Mother Murphy offered meals at all hours at Disneyland as can be seen in this July 1961 image. Located in the mining town of Rainbow Ridge, guests who took a ride on the Nature’s Wonderland attraction were able to see her little boarding house from the train. Where else in Disneyland could you get “nice beds” for only $1?
This April 1962 gives a little more perspective as to where Mother Murphy was located, between Miner’s Hardware and the El Dorado Hotel.
Another angle, circa May 1963, which includes a cast member:
This December 1963 image also shows the train:
Even further back, circa May 1964:
By the 1970s, Mother Murphy bit the dust and was replaced by Appleseed’s Groceries. I wonder what caused this change in proprietors?
See more Disneyland Nature’s Wonderland photos at my main website.
4 comments:
There was also Mrs. Murphy's at Knott's Ghost Town, weekly rates $2.50, daily .50 cents; with Good Meals and Fish on Fridays. Orange County was not big enough for two Oirish landladies, and in the battle of the battleaxes, the Mrs. won.
The Knott's Murphy Family Dinner was a favorite peek-in, with plenty of animation: heads turned and lolled, arms swiveled, eyes rolled and mustaches twitched. The kid hiding under the table had a big lollipop in hand, probably replaced from time to time with a fresh confection from the Candy Parlour outside Ghost Town. I miss that Knott's!
Hi Dave! Great post today with all these awesome pics! I've always enjoyed seeing Rainbow Ridge and noting the changes over the years. I think this is one attraction that I would love to be able to experience, as I don't recall ever riding it before BTMRR came to be. Thank you for posting all of these and the cool backstory info. I'm catching up on your more recent posts, as I've been remiss as of late. Hope all is going well for you these days. Thanks again, Dave! 😁
Thanks for the info on Knott's, Stefano; I assume that peek-in is no longer there? Kyle - I am slightly obsessed with the original Rainbow Ridge. Would have loved to wander around through there and see all the details up close.
As a kid I believed that, once upon a time, you could explore Rainbow Ridge and climb inside the moon rocket. Couldn't accept they were purely for decoration. By the time they showed Pirates of the Caribbean on "World of Color", I was old enough to grasp the ride didn't end with an actual explosion.
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