Thursday, December 13, 2007

Trip to Disneyland, Sept. 1959, Pt. 2





Today’s journey follows the Mark Twain Riverboat around the Rivers of America; you’ll get to see lots of exciting scenes from the old Frontierland days, so hang onto the rail as she turns each corner! First up is none other than the Burning Cabin; today, the only thing burning at this place is an electric light in the window to signal the holiday season.



HOW! This Native American is friendly! Either that, or there’s a crick in his mechanical arm and he can’t lower it...



Two views from the friendly Indian Village:





For those that prefer their travel on dry land, we have a Conestoga Wagon ready for your journey...hey, I said California, not Oregon! Must have been a mistake at the ticket window.



Stay tuned til tomorrow for more 1959 views!

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

12 comments:

  1. I really like the photo of the wagon. It didn't seem to get photographed as much as the mules.

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  2. That's a great bunch of photos. The little Indian kid looks especially plastic here. And I always like seeing the Conestoga Wagons!

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  3. These are stupendous! Great shots of the Indian Village! RARE catch on that last one “Oregon or Bust” I love it, great scenery too! How many Conestoga Wagons did they have? I seem to recall only seeing a blue “Westward Ho” one in other pics? THANKS FOR THESE!!!!

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  4. Hey Dave, I forgot to ask you, do you happen to have a photo of the new Fort Wilderness, or whatever it's called? I'd love to see what it looks like, since I haven't been to the park for a year or so, and your photos are always nice!

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  5. Tim - I would hazard a guess that there were 2 wagons, but again...just a guess!

    Major: My most recent pictures of the "Fort" (and I do mean in quotes, because last time I saw it, it looked like crap...) are from Oct. 28; here are 3 of them:

    http://davelandweb.com/fortwilderness/images/2000/DSC_0547.jpg

    http://davelandweb.com/fortwilderness/images/2000/DSC_0549.jpg

    http://davelandweb.com/fortwilderness/images/2000/DSC_0555.jpg

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  6. Great Fort pictures, but yes, the content is "crap" what is that mess? Seriously, how much could it cost to re-create the Fort the way it was? Even if they didn’t open the inside, they could make the outside look like it’s supposed to. It looks like they went to Home Depot and got a huge Lincoln log set!

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  7. Great pics of my first year at the park. I would suspect that the Fort is constructed the way it is because of present day California building codes, bla, bla, bla. I remember quite a few rides having to be "reworked" later in the mid '60s because codes were continually being upgraded. Especially in the electrical department. The pics look more like summer. Do you think they waited to develop the film until Sept.?

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  8. Lee - You bring up a good point about the date stamp not necessarily being accurate on the slides; it could be a few months off. As for building codes, how did people get by 50 years ago without the government to look after them?!?! A sad statement that people can't take care of themselves...or a sadder statement of what people have to do to avoid a lawsuit.

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  9. Dave--GREAT shots.

    I can't imagine how hot it was on that riverboat--especially how crowded it looks.

    If you can get them to all wave hankerchiefs we can pre-enact Fantasmic!

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  10. Thanks Dave, those are very helpful. I admit that the new fort is not as nice as the old one, but at least there is something there. However, I expect more from Disneyland than this. Maybe when it is completed and aged it will fit the bill nicely.

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  11. Dave: I just read Yesterland's article on the fort. Very informative, and I understand why it was taken down. It's just to bad they didn't use round fiberglass logs as in WDW, but there is probably a good reason. We all spout our opinions, but I've noticed that Disney usually makes the right choice (even though it takes a while sometimes). That's why we all love "the Mouse". Hand cut squared off logs is not unknown in that time of history, so maybe it's more accurate than we think. It could be made of cardboard, and I would still go see it and have fun in it.

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  12. Lee - Thanks for the reality check; sometimes we are all a little too harsh on Disney (myself included) because we hold them to such a high standard, which as you point out, they usually do meet. Hopefully once the fort is finished, it will come together aesthetically.

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