Vintage Mystery Airports

I have two photos featuring some vintage airports - locations unknown. It drives me bananas not being able to figure out where these buildings were (it is possible that the structures in these photos have been torn down and replaced with bigger, more modern edifices). 

This first one shows what appears to be a fairly large terminal, I'm assuming that it is in a major city. I thought it might be La Guardia, but it doesn't match. I like the architectural style, it was probably quite modern in its day. I'm pretty confident that one of you will know this one!

I guess this one is less about the airport than it is about the hat-wearing people. But I am still wondering where this could be! I know, there is very little to go on, I don't have much hope of anyone ID-ing this one. But I appreciate the effort!

Two Leftuggies™

Here are two nice Leftuggies™ (or maybe they are Randos)? We'll begin with this March 1961 view looking down Main Street. There's nothing especially unique about this photo, other than the fact that it is very pretty and is full of vintage Main Street goodness. And glutamates. I don't like the way those people are walking toward the station. It's almost as if they are thinking about leaving! I will accept this, but only if they are all suffering from dengue fever. Which is possible if they went on the Jungle Cruise, where mosquito-borne diseases are common. Several guests are about to be flattened by a Horseless Carriage - they have nobody to blame  but themselves. 

Next is this wonderful from March, 1982. After an hour of calculations (and plenty of frustrated crying), I determined that this was 21 years after the first photo was taken. We've got the beautiful New Tomorrowland in front of us, with the Rocket Jets and Peoplemover, but we get the added bonus of Space Mountain, which had debuted about five years earlier. Fabulous!

A Pair From September 24, 1956

I'm using up the last two scans from a batch dated "September 24, 1956". Starting with this nice view of Main Street Station, and the entry turnstiles - as well as those two booths with handy pay phones just in case. I've never noticed the little flower beds right there by the turnstiles. Main Street Station looks wonderful as usual.

Over to the left is a ticket booth, with admission prices listed. 90 cents will get an adult inside, though this did not include any ride coupons. "Members of armed forces of all nations in uniform" - I don't remember ever seeing the "of all nations" addendum before. They get in for a mere 70 cents, as do "members of  clergy". "Why yes, my name is Father Pepperidge. Bless you!". Hey, 20 cents is 20 cents; in 1956 you could buy a car for 20 cents.

Lower down is a sign for the ticket book plan. Only one plan - 10 rides. They apparently hadn't cooked up the 12-coupon or 15-coupon books yet (we won't even mention the 20-coupon books. Oops, I mentioned them). It's a little blurry, so I can't tell the exact price, but an adult ticket book (which included admission) was $3 and change. Notice the sign advertising special prices for Legionnaires. Huh.

And finally, here's a moody photo of a Jungle Cruise boat returning to the dock from its exciting trip along the Rivers of the World. I believe that the ride was not jokey in 1956, so I would imagine that the narration was pretty dry by comparison.

Tom Sawyer Island Stuff

Hooray for the Mysterious Benefactor! We really should send him a gift. Perhaps some Omaha steaks, or a Chia pet. As usual, we will enjoy another selection of Frontierland images from the very large batch that he so generously shared with us. 

Here's a neat (and rare) look inside the caverns on Tom Sawyer Island - the sign on the wall tells us that this is the Chamber of the Bottomless Pit. My understanding is that, for a while, the Bottomless Pit had an echo sound effect - your own voice would reverberate back to you in the spookiest manner. Say rude words for added entertainment! I have no idea if this echo effect still works. Overhead, stalactites, formed by millennia of dripping water, create a cozy home for bats. Those bats will want to fly into your hair. Don't think about it. 

This next one was so washed out that you could barely discern anything, but Photoshop helped. This family is walking through what I believe is another cave. Maybe this is the Cavern of the Unfortunate Aromas?

Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island? Don't mind if I do! Sorry, no strollers allowed. Or mini bikes. Notice that the sign has a lemon reamer (to the right), the kind of detail that only Walt Disney would insist upon. "I never want my guests to suffer from scurvy!", he famously said in his opening-day speech. Art Linkletter actually cried when he heard this part.

Speaking of rafts, the next three photos feature those simple watercraft. Like this fully-loaded example, which has just left the landing along the western shore (near the Haunted Mansion). To the left, a Keelboat.

