SAY! Did you know that today is GDB friend Grant's birthday? Well it is! Sue definitely knew it, because she sent along this fun scan of a kid enjoying a fabulous party. Wow, what are the odds that the cake has the name "GRANT" on it? Well, pretty good odds, in this case. I like those orange-shaped drink containers, I think I've seen those before, though I'm not positive. The cake has Donald Duck on it, and a pretty good rendering too. The boy to the left has finished eating a human heart, apparently. The birthday boy wears a Chicago Cubs hat, so we can assume that this was taken in the Land of Lincoln. Happy Birthday, Grant!
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Here's a trio of very nice scans of Knott's Berry Farm, from oversized transparencies. They are all train-related, which is OK by me. The slides are undated, but I'm guessing that they are from sometime in the mid-1960s.
First is this great shot of locomotive #40, the "Gold Nugget" as it chugs along a part of the track that I can't ID - perhaps it's near where the Calico Mountain Log Ride would eventually be built? I miss the eucalyptus trees that used to populate the grounds of KBF, they somehow evoked "old California".
In 1931 Jeffries converted this dairy barn into a gym where he trained boxers and worked as a fight promoter. He promoted many fights out of "Jeffries Barn,” also known as Jeffries Center, as well as holding Thursday night boxing matches until his death in 1953. After his death, the barn was dismantled and moved to Knott's Berry Farm amusement park. World heavyweight boxing champion from 1899-1905, James Jackson Jeffries is considered to be one of the great heavyweight boxers of his era, perhaps the best of all time; he retired undefeated in May of 1905. He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
And finally, here's a good shot of the little locomotives from the Calico Mine Ride, which debuted in 1960, designed by genius Bud Hurlbut. I loved this attraction as a child, and it is still a highlight of KBF today!
Happy Birthday, Grant-! I hope the orange-shaped “cup” you’re sipping from has your name on it, as I can only see Casey’s name-!
ReplyDeleteMajor-
These large format slides really are beauties-! I note in the 2nd image, it appears there’s a 1960 Pontiac parked behind the ‘log fence’.
Thanks, Major.
Happiest of birthdays to you, Grant! Enjoy the cake that Sue made specially for you.
ReplyDeleteWow, that IS a faithful portrait of Donald on the cake. I'm assuming this is a vintage photo from the '70s, a time when they didn't have the digital 'cake printing' that they have now, where any picture can be printed on a cake. Those orange-shaped drink containers look familiar to me too. I tried zooming in on the half-eaten human heart to see what it really was... it's a human heart! Or maybe a puddle of half-melted raspberry sherbet, who can say. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pic, it looks like someone spilled some orange-colored salmon eggs on the plate; like my dad sometimes used for bait when he was fishing.
Thank you, Sue for continuing our GDB birthday celebration tradition.
Knott's #1- What a nicely composed picture! The trees look very 'painterly', and we see just the right amount of train coming toward us, The old buckboard (or whatever) adds a lot of interest to the composition. Hey, a peacock, more precisely, a peahen. I didn't know KBF had peacocks running around. This whole picture looks like an oil painting.
Knott's #2- Doesn't have the painterly quality as the previous pic, but still nice. Is that car on the left in one of Knott's parking lots?
Knott's #3- I'm guessing the train on the right is parked on a side track and is not currently in use? We rarely get close-up shots of the Mine Ride trains. It's interesting how much the trains are very different from each other.
Thanks, Major. Now to see if this comment gets 'published' in the usual way!
^ It worked! Back to normal posting again. Except the text window is only half as wide as normal. :-\
ReplyDeleteThese are great quality Knott's pics. I guess it helps that they are from larger sized negatives.
ReplyDeleteThe orange-shaped "sippers" are appropriate, because Knott's used to sell orange "sippers" at little carts throughout the park (like DL's Outdoor Vending), back in the 70s and 80s (and maybe beyond). The orange-shaped one had an orange drink in it. There was also one shaped like a berry with berry punch in it. And then there was one with apple juice, which for some reason was in the shape of a bright red bear.
