Two photos from 1956, shortly before Tom Sawyer's Island was open to the public. I especially like this view of Castle Rock under construction:
From the original brochure:
A fantastic group of rocks stretches along the ridge of the island…and in this primeval playground you can ride the Merry-go-round Rock…or see-saw on Teeter-Totter Rock. Climb the stone steps to the ramparts of romantic Castle Rock high above the river…descend the spiral steps to the depths of the Castle.
High adventure awaits you beneath Ambush Rock…Relive the days of the river pirates in the Pirate’s Den…follow the underground maze to The Dungeon of No Escape!
And the finished product:
Today, because of all the Pirate trappings and changes forced to make this "castle" safety-compliant, it is almost unrecognizable:
See more vintage Disneyland Tom Sawyer Island photos on my TSI web page.
Apparently, kids in the 50s thru 70s were smarter than kids today. We didn't fall off of castle rock (or teeter totter rock). Now we need 4 ft guard rails, etc. so we don't kill ourselves. Maybe lack of guard rails kept the gene pool clean. Don't you love OSHA and lawyers?
ReplyDeleteAwesome pic of Castle Rock, but I keep thinking of Stephen King when I read the article.
ReplyDelete@MRaymond - Lots of people think their generation is the best. From my experience and observation, stupidity and/or smartness is not exclusive to any single generation.
You mean Castle Rock isn't real?
ReplyDeleteNotice the dramatically different raft? The center hut is huge compared to the ones they have today. The "pup tent" version we have now seems closer to the one described in the Mark Twain stories, while the one in this photo is so big, it'a almost a house.
ReplyDeleteCool pics, Dave. I miss the old TSI, but the new one is still ok. I had fun there last trip, in 2011, so it's not all gone.
JG
JG