still, it was Grandma Botts’ Bonnets.
Stay tuned for more KBF!
15 comments:
Perhaps the kid will also need a salve or ointment; ALWAYS BE PREPARED! I would've picked a more legible font for the Evening Star newspaper; it's hard to read. Wow, this kid is reeeeally enjoying the ride! Good for him (her?). Cheap entertainment. We can see Mom in the reflection in the window.
In the second pic, it looks like the sign down the street says "Saddlery", but I'm sure Tokyo! will be able to pinpoint this location.
Last pic: It looks like Mom is digging down into the cellar of that baby buggy (some would call it a pram) to locate her child. She finally found him crawling around next to the sawdust-burning furnace, playing with a mummified rat. I'm OK with fish as long as there's plenty of tartar sauce and/or cocktail sauce. It's probably been discussed here before, but what did "Mott's Miniatures" consist of?
Knice Knott's, Kmajor. Kthanks.
Wow, this kid is reeeeally enjoying the ride!
JB, that because he/she is pulling down on the lever that made the cars jiggle even faster. (Keep jiggling Peggy!)
That second pic was taken on Market Street. Just to the right and out of frame would be the Bottle House. Those steps on the left lead up to the side porch of the Gold Trails Hotel, and the entrance to the Covered Wagon Show. (Ma, I'm thirsty!) A little further down the street and to the left, is the General Store. And at the end of the street is the Calico Saloon. If we made a right turn at the end of the street, we'd be in Calico Square, where the train stops and takes on passengers.
The last pic has another leaning three. That's three days in a row, Major!
JB, Mott's Miniatures is where the miniature home and shop interiors were on display. they also sold miniatures. The building that Mott's Miniatures was in is "Jeffries Barn." The building originally came from the corner of Victory Blvd. and Buena Vista St., in Burbank. It was where heavyweight champion James Jeffries trained boxers and held matches, after he retired from the profession.
Until just now, I never thought to search for a pic of Jeffries Barn in it's original location. Here it is in Burbank, before it was moved to Knott's:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/mKa1n_QUDmW752LGXglUUM1LgSH2d-a4tHr6RdRQa5M-1K0YdUw2pwJvQyv1mjD4WlsuLLXXoQLaKFrz5mbY8Icfb3-K37BBaJJ72Qb56WV3
Many of the miniature facades to the turn-of-the-century buildings surrounding the Knott’s Model T Rides were greatly “inspired” ( copied) from some of the exteriors to Disneyland’s Main Street USA.
Mike, I can see that, now that you've mentioned it.....at least in the case of the China Shop (which we can see a sliver of on the left side of that first photo). That China Shop was painted yellow with white trim, and had steps leading up to a porch, just like Disneyland's China Closet on Main Street!
I continue to be enchanted by Knott's...even though my personal recollections are quite slim...I got an annual pass for this year "just in case I was in the neighborhood"...and although I was in the neighborhood more than a few times...it hasn't happened yet. At $99 the price pales in comparison to the Mouse that took over the orange grove. That being said: the tiny car and the tiny town are so very cute: copies or not...I agree that the "Ebening Star" is confusing: but I got it...the "keep jiggling Peggy" Car's money taker seems to be out of scale with the car...it looks giant. It possibly was "of scale" and the car is tiny...as the kid looks like a giant too. Look at all the ladies shopping...this area looks quite authentic...and I hope it hasn't been TRE'd too much...the trees are lovely. Jeffries Barn has a cool story (Thanks TM) and now it's become some "Dance Hall" apparently....and I suppose we should be grateful it's still around. Interesting that was is a stones throw from another well known place in Burbank on Buena Vista. Thanks for the link to the OC site Major. I've been there before, but was good to revisit. I would be going crazy in the nursery department: I'm wondering if there were other "non berry" plants sold there? Knott's plugs it's status in the US as "America's First Theme Park"...and it just might be that. At some point, I'll make it there! Thanks Major.
The last pic has another leaning three. That's three days in a row, Major!
I meant, "leaning tree"!
Look at all the ladies shopping...this area looks quite authentic...and I hope it hasn't been TRE'd too much
Bu, the street hasn't changed too much. However, many of the wooden structures have been rebuilt over the years:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8439826,-117.9994638,2a,50.6y,239.17h,97.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sA7ZB79oKYji09clL1AOtpg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DA7ZB79oKYji09clL1AOtpg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D239.1656840739616%26pitch%3D-7.747704350335056%26thumbfov%3D90!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205410&entry=ttu
And here is the "current" (2015) view of the Mrs. Murphy's Boarding House structure. It is no longer the Haunt Museum. I believe it is now labeled as "Town Hall" and usually closed, with nothing interesting to look at inside. I think it's mostly used in the summer, for their "Ghost Town Alive" event:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8433212,-118.0004439,2a,75y,264.08h,92.34t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s3jc3SONokKACkpmb2H0ngQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D3jc3SONokKACkpmb2H0ngQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D264.08055124203213%26pitch%3D-2.337704946786502%26thumbfov%3D90!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205410&entry=ttu
The jiggling cars and the little town behind them are long gone! They were there up until at least the late seventies. I think they might have been removed in 1978, when Montezooma's Revenge was being added to Fiesta Village.