The specific "sipper" in Sue's birthday pic is this one: Mickey Mouse Orange Sipper
Happy Birthday, Grant! And thank you, Sue and Major!
JB is right, the comment window is smaller. I don't like it! They ruin everything, I tell ya! -)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that I bought that Mickey Sipper at a Lucky grocery store, back in the late seventies. There was also one available that was shaped like a baseball. I have one of those with the original packaging/card, too.
Busch Gardens also sold the "orange sippers" with a drink in them. I have one from that park, and a few from Knott's. The names of the respective parks were "embossed" in the plastic, and in addition, the Busch Gardens version had their Eagle mascot embossed on them as well. For years, I've wanted to photograph ALL of these sippers and include them in a post, but I just haven't gotten around to it!
One more comment! When I said "Like DL's Outdoor Vending," I didn't mean that Disney sold "sippers". I meant that the carts at Knott's were similar to DL's ODV carts!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Grant!
I have a tendency to connect eucalyptus trees with Old California as well, probably from them showing up in Westerns shot in California, at California historic sites, and at Knott’s, but eucalyptus weren’t actually introduced into the state from Australia until 1850. I kind of smile when I see old stands of the tree in Zorro.
These are really nice photos of Gold Nugget from a period at Knott’s that I have no memory of. While I’m sure I read about the history of the Jeffries Barn in Knott’s Preserved, this all seems new to me. Thanks for including that.
The Calico Mine Train locomotives look like they are fresh out of Bud’s workshop. I bet they still have that “new battery-powered locomotive smell.” Bud used the same shell of the red locomotive for the Nut Tree RR in Vacaville (it was even numbered “5” like this locomotive).
JB, yes, that car is in a parking lot for mere mortals like us. There was parking on both the east and west sides of the park until I think the opening of Gypsy Camp or the Roaring ‘20s in the ‘70s. Note that the property isn’t gated in this photo - just a RR crossing arm. The two bikes leaning up against the barn probably belong to local kids who rode them over to the Farm. Check out this 1962 Knott’s map for a better view of how parking worked then. And if you want to do a deep dive into how the layout changed over the years, check out this Vintage Disneyland Tickets post
The Calico Mine Train photo shows the unload area. Both tracks can be used for unloading simultaneously. There is a switch just after the train emerges from the final tunnel (which you can just barely see in the photo) that directs the train to either platform. There is another switch at the rear of the platform to the right that leads into another tunnel that leads to the maintenance area, tucked into the north side of the mountain. In this case, the train on the right is probably positioned in a “ready-to-go” status in case guest numbers hit a certain point. Here’s a photo that gives you an idea of how that looked in operation on busier days.
Thanks, Major!
Happy birthday Grant! Many happy returns of the day!
ReplyDeleteOur neighbor on the farm had a stand of eucalyptus trees as a windbreak. The scent was subtle but noticeable, like Vicks VAP-O-Rub. For many years, a pair of hawks nested there and would fly out when we ran the tractor, looking for varmints stirred up by the machinery. Trees like that were everywhere in the valley. I see there’s a peacock too. Another neighbor had a couple of those, their screams carried for miles in the early morning.
Yesterday, I saw a YouTube video of the Mine Train taken very recently. It’s still very much the same but there are a lot more animated figures and they are more convincing than before.
Thanks for the KBF trains, Major. Always a crowd pleaser.
JG
Happy birthday, Grant!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the train ride Major and thanks, Sue, for the cake!
Zach
Happy birthday Grant! Love the Knotts train photos Major!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Grant,
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Grant,
Hope you have cake and ice cream,
That's not eaten by ants!
We had those orange-shaped sippers, too! No idea where they came from. My best guess is they came free with something.
I really hope one of those Calico Mine Trains is standing still.
Whee! Looks like my comments are going through today! I tried using different browsers yesterday, but no dice. It was a weird day all around. Eddies in the space-time continuum I guess. And Eddie has better places to be today.
ReplyDeleteLet’s see if the comments work today!
ReplyDeleteNanook, I will be sad all day today because I’m drinking lemonade (from a mix) out of a regular tumbler instead of a fruit-shaped container. Wow, I would have never asked you to ID that car, but you did it!
