Omnibus and C.K. Holliday, July 1958

Here's a terrific photo of an Omnibus, taken as the guests disembark (and others wait to board). I love certain details, like the banner heralding the debut of the Grand Canyon Diorama ("Largest in the world), still one of my favorite things at Disneyland. Or how about the lady heading down the stairs, in her blue dress and pearls? Classy!

In the lower right you'll see this mother and her daughter; mom is carrying a souvenir brochure from the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry.

Here's a better look at the cover. These are pretty easy to come by now, but in the pre-ebay days they could fetch a chunk of change.

I see eight hats, and I'll bet seven of them were purchased at the park! They must have made a fortune from those things over the years. Who knew that souvenir hats would be so popular?

Next we have a beautiful shot of the C.K. Holliday as it pulls into Main Street Station. As usual, it is pulling the freight cars. I love the color in this photo, and even like the glimpse into the parking lot.

I will be out of town starting today; I'll check in when I can, but things will return to normal on Monday. Have a good weekend, everybody!

Frontierland, January 1965

Here's another moody photo from a batch from January, 1965 (or, more likely from December 1964). I'm not sure I have any other pictures of the Mark Twain from this same angle… it looks very pretty and peaceful. The combination of soft-focus and sharp focus, as well as the lovely colors, makes this resemble a painting. As I've commented before, it is hard to believe that this scene is right in the middle of busy Orange County!

Here's how it looks when I spent 30 seconds in Photoshop applying the oil painting filter! Eat your heart out, Monet.

This next one was taken aboard a yellow Mine Train, just as it was about to get under way through the tunnel and into Nature's Wonderland. I'm so jealous of all those people! They'd better enjoy themselves, OR ELSE. The kid with the hat is pretty interested in the little town of Rainbow Ridge… the buildings are kid-sized, after all.

Mansion & Streetcar, March 1966

Continuing a very small batch from 1966, we'll take a quick photo-op outside the beautiful Haunted Mansion - still years away from opening. I wonder if the façade was lit at night? Or did they let it go dark so that it didn't draw guests to it like moths to a flame? Mom looks relaxed, but I can tell that Junior has a serious case of the heebie-jeebies.

You sure don't see many photos of Disneyland in which guests are dressed for cold weather. Notice the coats and even a few hats - not the colorful souvenir hats either, but headgear to keep noggins warm. The clock on Main Street says that it's not even 3 o'clock yet, but you can tell that night is on its way.

Up In The AIr, July 1967

The attraction poster for the Skyway says, "See Disneyland From the Air!". Sounds like a good idea to me.

Having just passed through the Matterhorn, our photographer turned and looked south toward Main Street Station (which you can just see in the distance). Way beyond the berm we can see the flying saucer-shaped Anaheim Convention Center.

Zooming in a bit, the red Monorail passes below us; the Monsanto House of the Future is obscured by trees; that yellow and white tent became a souvenir stand - but for a while it was actually a part of the Monsanto exhibits. I assume that it still was when this photo was snapped.

Here is the ten zillionth photo of the lagoon - this one is made more enjoyable due to the presence of merms. As you can see, they are actually manatees… we are so addled by years at sea that they look like beautiful women!

New York World's Fair

Today I have a random selection of photos from the 1964 New York World's Fair!

Let's start over at the Mexico pavilion, where a wonderful Aztec calendar (or a copy, anyway), also known as the Sun Stone, or the Stone of the Five Eras, was displayed. It is almost 12 feet in diameter and over 3 feet thick. Luckily, it is easy to carry at a mere 24 tons. It was unearthed in Mexico City in 1790, and is probably the most famous piece of Aztec sculpture. Wikipedia sez that "…the exact purpose and meaning of the Calendar Stone are unclear". In fact, it is "… more likely to have been used primarily as a ceremonial basin or ritual altar for gladiatorial sacrifices, than as an astrological or astronomical reference". So now you know!

Here's a photo of one of the many fountains at the Fair… this one is the "Solar Fountain", located near the Eastman Kodak pavilion. It was situated in a 120-foot diameter pool, and featured a "golden bubble with sparkling glass inserts. A vertical column, 40 feet high, supports a 6-foot diameter golden sunburst waterfall". Nice!

A mother and daughter take a break in front of the Caribbean Pavilion, which is described thusly: "An enormous terrace dotted with palm trees, cafe tables and the flags of eight Caribbean areas distinguishes this pavilion. Two low, glass-faced structures with Spanish tile roofs exhibit and offer for sale many island products - among them tortoise-shell jewelry, straw hats and bags, wood carvings and ceramics. The dominating building is a large restaurant and bar. Hung with colorful headgear, the restaurant presents steel bands, calypso singers and Caribbean dancers". 

The impressive Republic of China pavilion rises in the background. 

And finally, one of Mothra's eggs (sponsored by IBM) dominates this scene, and is reflected in the Pool of Industry. I want to meet the Shobijin (you know, the tiny fairies who live on Mothra's island!).