Another Raft! I think it just left the Island, but Im not positive. The pilots of those rafts execute a tricky maneuver, spinning the thing around as it crosses the river. I'm always impressed by their perfect timing! If you're really lucky, the pilot might "pop a wheelie".

This next photo is very nice, though that giant structure, added for "Fantasmic!", really chaps my hide. Don't worry, I have some lotion, but that's not the point! 

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Aerial BUPIX

I have some fascinating photos, courtesy of our friend Bu! Aerial photos, which are always fun to scrutinize. Bu said that he took the photos myself in my Uncle’s plane… when it was legal to fly over the park… we went for lunch in Catalina after that.  I should have appreciated it more back then, I only realize now that things like that aren’t typically “normal” in people’s lives.  It seems so glamorous saying it now. Have to dig through my memory for the year… but probably 77/78… So cool! I would have loved to fly in a low plane over the park back in those days.

First up is this most-distant view, with housing tracts and even a baseball field below us. That one community looks like a microchip on a circuit board. Imagine living so close to the park that you could take a five minute stroll to the turnstiles! The massive parking lot was still there, and there's no Mickey's Toontown; I believe that the field to the left of the Disneyland Hotel is the old driving range, though I'm not entirely positive. Yesterland says that the driving range was shut down in 1978, which is right around when Bu thinks he took these pictures, so it seems to check out.

Now we're closer, and looking at the park from the north end, facing south. A considerable parcel of land was being used for various outbuildings - warehouses, offices, and such. It looks nearly as big as the park itself. Melodlyland can be seen at the top left, and the convention center near the top center. The Global Van Lines headquarters can just be seen in the lower left.

The iconic Disneyland sign just sneaks in at the lower right corner! And we can see many familiar landmarks, including the entry gates, and... well, you know them all as well (if not better) than I do.

Ominous clouds shade the park. What does it mean?? We can see the three towers of the Disneyland Hotel, as well as the Marina; it looks like some of the garden rooms are still present. And we get a better look at the Global Van Lines building at the bottom of the image - they sponsored the Main Street lockers for years.

And finally, we get a good look at Tomorrowland, with the Subs, Autopia, Peoplemover, and even the Motor Boats. Space Mountain looms large, and the Carousel Theater still had "America Sings". Elsewhere, Big Thunder shows up nicely with its red "sandstone". Near that is a large grassy field at the north end of Fantasyland. We can even see the Haunted Mansion. 

MANY THANKS to Bu for sharing these wonderful aerial photos with all of us!

Views From June, 1962

I'm using up a few of the remaining scans from a batch from June, 1962. We'll start with this photo looking east down what I believe was called Plaza Street (though I could be mistaken). There's the INA Carefree Corner to the right, and the Red Wagon Inn (by this point called "The Red Wagon Restaurant" for some reason) is to the left. I don't ever recall seeing all of that outdoor seating placed there, but there's the picture to prove it existed. In the background, we can just see part of the striped tent that held the Art Festival.

Well, we're tired, and ready to go home. Sure, it's only 4:00, but we also don't want to miss the big wrestling match on TV. Folks sit on benches, probably waiting for Dad to pull the station wagon up (what, don't they like riding parking lot trams??). I noticed that the very hop-able chain link fence (remember, bring a carpet remnant to protect yourself from the barbed wire) goes from about 5 feet high (to the right) to a less hop-able 8 or 9 feet high.

Each kid has a souvenir; we can see a pair of Cavalry hats, a hat with a golden ostrich plume, and two balloons (I guess the boy to the right got two souvenirs, because his parents loved him more).

Snoozles™

Here are more Sunday Snoozles™, submitted for your approval. These are both undated, but almost certainly from the 1950s. First up is this shot of the nuclear-powered Omnibus (in only a few years, one of these would travel beneath the polar ice cap) as it rumbled down Main Street. The focus is a bit off, though the Omnibus itself is mostly in focus. Due to the nucularity! To the left is the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner. "Hello, may I please have a Coke?". "What makes you think you deserve one? You make me ill. Get out!". I was "let go" shortly afterwards. 

Swans, they often sleep on the job. I guess "Big Swan" is so powerful that nobody would dare to say anything for fear of getting their fingers bitten. Most people don't know that the rock had a hidden door to one of Walt's other apartments. (It never gets old, folks!).

