Two From '56
Here are two random photos from 1956 - both are pretty in their way, and have lots of that "early Disneyland" appeal. For instance, look at that beautiful castle! And there's not a single guest visible, which is almost beyond belief. I miss the large grassy lawns that used to be more common at the park, though I understand why they had to go.
Now we're on the Jungle Cruise dock looking across the river (what deadly critters are hiding in those murky waters?) toward signs of human presence, even in the deepest jungle. The people themselves are out, but their huts look mighty inviting.
I always enjoy seeing some of Disneyland's original orange trees, and there are at least two of them here, covered in fruit. If only somebody'd had the foresight to save a few of these trees, they could have grafted scions onto hearty root stock and folks all over could enjoy fresh OJ from their GENUINE DISNEYLAND ORANGE TREE!
14 comments:
Major-
Look... a castle that looks like a castle-! What a novel idea. All is right with the world.
Thanks, Major.
I'm not sure why, but the Castle looks more stately here. For one thing, it looks like the camera is only about 3 ft. off the ground, so we're looking more upward that usual which makes the Castle look taller. Then there's the late afternoon sunlight, making things look all storybookish. No sign of The Dent though. Beautiful picture!
Major, your treatise on "genuine Disneyland orange trees" is gonna make Bu insane with frustration.
Did they remove the orange trees from the Jungle Cruise, because they don't exactly fit in with the theme. Or did the trees simply die out over the years? Is it possible there might still be one or two lurking in the Jungle?
Another beautiful photo! The lighting and focus are just right.
Two for two today! Thanks, Major.
Ah, the Castle as she ought to be. Pale, pastel, like a memory of a dream. Remember when subtlety was a virtue?
Disney is so big on scraping everything in the Park for added income, they should restore this little hut and charge $1000 / night to sleep in it. I can hear the whine of malaria-ridden mosquitoes and the quiet gurgling of the piranhas from here. With alligator pancakes and fresh OJ in the morning!
Thanks Major!
JG
Nanook, that castle really does look great! And where are all the people??
JB, nobody could know that Disney would go on to build larger and more elaborate castles at other parks around the world, so for now this example was probably pretty jaw-dropping for many folks. Yes, Bu really wants a Disneyland orange tree, or, if not that, at least a cutting from one of the few remaining orange trees in Orange County. Hard to believe that hundreds (thousands?) of acres of orchards are almost gone.
JG, “Remember when subtlety was a virtue?”, boy, those days are long-gone. It might be fun to spend the night in that little hut, as long as they turn off the jungle noises at a certain point!
Major...the number of orange trees in the county filled the air...at least around my neighborhood...with the wonderful spring smell of orange blossoms in the early and mid 60s. Make that acreage in the many thousands. That experience, as well as the dense fogs of winter, are now just a quaint memory of long ago. KS
To my understanding the very last two orange trees surviving on Disneyland property were over at the Disneyland Hotel in the Oriental Gardens Cabanas. One was inside a patio the other was along the meandering grounds. When I saw it in the early 90’s it was a gnarled ancient looking thing that apparently had stopped producing fruit. I think there was even a plaque put up by Disneyland horticulture. If either of these two trees were saved I doubt it …. As the demolished of the area happened pretty fast to make way for DCA.
Now apparently the 2 housing developments across the street from the Disneyland Hotel - from the late 1950’s featured relocated Disneyland walnut trees in their original landscaping …. The original diving Street was called WALNUT.
Ken - like you growing up in Southern California I’m very family with the sweet smells of orange trees . I think neighbors, relatives always had citrus trees … oranges … lemons and limes were mist common and their smells brings all kinds of memories alive. Running out to the yard to get a fresh lemon for dinner’s ice tea …. The summer smell of orange blossoms as we played near the trees and some kid would always get stung by a bee … and at neighborhood pool parties and the smell of fresh limes being cut up for the drinks the adults were making….
At my mom’s house in San Diego two orange trees from the original 1978 assortment of citrus still survive and produced sweet juicy oranges still … sometimes a winter frost might cut the sweetness down from the following batch … there’s also a original 1978 pomegranate tree that has had a few baby trees (?? Shoots??) and the original tree now produces fruit maybe every few years unlike in the past of every year with massive giant juicy pomegranates we couldn’t give enough away because of the amount …like the fruit trees … we are all getting older..
Yes, everyone is correct....I want a tree....I will construct it's own special greenhouse, put Anaheim sandy soil in, give it light be it from sun or electricity. The Pressler grove up Harbor a few miles from the Park is the last of the last...and the general neighborhood of 1950's Anaheim around it has so many trees in everyones backyards. The smell of the blossoms is quite intoxicating: and takes me back too to my California youth. Seeing the Orange trees in older Disneyland photos is awesome, and reminds me of the story of trees being tagged with colored tags to either be removed, moved or saved...but the bulldozer guy was color blind...It's a Marty Sklar story, so possibly it is legend. I am delighted to see them here in the middle of the Jungle, which of course in the real world would be quite unique. I thought I would find stories of the Sunkist Store initially using Disneyland Oranges for it's juice: which is quite possible as groves still existed long after opening backstage, in the parking lot, etc. I am going to do my due diligence and check out the Walnut grove trees that moved behind the Disneyland Hotel. Walnut trees last a long time: much longer than Oranges. The Orange trees in the Pressler grove look a wee worse for the wear...encapsulated in chain link and barbed wire. That particular site is of historic nature: look it up, as it was an important spot in Orange County history. As for the photos: I miss this Castle and its grassy knolls...and the hut is hutastic. With a few palms there in transplant "renewal" mode...where they go kind of dead before taking off again. Palms last a very very long time, and there is a good chance that these still exist somewhere in Disneyland if not exactly where they are now. For overnight stays: I prefer to think using Fort Wilderness as an "Experience"...not a "VIP" experience...but something that everyone could do with a price commensurate with the experience. Luxury log cabin meets marshmallow roasts, ghost stories, and a very empty and serene Tom Sawyer's Island. I'd rather see the return of Ft. Wilderness, but if they need the $$ to do it: I believe they will get the return on investment....then there is the insurance companies, et al....enough said. Thanks Major.
