A Bunch of Knott's Pix, July 1974
Welcome to Knott's Berry Farm, homies! July, 1974 - a great time to visit Ghost Town. I had a bunch of Knott's slide scans, and the six you'll see today are perfectly fine... I decided to share all of them in one go. There's nothing too extraordinary, but you still get that laid-back, summer day feeling that evokes memories of my own childhood visits.
A covered wagon? There's something you don't see every day! Unless you work at Knott's, in which case they are as common as Teslas in L.A. It looks like guests could climb inside, which is kind of fun... that couple is trying to decide if they will do it.
The General Store has everything a miner could need. Unless that miner needed a Duncan yo-yo, in which case he might have to whittle one out of a log. But they'll have everything else! Pickaxes, pans, lanterns, hats, gloves, shovels, knives, and maybe even some penny candy.
We're at the end of Main Street, and Goldie's Joint is to the left; it's odd, I thought that Goldie's name was painted (bigly!) on the front of the building, but looking at my old blog posts, it was only on a little sign at the entryway. If you turned left down that alley toward the Town Jail, you could visit Sad Eye Joe. He might even talk to you!
The photographer pivoted to the right toward the Post Office. Knott's was festooned with wagon wheels, grindstones, and even whole wagons for kids to climb on. Is that the Catawampus, partly visible in the foreground?
Guests are milling around the entrance to the Gold Mine, where they could pan for real gold! The thrill of panning your own flakes of color was real. To the left, a grandma and her grandson look at some gentle, patient burros. They would appreciate some nice scritches! The burros, I mean.
And finally, we're in some corner of the Ghost Town that I don't recognize; there's another nice wagon, and a building adorned with skulls and antlers; I'm sure at least one of you knows exactly where this is.
That's it for this KBF installment!
6 comments:
Major-
I'm taken by the two gals in first image [twins, perhaps-?] each placing their feet in the precise same position. I always walk that way with friends.
Thanks, Major.
The last image is between the Livery Stable and the Birdcage Theater ( the theater is behind the photographer) the wood cabin was demolished about 15-20 years ago … maybe longer. To the left of the cabin is School House Road …. In the distance You can see the ruins of the miners exchange bank . the area now is an outdoor BBQ restaurant. This area is between School House Road & the end of Main Street….. I’m not sure off hand what the street is called that leads us here from the Livery Stable …. I’m sure TOKYO knows.
1) That covered wagon looks impressive: robust and meaty. I see that Hayley Mills (circa, "The Parent Trap"), was visiting Knott's that day.
2) is "Mdse." really an abbreviation for "merchandise"? That word looks like "merch and ise", except they spelled "ice" wrong. Maybe it comes from a Scandinavian language. The lady on the left looks rather stern... and scary.
3) On the left, several people are peering into the front of the Sheriff's Office. Is that one of the "peek ins" that show a scene inside? Something I've always wanted to know: Is it only American culture where women always carry a handbag everywhere they go? (And men don't). Seems like a weird thing.
4) Major, it sure looks like the Catawhatsis. "Festooned" is right, it looks positively busy with stuff. I think we've found the legendary wagon wheel graveyard!
5) Yeah, the burros would probably like some scritches, but what they really would like is an apple-and-carrot-flavored ice cream cone! (They sell those at Knott's, right?)
6) Grandma is checking to see if the baby is still in the stroller, or if it wandered off on its own... again. I'm sure that wagon on the left will be enough for someone (Tokyo!) to identify this location.
A nice selection of Knott's pix, Major. Thanks.
In the second pic, we can see the water pump over to the right. The sign reads, "Water For Horses Not For People," but with some backwards letters and misspellings.
Major, I believe that is part of the Catawampus we are seeing. It looks like it might have a chain around it. That's not very nice!
The building in the last photo is Doc Walker's cabin. He was a dentist from the Ozarks, and his dental office was in one of the rooms of his family's home. I'm not sure when Walter Knott's acquired the cabin, but at some point in the late seventies or early eighties, the cabin was relocated from Bird Cage Square, over near the Church of Reflections and the Little Chapel by the Lake. It was torn down in 2004, for the construction of the Silver Bullet roller coaster.
Mike, you are right about School Road being on the other side of Doc Walker's cabin. And the road that led to this side of the cabin and Birdcage Square, was/is Stage Road.
I believe the first photo was taken just a little to the west of Doc Walker's cabin, on Museum Lane. I think the shadow that we are seeing on the left is from Jeffries Barn.
3) On the left, several people are peering into the front of the Sheriff's Office. Is that one of the "peek ins" that show a scene inside?
JB, yes....the Sheriff's Office was one of the peek-ins, with a poker game taking place inside. Here's a link to what the scene looked like. Notice the guy on the left has a card hidden in his boot, and another one tucked into his shirt collar: Ghost Town Sheriff's Office
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