Freedomland, August 1961

It's been quite a while since I last posted photos of "Freedomland U.S.A." (the Bronx, New York), but I have three for you today.

This first one was taken over in the "Chicago" (1871) area. Just visible in the upper left is one of the steamboats, "The American" (the other was "The Canadian"); see the ticket booth for the Great Lakes Cruise? The little girl has apparently never seen a person with a camera before. Say, there goes a fire company pulling (and pushing) an olde-timey fire wagon through. Why in the world would they need that?

What? Chicago's on fire again? Seems like it happened every 20 minutes. Which it did. Lucky kids were chosen to help fight the blaze, just like at a real conflagration! Tax payers like it because kids work for free and they don't eat much. The boys with the ostrich feather hats are my heroes.

Comparing the Disneyland Band to the Freedomland version is an interesting study in contrasts. While Disneyland's musicians dressed in crisp uniforms, the Freedomland band appears to be made up of a motley collection of cops, clowns, and other characters. A baton twirler is always a plus, though! Notice the beautiful steam locomotive at the station.

I have a few more Freedomland images for you, coming soon (?)!

Skyway & Tomorrowland 1956

Here are two more beautiful vintage Skyway photos (plus one zoom), circa 19 fitty-six. 

Man, do I love this first view! We're on our way from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland - there's the Yacht Bar, with "Tomorrowland Lake" (home of the Phantom Boats) to the right. That unimpressive hillock is Holiday Hill (or Snow Hill or whatever) looking very raw, with none of the landscaping that it would receive eventually. There's that Skyway tower on the hill - even after all these years, it is strange to not have the Matterhorn there!

In the distance (to the right) you can see the Richfield Eagle that graced the Fantasyland Autopia, and the Pirate Ship is there as well.

I wanted to zoom in on that funky area down below, with the loops of turquoise metal, the nautical flags, the olive-and-toothpick lights, and other mid-century weirdness. 

Next is this dream-like photo of the TWA Moonliner, pictured with its less-regal cousin, the lovable Astro Jets ("Astro Jets" is a cooler name than "Moonliner"!). While Southern California was certainly plagued with particularly nasty smog in the 50's, 60's and 70's, I am guessing that we are seeing seasonal haze, with a pinch of carbon monoxide for flavor!   

Walt Disney World - 1977 Resort Guide, Part 1

Today I have a post from our pal Ken Martinez, but this one is different! Instead of looking at his collection of vintage amusement park postcards, we're going to see some vintage Walt Disney World ephemera. Here's Ken:

Walt Disney World - Resort Guide 1977 (Part 1)

Walt Disney World will have its 45th anniversary on October 1st of this year so I wanted to do a little project on the early years of Disney's Florida property to coincide with the celebration. In future posts I'll be sharing guide booklets and other ephemera/memorabilia featuring the Vacation Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center. The little guide booklets were handed out to visitors of the Vacation Kingdom from the period of 1977 to 1983. It is the Walt Disney World of a much simpler and quieter time when visitors to the Vacation Kingdom could experience their vacation in a more leisurely pace than what visitors experience today. The first booklet I'm featuring is about the resorts of Walt Disney World in 1977. I hope you enjoy this series.

Here we have the front and back cover of the "Walt Disney World - Resort Guide" booklet. This booklet and the others I'll be sharing are the ephemera I picked up during my trips to Walt Disney World in the late 70's and early 80's.

Here you can view a stylized map showing the locations of the wonders of the early "Vacation Kingdom of the World" including the Magic Kingdom, River Country, Treasure Island and Lake Buena Vista.

Here we have a little transportation map showing how to get around the "World". I love the original 1970's icons of Walt Disney World. The resort icons especially are a wonderful example of the style of graphics disney used in the 1970's.

Here are some facts and information to help make your stay in the "Vacation Kingdom" a more enjoyable one.

Coming up next: the two original hotels of Walt Disney World - the Contemporary and Polynesian Village Resorts.

THANK YOU, Ken!

Salvaging Some Oldies! Main Street 1960

Digging through boxes of previously-scanned slides, I found a bunch that I had skipped for one reason or another. Like today's examples. Both of them were mis-aligned when they were originally cut to be put into their cardboard mounts, and the color was not great (though I've certainly seen worse). 

