Adventure Thru Inner Space, 1960’s

Matterhorn to the rescue again, as I was pretty much stumped by these 2 slides that I recently received. I recognized the “M” Monsanto logo, but that was about it. Both are from the Adventure Thru Inner Space ride in Tomorrowland (which is now Star Tours). The second shot is from the exit queue, where Monsanto displayed items made out of their space age man-made material. I remember when I used to ride this as a kid that I thought it was so cool that the ride could shrink you!

Any other information about these would be appreciated.



For more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos, check out my main website.

Town Square, Opening Day, 1955

This shot, although a little faded, is a great overall view of the Town Square on opening day, 1955. Matterhorn confirmed it with a link to another site that shows the same ceremony from a different view. This one goes in the books as a PLEASANT ebay surprise. Thanks Matterhorn!

See more vintage & current Disneyland Town Square photos on my Town Square web page.

New Orleans Square, 1960’s

A batch of slides I recently purchased on ebay of Disneyland listed their date as 1960; viewing these two shots of New Orleans Square probably puts them closer to the late 1960’s, since New Orleans Square didn’t open until 1966. The listing also left out the fact that these slides were riddled with mold. Still, they are great shots and with some careful Photoshop work, will look even better. MORAL OF THE STORY: ASK QUESTIONS, and unless the date is STAMPED (not written) on the slide, don’t take a listing for face value.

New Orleans Square is one of my favorite areas of the Park; the music, the facsimile architecture of New Orleans, and 2 of my favorite attractions, Pirates and Haunted Mansion.



As if that weren’t enough, the Blue Bayou (whose sign you can barely make out in the lower left-hand corner).



See more vintage & current Disneyland New Orleans Square photos on my New Orleans Square web page.

The Mighty Mark Twain, December 1955

A barren Rivers of America provides the backdrop for this very early shot of the Mark Twain Riverboat. The landscaping is quite sparse at this point, as well as the buildings and carts not yet surrounding it.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Mark Twain photos on my Mark Twain web page.

Tomorrowland, 1960

Tomorrowland in all its colorful glory, including the very space-age looking stage and the skyway (I miss it too, Matterhorn). Where else could you get great skyway shots of the park? A detailed view of the Rolly Crump designed stage area:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Tomorrowland photos on my Tomorrowland web pages.

Fantasyland, 1950’s

Here’s a black and white classic from the early days of Disneyland, showing an overview of Fantasyland before it got its Tudor-style overhaul. This is one instance where I feel that the new is better than the old.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Fantasyland photos on my Fantasyland web page.

Stagecoach at Disneyland, December, 1955

This is an early morning shot from December 26, 1955 of the shortlived Stagecoach. According to Disneyland Tour Guides, this ride got the axe due to unreliable and skittish horses who freaked out over the snakes. Apparently, even bribery with carrots didn’t work to get the horses to cooperate. Experts: feel free to confirm or deny this one!

See more vintage & current Disneyland Frontierland photos on my Frontierland web pages.

Holidays at Disneyland 1950’s

Here’s another early shot of the park from the 1950’s, and I am assuming from the bells on the windows and random wreaths that it must be near Christmas. This slide still needs some cleanup, but thought I’d post it anyway. Any way to pin down what year this is from? After having just gone to the park last weekend, it still blows me away to see slides like this with virtually nobody around.

See more vintage & current Disneyland entrance photos on my entrance web page.

Scary Minnie 1960

This one is for the Major who prefers Minnie before her “nose job”; frankly, I think she looks a little scary in this shot from 1960. This shot taken near the Rocket to the Moon attraction.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Minnie Mouse photos on my Disneyland character web page.

One of Our Pigs is Missing

I love retro, and this slide from August, 1960 has it all: the outfits and even the costumes of The Three Little Pigs (minus one). This appears to be in Fantasyland near the Dumbo ride.

For more Fantasyland photos, visit my main website.

Snow White Waterfall, 1966

Another favorite (and lesser known) area of the park is this waterfall located near the Castle at Disneyland. Snow White is here with the Seven Dwarves and assorted woodland animals. This one is from September, 1966, and doesn't really look any different today. These marble statues were a gift from overseas, and their sculptor is still unknown. It has been theorized that they were some kind of art school project, as the height relation of Snow White to the dwarves is incorrect. So, to correct that error, Disney used forced perspective to make Snow White appear taller. The studio created the woodland animals to add to the tableau.

