Childhood Issues

At first glance, I thought this April 1965 shot was taken at Knott’s Berry Farm. Very rarely do you see one of the Native Americans outside of the Indian Village at Disneyland. This was one of those rare cases, as the Frontier Trading Post and iconic Wooden Indian Statue are also clearly visible in the photo. The gent on the right seems incredulous, too. I obviously am not alone!



Just seven months later, my family visited Disneyland in honor of my oldest brother’s 8th birthday. I got stuck at home with Grandma. What a raw deal; no wonder I visited the Park so much in my adulthood!



Everything stems from those childhood issues!

As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, leave it to David from Gorillas Don’t Blog to know the answer about the mystery Fantasyland poster. He immediately contacted me with info AND images. The best!



The poster in your blog post is from a set of six litho posters (25" X 38") that were sold in the Park; I wasn't sure if they went on sale in 1965 or 1966, but your photo is from 1965, so that solves that.



I'm not sure I've ever seen another photo in which you could see one of these posters for sale!



I remember in my early poster collecting days, you could acquire the whole set of six for around $800 to $1000. Now they can fetch several thousand dollars EACH.



The Van Eaton auctions have had many of these posters for sale, sometimes referred to as "near attraction posters."





See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my main website.

Is it live or is it...

This October 1962 image is a new acquisition to the Daveland collection. I am still going to guess that this "animal" is of the taxidermied vs. the "live" variety. A closeup of the nearby signage:



Here are the other images I have of the same image. I'll let you decide if Walt actually had a real animal on display or not. August 1956:



1956:



1950s:



July 1967:



I think it's pretty safe to say that by the time Walt acquired this beast, it had already been "put to pasture."

See more vintage Disneyland Indian Village photos at my main website.

Disneyland 1963 in BW

This series of negatives from 1963 yielded some very clear shots of Disneyland, beginning with this view of the entrance. Oh those vintage attraction posters are magical!



This lovely lady is about to mail a letter, bragging to her friends back home about what a wonderful time she is having at Disneyland...while they're not. Oh, that hurts.



Made in St. Louis. Wonder if these are the same lamps there today? Banner Iron Works closed in 1986; looks like most of the buildings belonging to it have been demolished.



Wish I could read that address!



This cast member is assisting the guest onto the Amazon Belle (just for you, Matthew!).



Posing with an Indian at the Indian Village.



That wobbly old bridge at Tom Sawyer's Island!



I believe that's a bit of Rainbow Ridge visible in the background!



More vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Myra at Disneyland

This 1950s publicity shot really got my attention when I noticed the old Frontierland Depot in the background. I'm not sure who Myra Joyce Olson was, but this lucky little girl had her picture taken and splashed all over the newspapers of the day. Here's the accompanying publicity blurb:

Myra Joyce Olson gets the best form Chief Shooting Star in Frontierland, Disneyland, California.

A closer look at the drum:



Chief Shooting Star can be seen in these other shots from my collection from 1955:





More Disneyland Indian Village photos at my main website.

MORE Gems from Disneyland August 1961

A few more from the August 1961 collection of vintage Disneyland images, starting off with a shot of the Fred Gurley. It's always fun to get a closer look at the cast members of yore.



Our 1961 photographer seemed to like Adventureland and the decor at the entrance.



I had to get a better look at the mask at the top of the entrance sign:



I am in Tiki heaven with this shot:



After admiring the tiki statue my eyes went right towards the signage:



Before moving on to other adventures, the photographer shot one more in this area:



This one was dubbed: "The Castle Fairyland." Well...close.



This double exposed shot is still lots of fun.



How about that TWA bag; wonder if she was a stewardess. Oh, excuse me...flight attendant.



From the Skyway bucket we have this view of Cinderella's Castle from the Storybook Land attraction:



A closer look at the village below:



This inscription on the slide has me intrigued: "Riverboat ride even served mint juleps on the ride." Anyone out there remember beverages being served aboard the Twain?



Another shot of the Twain taken from dry land:



Zooming in to the raft that transported guests to Tom Sawyer's Island:



This one was labeled: "Indian camps along river on the riverboat ride."



This closeup is all about the signage, not the stroller.



A shot from the dock of the Jungle Cruise:



Zooming in we can see that it's the Congo Queen:



This one was labeled: "Jungle ride was so dark!"



Hope you enjoyed this amazing set of vintage images from 1961! More vintage (and current!) Disneyland photos at my main website.

Journey Back To 1956 Pt. 2

Welcome back to 1956. The paddlewheel of the mighty Mark Twain is churning round the green Rivers of America at Disneyland.

The more decoratively appointed Bertha Mae Keel Boat can be seen cruising the River.



A closer look:



From the dock side of the river we get an alternative view of the Bertha Mae:



as well as an Indian Canoe:



C'mon people, get the lead out! Start paddling harder!



There's a raft full of peeps ready to explore Tom Sawyer's Island.



A detailed view provides a look at Fowler's Harbor and the original tunnel for the Disneyland Railroad in Frontierland.



Our 1956 photographer sure loved the River!



I am guessing this shot of the Golden Horseshoe was taken from the treehouse (or thereabouts) on Tom Sawyer Island.



By this point in Disneyland history, the Indian Village had already been moved from its original location near Adventureland to its new spot in Frontierland.



Care to ride a canoe?



I love interior images of Fort Wilderness; if only it could be restored to its 1956 glory.



The final two shots in the collection show Knotts Berry Farm, starting with this image of panning for gold.





I have read that panning for gold is supposed to return to Knotts this year. Hooray!



More vintage (and current!) Disneyland images at my main website.