Here's the first one, a nice shot of a Horse Drawn Streetcar heading toward Main Street Station. I don't know how these slides got cut incorrectly (that doesn't happen often), and I am disappointed that I don't have the image to the right that appears to be a shot of a Surrey. 

So... crop the photo, fix the color, and we wind up with a lovely image of vintage Main Street. Notice the Chemical Wagon (horse-drawn firetruck) just in front of the Streetcar, the other Streetcar coming toward us, and a banner advertising "Nature's Wonderland".

Next is this photo of the Coke Corner, with a popcorn cart and a streetcar - we're only steps away from the first image. The small slice of the other slide that got cut was taken next to the China Shop.

And... crop, color-adjust, remove the dust, and we're left with another pleasant look at Main Street, and an unusual angle to boot. Who's more bored, a Maytag repairman, or a streetcar driver? (Answer: Maytag repairman).

Snapshots, March 1974

(Sorry, folks, I forgot to set the "publish" time to the usual 12:01 AM. If Chuck hadn't alerted me, it wouldn't have published until 9:30 tonight!!)

Let's take a look a a few more vintage snapshots!

As you can tell by the woman's bell-bottoms, this is the 70's - 1974 to be exact. It can get a little bit chilly in March, which explains the sweaters and jackets (that red coat is pretty cool). I wonder if the park had just opened... the long shadows indicate that it is morning, and there is a logjam on the drawbridge. Do people ever get trampled, like at a Who concert?!

Here's a ho-hum photo of Storybook Land's Cinderella Castle - but doesn't it look great surrounded by all of that lush green foliage?

Look at all of that colorful clothing! Reds, yellows and oranges dominate. I remember thinking that nobody would ever be nostalgic for the 70's, and now it all seems so fun and funky. That's what 40+ years will do, I suppose. Meanwhile, if a Matterhorn bobsled is visible in a photo of the mountain, I consider it a good omen. Note to self... buy a lottery ticket. I can't lose!

Knott's Berry Farm, 1950's

Like many people, I have a special fondness for Knott's Berry Farm's original Ghost Town. Cordelia Knotts' chicken dinners were so popular that wait times could be up to 3 hours (!), and Walter Knott wisely began to build his "old west" town to keep patrons entertained. Genius! 

When I was a kid, one of the buildings I always wanted to see was the Bottle House. Yes, it was made entirely of bottles, cement, wood, and the secret ingredient - plutonium. Wait, I mean "love", the secret ingredient was love.  Walking into the house on a sunny day (and let's face it, most days are sunny), one would be dazzled by the hundreds of spots of bright color transmitted through bottles of amber, green, blue, and clear glass. It's surprisingly magical. My memory is that it was often very hot in there too, but you can't have everything. The bottle house is now a gift shop.

There are no guests in this photo of the Butterfield Stage Station, but there are some ghosts (nine if you count the ghost of a cat). Say, Knott's should make a phone app like "Pokemon Go", in which guests can catch ghosts! There's a million dollar idea, free of charge. You're welcome, Cedar Fair. 

You can still ride a stage coach at the park, though the view is not quite as charming as it used to be. Still, Disneyland's coaches were removed 1958, so it's the only way to go!

Weird Color, Tomorrowland 1966

Here are two more scans from a small batch of 1966 slides that have turned very blue in the intervening years; for some reason I seem to have better luck adjusting slides that have turned red - not sure why. Anyway, they both look weird, but they'll do for a Sunday.

Above the Submarine Lagoon we can see the "Nautilus" cruising through the shallows. Pretty soon it would dive to crushing depths, where guests could view underwater volcanoes, the lost city of Atlantis, mermaids, and so much more. At the top of the image is the Fantasyland Autopia.

Mermaids! I think the altitude must be getting to me. I'm always happy to see mermaids, even if they are a figment of my imagination.

Random Oldies

I found a folder of scans of slides that I got rid of long ago - looking at the images, I kind of regret it now, but at the time I probably just wanted to reduce some of the clutter.  Anyway, it seemed like it might be fun to share some of those old scans here... I wonder if somebody will see these and say to themselves, "Hey! I own that slide!". The odds are slim but not impossible.