I have also added more Disneyland photos to my main website.

Autopia 1956

Here’s an early shot of the Autopia and all the barren surroundings of Tomorrowland of 1956. Without the monorail and plantings, this area is almost unrecognizable.

To view more Autopia photos, visit my main website.

Walt in Tomorrowland

I’m not sure about the backstory on this shot, but it appears to be a few lucky guests at Disneyland who ran into Walt during a visit. The pic is hand dated March, 1955; since the park opened in July, not sure if this is a misnotation or some kind of soft opening. Either way, I think it's awesome to see Disneyland's creator happily posing with his guests.

See more Disneyland/Walt Disney World photos on my main website.

The Original Submarine Attraction (Pre-Nemo)

Since I won't be able to access the web tomorrow, I'm doing an early post. This undated slide is a good shot of the original Submarine Voyage in Tomorrowland. On my last visit to the park, one of the Disneyland Tour Guides told me that the submarines being used for the upcoming Nemo Attraction were the original ones refurbished. That’s what I call recycling at its best!

See more Submarine Voyage photos on my main website.

The Living Desert, September 1963

Unlike my previous post of the Living Desert, this one is a little bit more of what you would expect, and not so lush.

See more Nature’s Wonderland/Living Desert photos on my main website

Monsanto Hall of Chemistry, 1957

This 1957 slide shows the water feature in front of the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry in Disneyland's Tomorrowland.

See more vintage & current Tomorrowland photos on my main website.

Golden Horseshoe Revue, 1963

Last year was the first time I ever checked out a show at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. What a cool interior, and although the show was a little hokey, I truly enjoyed it. I take my staff to Disneyland annually and was somewhat disappointed that the students who work for me were totally unenamored with the charms of this homespun entertainment. This particular photo of Wally Boag is from September, 1963. It's not fantastic quality, but I thought I’d include it anyway since I rarely see photos from inside the Saloon.

You can check out more Golden Horseshoe photos on my main website.

The E.P. Ripley, September 1955

Call me crazy, but one of my favorite things to do at the park is to ride the train. Enjoy this VERY early shot of the E.P. Ripley at the Main Street Train Station, September 11, 1955.

You can check out more Disneyland Railroad photos on my main website.

All Aboard the Mine Train!

A good clean slide of the Mine Train and Rainbow Ridge. Be sure to notice the Disneyland Tour Guide on the far right. This one is from September, 1963

You can check out more Nature’s Wonderland and Rainbow Ridge photos on my main website.

Casey Junior, December 1955

An early shot of the Casey Junior attraction. The surrounding area is so bare (and lacking of people) that it almost looks more like a Country Fair than Disneyland. I especially love the retro restroom sign.

You can check out more Disneyland Casey Junior photos on my main website.

C.K. Holliday at Disneyland, September 1959

Here’s a shot of the C.K. Holliday at the Main Street Station, September, 1959, with a banner below heralding all the new rides for 1959: Submarine Voyage, Monorail, Autopia, Matterhorn, Motor Boat Cruise, and the Skyway. 4 out of 6 of these rides are still at the park today. Notice the now extinct ticket/info booth just on the other side of the entrance.

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Adventureland Gate at Disneyland, 1950’s

Here’s an awesomely retro view of the Adventureland gate, complete with retro tourist. Must have been early in the morning as there is nobody else to be found.



Thanks to "Tangaroa" for identifying this shot as The Living Desert.

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Adventureland photos at my main website.

Jungle Cruise without the Jungle, Disneyland 1957

Here's one from 1957 of the dock for the Jungle Cruise, looking mighty barren. Although I like the design of the current Jungle Cruise, I have to admit I admire the more kitschy theme of the past. This goes for the entire park in general (here comes my rant). I live in California; why would I want to pay to see a park that tries to recreate (pretty darn well I must admit) the real thing? The best part of going to Disneyland is getting away from it all and seeing what you CAN'T see anywhere else. C'mon, Disney: bring back the KITSCH!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Christmas on Main Street, Disneyland 1955

Here's another shot from December, 1955 of Main Street, which is one of my favorite sections of Disneyland. I especially love it on the (rare) occassions that very few people (OR STROLLERS!!!) are around.

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Send in the Clowns

Here's a wacky photo of a clown at Disneyland in December, 1955, the year the park opened. He’s promoting the Disneyland Circus. I'll be adding more photos here and on my regular website once I get a little more time.