More Columbia Deets! 1979

I'm continuing to share photos from the Mysterious Benefactor, with even more details from the Columbia sailing ship. SO MANY DEETS. 

This crew member is making puffed rice ("Shot from guns"!) during the journey around the Rivers of America. It seems like a strange thing to do from our 21st century view, but in the 18th century, pretty much all foods were shot from guns. Even tacos.

Another crew member (or maybe it's the same one, who can tell?) has climbed into the shrouds to look for whales. He's never spotted a single whale on this freshwater river, but "hope springs eternal".

As a kid I was fascinated by the complex arrangements of ropes, masts, spars, and sails that were necessary to make a sailing ship move efficiently. It looks like these ropes lead up to one of the crow's nests, where delicious crow eggs could be found. I like 'em scrambled!

I'm telling you, this photographer did not miss a single detail on the Columbia! How about this pulley, eh? EH? I wonder why the ropes are black here; were they treated with creosote or some substance to make them more weatherproof? Maybe the black color just looked cool, just like the mohawks and safety-pin piercings that the sailors sported.

This lamp was lit to indicate that the Pop Tarts were fresh out of the oven. Sailors loved the warm pastry with the real fruit filling, just the thing in dirty weather. Wash 'em down with a mug of grog!

 I hope you've all learned a little bit about history today. There are lots more photos from the Mysterious Benefactor, ready to go!

Indian Village, March 1962

It's time for a pair of SNOOZETASTIC photos featuring the Friendly Indian Village, circa 1962. They're not terrible, but they aren't particularly great either.

The Native Americans have made themselves a nice little home right on the banks of the Rivers of America. The river provides so much. No, not candy (unfortunately), but there are plenty of fish, and that's the next best thing. The river was also the equivalent of a highway, just hop in your canoe and you could travel for miles and miles.

Our photographer snapped one more shot, catching the eastern edge of the village, with a sneaky moose lurking there, hoping for treats. To the extreme right is a dirt road that I thought was for the Stagecoaches and Conestoga Wagons - but those were removed in September of 1959. I guess the Pack Mules still used the path, though?

Magic Mountain, January 1979

I have a small batch of 35mm slides featuring Six Flags Magic Mountain, located in beautiful Valencia, California (35 miles north of downtown Los Angeles). You've seen a few of them already, but I finally scanned a few more of them.

Magic Mountain opened in 1971, but by 1979, Six Flags purchased it and the park got its new (improved?) name. I sure loved going to MM right around the time it first opened, it was pretty charming, and had a lot of nice rides suitable for families. Now they concentrate mostly on roller coasters, which isn't a bad thing, but I miss some of the odd old attractions. 

This first photo shows COLOSSUS, which had debuted the previous year, and was the "fastest, largest dual-tracked wooden coaster". According to Wikipedia, Following its first season, it was closed and extensively redone. When it reopened, it was a much smoother ride. I assume that we are seeing Colossus during this period when it was closed.

Here's a nice photo of the Jet Stream, which opened in 1972. It was built by Arrow Development, and was the first flume to use a turntable loading system. It's described as a "family friendly flume ride". Because Magic Mountain was built on a hilly site, the builders incorporated the shape of the landscape for many of the coasters and other rides, which resulted in a much more attractive park compared to others with similar rides.

Here's the Sky Tower, a 385-foot tall observation tower located in the "Samurai Summit" section of MM. The ride opened in 1971, the same year the park opened. The tower was built by Intamin AG, as a Hexagonal Tower. The tower is made of 460-tons of steel, has two-observation decks and a red-paint scheme. The tower was also designed to withstand strong 100 MPH winds. During the 1970s, the tower had a multi-colored rainbow-paint scheme, but was then later repainted to a red-paint scheme.

Sadly, in 2014, the Sky Tower was forced to be closed by the state, due to the safety requirements regarding the ride's elevator. It has been vacant ever since.

Here's a nice shot taken aboard the Metro, a monorail that ran through the park (notice the Galaxy Ferris Wheel in the distance). This monorail ride ran three stations; one at the High Sierra Territory, one at the Colossus County Fair, and one at Samurai Summit. The monorail had been standing but not operating since 2001 and it was announced by Six Flags in 2007 that the ride would have no plans to reopen. The trains were located right next to the former location of Flashback where they sat for 10 years. In 2011, the monorail trains are relocated to Hersheypark. The abandoned track has been taken down in all areas readily visible to parkgoers but sections of track still exist and may be glimpsed in heavily overgrown sections of the park.

I believe that this shot was taken from the Metro, with a view of the Chevron Gran Prix, consisting of gas-powered race cars from 1971 through 1986, and switching to a new turnpike with electric vehicles that was moved to "Bugs Bunny World", finally being demolished in 2008.

And finally, one last late-afternoon look at Colossus!

Stay tuned for more Magic Mountain photos!

Rainbow Ridge, 1973

Here are more fantastic scans from some 1973-ish negatives given to me by Mr. X. We're visiting the little mining town of Rainbow Ridge today!

It's Mr. X's "Wonderful World of Color", just look at those rich, saturated hues. They taste as good as they look, just lick your screen and see what I mean! I love seeing the Mine Train returning from its trip through beautiful Nature's Wonderland. Geysers! Rickety trestle bridges! Bears! Battling elk! Mangy beavers! Coyotes! Tumbling rocks! And oh yeah, Rainbow Caverns.

A normal person might have skipped showing this next scan because it is redundant, but... I'm not normal!

The El Dorado Hotel probably had beds made of solid gold. Sure, they're uncomfortable, but who cares. I'll take an upstairs room because I want the view.

If you have time, why not catch a show at the Opera House? The posters tell us that "Lotta, the Miner's Darling" was performing that night, and if we're really lucky, we might get a glimpse of her ankles.