If this slide was dated, I didn't make a record of it, unfortunately. But it's great image of a very pretty woman aboard an airplane. She looks like she walked right out of a vintage advertisement!  Her husband probably looked just like Don Draper. Either she was an actress or model, or this was from the good old days when people dressed up to fly. Any guesses as to what kind of plane this was? There's not much to go by, but the rectangular windows might help. 

This one was dated "1963"; I can assume that the mustachioed gentleman is Evan Charles himself. Music for listening till 10, then dancing! God help you if you want to dance before 10, you reprobate. I love this picture.

I somehow doubt that 1964's election season was quite as nuts as ours has been. This young fellow was showing his support for Barry Goldwater. I know that my grandparents supported Barry as well (I found a stack of pinback buttons in a desk drawer), but Goldwater lost to Lyndon Johnson by a landslide.

I hope you've enjoyed today's Random Oldies!

Beautiful Frontierland, 1959

Happy Friday! I have two really nice Frontierland views (circa 1959) for you today.

Let's start with this neat shot; in the foreground is Aunt Jemima's Kitchen, with its palm-thatched roof and low brick wall. I believe that the blue "adobe" building is also part of A.J.'s, but if I am mistaken, please let me know! I love the colors in this one, from the umbrellas, to the pink brick, to the southwestern blue on the wall. Looks like it was a perfect day to be at the park.

Meanwhile I am wondering about the elevated vantage point of the photographer - where could he/she have been standing? I think that the train tracks were too far away. Could it have been taken from the Chicken Plantation? 

OK, since I originally wrote the previous paragraph, I did a little research; Or to be more specific, I watched "Disneyland U.S.A." on YouTube, and there is a great aerial view of Frontierland, circa 1956. It looks like the photographer was standing on that little bridge that went over the tributary that connected the Jungle Cruise river to the Rivers of America, and was facing more or less in the direction the arrow is pointing.

Next is this nice photo taken near the queue for the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train - not to mention the entrance to the corral where one could still ride a Stagecoach or Conestoga Wagon. Right in the middle is the Gonzalez Trio looking ¡magnifico! in their splendid costumes.  

Vintage Postcards - Pacific Ocean Park!

It's time for the 37th installment from Ken Martinez's vintage amusement park postcards, from his personal collection!! Today is an extra-special one in my opinion because it concerns...

Pacific Ocean Park - The Banana Train

Today we visit Pacific Ocean Park or P.O.P. for a peek at the Banana Train ride. Of all the attractions at this theme park which most of us missed, the Banana Train would be on the top of my list to ride.

We start with an art card showing the exterior layout of Mystery Island Banana Train Ride. It's got quite a compact layout. Love the volcano at the end of the pier.

This is one of my favorite P.O.P. postcards. I like the South Seas motif throughout the area. The partially hidden sign probably says "Mr. Octopus" which was a standard Eyerly Octopus ride with eight tubs. Was that Pineapple Whip stand to the left of Pacific Island Gifts?

Up ahead is Mystery Island where the exotic Banana Train carries passengers through a tropical adventure. There are two trains: one on its way to the load area and the other parked in the unload area. Love the totems. Also the Ocean Skyway's "bubble cabins" are visible in the back as they make their turnaround from atop the volcano.

You've got to have rockwork if you're a modern theme park. I assume it was built there as a passage/access bridge for maintenance concerns on the "island" pier. Again, the area seems very compact and tight.

The bridge is loaded with tourists. I hope it holds up. While it does give the appearance of being a suspension bridge, it actually looks quite stationary when looking at the ramp the patrons are walking on.

Great shot of the waterfall! I take it the water is sucked up out of the ocean and pumped into the pond with the water flowing back into the ocean. Notice the bamboo fencing and catwalk to the right out of the rider's view. Wonder if any maintenance workers took a dive off that walk.

I'll end this visit with an art card view of the interior of the volcano section of the Banana Train Ride.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to Pacific Ocean Park's Banana Train. More to come!

Information Source material:

The Great American Amusement Park, copyright 1976 by Gary Kyrazi

THANK YOU as always to Ken Martinez for sharing these great postcards! Ken has a few that I lack (like that rare volcano card) - maybe now I don't have to look for them.