Two From June, 1972
Here are some pretty good "general interest" photos (also known as "randos") from around Disneyland.
In all of my many thousands of slides, I have surprisingly few taken in Adventureland (other than Jungle Cruise pix). Perhaps it lacked the obvious "wow" features that would inspire photographers to take out their cameras? Or maybe the fact that there is often a bottleneck where crowds can be pretty thick made people want to keep walking? Whatever the reason, I like this photo of a family near the entrance to the Jungle Cruise, with the Bazaar to our left. The lady with the yellow pants is holding a flyer, I am almost positive that I have one just like it, but can't seem to find it. Boo.
33 comments:
Major-
Dining on the lower level of the Hungry Bear restaurant was the best-!
Thanks, Major.
That red and yellow striped shopping bag looks interesting. Is it a Disneyland bag? And the lady in the blue floral outfit to the right of the 'bag lady' looks like she made her clothes from the von Trapp family curtains. But these are blue instead of gold, so they must come from a different bedroom. That's a sensible looking stroller in the foreground. Not like the 2-car garage monstrosities we see in more recent photos.
I don't remember seeing those slats in the Canoes before. Are they there to separate the guests into neat, equally spaced positions? Or maybe the slats are just part of their bedtime attire, to keep bears out? I love the mood of this picture.
A people-watching photo and a serene, contemplative photo. Thanks, Major.
@ JB-
"Is it a Disneyland bag?"
Indeed it is. LOOK HERE.
JB, those slats in the canoes are the seats!
Nice "general interest" photos today, Major! Thanks!
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a photo looking that direction in Adventureland - they always seem to be pointing the other way as people move into the land from the hub. The Tiki Room makes a nice view block at the end of the street.
The family in the center of the photo has redheaded kids and brunette mom and grandma. I wonder if the dad was a ginger? Although my youngest is a redhead and Mrs. Chuck and I are blonde and brunette, respectively, so genetics can do weird things. Generated a lot of nosy questions from random strangers (“There are redheads on both sides of the family, Mrs. Busybody. Thanks for making my kid feel different. Did anyone ever tell you that your ears aren’t level?”). There is also a super-tall blond kid at the extreme right wearing red, white, and blue horizontally-striped pants.
I see the canoe wrangler in the last photo is wearing the open-topped sports model coonskin cap. If this is 1972, the Hungry Bear was still going by its maiden name, the Golden Bear Lodge. Not only did it provide a spectacular view of the river, waaaay in the back and around the corner on the lower level was the closest mere mortals could legally get to the Santa Fe & Disneyland RR right-of-way outside of one of the stations (or actually riding the train).
Thanks, Major. Randos forever!
"JB, those slats in the canoes are the seats!"
*Thwarts.*
For the statistically inclined, of 15,040 Disneyland assets Major has posted that I have indexed, only 5.7% are Adventureland.
Photo 1, 70’s clothes, before fashion got too weird for words. Nice job everybody. If the photo was only slightly clearer, we would be able to see the logo on the striped bag.
Photo 2, canoes need a good night’s sleep like every other cast member. This is a beautiful photo, I can hear the animatronic crickets. There’s a wood-grained trash can at the far end of the pier and several barrels filled with Purina Canoe Chow.
Thanks Major, this group is calm-inducing.
JG
Nanook, the LOWER level?!?!?
JB, I shared a photo of one of those striped bags on my blog years ago, but I’m too busy watching TikTok and twerking to look for it. Did the Von Trapp family make clothes out of curtains? That was a real movie thing (and Carol Burnett too). The slats in the canoes were electrified to make sure that each guest “pulled his/her weight”, the guy up front had a button to push. It was considered to be the best job in Disneyland.
Nanook, yep, mine’s just like that.
Chuck, I may have one or two photos in Adventureland looking east, but they are definitely scarce. I kind of wish I had one pre-Tiki Room. Your story about the nosy questions from random strangers reminded me of neighbors, they had one boy who was fair-haired and pale, and the other was olive-skinned with black hair. They got all kinds of rude questions! Wow, that kid with the horizontally-striped pants really is tall. I keep forgetting that the Hungry Bear was originally called the Golden Bear Lodge, I guess they needed to make it more clear that the place was a restaurant? And I assume you used to go there to look at the SF&DLRR up close!
