Two From Frontierland

First thing's first: Happy Birthday to our friend Andrew! And wouldn't you know it, Sue B. has provided a scan of a vintage photo for the occasion. It almost looks like a combined grownup cocktail party AND child's birthday party. "Hey kid, want a sip of bourbon? Try a puff of this Chesterfield, too!". I wonder where the custom of wearing funny hats at parties started? I'll bet it was Leonardo DaVinci's idea. I like the expression on the woman who is watching the kid open his present. I also like those Meyercord decals on the back of that little girl's highchair. Hanging on the wall is a display of magic potions.

Let's visit Frontierland, circa July 1964, shall we? This first view is presumably taken from the Mark Twain as it passed the Friendly Indian Village, with the Canoe landing in the foreground. It's sort of fun to look for details, such as the bin full of paddles, or the various "Indian" guides hanging around. Not sure what that "shack" is (center right, behind the trees), not sure I've noticed that before. It's interesting to consider that there is not a trace of this village remaining (well, some of those totem poles were moved to WDW, but I don't know if they are still there in 2023).

Next we're on Tom Sawyer Island, attempting to summit Castle Rock without supplementary oxygen. Cowboy Kid waves at us while clutching his ticket book and his sunglasses. Daniel Craig (pre-"Bond") will make sure that those boys come to no harm.

Pretty Good Snoozles

Here's a pair of Sunday Snoozles for you, but they aren't too bad, really. Just a bit darker than I'd like. But there's still lots to enjoy!

This first view is from November 1957, looking across the Rivers of America toward the shore of Tom Sawyer Island, where one of the rafts seems to be disgorging its passengers. To the right is the pier that had been used for fishing -guests could use a cane pole to catch trout and catfish and swordfish (I believe). But in this photo it's a place where guys with red shirts could stand and pare their fingernails with a penknife. 

I assume that this next photo is probably from 1956; we've got the Skyway chalet after all, and if you look closely, the "giant storybook" billboard that was there at the opening of the Skyway is partly obscured by those umbrellas. That light pole to the extreme left is adorned with the usual nautical-style flags, something I've never noticed in this location before. If only this picture was not so dark!

Vintage Trains

I'm in a train-ish mood today. Am I feeling LOCO? You be the judge. Here are two nice vintage scans for you.

First up is this very cool, undated photo of a huge locomotive from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as the Milwaukee Road), at a station somewhere while people seem to be wandering around trying to get a good look at this impressive machine. A man is washing the windows while a woman tells him that he missed a spot. In the distance is what I believe is a grain elevator, but the Milwaukee Road operated throughout the midwest, so I don't really have a clue as to where this could be. Maybe one of you knows?

This next image is from a black and white negative; it shows the Durango and Rio Grande Western No. 315. It looks like a proper choo-choo! I was surprised to find a rather detailed history of this locomotive on Wikipedia, so you might want to check that out. In a nutshell, the D&RGW 315 was built in 1895 by Baldwin Locomotive Works (it was originally built for the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad). 

It is a narrow-gauge locomotive with a 2-8-0 configuration. It appeared in Mike Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days" in 1956, though by that time it was no longer operational and had to be pushed by a disguised diesel locomotive.

I zoomed in on the sign and did a bit of Photoshop adjusting to make it more legible. Happily, this locomotive has been restored and is operational! In 2002 the boiler received a Hydrostatic and Ultrasonic test and was deemed to be in good condition for returning the Locomotive to operational condition. It was then decided that the DRHS would go through with performing a complete restoration of No. 315. On August 24, 2007, a fire was lit inside No. 315's firebox at the D&S Roundhouse and that evening the locomotive moved under its own power for the first time in 58 years.

Two Leftuggies

I have some Leftuggies for you today - in fact these are images of slides that I initially didn't even bother to scan years ago. Looking at them now, I'm not sure what happened, since they seem pretty nice to me now.

Like this one! The Mark Twain was a-chuggin' (always a-chuggin') past the little riverfront bandstand and the landing for a Tom Sawyer Island raft (it looks like perhaps that one raft is just waiting to cross the river, while more folks wait for their turn). In the distance, a Keelboat might be returning to its dock on the west shore. The Twain pilot seems to be looking in our direction!