And for all of you who wondered why I didn't attempt to stitch those first two photos together... wonder no more!

Storybook Land Loading, March 1962

It's Storybook Land time again, with this nice shot of a canal boat ("Lady of the Lake") taking on a new load of passengers. A giant graham cracker is propped nearby in case anybody gets hungry.

Notice the tour guide to our left, not to mention the pretty cast member who I believe was going to be the Boatstess for this journey through the miniature tableaus. Clearly it was a chilly day, everybody is bundled up (California style).

Our photographer pivoted to the right (while dribbling a basketball) to capture this view looking toward the cave entrance to "Never Never Land", where boats were stored and maintained. Except for that one right in front of us. Look at that male CM, he is walking with a purpose. There must have been a restroom back there. To the right we can see the yellow garage from the Midget Autopia.

Town Square, 1996

We have previously looked at some of Mr. X's 1996 photos of the Canoes in Frontierland. Today I have a series of photos that he snapped while standing on the steps of Main Street Station as various vehicles passed by. Mr. X is particularly fond of those vehicles!

It's comforting to know that there is a Motorized Fire Truck at Disneyland; you never know when a popcorn wagon will burst into flames and potentially injure guests with red-hot popping kernels. Notice that the horse-drawn fire wagon is parked just outside the Firehouse.

Here comes the Omnibus! I love it, but dang, I miss the mini-posters that used to adorn the sides of that vehicle. Why can't they continue that tradition with nice new mini-posters? Did somebody decide that that feature was an unacceptable anachronism? That seems hard to believe, since themes are often "out the window" these days.

And finally, a Horse Drawn Streetcar, with no passengers! Being early in the day, it makes sense that nobody was ready to head toward the exit just yet. A large group of guests is gathered to our left, maybe waiting for a guided tour? Two tots sit in the driver's seat of the old fire wagon, I didn't know that people were allowed to climb on!

Thanks to Mr. X, as always!

Subs and More Subs

Happy Birthday to our friend Stu! Sue B. sent along this fun scan of a bunch of morose children "enjoying" a birthday party on the floor. Chairs are too good for them!

Meanwhile, I decided to use up a few random Submarine Voyage photos that were rattling around in one of my computer folders. A themed post for a themed park.

From March, 1962 comes this photo of the Patrick Henry as it sat in the lagoon, but was apparently not in use that day. Another Sub is just heading beneath the waterfall into the "ocean depths". I hope the Sub isn't swallowed by a giant gulper eel. OK, I admit, I'm always worried about being swallowed by a gulper eel.

Here's a gulper eel. See what I mean?

Next is this October 1962 photo of... the Patrick Henry. What can I say, this is just a classic photo, probably snapped next to a Kodak Picture Spot sign. Those Kodak guys chose well, because it's a pretty exciting image, what with the Monorail Station to our left and the Skyway in the upper right.

Well, at least this 1970 photos is of... hey, wait a minute! Patrick Henry, you give those other Subs a turn, or I'll have a word with your mother.

Main Street Snapshots, 1965

35mm slide scans are wonderful, but I always have a soft spot in my heart for the humble photo prints that so many families accumulated by the boxful. 

I like this warm late afternoon view looking up Main Street on a busy (but not too busy) day. Many folks are wearing sweaters, or at least long sleeves, so perhaps this was an Autumn day. Main Street looks beautiful.

I wonder if those kids in the foreground had ever seen a marching band before? Maybe a high school football games, I suppose; but still, it's not like they were everywhere. Unless you lived in Sousaville, in which case you needed earplugs so that you wouldn't go nuts. Notice the Sunkist Citrus House - gotta get me a frozen lemonade bar!

 

Soft-focus Frontierland

It's "Snoozer Sunday", but today's photos really aren't that bad. What's a little myopia amongst friends? Both of today's pix are from the early days, but we know that it is at least 1956 because Tom Sawyer Island is open for business. This first photo is nice, though it is just a teensy bit out of focus. I used Photoshop's "Smart Sharpen" filter, which improved it somewhat. Anyway, it's a great look at the Old Mill before it was swallowed by vines. 

So here's a question for somebody smarter than me (this means YOU): we can see that trough that is bringing water to turn the mill's water wheel. But why is some of the water diverted off to the side? Just because it looked pretty? 

Here's one of those slides that, for some mysterious reason, has turned very dark, with a greenish cast. I have no idea why some of the slides are like this, while others are perfectly fine. Anyway, this view was taken from Tom Sawyer Island, looking across the River to the canoe landing, where a sizable group of guests watches and waits for the next canoe. In fact there are so many people there that I wondered if some Indian dancers might have been performing nearby, but nope. The canoes were just red hot that day. 

Vintage People

Who's ready for some vintage slide scans featuring some genuine VINTAGE PEOPLE? I know I am.

Let's start with this fun shot of a kid's birthday party. No date, sadly. Two mothers (to  the right) look at baby photos and remember just when their lives went wrong. The eldest boy is wearing a tie, maybe it's his birthday? Or maybe not, since there are some toys on the table that seem to be aimed at a much younger kid. Ya got yer balloons, ya got yer cake and ice cream, not to mention party hats and even a top-quality table covering for the occasion.

Now it's 1954, and this little girl is having her own birthday celebration. Six years old, judging by the number of candles on the little cake (is that her own personal cake, while the big one is for everybody else?). The girl is banging away on her tom-tom while wearing a tic-tac-toe skirt. Look at the size of that TV screen! Why would anybody need a television that big? 

Now this is more like it! A peroxide-blonde looks like a glamorous movie star on a white sandy beach, in a photo dated "May 1952". Hubba hubba!