The above image shows one of my favorite Disneyland structures, the Frontierland Depot, circa July 1959. The below June 1963 image shows what guests saw once they exited the Depot and stood on the platform waiting for the train.
By September 1964, the Depot was moved across the tracks, becoming inaccessible to guests.
August 1966 marked the debut of New Orleans Square, and the scenery around the Depot reflected the addition. None of the buildings you see were accessible to guests, but they sure did add to the immersive experience of feeling like you were in New Orleans.
On the second floor balcony of The New Orleans Trading Company building, you can see this trio of flags representing France, The United States, and Spain. These flags spoke to New Orleans being founded by French Colonists in 1718, transferred to Spain in 1763, and finally becoming part of the U.S. with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
In this July 1968 shot, the flags are gone. What happened?
The flag holder is still there, as is the rest of the decor.
August 1971, the flag holder is still empty:
November 1978:
A little more decor/clutter on the balcony (how about that birdcage?) and some maturing landscaping, but the flags do not appear to have returned.
Flash forward to January 2006 (yes, I do have gaps in my collection!) and holder is not only empty, but you can see the cascading rust trail on the light pink paint:
A miracle occurred at some point between the previous photo and this January 2007 shot; the flags returned! Barrels must have been on sale, as there are plenty to be found now at the Trading Company.
May 2007:
May 2011:
An evening shot from October 2011 for variety:
Sadly, by March 2012 they had been removed again.
Just the holder, some rust stains, and those durn barrels.
June 2013:
May 2015, which is the last shot I took of this area before my final visit in December 2016:
No flags.
If anyone has background info on the flag removal, let me know! Just another detail at Disneyland that I’m sure has gone unnoticed by most over the years.
See more Disneyland Railroad Frontierland Depot photos at my main website.
3 comments:
The on again - off again - on again - off again trio of flags. Only at Disneyland-? Maybe. Thanks for the photo-documentation of this area - the Frontierland Depot (New Orleans Square) is a favorite of mine, too.
Great post, Dave! Those facades actually mask the corner of the show building for Pirates of the Caribbean. I've often been curious if the cinder block wall of the show building is behind the facades, or if you can actually walk into the back of the ride from the decorative doors? My guess is that it's the former, and those buildings are just deep enough to allow maintenance to the decorations.
Nanook - I sure wish I had more photos from the intervening years of the 80s-90s. Rusty - thanks for the comment; I never really think about the show building extending that far over because of where the entrance façade is. An after-hours all-access pass would be ideal, wouldn't it?
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