Even More Knott's Berry Farm RR Postcards

Whoo-hoo! It's time for a FIFTH "Knott's Berry Farm railroad on postcards" blog post, courtesy of GDB pal Steve DeGaetano! If you want to know something about steam locomotives, he's the guy to ask. I was going to write more, but Steve has done all the hard work (as usual), so let's get to his text!

I’ve been telling the Major for months now that I don’t think there are any more Knott’s Berry Farm Calico & Ghost Town Railroad postcards to add to my collection. Boy, was I wrong. I’ve got five new-to-me postcards today, a couple I’ve seen before, but the last three seem pretty rare, and the final one blew my socks off.

The first one was graciously donated to me by Junior Gorilla Mike Cozart. Obviously, this one differs completely from all the previous and subsequent postcards in that it is an illustration, but its sole focus is the “Calico Railroad,” and it definitely needs to be here for the sake of completeness. Obviously featuring Red Cliff in all her brown, blue and yellow glory. I’m sure Chuck has this one in his collection.

To be honest, the stagecoach “robbery” is the focus of the caption on the back of this card, noting that the “old narrow gauge passenger train escaped this time.” But I think it’s a nice-enough head-on view of No. 40 to merit inclusion in my collection.

Now we’re getting into some more rarified territory. Also obtained from Mr. Cozart is this nice view of No. 40 stopped in Calico Square. Former parlor car “Chama,” coupled to the engine, has been converted into a combination baggage/passenger car. Locomotive Gold Nugget has features I had not noticed before—a reddish cab roof and yellow-painted window muntins on the cab window (I think I’m using that term correctly. I’m afraid to say I went down the mullion/muntin rabbit hole for this post). While an older photo, the card appears to have been made in the 1980s, sharing its gold border with two other cards posted previously. A larger version of this picture appears in Christopher Merrit’s seminal work, “Knott’s Preserved,” which is selling on Amazon now for the low, low price of $346.14

This next card popped up in my eBay search just a few days ago, and I have never seen it before. It’s a pretty dramatic shot of the Ghost Town & Calico’s second locomotive, now wearing her original 1881 name, Green River, and D&RGW number, 340.  With her headlight blazing during daylight (not a normal practice), floating on a cloud of steam from her cylinders, and a complete lack of park guests, it’s a shot unlike any others I’ve seen. I’m guessing this is one of Knott’s newer offerings, judging by the very prototypical paint scheme and the fancy gold Knott’s lettering in the upper right corner.

Finally, the last card—and a true unicorn when it comes to the Ghost Town and Calico Railroad. I apologize for the extra wordiness, but this really needs a bit of explaining. 

What you see below is one of the true oddities of GT&C history. This scalloped-edged card features a 1903 Baldwin-built locomotive called a “K-27,” a locomotive with two small wheels in front, eight “drive wheels,” and a small set of two wheels under the cab. It’s one of only two such locomotives in existence. It has about 10,000 more pounds of “tractive effort” than the two smaller Knott’s engines, so it is really huge. The back of the card says Knott’s purchased this engine in in 1971, but most on-line sources say it was 1973. Colloquially known as a “Mud Hen,” Knott’s rebuilt the engine and converted it from coal fuel to diesel oil. The only giveaway that it’s an “amusement park” locomotive are the two brass boiler bands—otherwise it’s in a very prototypical paint scheme. What makes this card so special is that Knott’s hardly ever used this locomotive—Wikipedia says “it saw little or no use” at Knott’s (this postcard showing it in operation notwithstanding), so being captured on a postcard makes it quite unusual. It was simply too large and too heavy to manage Knott’s pretty-tight curves. It’s unique in that the frame of the locomotive is outside the wheels—Imagine a bike wheel in a fork—opposed to a car wheel. Realizing it could never operate safely on the GT&C, it was sold to the Huckleberry Railroad near Flint, Michigan in 1981, currently awaiting an overhaul.

Okay, that’s all I have for now. Knott’s was always very proud of their little railroad, featuring it in more postcard images than even the Disneyland trains! I’ll be keeping my eye out for any more that may turn up, so maybe down the road there will be another installment featuring the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad.

THANKS SO MUCH to Steve DeGaetano for sharing his increasingly-rare postcards, and for taking the time to do research and share what he has learned with all of us. I know I will happily welcome a "part six", should that ever happen!

Snoozles™

It's Sunday, and you know what that means. SNOOZLES. Someday perhaps I will have no more Snoozles, but I don't want to raise your hopes too much. This first one is hand-dated "3-15-1957", and would be a pretty nice look at the fanciful rock formations in the Rainbow Desert - if the durned thing was more in-focus. Still, I am charmed by the rather crude rock work, and I always get a kick out of the tiny pueblos atop some of the rocks, especially the "tumbling" rock to our left. The itty-bitty people in that pueblo must have been very dizzy.