JB, whoever drew that Donald on the cake was the Michaelangelo of cake decorators. Yes, I mean a giant turtle mutant. I’m trying to think of where I would have seen those orange-shaped containers before, possibly at the farmer’s market? Not really sure. Raspberry sherbet, come ON. Sometimes a human heart is just a human heart, as Freud said. I especially love the first two photos today, Walter Knott seemed to know that leaving broken-down wagons here and there really added a lot of character. I also didn’t know that Knott’s had peacocks. Beautiful birds, noisy as hell. I feel like photo #2 is a bit more like a train entering the city, but having the Jeffries Barn in it is a real plus. I’ll have to leave it to the experts as far as photo #3 goes, I’m not sure how everything is laid out.
JB, oh man, I’m typing all my comments in my text app, we’ll see if they publish in a few minutes!
TokyoMagic!, now that you mention it, I do think I remember the berry-shaped sippers (“sippers” is a good word for them). I’m sad they didn’t have a potato sipper full of potato juice. Apple juice in a red bear? WHY? Wow, amazing that you have that Mickey Mouse Orange Sipper!
TokyoMagic!, huh, I’m doing my comments on my iMac, and the comment window looks the same. After yesterday’s debacle, I’m expecting my comments to NOT publish, but we’ll see. So exciting. Lucky grocery stores, I miss them. Alpha Beta too. Jeez, look at you with all those sippers. Is the Busch Gardens one from the Van Nuys park?
TokyoMagic!, I’m afraid you can’t leave another comment, it goes against all laws of god and man.
Chuck, I’m not sure WHY I think of “old California” when I see Eucalyptus trees, maybe it’s all those paintings by California impressionists, I think they even called it the “Eucalyptus School”. Possibly derisively. I’d say that 1850 counts as old! Looking at these photos (especially the first two), I’ll bet that Walt Disney really appreciated what Walter Knott achieved on his Buena Park acreage, so much great atmosphere for a fraction of the money that Disney spent. Hey, I might have a photo of a train at the Nut Tree, if I can find it (doubtful) I’ll look for the similarity in trains. So crazy to think of a time when Knott’s wasn’t gated - I might have seen it like that when I was very young, but I didn’t pay attention to such things. I’m jealous of the kids who were able to ride their bikes over to KBF or to Disneyland, how awesome would that be? “We’ve got nothing better to do, let’s go to Knott’s Berry Farm today!”. Thank you for all the detailed info about the Mine Train unload area (etc), did you just know that, or did you do 45 minutes of research?? Love that OC Archives photo, how did they get that elevated view?
JG, the aroma of Eucalyptus trees is one of those powerful “sense memory” things that takes me back to my grandparent’s home, which had a stand of those trees right outside their property. As kids we would go “exploring” back there, walking along a path until we got to a property with a horse. We would pull up big handfuls of long grass to give to the horse. Mind you, this was not that far from Ventura Blvd, but it felt like its own little world. Great memories!
zach, I’m glad you enjoyed these, and I hope that Grant checks in.
Hey, it worked!!
ReplyDeleteSteve DeGaetano, I thought you’d enjoy these!
Melissa, are those lyrics set to the tune of “America” from “West Side Story”? I think maybe those orange sippers were at carnivals and fairs too. As a kid I definitely would have wanted one.
Melissa, yes, I used four different devices, and four different browsers yesterday, all to no avail. Sue finally took pity on me and posted my responses late in the evening. I’m so glad Google got it all fixed up.
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, and especially to Sue for remembering.
ReplyDeleteI haven't commented much lately but I'm still here every day enjoying everyone's musings and memories.
And a special BIG thanks to Major for this fun little place on the net. The big gorilla rules!! :)
Major, my comment was a mix of stuff I knew off the top of my head coupled with some research. I knew where the maintenance spur is but had never paid attention to the switch layout or consciously noticed there were two unload platforms before.
ReplyDeleteThe Nut Tree locomotive is shaped almost identically to Calico #5, but the cars look different.
Chuck, thanks for the map link!