Steve DeGaetano, Thwarts to you too!
Jason Schultz - the man with the data! I’d assume that 90% of that 5.7% of Adventureland photos consists of Jungle Cruise photos.
JG, of course these days people are charmed by the very 70s clothing. I still remember thinking (during the 50s craze), “Nobody is EVER going to be nostalgic for the 70s”. How wrong I was. I have a collection of Frontierland sound effects (which I’d lost, but Jason Schultz sent them to me, thanks Jason!) and among them is the sound of a jillion crickets (or are they Spring peepers? It’s unclear), which I’ve always thought is the sound effect they played from Tom Sawyer Island. Canoe chow is chock full of pine tar!
Speaking of Adventureland, one of the unexpected facts that impressed me on my last visit is that you can stand at the Adventureland entrance on the hub, and easily see the Frontierland entrance as well! I even took a picture of it! That's something you just can't do at WDW and I found it charming beyond words! Ok, I'm easily impressed...
Stu29573, I wonder how much farther apart the two entrances are in Florida? They can't be more than about 50 feet apart in Anaheim!
Major, I know you’ve never seen this in person, but Frontierland doesn’t touch the Hub in Florida. You have to go through Adventureland or Liberty Square to get there.
Actually, the best seat in the canoes was in the back steering position. When not in public view, we could recline against the rear gunnel and put our feet on the empty slat in front of us, which was also a good foot brace while making a turn. I would assume that is a picture of the foreman closing down the canoes for the night, making an inspection. There was a log kept which the foreman put notes in to summarize the day and to note issues for the opening foreman to read. If it were 1974, I could probably name the individual in the photo with that particular cap. It's a great shot of the dock boxes and the set-up the way I remember it. And yes, the ground level seating at Hungry/Golden Bear was the best place to hang out. There were double doors that would lead to a tunnel which we'd use to enter backstage and take breaks. As for that first shot, how familiar it all looks to me as I was working Jungle crown control. Above the Bazaar was our upstairs break area where I could sit and watch the crowds go by below me. The staircase to it was padlocked the last time I visited. TRE!! KS
Actually, there isn't a Frontierland entrance off the hub at WDW. The next entrance down is Liberty Square, which is (to the best of my memory) about 20-30 yards or so! Weird, huh?
I know that Ron Howard was much older in 1972, but the little red haired boy to the left of the stroller (1st pic.), sure looks like Opie Taylor from Mayberry.
Thanks Major, nice photos today.
-DW
"And the lady in the blue floral outfit to the right of the 'bag lady' looks like she made her clothes from the von Trapp family curtains. But these are blue instead of gold, so they must come from a different bedroom."
JB, LOL. BTW, if you've ever been to an audience-participation showing of The Sound of Music, you'll know that scene is one of the 'audience-participation' moments. I highly recommend going to one of those - for silly fun and laughs, especially if you enjoy the movie.
Yep, in that first photo, I'd wager that the photographer is a redhead [because all the kids have the similar hair color]. Yay, for redheads!
Jason, that is interesting. Thanks!
Fun photos, thanks, Major.
Ok, last time I'll comment today...
"There was a log kept which the foreman put notes in to summarize the day and to note issues for the opening foreman to read."
KS, I'm now picturing the foreman opening the log and writing:
"Cathy Canoe was very bad today, she kept lagging behind. Carl Canoe was also bad, as he kept ramming into Connie. Keep an eye-out for Chris, as he's been a bit under-the-weather."
:oP
Stu29573, now that you say that, I guess I kind of knew it? Sort of.
Chuck, so… does the Frontierland in Florida have a clearly delineated entry? With an archway or something like that?
KS, I was making a joke about the guy up front being able to ZAP the guests in the canoes who weren’t working hard enough! Your description of being able to put your feet up and relax sounds pretty sweet, enjoying the sunshine, fresh air, and the beautiful river. I always chose a top-level seat at the Hungry Bear, it seemed like it was pretty easy to find a seat far back away from the crowds, and it provided an awesome view. But I have no doubt that the lower level was great too!