Next is this great picture (from "sometime in the 50s") looking toward Main Street Station past the happiest chainlink on Earth. Those flowerbeds are so nice, and really make Disneyland feel special before a guest has even technically set foot inside the park. At first I thought the boy to the right was wearing a Keppy Kap, but it's just an odd-looking baseball cap I suppose. 

Oh boy, posters! We can see that the Space Station X-1 poster is now "Satellite View of America", which places this photo somewhere between 1957 and 1960. 

The Columbia, 1996

Today I have some photos taken by my friend Mr. X... back in ye olden days of 1996. It's hard to believe that '96 was 27 years ago, but I checked it with my UNIVAC computer and the punch cards don't lie. Mr. X loves  Frontierland, and he obviously loves the Columbia, because he took four very nice pix of the mighty sailing vessel as it squished its way around the Rivers of America. 

Here it comes, on the run, with a burger on a bun, and a dab of coleslaw on the side... (anybody? anybody?). Sorry, I digressed before I even "gressed". The Columbia was painted Pumpkin Pie Orange, which happens to look mighty nice against a green forest and a blue sky. That meese has never seen such a color in his life!

Somehow I picture Mr. X dressed like Arte Johnson's "Wolfgang" in "Laugh-In", peeking up from behind some bushes. "Very interesting...".  Two canoes chase the Columbia to the tune of "Yackety Sax". To our left, Cascade Peak still stands, though that mine train is a victim of a landslide.

I wonder what the Columbia looks like from Tom Sawyer Island? Pretty much the same, as it turns out. But that's a good thing. A wooden fence lines the island pathways now, because people walked into the river like lemmings.

And here's one last pretty view of the Columbia as it heads north along the river. Notice the Keelboat (partially obscured) to the left... a year later the Keelboats would close forever after the Gullywhumper tipped over due to gremlin activity.

THANK YOU, Mr. X!

Hunchback at Disneyland

I have three scans from photos generously donated to me by our friend Irene (photos taken by her brother Bruce and his friend James). We lost Irene last September, but it's very nice to remember her and take a look at more of those pictures.

Back in 1996, Disney released its 34th animated feature, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Despite its unusual subject matter (it's a pretty dark story), the movie was a hit. And it's no surprise that guests could meet some of their favorite characters over in Fantasyland. At least until "Hercules" came out in 1997. Here's the titular Hunchback, Quasimodo, meetin' and greetin', and apparently signing autographs. "To Heather, keep ringing those bells! Love, Q". Notice the souvenir pin to the left, shaped like Mickey's head.

If there's one thing that six year-old boys love, it's novels by Victor Hugo! "Read 'Hunchback' to us again!" they would plead each evening at bedtime. "Are you sure you don't want L'Assommoir by Emil Zola tonight?". "No way, he's totally bogus!". And you know what? They were right. Here's Captain Phoebus (not Captain Cletus), protector of Esmeralda. I'll bet he uses Wella Balsam shampoo and conditioner.

Speaking of Esmeralda, there she is, looking lovely and exotic. Look at her hair, so much volume! It's not a wig either, despite what you might think. Esmeralda prefers Jhirmack brand shampoo (she loved the commercials with Victoria Principal) and hey, it's working for her. 

 THANK YOU, Irene, Bruce, and James!

Casa de Fritos, September 1979

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! I hope everybody has a wonderful, happy day. Don't step on a hot sparkler with your bare foot, like I did once. Sue. B (as usual) has a scan for any occasion, and here's the 4th o' July example. This unusual tableau is from Cypress Gardens, Florida - sort of a topiary birthday cake. 1976 was the big Bicentennial year, after all, and many American's had Bicentennial Fever! Something about those candles gives the "cake" a Christmas vibe, or maybe that's just me. Thanks Sue!

For today's regular pix, I have a quartet of scans from the Mysterious Benefactor, each featuring Casa de Fritos, which was still chugging along in Frontierland, serving up enchiladas, tacos, tamales, and all sorts of other delicious Mexican/American cuisine. I'm not sure when they changed to font to this style (does anybody know what it is?), but it looks very 70s to me. (Here's how it looked in its earlier incarnation).

