More From March 15, 1957
I love "Disneyland in the 50s", even when the photos are a bit mundane. This first scan isn't mundane, though! It's a nice shot of guests walking beneath the arched entrance to Adventureland. Those are genuine elephant tusks, but don't worry, that elephant was a jerk. If it looks like something is missing to the left, it's because this is some five or six years before you'd see the building that would house The Enchanted Tiki Room.
OK, this one is a pretty common view, but I still love seeing the long-gone Pirate Ship, as seen from the long-gone Skyway. Guests are crawling all over the ship like ants on a dropped donut. Of course 1957 is from before the tropical lagoon (and Skull Rock) were added, and the "swimming pool" pond does leave a lot to be desired. It's nice to know that they'd fix it, and beautifully!
7 comments:
Major-
In the 1st image we can once again see the planter that was in the spotlight in yesterday's post, with [perhaps] a different version of the fence.
Is that the Pope House sitting off to the right of the lower crow's nest of the pirate ship-?
Thanks, Major.
The Tiki Room building may not be there yet, but the skulls on poles, that we saw in yesterday's post, are. I guess they were there from day one? The guests closest to us look rather somber and stodgy, maybe they just came from church.
Maybe this is a "pretty common view" of the Pirate Ship, but it looks kind of eeriliy strange to me. Maybe it's the empty, flat countryside in the background. I'm kind of amazed the photographer got the whole Ship in the picture! Actually, now that I think about it, this angle isn't all that common. We've seen a few, but not many.
Fine examples of early Disneyland. Thanks, Major.
That first pic reminds me of a black and white photo that appeared in the book, "Disneyland: The First Quarter Century," which was released in 1980. That was the very first time I saw a photo of the Adventureland entrance without the Enchanted Tiki Room being there on the left. I loved that book because of photos like that, which showed a Disneyland that I wasn't able to see in person.
Thanks for these early DL pics, Major!
Not only is the Tiki Room building not yet in place, but the Tiki totem that screens the restrooms isn’t there either. I thought he was an opening day item, but I guess I’m wrong. The location of the Adventureland restrooms just opposite the entrance has always been a weak spot I the design and the screening decor changes decade by decade. The current solution is a nice sculptured fountain starring King Louie of Jungle Book fame.
That is a great view of the Pirate Ship. Did it ever have an official name? Or just Pirate Ship? Tuna Clipper? Star of the Sea?
Thanks Major!
JG
Is that the Pope House sitting off to the right of the lower crow's nest of the pirate ship-?
I don't know; I don't see white smoke coming out of the chimney!
These are lovely pictures. I love Disneyland shots from the Skyway, because you can really see how close everything is.
Nanook, yes, the fence around that area is definitely different, maybe that’s why it stood out to me yesterday? And the Pope house is in Rome, silly!
JB, I remember reading that the “human” skulls have been removed from Adventureland, which is just silly if so. I admit that I forget to look when I visit the park. As far as I am concerned, skulls are like throw pillows. The perfect accent! Good point about how the entire Pirate Ship was caught in that photo, not as easy as one might think when taken from a moving Skyway gondola.
TokyoMagic!, gosh, I haven’t looked at my “Disneyland: The First Quarter Century” book for years. I still remember buying mine at the park and carrying it around. My buddy Kevin thought I was nuts. But I’m still glad I have it!
JG, I was surprised that the tiki isn’t there in today’s photo - I think you’re right, he was there - in fact there were two nearly-alike tikis, as I discovered in a photo that I have not shared yet. But I do believe that they were moved around from time to time. I would love more King Louie in the park! I honestly don’t know if the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship had an official name beyond what I just called it.
Melissa, ha ha, you and I were on the same page! We’ve all commented on it before, but the way the Imagineers crammed so much into a limited space is one of the most impressive things about Disneyland.
"TokyoMagic!, gosh, I haven’t looked at my “Disneyland: The First Quarter Century” book for years. I still remember buying mine at the park and carrying it around. My buddy Kevin thought I was nuts. But I’m still glad I have it!"
Major, I found out about the book from a friend, very early in the year. I knew I wasn't probably going to be going to DL until the summer, so I wrote to the park and asked about buying the book through the mail. They were so nice....they ended up sending me an entire case of the books for free! Just kidding! But they did send me a list with the prices of all of the park's 25th Anniversary merchandise. I was so excited when that book arrived in the mail. To this day, it remains one of my favorite "park history" books. I still have that letter that they sent me, along with the merchandise price list. I plan to post that eventually!
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