Next, from "the 50s" comes this too-dark photo of the Davy Crockett Frontier Arcade, near the entrance to Frontierland. In addition to selling classic merchandise such as coonskin caps and toy rifles, there was an actual shooting gallery. I believe (but am not certain) that there were other arcade games as well, customized to the "frontier" theme.

 

Cherokee, North Carolina

We've visited the tourist destination of Cherokee, North Carolina before on GDB, take a look HERE and HERE. Cherokee is about 20 miles south off Pigeon Forge, and about 5 miles west of Maggie Valley - both places that we have also visited. But it's been a while, and I'm ready to buy some quality souvenirs, starting with this April 1964 pic. The hills aren't quite as lush and green as they would be in a few months, but I'm sure this still felt pretty great to folks from the Frozen North. "The Indian Store", with the twin tepees on top, was one of the more popular photo subjects, and it's no wonder. Zooming in, there are plenty of bows, arrows, and rubber-tipped spears for all of us. I wonder what else they had, further back in the shop? Blankets? Tom-toms? Bead-worked moccasins? "Peace pipes"? I'll bet I'm not too far off.

Next, it's April, 1965, a mere year after the first picture was taken. This particular shop has a small selection of bows and arrows, but the lad in the red sweater only has eyes for the array of whips. You'll put your eye out, kid. The only thing worth doing with a whip (besides using it to swing across a chasm) is to make it CRACK as loud as possible, and mom is realizing this fact right about now. 
 

Fun Gals, June 1960

I've been sharing scans from a batch of June 1960 slides over the past few months, but the two I'm presenting today are two of my favorites from the bunch.

It's 10:16 AM, and our group of fun-loving gals has arrived, ready for anything. The two older ladies are clearly related (sisters?), and I'm pretty sure the younger woman is part of the family too.  Many wonderful posters can be seen in the background! On the ticket booth to our left, prices amaze. It appears that just admission for an adult was one dollar. A ten-adventure ticket book was $3.50 for adults, and a 15-adventure book was $4.50. Such a deal!

Next, let's skip on over to Fantasyland, and enjoy a ride on the Motorboat Cruise. I hope the women don't fight over who gets to steer (not that it ultimately mattered). Actually, now that I'm paying more attention, it looks like they might have just returned to the dock, which explains why they look so relaxed. For just a second I thought that a horse was in line in the background. 

HOODOOS!

Here is another selection of Frontierland photos, shared with us by the Mysterious Benefactor! We're continuing our look at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, sort of an unintentional continuation from yesterday's images.

The tallest "hoodoo" is an impressive landmark on the east side of the Rivers of America, the rock work is top-notch. I especially like the way it looks at night, bathed in a soft reddish light.

Here's a trippy view; was this achieved by zooming in (or out) with the shutter open? Or did the photographer use a special lens? "Peyotevision". 

More artsy stuff! I believe those clouds make what is known as a "buttermilk sky", which makes me want to listen to Hoagy Carmichael (especially the "Yabba Dabba Doo" song). 

More rocks!

I like the attention to the landscape, with nice greenery to soften the harsh desert landscape. I wonder if they ever decide that a tree has gotten too big and needs to be replaced with a smaller one?

This picture is quite nice, with the wooden buildings looking appropriately blasted by years of exposure to the elements. 

We're just starting to delve into the Big Thunder pix, with the next 50+ all featuring scenes from that ride! Although the next batch will concentrate on the cast members, so that will mix things up a little bit. THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Around Frontierland, August 1970

Here are two standard views of Frontierland, circa August 1970. Perhaps I was in the park, causing trouble! It was a cry for attention.

Until I saw this picture, I'd forgotten that you could go inside the Old Mill on Tom Sawyer Island. My theory is that the mill was yet another one of Walt's Apartments. "Just bring a raft over for me in the morning, boys!", he'd tell his staff. There's nothing like sleeping in an old mill to shake off the stresses of modern life. He had a grilled cheese sandwich press (painted to look like it was made of weathered wood) and plenty of cans of chili beans. Would he be in a great mood the next morning? You bet!

Next is this fun image from Tom Sawyer Island; there are two kids to the right, but we mostly see adults here. They secretly want an island with caves, climbable rocks, swaying suspension bridges, and even a frontier fort, just as much as children do. Walt must have known that. The Columbia looks impressive in the background.

