Knott's Berry Farm, July 1964
Howsabout some more vintage Knott's Berry Farm? Put on your boysenberry-shaped hat and pull up a chair.
Have I seen this "Welcome to Ghost Town" sign before? Hmmm, if so I don't recall it. It's a giant book carved from a whole sequoia tree. That's my story, anyway! Walter Knott wants you to know that about the rugged people who settled the West. Without government! Down below is the gold mine, where you could pan for REAL GOLD; I believe that the Covered Wagon Camp would be behind us, and the statue of Seldom Seen Slim was nearby.
The burro-powered merry-go-round was located near Old MacDonald's Farm, and this girl is having the time of her life. She keeps her emotions in check, but trust me, inside she's giggling. The only way to improve matters is if she had a menthol cigarette and a vodka gimlet.
There she is again, with her not-dorky brother. I am so impressed with the way she hides her true feelings! Could she be part Vulcan? Handsome Brady and Whiskey Bill find her aloof manner to be amusing.
15 comments:
Major-
'Sullen' seems to describe our emotionless lass. Poor dear.
Her "not-dorky" brother appears to be holding a Kodak Instamatic 404 camera - which places into doubt the date of the images - as this camera was first produced beginning in 1965. Discuss among yourselves.
Thanks, Major.
Major-
I'm also voting for not dorky's tee shirt to be from Camp Templed Hills, in Bellville, Ohio.
I don't have any more boysenberry-shaped hats. The neighbor's cat shredded the last one I had. I have no idea what that cat has against boysenberry-shaped hats. Maybe he hates all berry-shaped hats.
I don't remember seeing this sequoia-shaped book sign before either. I think it's AI generated. ;-p It's a nice clear photo; the photographer knew what he was doing.
I love the concept of the burro-powered merry-go-round. (I seem to be using a lot of hyphens today. I hope we don't run out!) It's one of the few actual carnival-type flat rides in the park at this time (I guess the other, ornate, merry-go-round was there?) I like how the burro-go-round is all rickety looking. I know that it was an actual old ride, but did they 'rough it up' and make it even more so?
I 'm not even sure if Vulcan Girl is awake. Not sure what is written on not-dorky brother's t-shirt. "Camp Tem[something] Hills"? Seeing the two prospectors, I'm reminded of how well they were crafted; life-like poses.
Nanook, Aha! "Camp Templed Hills"! That must be it. Regarding the '65 camera: Obviously this is a family of time travelers! That would also explain the zonked-out expression on Vulcan-Girl; suffering from the effects of time travel.
Nice Knott's pics today, Major. Not the usual sort of photos. Thanks.
Major, I could have sworn that you had posted a pic of that carved "book" some years ago. But I did a search of your blog and couldn't come up with the image I had in mind. Anyway, as you mentioned, it was located above the Pan for Gold attraction. The Steak House would have been directly behind the photographer.
That carved book still exists today, and is on display inside the Western Trails museum. They even made a miniature version of it as a pin, for Knott's "100th" anniversary a few years ago.
That burro-powered merry-go-round was actually located inside Old MacDonald's Farm. It supposedly was already an antique at the time that Walter Knott acquired it. But who knows, it could have been brand new and built right there at Knott's, and that "antique" story was cooked up by Marty Sklar. Didn't he "moonlight" at times, for the "other Walter"? ;-)
I think those last two images are ads FOR Disneyland!
(Side note: I am not making fun of Knott’s…I love Knott’s.)
Sue, that was truly funny. I love Knott's too, but I love a good joke even more.
That girl reminds me of my niece who's middle aged now. I used to ask her if she was having a good time when we were at Disneyland. She always said yes. And she really did have a good time because she became a major Disney fan through the years. Some people don't show excitement on their face for some reason.
Thanks, Major.
P.S. I have that book as a pin from the Knott's 100 Years Pin celebration.
I love the book sign, makes me think of Fractured Fairy Tales. I take it Mr. Knott was a fan of limited government.
I’m trying to figure out the shade cover on the burro-go-round, sort of reed mats? Weirdest geometry.
Yes, I think the young lady suffers from “resting grump face”, of which I have been accused also. I’m having a good time, I swear by the Great Horn Spoon!
