The Twelve Astrojets

The Disneyland Astrojet attraction in Tomorrowland opened in 1956, replacing the Court of Honor flags (shown above). Construction can be seen in the 1956 shot below:



The attraction once it was completed, circa 1956:



Note the Skyway pylon that would eventually be covered by the Matterhorn:)



This off-the-shelf-thrill ride gave guests a birds-eye view of the Park and helped alleviate the lack of attractions that were initially existed in Tomorrowland. Circa August 1956:



The rockets were named after stars, with the red ones being odd numbered and the blue ones even.



1958:



In the detailed image below you can see Canopus, Sirius, and Altair:



A July 1959 shot taken from a Skyway bucket:



My collection finally has images for each of the rockets, beginning with Canopus #2:



Capella #4:



Arcturus #5:



Rigel #6:



Antares #7:



Spica #8:



Procyon #9:



A barely visible Regulus #10:



Castor #11:



Altair #12:



And the two I haven’t been able to assign numbers, starting with Vega (my latest acquisition):



and Sirius:



Anyone know the numbers of those two? See more Disneyland Astrojets photos at my main website.

Astro Jets and Rocket Jets

The first image for today is from February 1958 and shows the Astro Jet attraction in Tomorrowland. Zooming in we can also see the Flight Circle attraction and some of the model planes waiting to be flown around the arena.



The area where the construction is going on would be the future home of the Flying Saucer attraction, which would open in 1961. Not sure what the digging would have been for at this point.



Moving ahead about 12 years, the Astro Jet attraction became the Rocket Jets, and were moved high atop the PeopleMover queue:



Today, this little hub of "activity" is about as dead as could be.



See more Disneyland Astro Jet photos at my main website.

Disneyland Trip, 1958

I was recently contacted by Traecy, who went overboard on the generosity scale by sharing these treasured images from 1958 which show her Dad's first visit to Disneyland at age 10 and a half. The family had just moved to Santa Barbara from New Jersey and they took his New Jersey Grandma to Disneyland. As Tracey tells it, “He remembered being enraptured and it felt like such a magical experience. The music was playing even in the parking lot, and he felt like he was in another world. He remembered being tall enough to ride the rides (he is the oldest boy in the photos).”

The best part is that it appears that the numbers of the photos correspond with the day's progression, as their journey to the attractions makes total sense. Grab that popcorn and let's travel back to 1958!



Interestingly enough, the Space Couple in Traecy's family shot is the same couple in one from my collection dated July 1958. It must have been their summer to greet guests!





The Autopia!



I figured a detailed view of the gas pumps was in order:



The train parked at the Tomorrowland Depot:



Don't worry, the family hasn't left Tomorrowland. They're just enjoying the Astrojets:



The real gem of this collection is this closeup view of the family in the Viewliner:



Time to sloooooooow things down a bit with the Motor Boat Cruise:





Two from Alice in Wonderland:





And a beauty showing the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship:



You can just about make out the prices on the sign in this detailed view. It would seem that Paco the Parrot bore the brunt of being the "Free Exhibit."



The motion of the swirling teacups caught mid-spin; they are obviously having a blast!



A shot taken from the Mark Twain, or perhaps the newly christened Columbia?



The Stagecoach through Frontierland:



The Pack Mules, back when Disney allowed "live" animals to add a bit of unexpected excitement to the Park.



This makes me ache. To be able to go inside Fort Wilderness again...



The last two show the childhood joy of whizzing about on the Midget Autopia:





Words alone cannot express the gratitude of Traecy for reaching out and sharing these INCREDIBLE family photos!

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

Mike on the Astrojets

In this vintage June 1957 image, little Mike is very excited to be at Disneyland. Here's the accompanying publicity blurb:

FUN FOR MIKE

Enjoying a ride on a rocket plane at Disneyland, south of Los Angeles, is Mike Malloy of Kellogg, Idaho, one of the Chronicle junior dealers who won an all-expense-paid trip to California by getting new subscriptions.

Can you imagine how many newspapers that would take today to win?

More Astrojet photos on my main website.

Skyway Madness

Anyone in the mood for a Skyway blowout? Let's start with an image from 1956, when the Skyway attraction at Disneyland first began operation. What? No Matterhorn? That's correct. Just a big mound of dirt, which came from where the Castle is. It had to go somewhere to make room for the foundation and the moat. I guess that kind of makes it royal dirt.

The rest of today's images are from August, 1959.



Call me a Peeping Tom if you'd like, but I love looking into the buckets and getting a closer view. You can also see the Richfield Autopia Eagle on the right side of the frame.





This detailed view provides a better look at the Astrojet attraction.



On first glance, this one kind of stinks because of the bar running down the center of the frame.



With a little cropping, it becomes a magnificent overhead view of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship.



Tuna boats for all!

See more vintage Disneyland Skyway photos my main website.