DW, he *does* look like Opie!
Lou and Sue, I didn’t even know that audience participation showings of The Sound of Music was a thing! Like a more wholesome “Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Did people throw Edelweiss at the screen?
Lou and Sue, redheads are OK in my book.
Lou and Sue, ha ha, “Cathy Canoe”!
Nanook, Thanks!
Tokyo!, "JB, those slats in the canoes are the seats!" I don't believe you. PROVE IT! :D
The "seats"/ slats looks awfully narrow and uncomfortable! I bet your tailbone would be sore by the end of your excursion.
JG, Do they still make Purina Canoe Chow? :p
Major, yes, fraulein Maria (Julie Andrews) made childrens clothes out of curtains, much to the horror of Captain von Trapp.
Sue, I didn't know there were audience participation showings. I haven't noticed any in my area.
Also: haha about the 'bad' Canoes.
Generated a lot of nosy questions from random strangers (“There are redheads on both sides of the family, Mrs. Busybody.......
Chuck, by brother and I both have red hair. Our mom and dad both had very dark brown hair. For my entire childhood, whenever we would be out shopping with my mom, we would often be stopped by a stranger asking the question, "Where did your children get their red hair?" My mom should have said, "It's henna rinse!" But she always said that it was from her father (who did have red hair). Years later, when studying genetics in college, I learned that it doesn't come from just one person or one side of the family, and that the recessive genes have to come from both sides and "meet up" with one another.
I didn’t even know that audience participation showings of The Sound of Music was a thing! Like a more wholesome “Rocky Horror Picture Show”.
Major, I went to an "audience participation" showing of "Grease" at the Hollywood Bowl. I think it's an annual event.....or at least, it used to be. Upon entering, they gave everyone a bag of items to use during the movie. Unfortunately, liquid grease was not one of the items. I would have even settled for melted butter.
Awhile back I had watched a documentary on NOVA or Discovery Channel about human evolution. Scientists made predictions based on current evolutionary trends and one was that redheads would be one of the first human traits to go extinct…. Then followed by blondes.
Major, Frontierland had a ground-level sign and one stockade blockhouse along the walkway between Liberty Square and Frontierland that let you know where the border was. There was no sign as you entered from Adventureland past the restrooms next to the Tropical Serenade or through Caribbean Plaza.
None of the lands at the MK originally had any sort of archway entrance (unless you count Cinderella Castle), although Adventureland does now, added sometime after 1993. Not sure how they are going to mark the entrance to Frontierland once the current TREification is complete.
Not sure how they are going to mark the entrance to Frontierland once the current TREification is complete.
Chuck, it will be a highway overpass with an animatronic Tow Mater parked on it, looking down at guests and saying, "Welcome to HELL!"
Looks like I misremembered the Frontierland sign, conflating it with the original, ground-level Adventureland sign. It’s not at ground level, but after seeing Disneyland’s entrance in person, you can understand why it didn’t make a huge impression:
https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+w_1533+to_auto+ret_img/media.blogmickey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/15075541/frontierland-sign-returns-07142025-6-2048x1152.jpg
I had also forgotten about the sign as you transition from Caribbean Plaza into Frontierland near the train station:
https://allears.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-WDW-Magic-Kigndom-passage-to-frontierland-cut-through-sign-3.jpg
Both are pretty underwhelming, and I hope you can forgive me for not immediately recalling them.
TM!, yes, complete with a sign for Route 666.
Chuck, to quote Fred Mertz, "Well, that pretty much sums it up!"
TM!, :-)
Regarding red hair…when people would ask “Where does his red hair come from?” I would usually answer “From his scalp.”
