Rivers of America

The "Rivers of America" is way up on my list of favorite things at Disneyland. You don't even have to be on an attraction to enjoy it! Just watching the various watercraft go by can be a treat. I have to admit that I am usually running around the park trying to cram as much stuff into one day as time will allow. But on rare occasions I will get a chance take in the ambiance. Seeing the Mark Twain at night, lights reflecting on the water (with some gentle music in the background) is a beautiful sight.

Fantasmic has changed the river so much...I'm probably in the minority when I say that I am not that into the show. Love the dragon and the fire, but not as much as I loved the quiet riverfront at night.

Single-Reel Viewmaster Packets

Last week I posted photos of the scarce 2-reel Disneyland Viewmaster packets. At the risk of being repetative, this week I am posting photos of the even rarer single-reel packets. I didn't even know these existed until I found this set. Inside, they have a copyright of 1958 (the 2-reel set was from 1956). I love the artwork on the packets, each one using its own color. Simple yet still striking!

There are a few unique images found on these reels, such as the Skyway photo seen above (was this taken from one of the castle's turrets?), and the great image of the Tomorrowland Spaceman with the kids.

During my crazy Viewmaster collecting mania, I was so "into" it...wanting every variation. "I need an S6 edition B!" (I'd explain it if it wasn't so boring). And then the madness was over. Can't remember the last time I bought a packet of any kind. Life, she is funny, no?

Tomorrowland Skyway Station

There's nothing like a nice sunny day and a blue sky full of puffy clouds to help make a day at Disneyland extra special. Sometimes you find otherwise nice photos taken on an overcast day, and you can feel the difference.

Take a look at that rare Santa Fe & Disneyland RR poster! It's a beauty...wish I had one. Or better yet, two! I like how they used the tinker-toy light fixtures as poster displays.

To the left is the Autopia loading area...wish I could see it a bit better, since there appears to be large piles of earth if you look through the railing. The Autopia did undergo a number of landscape modifications, maybe this is just the addition of the many hills that were not there when the attraction first opened.

Storybook Land, July 1958

The person who took this 1958 photograph seemd to be aiming at nothing in particular, though he/she captured quite a lot anyway. Over Monstro's shining back you can see Casey Junior chugging along beside the canals of Storybook Land. Just above that is the whimsical little Fantasyland Station (passenger train just departing), and to the right you can see the Motor Boat Cruise.

You also get a good look at rural Anaheim, though there appears to be some developments that weren't there in 1955. The 5 Freeway can be seen as well, looking itty-bitty compared to today's huge roadway.

Pack Mules, December 1960

The sun is setting on the little mining town of Rainbow Ridge, and a passel of tenderfeet are heading out on their trusty pack mules. I never noticed the signpost that informs us that this part of R. Ridge is "Trail St.". Looks like one of the young 'uns is wavin' goodbye to someone in the saloon. Save some redeye for me, pappy!

The warm glow gives this photo a wonderfully nostalgic feeling. I seem to recall that the Pack Mules stopped operating at dusk....er, isn't this dusk? It would have been fun to ride through Nature's Wonderland as the night approched - just like the rest of the park, night time would have added an extra touch of magic. But the mules needed their beauty rest, so it was not to be!

Tomorrowland, August 1968

Yep, it's Tomorrowland as it looked 38 years ago. Look, there's some kind of ride that moves people, but I forget its name. And there's the Autopia, Carousel of Progress, Rocket Jets, and the beamway for the Monorail is visible. There's even a few Skyway buckets. LOTS going on, it really was a "land on the move".

This is kind of an unusual angle, but you really get a sense of the way the various tracks weave over and under each other...I wonder if the Peoplemover went uphill out of necessity, or to prove that it was capable of doing so (since there was some small hope that this system might actually be adopted in cities), or just because it made the ride cooler.

Sunday Stuff...

I was feeling lazy today and thought I might take a day off from blogging, but after seeing that all of the other guys did such a nice job, I figured that I would take this opportunity to post several photos...none of them are the most exciting things in the world, but they are still nice vintage images. And by grouping them together, maybe they add up to a fun Disneyland experience!

The Main Street and Matterhorn photos are from March 23, 1960, and the Frontierland photo is undated. You can just see the Mineral Hall in the Frontierland view, but not as well as in Daveland's photo! And although it is almost too tiny to see, inside the Penny Arcade there is *half* of a Main Street Station poster on display. For some reason the bottom half is either cut off or covered over.

Pirate Ship

Here's a nice colorful image of the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship...I forgot to date the scan, but I believe that it is from 1962. Not much to add except to say that I think it's purty. Some things look a bit askew (the trashcan, fer instance), maybe that's a lens issue!

I'd actually love to get a good look at the souvenir stand to the right. You can see a few hats on display, including a beanie that looks a lot like the one that Matterhorn1959 had on his site.

The postcard rack has lots of the foldout books facing us...there are probably some valuable cards on other parts of the rack! Maybe a nice E-7 (interior of the Nautilus), buy one for a nickel in 1962 and sell it for $80 in 2006!

2-Reel Viewmaster Packets, 1956

I was inspired by Matterhorn1959's "Souvenir Fridays", so I thought I would take a crack at it once in a while (I hope you don't mind me ripping you off, Matterhorn!). My collection can't hold a candle to his, but I have a few interesting items to share with you on occasion. For a year or two I was an avid collector of Viewmaster packets, and of course the Disneyland packs were especially desirable. It's amazing how much there is to learn about something as seemingly simple as Viewmasters! S-3 packets, S-4, souvenir packets, "swing-out" packets, "R" reels, "D" reels, and so on. Besides trying to get all of the various packet styles, there are variations within those. It's really pretty nutty!

I had been aware of the rare 2-reel packets, and at one time was outbid on a set on ebay for a staggering amount. Luckily I found an complete set years later for a tiny fraction of that price. These are particularly rare, much harder to find than the swing-out packets or souvenir packets. In my opinion they are among the most attractive packet styles, but I guess that their less compact shape made them unpopular. Besides, who wants 2 reels when you can buy the more-common 3-reel packets!

Some of the reels have a few unique images, which is always fun. Viewmaster packets offer a unique opportunity to see the park in glorious 3-D and full Kodachrome color...which is especially cool in these early photos!

Keel Boat & Riverfront, October 1962

When I first viewed this slide, I thought it was a nice but not-very-interesting view of a Keel Boat. But on closer inspection, you can see that there is a lot of construction going on in the background! I believe that this is where the old Chicken Plantation House used to stand (it was closed in January of this same year)...it was removed as part of Frontierland's expansion, and this area eventually became part of New Orleans Square.

There is a large structure being built behind those construction walls, does anybody know what it is? And is that an old pickup truck parked on TOP of the building (just to the right of the Keel Boat mast)?

You can also see a small bandstand that seems to migrate around the park. And just beyond that, there is a counter-service restaurant...it's hard to read the name, but it looks like it says "Plantation House Chicken Shack". I had no idea that there was a temporary replacement for the Plantation House!