I wish everything was made by Frito-Lay. If they made cars, I'd drive one. Thimbles with the image of every U.S. Vice President? I'll buy two sets. Toothpaste? Hopefully it is Frito-flavored.

The sign shop had access to a sand-blaster... I used to work for a guy who sometimes made signs as a side hustle, and customers just loved that deeply-weathered wood grain look. They also loved signs that had airbrushed "chrome" lettering, the zenith of Western civilization.

Casa de Fritos looks like a pretty nice place to relax. Sip on your Coke with lots of ice and feel the stress of the day evaporate. Only three years later (in 1982), Casa de Fritos was changed to Casa Mexicana. 

MANY THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor!

Another Group from Keith

Here's another wonderful selection of slide scans from Keith Schad... this is from the late 1971 batch taken by his wife's father Ed.

First up is this great photo showing the beautiful bas-relief sculpture on the stern of Captain Hook's Pirate Ship (formerly the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship up to 1969); the sculpt had been altered a bit, but was essentially the same.

Here's a closeup!

If I was the captain of a rich merchant vessel, the sight of this flag through my spyglass would strike terror into my heart. "Men, they're coming for our tuna. I'll scuttle the ship rather than let the likes of them take the Queen's tuna!". "HUZZAH!", shouts the crow in the crow's nest. Crow's can talk, you know. And operate forklifts.

And finally, you know it, you love it, it's the coolest rock on the block... Skull Rock! Is it just me, or does he look kind of cheerful here? Maybe it's because he realizes how beautiful that lagoon is. "It's no Oxnard, but it will do!".

THANK YOU, Keith Schad!

Hi Ho, November 1974

Here's a pair of Snoozles™ for you, brought to you by Pillsbury's Space Food Sticks! Want to eat like an astronaut? Just eat a whole box of Space Food Sticks. They were mostly sucrose and corn syrup, so you know that they were good. Buzz Aldrin loved the peanut butter flavor especially.  

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to the Plaza we go. Just four of the seven dwarfs are marching through Tomorrowland, about to pass the metallic portals and go beneath the Peoplemover track. Where were the others? Protecting Snow White from the evil witch? Working in the mine? Scanning stuff for their blog? The folks up in the Peoplemover look mighty glad to see them.

Later that same day, they returned from whence they came. There's plenty of pep in their step, so whatever they did was not too arduous. Seeing that impressive, swoopy Peoplemover track makes me miss that ride - I feel the same way when I walk beneath the track even today.

A Magic Kingdom Selection

I have three very nice vintage photos from The Magic Kingdom in Florida! Let's start with this beautiful look (from September, 1972) at one of the four locomotives  - the Roger E. Broggie. Broggie was a mechanical engineer who worked with the Disney Studio all the way back in 1939 (helping to develop the multiplane camera). He also helped Walt build his Carolwood Pacific railroad, and was of course instrumental in the railroad (and other attractions) at Disneyland. 

For those of you who need to know, the other three locomotives are the Walter E. Disney, the Roy O. Disney, and the Lilly Belle. Old photos of the Disneyland Railroad tended to show grizzled old-timers working the big locomotives, but these fellas look like kids.

Next is this November 1978 scan of a mother and her young son posing with Chip the chipmunk. Maybe his pal Dale was nearby? Some costumed characters were relatively diminutive, but Chip looks to be at least six feet tall. They appear to be in Frontierland near "La Fuente Serena". Thanks to my high school Spanish, I know that the translation is "The Faithful Seahorse". Education is wonderful! Meanwhile, I am not impressed with those earless balloons.

And finally, here's an undated scan from the Grand Prix Raceway. What do you think, is this from the 70s? That would be my guess. I do like the Mark VII-style vehicles with the various race car paint jobs. My favorite is the green and yellow one, off to the side in the upper right! I'll just run across traffic and hop in. Notice what appears to be square speakers near the boys in the lower right, did they play a safety spiel?