Vintage Amusement Park Pix

I'm pretty fond of vintage photos featuring vintage amusement parks, from the big classic examples to smaller parking lot affairs. I picked out some random scans, not the most exciting things, but they'll do.

It's June, 1961 and two small children are flying in an exciting rocket ride - their rocket has been painted to resemble a snarling tiger! It reminds me of my airbrushed van in the 1970s (with the burnt orange shag carpeting inside). I've read that some carnival-style rides like this used surplus fuel tanks left over from WWII (or maybe the Korean conflict), could these be made from those? Meanwhile, I love the unusual color combo on that station wagon in the background.

Too fast! Too fast! They are graying out! I guess three year-olds can't handle 4.5 Gs. Who knew?

Next are two photos from a mystery park, circa August 1971. You can't have a kiddie park without rides that mostly go around and around in circles. It's the law! Rocket ships? Biplanes? Little firetrucks? Sure, those are all real fun, but these speedboats are the best. Just look a the smile on that kid's face! Also, Justin Bieber stole his hairdo! Apparently this park was right near a lake, seen in the background. Not that this helps us ID the location. By my calculations there are over 20 lakes in the U.S. alone.

Here's a classic Tilt-a-Whirl, which (I learned) was invented in 1927. More than a thousand rides were eventually built. Some of the rides produced in the 1940s and 1950s are still in operation. I also learned that the earliest Tilt-A-Whirls were constructed of wood, powered by gas motors, and featured nine cars. Modern rides are constructed of steel, aluminum and fiberglass, and are powered by seven small electric motors, and has seven cars. Notice the sign on the wall Jet Boat ride, could that be the ride in the previous picture? Or was it something much more noisy and exciting?

Little Pigs, January 1960

Disneyland has associated itself with the concept of "DREAMS" for quite a while - probably a lot more in the last few decades than during the "Walt years". It's a great marketing hook! But sometimes those dreams are nightmares. There are bipedal pigs walking around, silently grinning. Look out, one is heading our direction! 

I have to admit that those two nice ladies are taking the whole situation a lot more poise than I would have. They don't appear to be disturbed at all! In fact, the one on the right looks like she's playfully flirting with the Fifer Pig (?). She and her friend are in their Sunday best, bundled up for a chilly day (notice that the Monsanto House of the Future is be-ribboned for Christmas), while the man in the background wants to share his latest mathematical calculations with his son. 

Whoa, there's all three of them! Suddenly, traffic to cross the bridge into Fantasyland has dwindled, and guests are funneling into Tomorrowland and Frontierland. The girl in the red sweater is looking to somebody off-camera, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?". If I'd designed those pig costumes, I would have been sure to make the eyes light up with little red bulbs. 

Knott's Berry Farm Trains in Black and White

Today I have a nice scan from a large-format black and white negative featuring one of the Knott’s Berry Farm locomotives - old #41. It was originally built in 1881 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (in Philadelphia) for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, where it was locomotive #409. In 1916, it was sold to the Rio Grande Southern and changed to #41. 

This photo must have been taken shortly after the Knott’s trains made their debut in 1952. It appears to have a different paint scheme here, it might be “Rio Grande Gold”, used by the Denver and Rio Grande at the 1949 Chicago Railroad Fair. It was later painted in Chuck’s favorite color combination of black, brown, vermillion, and gold. Wikipedia says The engine was fitted with a diamond stack (that was the wrong shaped diamond) and an overly gaudy paint scheme. I’m not really sure what that structure just behind the train is supposed to be; It almost seems to be positioned to help fuel or water the locomotive, but… ??

It should also be noted that at this time, the Calico Mine Train had not yet been built, so the tall lights that can just be seen were used to illuminate the Arena, used for displays of horse-riding skills and acrobatics.

I like the little device added saying "Ghost Town Express - California". It looks like the tender is heaped with large chunks of coal; it was soon converted to an oil-burner.

Here's a contemporary photo of what is now the Walter K, restored to its 1940s appearance (though apparently not accurate to the 1880s version for some reason). In 2016, it... underwent a major overhaul at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Durango, CO. Following the completion of the overhaul, it underwent some test runs to and from Durango and Silverton, CO and was later moved back to the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park on December 6, 2023 to return to service on the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad.