Getting Nosey at the Castle, 1958

This August 1958 image of the Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama exit at Disneyland was a must, as I didn’t have a good shot in my collection. When I received it, I noticed that there was a lot of “digging for buried treasure” as the saying goes. I love the look of shame the woman on the right of this detailed view is giving. Note the Carnation cup on the bench:



Nothing subtle about this little boy wiping the goods away while Mama sees how many tickets are left. Note the souvenir Diorama booklet she is holding in her right hand. And how about that handbag? I wonder if she bought it in Frontierland at the Arcade?



That bag very well could have been a same day purchase!



The cover of the souvenir booklet:



The final detail shot shows two little boys most likely attempting to figure out how many more attractions they can ride with their remaining tickets. Note the guide map/booklet being perused on the right side of this shot:



See more Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Diorama photos at my main website.

Disneyland Tour, July 1958: Part 2

Our July 1958 Disneyland Tour has progressed to Town Square. I love the cutout detail on the lamppost for the Horse-Drawn Streetcar:



Note the patriotic bunting (it is July, folks!) and the signage hailing the debut of the Columbia: “Full Rigged 3 Masted.”



Need a lift? Plenty of choices in Town Square, from the Omnibus:



The Chemical Wagon:



The Horseless Carriage:



…and the previously mentioned Horse-Drawn Streetcar:



A shot down Main Street, facing towards the Castle:



A closeup of the banner and the cleanup-crew:



Don’t forget to stop at the Kodak Shop to have a nifty old-time photo taken of you and your sweetheart:



Want to know what to do on Main Street? Here are some listings from a 1958 brochure:



Next up: Central Plaza!

See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Disneyland Tour, July 1958: Part 1

Imagine a visit to Disneyland in Anaheim with no Matterhorn. No Monorail. No Submarine Voyage (and mercifully without Nemo). Welcome to Disneyland, circa July 1958. Thanks to a batch of slides I recently acquired, I am able to give a fairly comprehensive tour of the Park by adding in images already in the Daveland archives. Today, we start outside the gate. Got a dog? How about boarding them at Ken-L-Land?



Back when the ticket booths were steps away from the gate:



I spot a Guide Book salesman in a straw hat:



Don't go into shock when you see the 1958 Park prices:



At the Main Street Train Station, the Disneyland population is showing up as 10,000,000 (versus 650,000,000 back in 2016).



One of my favorite things about arrival when the Park first opens is to see the train pull into the station. That sense of the excitement of catching the first train for the Grand Circle Tour around the Park is wonderful!



Note the names on the passenger cars; this one is Land of Pueblos:



An interior view of one of the passenger cars:



More to come; we’ve just barely begun our tour!

See more photos at my main website.