Frontierland Friday: Concept Art Comparison

I love comparing concept art with the actual execution of a project. It’s interesting attempting to figure out why changes were made (budget, time constraints, change in direction) and what might have been if plans had been carried out as originally designed. In the art above, it appears that the Indian Village was planned to be located at the entrance to Frontierland. I would agree with the decision to move it behind the gates further back, as it would most likely have created a bottleneck of guests at the entrance. From July 18, 1955, the opening day of Disneyland for the normal folk:



This shot from December 26, 1955 shows the festive holiday decor at the gate:



In this detail view of the concept art, it appears that the original name was to be Frontier Country:



It’s clearly Frontierland in this October 1959 shot! I do like the addition of the flagpole at the entrance inside the “fort.” I can’t remember there ever being a flag ceremony here like the one in Town Square; anyone know about that?



For this piece of concept art facing the river with the Mark Twain in the background, Frontierland looks like your typical movie western main street, with lots of shops and services:



In this July 18, 1955, the final product had fewer shops and a lot of real estate for the miniature horse corral instead.



If you compare this detailed view of the art with photos of Disneyland’s neighbor, Knott’s Berry Farm, it looks very much like that Park’s Ghost Town:



Knott’s Ghost Town, circa May 1966:



A contemporary view of Knott’s



In this third piece of concept art, the name is Frontier Land, but spelled out as two words instead of one (same with True Life Adventure Land in the upper right).



This aerial construction view shows a somewhat similar vantage point. The Mark Twain/Columbia dock area for guests was nowhere to be found in the concept art; that was a nice addition.



Closeup of the construction for the New Orleans Street area (where River Belle Terrace is now):





A color view from October 1955:



Without mature landscaping, it was much easier in the early years to see the other lands in the distance. Still no Matterhorn or Skyway at this point; just the spires of the Castle and the Carrousel.



A 1950s view taken aboard the Mark Twain:



The flagpole or “town square” portion of Frontierland seems to have been closer to the river according to the concept art:



Here’s the flagpole and plaque as shown on Opening Day at the front gate:



The concept art also seemed to include a larger two-story building at the entrance to the Stagecoach/Wagon attraction that took guests through the “desert.” 

Value-engineering at its finest:



You can see the New Orleans inspired balconies on the building connected to the Golden Horseshoe in this detailed view. The bandstand by the river appears to be in the lower right:



The New Orleans Street bandstand on the Rivers of America as it was constructed:



Overall, not too bad as far as building what was promised!

See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my main website.

Return of The Haunted Shack

The Haunted Shack at Knott’s Berry Farm was a guest favorite since the time it debuted in 1954, causing fans to rumble when it was unceremoniously removed in 2000. For the (belated) 100th anniversary of Knott’s Berry Farm, a piece of The Haunted Shack has returned. The original experience was a guided tour through several rooms, but among the favorite was a room where two guests would stand in opposite corners, making one appear taller and the other shorter.

Eric graciously modeled the trick for me during our recent visit:

Today, a diagram explains how to accomplish this little parlor trick. It would have been helpful if I had read this beforehand!

This little barrel appears to be held up by falling water:

It’s a nice touch to honor the history, but it also reminds one of how much cooler the original was and what a shame it was removed to begin with. Want to experience what it was like? Drive over to the town of Calico and visit their Mystery Shack:

Back to Knott’s…I do enjoy this other creepy parlor trick that resides as peek-in at the Boot Hill Undertaker:

Love this!

Want to see the original Knott’s Haunted Shack? This video on YouTube shows a guest’s final walk-thru:

See more Knott’s Berry Farm photos at my main website.

Munching on a Monday in Ghost Town

The first order of business once Eric Lynxwiler and I entered Knott’s Berry Farm was to chow down at the Ghost Town Grill, which originally opened in 1941 as the Buffalo Steakhouse. On Sept. 11, 1946, it was renamed the Ghost Town Grill with an expanded interior designed by artist Paul von Klieben. The façade, faux chuckwagon, and mural are still there. Eric pointed out this painting on the way to our table, which is also by von Klieben:

How about this little patch of history? I love seeing the layers of wallpaper history:

Even though there’s probably not an ounce of Boysenberry juice in it, I still had to order the Boysenberry punch to accompany my lunch:

I ordered the Mac and Cheese:

…and Eric had the Edamame Salad:

I finished the meal with a slice of Boysenberry pie à la mode. Note: the very cool placemat underneath our plates was designed by none other than Eric himself.

Don’t worry; there are plenty more Knott’s photos to come!

See more Knott’s Berry Farm photos at my main website.

Back to Knott's, Pt. 4: Calico Mine Ride

When we last visited Knott's Berry Farm together, I left you at the entrance to the Calico Mine Company. Today, it's time to board the train!



Designed by Bud Hurlbut, this attraction has been entertaining guests since November 1960. And yes, guests of today need a simple common sense reminder:



Lighting can make all the difference:





These scenes with the animatronics look huge and are so impressive; would they be if the lights were on? Probably not, but that's all part of the illusion.



One of the almost fifty animatronic figures in this attraction:





My favorite scene: The Cavern/Heaven Room with the ethereal music playing in the background:





A brief trip back out into the sunshine:



Those vultures are just waiting for a snack:



And then back into the darkness...



for an explosive finale!



See more Calico Mine Ride photos at my main website.