Jeffries Barn has a cool story (Thanks TM) and now it's become some "Dance Hall" apparently.
Bu, when the Knott family kicked Mott's miniatures out of Jeffries Barn (okay, they relocated them, but to a much smaller space), they converted the barn into a theater-in-the-round type of venue. The show that debuted along with the conversion was "Goldie's (something-something) Revue." The show ran during the summer of 1985, and then never returned. I don't believe they ever held another show in there. They use it for "Santa" in the winter, for a Haunt maze in the fall, and for Boysenberry Festival food booths in the spring. I can't remember what the name of it was after Mott's Miniatures was kicked out. They may have still called it "Jeffries Barn".....I'd have to check older maps. But the name was changed to "Wilderness Dance Hall" when Big Foot Rapids (today, Calico River Rapids) was added to the park, along with the surrounding "land" which was called Wild Water Wilderness at that time. That name was dropped and now it is just considered a part of the Ghost Town.
The little kid is loving that car ride, hopefully no nostrums were required. I’ve often thought that ornate typefaces like that were developed to use up excess ink. Anyone remember the special inkjet typeface with microscopic holes in the letterforms to conserve ink?
Photo 2 had to be taken on Sunday, look at the fancy bags, shoes, jewelry, clothes etc. I wish people still did this. Now they wear t-shirts to funerals.
Family tradition had it that Granddad G lived in a boarding house for a while on his arrival in California. Not sure where, but he worked on the street (and canal) layout surveying of Venice. His advice to my Dad regarding boarding house meal rules was to “have dessert first” to be sure you got some.
It’s a shame how Knotts has declined over the years, there were so many unique and historic aspects that are ignored or actively ransacked. Seems even worse than Disneyland’s decline.
TM, thank you for the added links, and thank you Major for the post.
JG
That kid is having a good ol' time on that coin-op auto. It shows the joy of being a kid. Sometimes it's the simple things that give happiness.
My first visit to Knott's was in 1963 and that kid was probably born the same year as me.
Looking forward to more Knott's pics. Thank you, Major.
This map is from 1985, so from the time "Goldie's" revue (or "Barn Show," as the map shows) was taking place, and the building was still being called Jeffries Barn.
You can see across the way was the "Bonnet" shop, formerly "Mrs. Murphy's Boarding House." You can also see the location of the relocated scene from the boarding house. It was moved back behind the Bank and the Ghost Town Candy Store, and is labeled on the map as "Family Dinner." That original scene from Mrs Murphy's was removed from the park altogether, in 2004. At that time, they bulldozed Doc Walker's Cabin for the construction of the Silver Bullet coaster. They then moved some of the figures and props from the cabin, over to the "Family Dinner" space. Andrew has a photo in his current post, showing what that peek-in looks like, today.
Also visible on the 1985 map, is the relocated Mott's Miniatures (between the Craft's Barn and the Calico Saloon. Today, that space houses a portion of the collection from the Western Trails Museum. The original location of the Western Trails Museum can be seen on the map, next door to Jeffries Barn. That building was torn down, when the Wild Water Wilderness area was built, because they needed to create a wide enough path to get back there to the new area, and the new "Big Foot Rapids" ride.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiu1z2SlVwlZ5vMllOPcYE-77G-8HoQFwOlLAaQKL5NGiBI221i2yCvfHjHx-HZpayRkNipaAYZBGxmLOtEIdae-WSV8mEvtD9bYofPJbuQzWgFCaUiiYsXv3Gpk-mPs7MpoZ0Fd9rp8Q/s1600/Doll+%2526+Bonnet+Shops.jpg
Have dessert first! YES! People wonder why I often do this...why? Because why not have the most delicious thing first when you are most hungry and can really enjoy it! From experience it doesn't "ruin your dinner!"...perhaps for kids: yes. For adults: no. By the time that dessert hits your brain...you've eaten the rest of the meal..and then ....if you are so inclined...you can have a second dessert. Thanks Grampa G!
JB, an ointment? Crazy! Funny, as a kid I always liked the word “ointment”, not sure why. I agree about the font for the Evening Star, but newspapers loved their gothic fonts for some reason. Why not “comic sans”? I have no doubt that TokyoMagic! will know where that second photo was taken! Looking at that mom digging into the baby buggy makes me glad that I don’t have to deal with a baby at any amusement park; she really needs a giant, huge, enormous stroller, and then her life would be so much easier. “Mott’s MIniatures” was an empty building except for three particularly small chihuahuas.
