Because of the population on the Main Street Train Station in this first shot, I was able to target the date of these images to Summer 1960 (give or take a month). These transparencies were very faded and scratched, so I did the best I could to bring them back to life.
Over in Frontierland, The Fred Gurley (aka #3) is pulling into the Depot.
Zooming in for a better look at the locomotive as well as the "So Dear to My Heart" inspired station itself.
I cannot quite place the location of this one; my thoughts are that it could be near the location of the current Haunted Mansion.
Over on the Island, a raft approaches the Old Mill:
The Mark Twain is docked near Fowler's Harbor, with a Keelboat parked nearby.
The Gladys Kravitz in me can't help but zoom in to see what the red contraption is on or near the Twain:
The photographer snapped a few of the upgraded Nature's Wonderland attraction which reopened in May 1960:
Over in Adventureland, guests are able to see Hippos...
and a hungry gator:
A little sunset magic near the Submarine Voyage attraction in Tomorrowland:
A closeup of the George Washington sub:
Thanks for visiting Disneyland with me, circa 1960!
See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.
7 comments:
Great shots! Especially the Gurley pulling into Frontierland. I might date those a little earlier than 1960 though due to the youngish trees on the berm.
I think you'reright about the benches shot with the Twain. Out by the Chicken Plantation maybe?
The island shot with the old mill really brings back memories. I miss the look of the island before Fantasmic and pirates took it over.
Nature's Wonderland! Excellent.
Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful old photos.
Love the shot of the Fred Gurley at Frontierland Station! Many of these have an interesting look, really nice. Is it true that Disneyland changed the population sign every few months back in those days? I've always wondered.
Am I reading it correctly as 21,000,000 on the Disneyland Population sign? I have seen photos from August 1960 showing a population of either 21,000,000 or 22,000,000. So within the time frame of the Mine Train upgrade debut at the beginning of the 1960 summer season and the population sign number, the summer of 1960 sounds about right if these photos were taken around the same time.
Image 2 - After viewing several images of the Frontierland Station area from the 1950s & 60s those trees look about the right growth for that year.
Image 4 - If the Mark Twain is docked in Fowlers Harbor then I'd guess the photo was probably taken from across what is now the fountain area located near the current Frontierland-New Orleans Square Station.
Image 6 - The Mark Twain docked near Fowler's Harbor with the Keelboat nearby is very dreamlike. I love it!
You did a nice job on the transparencies. Thanks!
Wow, I did a double-take at the Frontierland station. I've been so used to seeing that wonderful little building over out of reach, I almost didn't recognize it. I wish it were possible to get close to it now, as it was then. It's a gem.
I think the red device on Fowler's dock is the diesel engine for a pump. The linear pipe-like thing looks like the suction line or discharge. I read that Fowler's serves as drydock as well as "parking space" for out of service watercraft. Maybe they are gearing up to drain the slip to do work on MT or the keelboat?
Too bad we don't have a better shot of the overall, there might be a view of the cofferdam, if they really were going to drain the whole slip there would need to be a way to keep the river water out.
Alternatively, they might be using the pump to drain the bilges, but that's a big motor for a task that size.
JG
JG is correct. It is and International Harvester pump. The MT had it's own, but only works when the engines are running, so you need to drain the sump when all is shut down.
The location of photo #2 is just opposite the soon to be Haunted Mansion. I think the Chicken Plantation was long gone by then.
Always loved the Frontierland station. It should have stayed open.
The Chicken Plantation was still open in 1960 and later stayed open as a walk-up/service window food location during New Orleans Square construction.
@CoxPilot, thank you for pointing out the IH pump. There was something very familiar about the engine housing that I couldn't fathom and that jogged my memory.
We had an IH Farmall tractor on the farm when I was a boy, the red color was very faded over the years, but the shape of the tractor hood was very similar to this pump. The little bits of things that you don't forget, but can't really remember either...
Those things...
anyway, thank you.
JG
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