56 Years Ago: The Columbia

Sure, sure…everyone knows that this weekend marked the 55th Anniversary of the high-tech Monorail, Matterhorn, and Submarine attractions at Disneyland. Today, I am going to celebrate the decidedly low-tech 56th Anniversary of the christening of the Columbia, which occurred on June 4, 1958. With the Mark Twain needing a little assistance with all the guests wanting to see the Rivers of America, Walt Disney decided to build another large ship, so he asked Joe Fowler (Disneyland’s construction supervisor and a former naval admiral) to pick a historic sailing ship for inspiration. Fowler recommended the first American sailing ship to go around the world: the Columbia Rediviva.

Today's post features three images from the USC Digital Archives. Rear Admiral Joseph Fowler and Walt Disney pose with Vice Admiral and Mrs. Alfred C. Richmond (presenting a gift Bible to ship).

Let's zoom in for a look at those name tags, shall we?



An overhead angle:



I'll bet Mrs. Richmond (aka Gretchen) could have had a great pitching career with that arm!





Well done, Columbia; here's to AT LEAST another 55 glorious years! You don't look a day over 20!



See more vintage and current Daveland Disneyland Columbia photos on my main website.

Layering The Wedding Cake: Mark Twain Construction

It all started with extensive research followed by sketches and concept art. A steam powered riverboat doesn't just magically appear, folks. For the Mark Twain Riverboat at Disneyland, the decks were put together at the Disney Studios in Burbank, and the hull was built at Todd Shipyards in San Pedro. The two were assembled on-site at Disneyland, as you can see here. The layering of the "Floating Wedding Cake" had begun.



I sure would love to see that photographer's photos!



Could that be Walt on the far right? Maybe, maybe not...but I'd like to think so.



Compared to another shot of him surveying the park, the hat, outfit, and stance do look appropriate:



Still missing a layer!



Getting closer...



Finally, as seen in this public Opening Day July 18, 1955 photo, it was ready to take guests on a journey around the Rivers of America.



See more vintage & current Disneyland Mark Twain photos on my main website.

The Quiet Harbor

There are very few quiet spots left at Disneyland; I consider Fowler's Inn/Harbor to be one of my very favorite. When the park is swarming with thousands of guests, you can still break away from the masses in this charming little section on the border of New Orleans Square and Critter Country. In shot one for today, from August 1955, the Inn is just a structure. No signage, no frills, no nothing. Built as a service area for the Mark Twain, it originated from a request by Admiral Joe Fowler himself. Zooming in for a closer look:



Two colorful 1950's shots, showing just how undeveloped this area was; no Haunted Mansion. No Splash Mountain. Only a path to the Indian Village.







This June 1959 shot shows how this area became very handy for the Columbia, which debuted a year earlier:



You can see the sign for Mauri's Lobster Dinners:



Even the Keelboats have been serviced here:



Lots of signage in this closeup: Bait & Tackle, Boats Rigging, Mauri's...



A side view from January 1960:



A few contemporary shots to round out this post. Still charming. Still detailed. I love it.









What's your favorite quiet spot at Disneyland?

See more vintage & current Disneyland Fowler's Harbor photos on my Fowler's Harbor web page.

TPE: Moving On To Fantasyland & The Castle

Time to enter the portal of another land. Originally, each entrance had a sense of wonder and some kind of gateway or arch thematically proclaiming what you were about to experience. The drawbridge to the Sleeping Beauty Castle is probably the most famous entrance in the Magic Kingdom. We've all seen the photos of the kids storming the Castle on July 17, 1955, which is commonly known as Opening Day.

However, as this photo shows, Opening Day wasn't the only day that the drawbridge was lowered.



Zooming in on this July 18, 1955 photo, you can see the drawbridge on the way down:



And the pandemonium that resulted (again) as guests realized that they could enter Fantasyland.



It's hard to find much that's new or interesting in vintage shots of the Castle; they are about a dime a dozen. However, for this post, I have attempted to assemble some of my more interesting 1950's shots that would show the kinds of things I'd want to see or photograph if I was able to travel back to Disneyland during that era.





Kruschev couldn't go to Disneyland, but the Russian Olympic team was able to visit, December 13, 1956:



WWII hero & actor Audie Murphy, wife Pamela Opal Lee Archer, and kids seem to be having a grand time:



For the life of me, I can't place this section of the Castle. It almost seems like a backstage area.



Perhaps an early version of Aurora, waving to guests below?



Or some other off-model Princess from a Disney movie:



Yes, you could even find "cheesecake" at early Disneyland, circa December 1957:



Disneyland legend Admiral Joe Fowler takes a tour of the park:



This one looks like dad's day out with the kids; the mom at left looks scared about all the testosterone to her right, as she shields her impressionable young daughter.



The last ones for today show Robin Hood's Merrie Men lounging around the perimeter of the Castle:







See more vintage & current Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle photos on my Castle web page.

Town Square Display Window, Admiral Joe, and Trash Can

I posted this photo a short while ago, and last weekend, took a photo of approximately the same spot in Town Square for comparison’s sake.



My other image for today is of Admiral Joe Fowler standing in Central Plaza near the Castle. Although it’s cool to see a photo of the Disney legend, it’s even cooler to see this rare trash can in the background, which is definitely unthemed. Anybody able to date this slide by the can? I’ll go ahead and repost the other photo of Joe from this same trip, standing near the Chicken of the Sea Restaurant.





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

Mixed Bag Monday

Today’s entry is an uninspired medley, starting with (what I have been told) a shot of the legendary Joe Fowler in front of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. For you afficianados of this boat, you can now purchase a model on Amazon and create your own for only $9.95! The colors Revell has selected are wrong, but with a few of my vintage pics as guides, you can’t go wrong. 2nd photo today is a rear shot of the Viewliner, from an undated transparency. It always seems funny to see the DL Railroad side-by-side with this streamlined modern marvel!



PLUG OF THE DAY: And for the stellar news of the day, my brother has located his Polaroid pics taken on the same day as my Holy Grail post from Friday. Stay tuned for their posting!

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