Scenes From the Skyway, July 1967

I never get tired of photos taken from the Skyway, at least then it comes to heading through the nostrils of the Matterhorn. In this case our bucket is moving away from the mountain toward the Tomorrowland terminal. It looks like the Matterhorn was carved from moldy Swiss cheese, a greenish and weird. 

Say, what's that I see in the lower left corner?

Oh man…. I remember accidentally letting go of my balloon at Disneyland. It seemed like we watched it get smaller and smaller for SO long. I'm getting tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

Luckily, there are beautiful merms in the Submarine Lagoon - they never fail to cheer me up.

Frontier Town - Ocean City, Maryland - August 1960

Today's photos are from Frontier Town, located near Ocean City, Maryland (circa 1960). I've shared some photos of this little western town before… take a look HERE if you are interested; you'll find out a bit more about the place, too.

These were in rough shape… just generally dirty, and some looked like they might have mold on them. I'm not sure it was worth the time I spent trying to clean them up, but it's too late now! Here's the entrance marquee, which is pretty modest, though I like the realistic cowboy and horse.

Here's a stretch of town that includes the jail (where you could take hilarious pictures of your loved ones behind bars); the blacksmith - I think you can just see the smith at his forge in the shadows ("The Forge in the Shadows", hey, that's going to be the title of my new fantasy novel about dragons and trolls and junk); and to our right, the dreaded dentist, displaying a giant tooth, which just makes me think about extractions without novocaine. OUCH.

This large town square looks just perfect for gun fights, fist fights, stunt shows, hangings, and dance-offs. Oh, it's ON! Or you can just go to the chapel if you don't like to dance.

If you want to catch the next stage out of town, you need to come to Cactus Canyon. While you're there, why not take a photo with Pecos Bill? He's mighty neighborly. In the distance you can see a conestoga wagon, and what appears to be a train depot. There was a little train at Frontier Town, so that must be what we're looking at.

The last two pictures are of the stage coach. I always love a good stage coach! The other photos have shown a landscape that was rather flat and featureless, so I appreciate the effort that they went to to pile up dirt into some miniature mountains (you might call them "hills"). Let the weeds grow on them, and voila! Those cacti are interesting. If you look to the right, you can see a second stage coach in the distance.

Either this coach has stopped for a photo, or maybe the driver would occasionally halt to point out something interesting nearby. Whatever that might be, we sure can't see it.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Frontier Town!

Tram & Streetcar, July 1958

Today I'm finally getting back to a series of slides circa 1958; I'm not sure why it took me so long to get to a "part 2".  I blame hobgoblins. I figured I would post these more or less in the order in which they were taken, so in a way it will be a kind of virtual trip report.

Last time, we got one nice view of a parking lot tram... this one is less about the tram and more about the people on board. As usual, I get a kick from observing the crowds (not "crows") … their mannerisms, their clothes. Lucky them, getting to experience a pre-Matterhorn Disneyland!

The first photo that was taken inside the park was this shot of the Horse Drawn Streetcar. There's room for us! I'm ashamed to admit that I've never taken a ride on the Streetcar… I'm always in too much of a hurry to get to the big stuff. I really should make an effort; you never know when something like this could unexpectedly go away. 

Two From November 1958

Here's a neat picture from 1958, looking toward the entrance to Frontierland from the Plaza. A Rainbow Caverns Mine Train cast member (in his distinctive red shirt) carries his brown bag lunch; hey, let's trade sandwiches! I have baloney and jelly. A banner overhead heralds the arrival of the Columbia - "DISNEYLAND'S NEWEST ATTRACTION - FULL-RIGGED THREE-MASTED SAILING SHIP". Sounds pretty cool! I love the stockade too.

Turning north-ish, we get a lovely view of the castle.

Tom Sawyer Island, April 1967

I love today's pair of photos! They were both taken on Tom Sawyer Island, a place that is brilliant in its simplicity. The fact that you have to take a raft to get there is genius… it really is an island, isolated from the rest of the park by a broad green river. I was a reader when I was a kid, and the stories of Mark Twain made me wish that I had a place to explore - a place with caves and hideaways, forts and tree houses.

Tom Sawyer Island felt like that place; I remember the first time I went through the caves, and felt a bit apprehensive. What if I got lost, like Injun Joe? Following the paths, one wondered what was around the next bend. Hey, a swaying suspension bridge! Cool!

Kids were encouraged to climb the rock formations - it was irresistible. The best thing was when your parents stayed down below and let you go up by yourself. This kid knows what I'm talking about.

Over at Castle Rock, guests followed the winding trail up to the peak. I wish the kid on top had pointed his rear end some other direction, but hey, he's a daredevil. When you think about it, he could have slipped and really hurt himself! I've never heard of any accidents of that sort. In today's litigious world, it's no wonder that features like this had to be removed. Believe it or not, I haven't been back to the island since it became the "Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island", seven years ago.