Sue, those logbooks contained interesting tidbits of information. each entry tried to outdo the other. Some are in private (and for good reason) collections today. LOL KS
There were actually several directional signs in the pass thru’s at WDW’s FRONTIERLAND( technically it was liberty square ) and a ADVENTURELAND - CARIBBEAN PLAZA . These were wood sandblasted signs with the land logo then a listing of attractions . FRONTIERLAND had its own directional in two locations … and ADVENTURELAND - CARIBBEAN PLAZA in 3 locations. All were added around 1973. The FRONTIERLAND directionals were removed in 1980 to replace them with new signs including the new Big Thunder . The signs however the FRONTIERLAND directionals did not return . Because if changes made to the restroom entrances and the old Colonel Hatti / tropic building location , the advevturelavd/caribbean plaza directionals disappeared around 1981/82. A remaining CARIBBEAN PLAZA /ADVENTURELAND directional sign was relocated to the far right of the Caribbean entry marquee - across from the train station next to the small building that was sometimes a beverage location and sometimes a film supply shop. That sole directional sign seems to have vanished by 1983.
BTW - after these directional signs with the attraction listings were removed , smaller arrow like directional signs appeared throught Frontierland , Liberty Square … with just the land’s name listed in a appropriate letter type and wording like “to liberty square “ , “to Caribbean Plaza” etc.
the liberty square - Fantasyland pass thru also featured a very nice Themed directional sign up until recently . The fantasyland - Tomorrowland pass thru ( called the TOMORROWLAND CONCOURSE) also had tomorrowland themed directional signs. There still are very nice Main Street themed “land “ directionals around the hub and the plaza gardens pathways . They were recently updated but still pretty much look like the early 1970’s versions that were used till about 2010.
JB, If elected President, I will make sure that all canoes are outfitted with soft learther bucket seats with seat warmers! Why doesn’t anybody make clothes out of shag carpet? I truly have never heard of audience participation showings of “The Sound of Music” but I also totally believe that fans of that movie would have a great time shouting out all of their favorite lines.
TokyoMagic!, on one hand I guess the people who wondered about your red hair were just asking a “harmless” question, but on the other hand, it is none of their damn business! It’s funny, all of the boys in my family look at lot like my dad, and my sister looks (surprisingly) a lot like my maternal grandma, I see real similarities in their features. “Grease”… another film I’ve never seen. I just never had the desire, based on what I know! I’ve seen bits and pieces on TV, and maybe I would have enjoyed it when it came out. But now, I feel like I’ve missed the boat.
Mike Cozart, I know that many people freak out at the idea of no more redheads or blondes; I doubt that will happen in my lifetime, but what I really worry about is the extinction of decent human beings.
Chuck, you were kind enough to message me images of the entrances to Adventureland and Frontierland. Both are strangely unimpressive! I’ve seen the Adventureland sign before, but it’s so small, and stuck in a planter. And the Frontierland sign really looks like an afterthought, in fact most people probably just walk past it rather than through it. So strange. I wonder if the entrances to the lands were just too wide for the sort of archways used in Disneyland?
TokyoMagic!, Not Tow Mater! I miss the days when a belching Stitch was everywhere. They really do ruin everything!
Chuck, I actually like that sign from the Caribbean Plaza… it’s not very grand, but being in that ornate archway at least feels like something significant.
Chuck, I like those old vintage Route 66 signs (with the glass reflectors)!
TokyoMagic!, I thought Shakespeare said that.
Chuck, did the people who asked that question then say, “D’OH!”?
KS, oh man, if those logbooks are in private hands, I guess there’s no chance that we mere mortals will ever see them.
Mike Cozart, it’s strange to me that they did not add those directional signs until 1973. I don’t know how intuitive it is to get around the Magic Kingdom, but perhaps people were getting turned around? Two years of confusion. Maybe by 1980 all of the die-hard WDW fans were so familiar with the park that no directional signs were necessary. That’s early enough that I can imagine the signs just being trashed instead of saved by an Imagineer or cast member!
Mike Cozart, if there’s one thing I’ve learned today, it’s that the Magic Kingdom has undergone MANY changes, both large and small, almost constantly. Sometimes it almost feels as if the changes were done without much of a reason, but I could be wrong.
It just occurred to me why they couldn’t do a grand archway over the entrance to Frontierland like they eventually did for WDW’s Adventureland - the parade route goes right through there. Tall floats would not be able to pass through.
For those of you who have never visited Florida’s Bizzarro Disneyland, the parade route goes from a backstage gate next to the Frontierland Depot through Frontierland, Liberty Square, the Hub, and Main Street to Town Square (and back again for the next parade).
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