I love the old Knotts, thank you Major!
JG
Nanook, maybe the girl was upset because she was missing the big Math meet at school. There’s fun, and then there’s MATH fun!
Nanook, “Camp Templed Hills”, now that’s a name!
JB, sadly you can’t buy a good boysenberry-shaped hat these days, the last factory that made them closed in the 90s. But you should learn macrame so that you can make one yourself. Since I made today’s pose, I’ve seen other photos of that “book”; I’ve probably seen it before then too and just forgot. I wonder what happened to the burro-powered MGR after its time at Knott’s? Did anybody buy it, or did it get destroyed? I can’t imagine there were too many interested parties. Notice that Nanook has already spent six hours researching Camp Templed Hills, founded by Shirley Templed.
TokyoMagic!, so you doubt my sanity, do you?!! Ha, it would not surprise me if you went back and found a photo of that “book” on GDB, after all it’s been so long I could easily have shared one and forgotten. Amazing that the sign still exists, if I ever make it over to KBF in the next year or so I need to step into the Western Trails Museum and see what else is there. Thanks for the correction about the burro-powered merrry-go-round. I would assume that, at best, it required a lot of “fixing up” before it was ready to be used as a regular attraction at the park.
Lou and Sue, ha ha!
K. Martinez, I suppose you’re right, some people just don’t like to show their emotions. LIKE VULCANS! Are your niece’s ears pointed?? Maybe you never noticed before! Is her blood green?? Some of those Knott’s 100th pins go for a lot, it would be fun to have the whole set, but it would cost too much.
JG, not long ago I saw a bit of a film featuring Walter Knott and some other fun folks, it was very “John Birch Society”. I wonder if that “reed mat” shade cover was a bit on the tattered side? Perhaps the weather had done a number on it. “Resting Grump Face”, my new rap name! Maybe I need to add “Li’l” or “Dr” to it?
Weird, I was already wearing my boysenberry hat! And I've never seen Seldom Seen Slim that I know of. Knott (har!) sure why since he's a statue and doesn't move much. How grumpy can you be when your pocket is stuffed with distractions. Maybe it's something Whiskey Bill said. My Makers Mark whisky is spelled without the E. I used to know why. Feel free to add hyphens to this; I can't find any.
Thanks for the Knott's visit, Major.
Zach
^ Sorry that I used up all the hyphens.
I found some in my junk drawer. Feel free to use as many as you need: ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
@ Steve-
And how can we be certain you found hyphens rather than underlines-?? Yes... exactly.
zach, please make sure you aren’t wearing a loganberry hat, I don’t want you to be embarrassed if it is the wrong berry! I’m not sure if Seldom Seen Slim still has a presence at KBF, I hope so for tradition’s sake. I know I have seen “whiskey” spelled “whisky”, but I feel like “whiskey” is more generally accepted. Maybe I’m wrong!
JB, perhaps you only used up the European variety of hyphens?
Steve DeGaetano, there we go, plenty for everyone!
Nanook, sometimes you just have to TRUST!
Major, pretty sure I used the American hyphens. I don't know how to type the European ones.
Can I wear my snozzberry hat? It tastes like snozzberries! Oh wait... the neighbor's cat shredded that one last year.
With all this talk of boysenberry hats, I thought I'd mention that they do sell "boysenberry pie" hats at Knott's. There is a lady and her mother, who participate in the seasonal Christmas Craft Festival and the Boysenberry Festival at Knott's, and sell the crocheted (or maybe they are knitted?) pie-shaped hats. They also had a shop for a while (Miss Doolittle's), in the former Ghost Town Print Shop space. I believe that now, they just sell their items out of a booth, during the park's special events. While searching for a photo, I just discovered that they also sell their boysenberry pie hats on Etsy:
Boysenberry Pie Hat from Miss Doolittle's
The fountain with Seldom Seen Slim and his mule was removed from Ghost Town almost 50 years ago, but they still appear on top of the wall, facing the intersection of Beach Blvd. and La Palma Ave.:
Seldom Seen Slim Statue at Knott's
Unfortunately, it's a newer figure and no longer resembles Claude Bell's original "Slim" sculpture. Even at Knott's, TRE!
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