ReplyDeleteMelissa's "happy birthday" song to Grant: Such a warm and fuzzy sentiment! ;-p
Major, we had a few peacocks back in the '70s and '80s. Our house was situated on about seven acres of orchard and pasture land at the end of a regular suburban neighborhood street; our nearest neighbor was at almost two blocks away. One day a policeman came to our door inquiring about someone calling for help. I guess one of the neighbors heard our peacocks yelling, "Hellllp! Hellllp!" and thought someone was in trouble!
Grant, I’m glad that you check in, it’s OK that you don’t comment all the time. Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteChuck, well I’m still impressed! Now I need to look for the Nut Tree slide(s). Maybe in my “California” box?
JB, Ha, that's a great story! I used to take a weekend plein-air painting class, and we would go to canyons around Malibu and so on. Several times there were populations of peacocks that now lived in the area, and of course their weird shrieks would fill the air at times. I wondered how the nearby homeowners felt about it!
I will be sad all day today because I’m drinking lemonade (from a mix) out of a regular tumbler instead of a fruit-shaped container.
ReplyDeleteMajor, you just triggered a memory for me! When I first started working at Knott's, there was a lemon-shaped sipper that contained lemonade. At some point, that was discontinued and replaced by the red bear filled with apple juice. Yeah, why? I don't know. Maybe the lemons/lemonade just wasn't that popular with the kiddies?
Yes, that Busch Gardens sipper I have is from a childhood visit to the Van Nuys location. I still miss that park, to this very day!
Chuck, thanks for explaining the Mine Ride unloading. I've never seen them use that right side (in the pic, left side if you are riding the train) before. But I could tell that it was an unload area. There is even a staircase in the middle of that skinny unload platform, so that the guests don't have to climb over tracks or another train. If you look at a current aerial view, you can just make out the hole in the platform for the stairs that are still there. It shows up better if you "tilt" the view by clicking on "3D) on Google Maps.
Apple juice in a red bear?
ReplyDeleteMajor, Knott's was weird that way at times. Okay, most of the time. But now I just remembered that around Halloween, the orange drink came in an orange pumpkin-shaped sipper. I have one of those, too! It's as odd as the red bear when you think of it, but at least they weren't trying to peddle pumpkin juice the kiddies!
OK, I feel better about the Calico Mine trains that I thought looked like they were about to collide, now that I've seen Chuck's pictures! Makes much more sense now!
ReplyDeleteI GUESS red bear sippers make a KIND of sense for Knott's apple juice, what with the bear being a California symbol and all. But an apple-shaped sipper seems like it would be a pretty simple thing to manufacture. Maybe they thought people would get them mixed up with those tomato-shaped ketchup squeezy bottles.
I had been all ready to say I had never seen a good Disney birthday cake in real life, and then I remembered my cousin (Mom's twin's son) had a Winnie-the-Pooh cake for his sixth or seventh birthday, from the Super-Duper grocery. I remember it being pretty nice.
Happy Birthday, Grant! I hope you're having a wonderful day, and enjoying today's trip to KBF. Your birthday cake not only has a perfect Donald Duck on it, but the flowers on it are perfect too.
ReplyDeleteI'm relieved that the blog is posting properly. I got a bit nervous yesterday when Major mentioned [in his comments yesterday] that it may be a sign to retire. (NO!!)
"Anonymous" was me, of course. Google signed me out!
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, maybe people were worried that a lemon sipper would be too sour? Who knows. I happen to love tart things, so I would be on board. Other than one of two brochures, I have no souvenirs from Busch Gardens. I miss that place too!
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, wow, how many sippers do you have? It’s a whole collection! What have I been doing with my life, since I own NONE?
Melissa, an old pro like Bud Hurlbutt knew how to design rides, even a complex ride like the Mine Train! Though I guess he admitted that he wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, according to an interview done years later. I think he said it was the only time he ever lied to Mr. Knott. My mom made a Winnie the Pooh cake when she took a cake decorating class, but she used a store-bought Winnie the Pooh pan so it was kind of cheating.
Lou and Sue, yes, I hope Grant is having a nice day and keeping cool! Even if I retired today, there would be a year of posts to come, ha ha.