Special Guest Photos!

Today's photos are from the collection of a GDB reader who goes by the pseudonym of Alonzo P. Hawk! He and his family visited Disneyland in the summer of 1967 and he recently found these three images; lucky for us, he scanned them and is sharing them with all of us to enjoy.

There's Alonzo and his two sisters, posing in front of the iconic Mickey flower portrait (looks like the flowers need a few weeks to bloom); notice the Santa Fe logo on the train station... it just belongs there! So does the Kalamazoo hand car. Also, the population is listed at 60 million... wow! (How often was that sign updated)? I dig the cat's-eye glasses on the girls. 

Here's a great shot looking down Main Street from the hub; if you look carefully, you can see an Omnibus heading our way.  The summer crowds are not too bad, considering the recent opening of the wonderful New Tomorrowland.

And finally, my favorite! Check out this beautiful view of Tomorrowland, taken (I believe) from the upper level of the Carousel of Progress building. I rescind my comment about the light crowds... check out those long lines for the Submarine Voyage and the Monorail! You can see a yellow Monorail train, and a blue Monorail train in the distance. We even get the cheerful Skyway buckets and the Peoplemover, at no extra charge.

MANY THANKS to Alonzo P. Hawk for generously sharing his wonderful family photos!!

The Matterhorn, June 1969

I wish I had a dime for every photo I had that featured the mighty Matterhorn. No wait, I wish I had $100 for every photo of the Matterhorn. There, that's better! If you're going to make a wish, you might as well do it right. Anyway, here is a colorful view taken from the Fantasyland side. 

I think we're technically still in Fantasyland here, even though the Monorail track runs right in front of us. Monorails are a kind of fantasy I guess, with a few rare exceptions. 

SATURDAY - Randomness (and six year anniversary)

Hey folks! I have been blogging away for six gorillariffic years. Back in 2006, something compelled me to start sharing my collection of Disneyland (etcetera) photos. I think it was Russian microwaves that are to blame, but hey, I'm no scientist. Anyway, today isn't really a celebration (since I recently celebrated my 2000th post) but I wanted to mention it anyway.

Today's post features a few random images that I hope you will enjoy. Like this picture (probably from somewhere in Pennsylvania) from August 1958, with an elephant in a shopping center parking lot! Elephants are so cool; look at that massive head! If we weren't so used to them, they'd look pretty alien. Jumbo is pulling a cart full of kids, and the cart has "Animaland USA" painted on it. Animaland was billed as "America's largest traveling zoo" - with its home in Sarasota, Florida, and had "wild animals and regular circus amusements".  

Now let's head over to Belgium, circa 1958, for the Brussels World's Fair! That's France's pavilion, easily recognizable because of that jutting pointy thingamabob. Oh, and the sign that says "France". This was the first major post-WW2 Fair, and it looks like it was really cool.

This slide was undated, but is probably from the early 1950's, and features two ladies enjoying a frosty A&W root beer. I have a ton of great memories of going to a similar A&W stand in Austin, Minnesota (which is still there). It has car-hop service, so you would order over a speaker system, and a girl (it was always a girl) brought your tray, which hung on the window of your car. Somehow the hamburgers, onion rings, and root beer (in those wonderful ice-cold heavy glass mugs) tasted better than anything!

And finally, how about a visit to Chillicothe, Ohio, on July 7th 1940? This photo was taken looking down South Paint Street. I just love seeing color photos from over 70 years ago!

Here's a similar picture (the closest I could find), from Wikipedia, showing what South Paint Street looks like today! Chillicothe looks like a nice town.

Pack Mules, September 1959

If you're like me, one of the first things you like to see in the morning is a photo of mules. "A day without mules is like a day without sunshine", am I right? And lucky you, here's a great photo of the old Pack Mules at Disneyland. At some point I remember reading about "Sardinian Donkeys" being acquired for the park, which makes me wonder if these are the fabled donkeys of Sardinia? Or is that just a cool-sounding name, like "Corinthian leather"? Darnit, when I ride a donkey, I want it to be American, and come to think of it, I want it to be a mule!

This picture is a nice companion to the first one, giving you a good look at the loading area for the Pack Mules, along with a bit of Rainbow Ridge to boot!

Some Boring Knott's Photos

I have a folder that holds my scans of slides of Knott's Berry Farm; I realized that I kept not posting a number of images because they were boring. So today, you get quantity, not quality!

Here's the familiar Wagon Camp, empty and mournful. Why don't I have a single photo of this area with a full audience watching the Wagonmasters?