They now have what I take to be a simulated grassy area in Toontown, CenTOONial Park. The idea seems to be that, having paid your money to access all those epic attractions, what you really want is to casually kill time in a city park.
While it does make a certain amount of sense if you've got overstimulated kids in need of a break, at first blush it sounds like having a library on Main Street where you can spend the afternoon looking stuff up in an encyclopedia.
They offer simulated old-fashioned picnics, featuring themed blankets and little baskets with a severed Mickey hand clutching the handle. On the one hand it's like fancy accessories for making s'mores, which are supposed to be a simple no-frills campfire thing. On the other it's a nice satire of those lavish woven baskets sold in department stores and such, equipped with plates and flatware, ready for a casual repast on the grounds of Downton Abbey. Has anybody ever seen one of those used outside of a cartoon or an old movie?
Dame fine photos. That ought to be the perfect frame-up for the Dent ; either not there yet, or hiding in shadow. I planted my own Meyer Lemon to have those scents still around me.
MS
Anonymous, while I never experienced the smell of orange blossoms in Orange County, my grandparents had some 40 citrus trees, and one of my best memories is of the times when the air was filled with that incredible scent!
Mike Cozart, my best friend is a real plant nut, and thanks to knowing him, I’ve picked up some knowledge. Funny how that happens! Even old trees that have stopped producing fruit can be used to make cuttings for grafting - new, strong root stock, with the upper part absolutely identical to the original tree from which it came. I’m sure you are right that those last two trees were probably put through a chipper without much thought, sadly. Regarding my grandparent’s orange (and tangelo, and lemon, and kumquat, and grapefruit, etc) trees, I would pick a big bag full of beautiful oranges and make a big glass of fresh squeezed juice, it was the most delicious thing! But it spoiled me, because no store bought juice tastes anything even remotely like the fresh stuff. Now my friend can give me citrus when it is in season, and the blood oranges are so incredible, I’m hoping for a bumper crop next February or so.
Bu, “Pressler grove”, surely not after Paul Pressler! It is rather incredible that all orange groves seem to be gone from Orange County. I mean, people have the odd tree or two in their yards, but that is different. I’m amazed that a county that was so defined by agriculture has managed to decimate the very thing that was so important to its history. We’ve seen photos from the 1960s in which there are still orchards not too far from the borders of Disneyland, I suppose those people were stubborn holdouts, or else they knew that their land would just continue to go up in value as the years passed. I see walnut trees growing wild when I go on hikes, perhaps birds spread the seeds. I sure would love it if you managed to get some cuttings from those trees in OC and also managed to get them home safe and sound AND managed to graft them successfully. That’s a lot of variables! But it would be worth doing for sure. Bill Evans and his guys seemed to do a good job of saving and relocating trees, I’d love to know that those palms survive. Maybe some are even still in the Jungle Cruise, not as obvious because the jungle is so lush now.
DBenson, yes, I’ve seen that “fake grass” area in Toontown, I know that the park is systematically removing patches of grass and replacing it with artificial turf, theoretically to save water, and I’m sure it saves money too, which never hurts. “What you really want is to casually kill time…”, that’s what I think whenever I see photos of people playing checkers on Main Street. You can play checkers at home! Maybe annual passholders just like the idea of doing something so old-fashioned, and actual enjoy slowing down rather than rushing to the next thing. Which I am very guilty of doing! My mom used to have a very fancy picnic basket with china and silverware, but I don’t believe it was ever used once.
MS, I think the dent is there, the lighting is is such that it doesn’t show at this time of day!
“Pressel” not “Pressler”…I stand corrected…
My wife and I received one of those fancy wicker picnic baskets as a gift. I think we've used it twice. We'll just use a cooler for any actual picnicing.
I especially love the 2nd picture, and would gladly pay to sleep overnight in that hut. But I want the jungle sounds left on. As a little kid I used to fall asleep to the sound of city traffic and horns, so jungle sounds would probably put me to sleep, too.
Though Andrew's probably busy with work [and dating], maybe he'll check in and chime in about the subdivision by Disneyland [Hotel]. IIRC he stayed in one of those houses (townhouses?) when his family went to Disneyland last year or the year before. Maybe he saw some of those Walnut trees??
Bu, I sure do hope you get one of those oranges! BTW, did you ever get more than one Boysenberry from your plant, this year?
Yep, I got one of those wicker picnic baskets as a wedding shower gift, many moons ago, Never used it.
Side note: Major is correct; the Dent is hiding in the shadow. I have a photo (not taken by my dad) from opening day - and The Dent is there. You just have to be at the right angle, with the right lighting, to see it. And the picture has to be in focus, of course, to see it.
Thanks, Major.
The 1994 Disneyland Guidebook lists that original orange tree over at the Disneyland Hotel (which Mike mentioned), in it's "Trivia" section. I just scanned that section of the guide, and posted it about a week and a half ago. It surprised me to see that info about the orange tree mentioned in the guidebook, because I had never heard anything about it before. I do wonder if they just cut it down, when they tore down those original DL Hotel structures. My guess is, that is exactly what they did.
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