TokyoMagic!, I didn’t know those jiggly car rides had a lever! Market Street, I should have known. A street full of vice and corruption, where you were lucky to make it to the end of road with your life. Oh wait, that’s MY street. Thank you for all of the info! I wish I’d seen Mott’s Miniatures, I probably would have loved it. Do you think that Walt Disney spent time there gazing at the tableaus like a little kid?
TokyoMagic!, interesting!
Mike Cozart, I guess if you’re going to copy something, you might as well copy from the best.
TokyoMagic!, I have one or two other images of those buildings, maybe I can see more details for comparison in some of those. It’s kind of amazing that they even copied the paint schemes.
Bu, Knott’s has a magical spell place on the front gates, you can only enter if you are true of heart and really want to be there! It will know if you are so-so about it. $99 seems so cheap, no wonder our friend Irene used to love to go there all the time. The “Ebening” Star, I liked it because it had the “Andy Capp” comic strip, everybody’s favorite comic! I laugh and laugh at that Andy and Flo’s hijinks, I’ll tell ya what. Especially when she waits for him with a rolling pin. The buildings on Market Street look kind of small, but I’m sure that is authentic. Trees were not plentiful on some parts of the frontier, which is why most buildings were built out of cacti and beer cans. “Dance Hall”? Everyone knows how much I love to dance, the music just moves me! Sure, I injure people nearby, but that’s THEIR problem. I do believe that Knott’s sold other plants besides boysenberry canes, but I could be wrong.
TokyoMagic!, I knew what you meant! I was looking at an old post yesterday and found so many mistakes in the text, I was embarrassed months later. But that’s what happens when one blogs while drunk. We can all learn something from my error. Do you know WHY they rebuilt those buildings? Termites? Dry rot? Thank you for the link to the photo of the former Mrs. Murphy’s… a “Haunt Museum” sounds fun, too bad it’s already gone. It’s little things like that that add up to a more fun experience.
JG, see my comment to JB! I do wonder why those gothic fonts became the standard for most newspapers, even small-town rags. Now many of them have more-legible fonts such as the aptly-named “Times Roman”, or even the bold but ugly font of USA Today. Hey, I wore a very nice t-shirt to that funeral, I even tucked it in! It’s so interesting to think about what SoCal would have been like back when your granddad came here - my own grandfather was born in Los Angeles in 1901, I’m sure it was all rural and cute. Well, maybe not “cute”. I love the “have dessert first” advice, and will follow it from now on! Knott’s is still fun to visit, but the changes are considerable, sadly.
K. Martinez, it really is true, I think of my own niece and nephews, I could give them the cheapest toy for a Christmas stocking stuffer, and they would be thrilled. If only it was still that way now!
TokyoMagic!, I am very disappointed that you have only commented six times today. I’ll forgive you if you are watching the exciting French Open! Thank you for the link to the 1985 map; I love amusement park maps! Sometimes they got so crazy that they stopped being useful as a map and just became overstuffed illustrations. This one is still nice. As always, thank you so much for sharing so much of your deep Knott’s knowledge!
The current WESTERN TRAILS MUSEUM (market street facing facade) was created by turning the original TEMPERANCE SALOON/ FANDANGO HALL facade and adding the salvaged portico posts, corbels and cornices from the original Western Trails Museum building ( Museum Row location) the original western trails museum was a large cast concrete building finished to look like it was Adobe .. with wooden details . That structure was completely demolished . But again you can see its original portico survives.
Hmmm …. Knowing that Goldie runs a brothel ( “rooming house”) over on Main Street …. I can only imagine what “Goldie’s Barn Revue” must have been….?!!?!
When Cedar Fair ran Knott’s Berry Farm …. I think they mostly did a good job and restoring many crumbling buildings and dilapidated elements the aging Knott’s family let get outta hand. The current owner SIX FLAGS I worry about .. because the current SIX FLAGS does one thing really really well :
File for bankruptcy!
Do you know WHY they rebuilt those buildings? Termites? Dry rot?
Major, I believe the damage over the years might have been a little bit of both dry rot, and termites. It's like Mike said, the Knott Family didn't properly maintain those buildings. Plus, I don't think they were originally built with the intention of lasting 60 or 70 years. So I blame Walter Knott, himself! ;-) I think I heard that the problem with Doc Walker's cabin was specifically termite damage. That is a building that they just bulldozed, and did not attempt to replace. Buildings that I know for sure have been completely torn down and rebuilt are, the Gold Trails Hotel, the Assay Office, Wing Lee's Laundry, the Barber Shop, Silver Dollar Saloon (replaced with a very cheap looking electronic shooting gallery), and Goldie's Place. But there might be others that have been completely replaced, that I am not aware of.
And I just bet you that Walt did go through Mott's Miniatures! It would be great to see a photo of him in there, or hear some stories. But I bet if he did visit the exhibit, any stories about it are lost to time now.
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