 

1950s Pix

Here's a pair of Disneyland views, featuring a lady (visiting from the midwest?) as she checked things out.

Assuming that our heroine just arrived, walked up Main Street into the Castle forecourt without much dilly-dallying in between, she arrived pretty late in the day. Those sun is already sinking in the west! But that's how folks sometimes did it back then, allowing only a few hours for their visit. I just scanned some slides from another batch with a woman who went to Disneyland and Knott's in the same day (well, she's wearing the same dress at both places, at any rate). Perhaps folks like her only had one free day to see the amusement parks?

It must have been Ladies Day! Men were welcome, but they'd better be nice. Or it's the rolling pin for them! This group has just walked into Adventureland, strolling past the Bazaar, full of wondrous souvenirs. I hope that they were heading to the Jungle Cruise, that should put a smile on their faces.
 

Nice Randos

I love Randos! Today's first example is date-stamped "June 1971"' we're in New Orleans Square, there's the Creole Cafe right in front of us. Disneyland can't serve spicy food, so they just add a lot of salt. Works for me! I like the mother and daughter in matching polka-dot dresses - they aren't twins, but they still make me think of Melissa. I'd love to sit on that balcony above the restaurant, except that the chair is tiny, and the balcony is probably not even 2' deep.

Next is this very nice view from Main Street, dated July, 1963, which probably explains the patriotic bunting. An Omnibus is heading up to the Plaza, the Castle is mostly obscured here. I don't have a lot to say about this photo, but I find it to be very pleasing.

I'm happy to say that I will be back with you REAL SOON!

Blurzles From March, 1961

We all remember the Blues song, "Too Many Blurzles", from the 1930s. I'll pause while you put your scratchy 78 rpm disc (with an RCA "Bluebird" label) on your Victrola to give it another listen. Be sure to use a fresh stylus!

There, now you're ready to view some Blurzles, of which I have (no surprise) too many. But the Blues is all about dealing with life's misfortunes. Let's begin with this scan of a photo looking northward from Town Square; the Wurlitzer store is to our right, I like to go inside and show off my chops, playing Gershwin, or maybe Rachmaninoff on a rinky-dink electric organ. "He's a genius! We are lucky to be in his presence!".  Main Street is practically deserted in March, Grandma and the kids will have an amazing time.

There is a lot of stuff packed into this corner of Fantasyland, the old Pirate Ship, the Skyway overhead, Casey Jr.'s ticket booth (and the Storybook Land lighthouse in the distance), along with Dumbo, he and his indentical siblings love nothing more than flying around and around in circles. 

I'm still in the sanitorium... I mean, on vacation!

Stagecoaches

I always enjoy finding vintage slides featuring amusement parks that I am unfamiliar with; today I have photos of fun stagecoaches from two different parks.

First up is this one, dated "October, 1970"; a boy holds imaginary reins as he drives the stagecoach through some of the harshest lands imaginable. "Tweetsie Stage Lines" helps us to place us in North Carolina (between Blowing Rock and Boone, if you must know). The Tweetsie Railroad is particularly famous, completing its first trip as a tourist attraction on July 4, 1954... (it) quickly evolved into the first theme park in North Carolina — and one of the first in the nation. A western town and saloon were built around the original depot area. A train robbery and cowboy-and-Indian show were added to the train ride, playing off the Wild West theme that was very popular at the time on television and in motion pictures. In 1961, a chairlift and amusement ride area was constructed on the central mountain inside the rail loop, and over the decades the park has been expanded with additional rides, attractions, shops, zoo and restaurants.

Next, an undated slide featuring another more crude (but lovable) stagecoach - "Grand Island Stage" steers us in the right direction. This is from a park called "Fantasy Island", near Niagara Falls, New York. Fantasy Island was founded by real estate developer Lawrence Grant, and was opened on July 1, 1961. It was planned by co-financier and local jeweler Gerald Birzon with buildings designed by Milton Milstein & Associates. The ownership group was formed under the name Fantasy Land, Inc. before changing soon after to Fantasy Island, Inc. The group had originally planned to call the park Fantasy Land, but changed the name for legal reasons after finding out there was already an area of Disneyland called Fantasyland.

Upon opening, the park occupied only 12 acres of land that was divided into five themed areas: Action Town, Animal Kingdom, Garden of Fables, Indian Village and Western Town. Action Town featured amusement rides, Animal Kingdom featured a petting zoo, Garden of Fables featured explorable recreations of fairy tale scenes, Indian Village featured Native American dancers, and Western Town featured a live Wild West show.

The park still exists, though it has evolved and changed owners many times - it is now known as "Niagara Amusement & Splash World".

Just a reminder that I am away for the weekend!