Boot Hill, where many boots were buried. Those two women look suitably respectful.

The Gold Mine, where a mere 50 cents will buy you a chance to pan for genuine gold dust. Again, not a person in sight!

Here's a photo of the statue of the old prospector, or a photo of people waiting in line for the bathrooms. You decide!

And finally, I can only assume that the photographer was interested in the bougainvillea, and not so much the passing Stage Coach.

See, I TOLD you that these were boring!

Two From July 1961

I never get on or off of the Disneyland Railroad when it stops at the little Tomorrowland station. Ever! Maybe because I want to see the Grand Canyon/Primeval World diorama, my favorite thing to see from the train (and that's saying something). Anyway, here's a view as if you remained seated (like me!), looking past the Autopia on the right and the Skyway station on the left, with the Matterhorn right in the middle.

Here's a view from another train... the Monorail, as it parallels Harbor Boulevard. Whoever can name the make and model of that car wins a unicorn. Just a small one though, don't go getting all excited!

New York World's Fair, October 1964

Meet me at the Fair. Or else! Get my drift?

The U.S. Space Park was a veritable forest of rockets. Most rockets don't have cables keeping them earthbound, but we don't want one to fall over and flatten a fairgoer. 

Well, I'm not entirely sure what we are looking at here! Clearly it is the interior of some sort of craft... but is it from a space capsule? Or perhaps the X-15 plane that was on display? Help!

Here's an odd one; there was a "New England States" pavilion, where you would find this country store, "... complete with potbellied stove and cracker barrel, (it) sells New England products and souvenirs. The restaurant features seafood, chicken, Blueberry Slump and Apple Grunt." Apple Grunt? 

Eastern Airlines wasn't the oooooonly way to fly. That was Western Airlines. Sounds like the Eastern Airlines building was kind a snooze, but a useful snooze!  There was a lounge for weary travelers, as well as checkin facilities. If I could go back in time, I would spend all my time in this building!

Disneyland Wardrobe Department

It's time for another post featuring vintage photos from the Disneyland Wardrobe Department! All of today's photos are from 1966, and as always, were scanned, cleaned up, and shared by GDB reader Huck.

There's Snow White, looking exceptionally glamorous in her red cape. Not long ago I mentioned that I didn't remember ever seeing Snow in a cape, and here is proof that I am suffering from dementia. 

Here's a Jungle Cruise cast member outfit that is pretty awesome. I'd wear this on a sunny weekend! I wonder if the Skippers dressed like this, or if this was something that the guys who worked on the dock wore. I'll bet lawyers got rid of flip-flops long ago!

Some of you may remember this cutie from the Lost and Found a few weeks ago; well she's back, looking stylish in her Tyrolean-themed "Matterhorn" outfit.

Oh yes, Huck has lots more Wardrobe Dept. stuff for you!

Mark Thrain, October 1967

Sunday is "snooze day" her on GDB. Blogger's data robot indicates that readership goes down on Sunday. Televised golf, or religion? One of them is to blame! So I generally pick some less-than-amazing stuff for snooze days. 

Like this pretty (but not exciting) picture of the Mark Twain! It's all reflecty and stuff.

Even the Gullywhumper and the Columbia are snoozing; maybe they are getting the barnacles scraped off of their hulls over in Fowler's Harbor. 

SATURDAY - Camera Store

Today's "Anything Goes" Saturday edition is a fun one. Mixed in with a bunch of magenta slides were three vintage photos of a camera store, which I found to be really interesting. After some futzing in Photoshop, they wound up looking pretty good! They were unlabeled, but "Hurst Studio" looks like it was somewhere in Southern California (the license plate to the left is consistent with California plates in 1957). 

Poor Trixie did not expect her picture to be taken; kind of ironic since she worked in a camera shop, fer cryin' out loud. I used to collect vintage Viewmaster packets, so the various Viewmaster paraphernalia is lots of fun for me. Notice the viewers on the counter in the foreground (along with a bean-bag ashtray... you used to see those everywhere). 

I have a lot of these packets! The South Pole, Indians of the Plains, New York State, Japan, Egypt, New Mexico, London, Santa's Workshop, Atlantic City, Brooklyn... it's like seeing pictures of old friends! 

Wow, this one is awesome... there is just something about an old fashioned camera store! How about an amazing Polaroid? Or a nice leather case for your expensive Kodak? Or maybe a classy photo album? Whatever you want, Hurst's Studio had it all. I love digital photography, but there is just something about old cameras, and all of the stuff that went with them that I miss.