Disneyland in Black and White, 1958

Here are more black and white snapshots from those thrilling days of yesteryear!

Sleeping Beauty Castle is covered in scaffolding; I believe that this had something to do with the addition of the castle walk-thru, but I'm not entirely sure. I posted a similar color image over 3 years ago (it was my 14th post!).


The Columbia sits in Fowler's Harbor perhaps undergoing some last minute work before it officially debuted? I'm not really sure. Notice the guy in scuba gear... could this photo have been taken the same day as this color image?


And lastly, a nice picture of a Conestoga Wagon as it heads away from the loading area and into the wilderness. At least I think that's what's happening... I don't see a driver! Maybe he was hit by an Indian arrow and he fell off, leaving a runaway wagon.

1957 Indian Village

I have a couple of very nice Indian Village views for you today, starting with this photo. In addition to teepees and other Indian "houses", the designers thoughtfully provided benches with shades - - rustic shades that recall the checkerboard versions seen in Tomorrowland around this time. The little boy to our left has a shirt that looks like it was made from the same fabric as the lady's skirt to our right. The use of earthen berms was a stroke of genius; other parks that came after Disneyland tended to be flat and featureless, and allowed you to see from one "land" to another. Look at the way this artificial hillside not only blocks out the parking lot on the other side, but enhances the illusion of "wilderness".


Here's a closeup of the sign touting the rafts and the canoes...


Here's a neat sign that I don't think I've seen before, informing guests that all of the teepees and other Indian paraphernalia were props from "the new Walt Disney feature motion picture...'WESTWARD HO THE WAGONS'". That film was released in 1956, and starred Fess Parker, Sebastian Cabot, Iron Eyes Cody, and a herd of Mouseketeers.

Frontierland, Nineteen hundred and sixty

I will give you a choice: would you rather go to the dentist, or to Frontierland circa 1960? Hopefully your answer was "Frontierland", because I only pretend to be a dentist to make a little extra money on weekends.

Here's a slightly different view of the Mark Twain, with the Golden Horseshoe on our left. The Twain looks especially lacy and ornate somehow. See the pilot up in the wheel house? The lady with the cigarette proves that smoking doesn't necessarily make you look cool.


Here we are looking past the crowds towards Rainbow Ridge, with Casa de Fritos to our right. Hey Klondike!

Knott's Smorgasbord!

Happy Labor Day, homies! Trust me, you don't want to go to Disneyland on a holiday weekend. Let's try our luck over at Knott's Berry Farm!

Grandpa is stuck with stroller duty in this 1957 photo. The sun is setting, and only the tall trees and water tower are still getting direct sunlight. Ol' #41 sits in the shadows exhaling steam while it waits for a new load of passengers. Did the train continue to run after dark?


Now it's June 1958, and we have another photo of the "Red Cliff". Doesn't it look neat? Apparently this was a day when no girls were allowed in the park, with their cooties and things of that nature.


In 1965, there's no need to go to San Francisco to ride a genuine San Francisco cable car. Just head on over to the Berry Farm! Knott's cable cars don't go up and down vertiginous hills though... flat Buena Park farmland is what you get. Still, it would be a mighty pleasant way to take a load off of your feet.


Now it's 1964... I ruined my watch while panning for gold, but it feels like it's time for supper. "Sutter's Grub-Stake" has hot dogs, hamburgers, tacos, and soft drinks... everything a growing boy needs. Notice the two street sweepers in western outfits; from the looks of things, they're doing a fine job. Nice to see that the Covered Wagon Show is free, but can it really be only 3 minutes long??

Main Street USA, June 1959

Today's post is dedicated to Main Street USA!

The Hub is at the north end of Main Street, and if you're in no mood to walk there, you can take a Horse Drawn Streetcar. The Matterhorn might not be operational yet, I can see a tiny crane in the distance that I am reasonably sure was there to put the finishing touches on the mountain. On another subject, does anybody know if the brass "finials" on top of the streetcar had any purpose other than as shiny decorations?


Here's a wonky view of Town Square, which was at the other end of Main Street. This shot was taken from the Train Station, and possibly even from a train. The souvenir stand to our left is busy selling priceless keepsakes!


Also in Town Square is City Hall, where you can go sign a registry, complain about the exorbitant price of ticket books (a 10-attraction ticket book with admission is about $5 for an adult), or just grab a seat, relax in the shade, and do a bit of people-watching. Notice that the globe lights are on even though it appears that there are still many hours of sunlight to go.

Busy Riverfront, October 1958

Here are two photos of Frontierland's riverfront, taken mere minutes apart. The mighty Columbia was brand new in 1958, and doesn't it look grand?


The clouds have scooted a bit to our right, and the Columbia has scooted away to allow the Mark Twain to have its turn at the dock. You can see the considerable crowds lining the shore around the bandstand, I can only assume that the Straw Hatters (or some other band) are performing.

2 Views from the Skyway, 1957

I never grow tired of photos taken from the Skyway, particularly when the view includes the modest hill known as "Snow Mountain". Such a lovely name for a pile of dirt! The bucket that we are in is heading away from Tomorrowland; the castle is below us. You can see the Omnibus and a Horseless Carriage on the road surrounding Snow Mountain... for a few years these vehicles left the safety of Main Street and skirted the edges of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.


It looks like our photographer quickly turned around and snapped this photo as he/she headed towards the Skyway's Fantasyland chalet. Below us you can see lots of familiar features and attractions. I'd list them all, but I am very very lazy.

Souvenir Plate, circa 1962

I haven't shared a souvenir item with you for a bit (not counting posters), so today I present to you this fantastic plate! Now, I generally hate the idea of souvenir plates ("Star Trek" plates, "Wizard of Oz" plates, "I Love Lucy" plates, Norman Rockwell plates.... PHOOEY!). But this one is different. No porcelain or even earthenware for me... it's plastic, baby! And just look at that great artwork, very reminiscent of the illustrations that were found in other early Disneyland items.

This plate is undated, but the presence of the elephant from the Jungle Cruise's "Elephant Bathing Pool" makes this no earlier than 1962... let's just say it's from the mid-1960's.


Proof that this plate is from the desolates wastes of Sun Valley on the planet Melmac!


If I had to eat Brussels sprouts, I would be much happier eating them off of this plate.

A Look at Nature's Wonderland!

Today's post is a special treat for those of you who love Nature's Wonderland. And maps! Chris Merritt (the Imagineer who was the art director on the restoration of the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-thru dioramas) generously allowed me to post a scan of this beautiful map of Nature's Wonderland that he made.

Chris said that this was done strictly for fun after being inspired by Sam McKim's souvenir maps of Disneyland, and wow, what amazing results! Here's what he wrote to me:

"I drew and inked the map sometime in the mid 90s - probably 1995 I think. Dave Mumford very graciously helped me out with some early track layouts that showed the exact animal and building locations - including the elevations of the various rainbow caverns designs (done by Claude Coats - a real hero of mine). I think maybe Dave wanted to see if I could pull it off. I inked the map - and showed it to my friend Leon Janzen, of The "E" Ticket Magazine. Leon and I had been buddies since I started going to CalArts in 1990 - and we used to hang out and talk theme park history, look at old videos, etc. When it came time for the Janzens to do a Nature's Wonderland issue in 1998, Leon asked me if they could use it - but since they had started printing in color, would I finish it off by coloring it?"


"I was a bit nervous to do this - but I got some help from my co-worker at WDI, Wes Cook. Wes was a real old pro - he was working with us on Tokyo DisneySea at the time (he designed the Caldera, which is the centerpiece of the Mysterious Island land there). Anyway - Wes is a real unsung hero - but was an amazing artist. Just so you know - he designed quite a few things for Sea World San Diego in the 60s (including the "Punchy's Hawaiian Punch Band" animatronics), worked for Sid and Marty Krofft on H.R. Pufnstuf (he designed the Wheely Bird among other things), designed the original McDonald's characters (Ronald, Grimace, Hamburglar, etc). One of his last big jobs was as the main designer of Seuss Landing at Islands Of Adventure. He was a hell of a character. So - after hours, he helped me with a color approach. I did the rainbow caverns section in fluorescent paints, so they would glow under a black light if you had one on the original."


I asked Chris about the materials he used to make the map: "I used a Japanese-style tiny nibbed pen back in the 90s (I use strictly rapidographs for inking now) for the line over non-photo blue col-erase pencil.For the color I used various pastels, fluorescent paint, and some markers."


And how long did it take? "... I have no idea. I am notoriously terrible at estimating how long it takes me to do something - but slowly over several weeks in my spare time for both the drawing and the color is the best I can come up with. It took a long time to work out the layout, and how to cheat it into a sort-of box shape."

I think we can all agree that he did an AMAZING job!


And as if that wasn't enough, I thought I would add scans of the Nature's Wonderland area from four different souvenir "fun maps". This first one is from Sam McKim's 1958 map, which is actually pre-Nature's Wonderland. At this time it was just the "Rainbow Cavern's Mine Train".


Ah, here we go! Here is the 1964 map with Mr. McKim's charming interpretation of Nature's Wonderland. Although it is (by necessity) much simpler than Chris' map, all of the essentials are there. I believe that this is the last year that Disney used Sam McKim's drawing for their souvenir maps. Or was 1965 the last year?


Here's a 1976 map, which I believe was painted by Colin Campbell (please correct me if I am mistaken). It basically appears to have been traced from Sam McKim's drawing, although the style is considerably different. This is the map that I remember owning as a kid, spending hours absorbing the details and imagining myself at the park.


By 1983, Nature's Wonderland was gone, replaced by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I like BTMRR, really... but I can't help wishing that it didn't have to replace what I consider one of Walt Disney's (and Imagineering's) triumphs: NATURE'S WONDERLAND!


MANY MANY THANKS to Chris Merritt, I am very grateful that he consented to let me share his fantastic artwork with you.

POSTERAMA 9

Today's poster celebrates the sailing ship Columbia! It was full rigged and 3 masted. And sugar frosted and vitamin fortified. As usual, the design is striking, dominated by that brilliant cerulean blue representing both sky and water. The white sails of the Columbia really seem to gleam as if lit by the bright sun. In the foreground, friendly Indians welcome the graceful vessel, though maybe they will regret it later. I think it's a fantastic poster, but it doesn't seem to garner much love, generally fetching relatively low prices.


I decided to use a tripod for my latest attraction poster photos, and it made all the difference! Don't know why I waited so long to do it right, but future poster pics should be much improved.