Rainbow Ridge Pack Mules & Miner’s Outfitters

I have always been fascinated by the highly detailed little town of Rainbow Ridge, located at Disneyland’s Nature’s Wonderland attraction. A good clear shot of this particular structure has been missing from my collection. Mainly visible from the Pack Mule attraction located adjacent to Nature’s Wonderland, The Pack Mules & Miner’s Outfitters now resides at Daveland, thanks to the newly acquired image above. Previously I just had fragments of it, as seen in these August 1960 images:





This October 1962 shot shows the view you would see of it from outside the queue, partially blocked by trees and the queue structure itself.



From July 1962, a side-teaser!



This January 1965 image gives a nice overall view of Rainbow Ridge:



My brothers are blocking the corner of my view, circa November 1965:



A few detailed views from my recently acquired image:



The art at the top of the building shows a bear scratching his back on a tree with Cascade Peak in the background:



While the image is undated, I know it is from some time post Spring 1960, when this section of buildings were added. Unfortunately, they did not get incorporated into the Big Thunder Mountain attraction.

See more Disneyland Pack Mule photos at my main website.

Wonderland Wednesday

Before there was Big Thunder Mountain, there was the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train. What it lacked in speed it more than compensated with thrills. The above undated 1950s shot shows Mineral Hall on the right, where the Black Light Corporation of America had a little display inside.



Behind the post you can see the original name of the attraction, before it became The Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland in 1960.



Another undated 1950s image with a great view of the original Rainbow Ridge mining town. While scale would have proved a problem, wouldn’t it have been great if the Barber Shop, Hardware Store, and Hotel were truly in operation for guests?



Zooming in for a look at the souvenir bag, which is not familiar to me, while the booklet in the gent’s suit pocket is.



It’s the back cover of the 1956 Guidebook:



The next consecutive shot shows a Rainbow Ridge bulletin board:



While I can’t believe a guest shot this back in 1956, I am so grateful!



Another undated (but most likely 1956-57) view of Rainbow Ridge, but this time the train is at the station:



I see three cameras (where are those photos/slides now?) and a popcorn bucket!



See more vintage Disneyland Nature’s Wonderland photos at my main website.

(Semi) Wild West Wednesday

I’m a sucker for Rainbow Ridge images, that highly detailed town (that didn’t have to be!) that was part of the Nature’s Wonderland attraction at Disneyland. This August 1965 shot is particularly nice, with an assortment of props and posters on the porch of the General Store/Post Office.



This appears to be a vintage ad for some kind of laundry product:



This is how the General Store looks as of the last time I photographed it in 2015 (yikes!) from my Big Thunder Mountain Railroad car zipping by:



…and a wider angle view from 2008:



This portion of Rainbow Ridge that can seen in this January 1969 shot is no longer there.



No more Dance Hall; I guess the nearby Golden Horseshoe Saloon will have to do!



See more Disneyland Nature's Wonderland photos at my main website.

Cameras at Rainbow Ridge

Image #1 for today was taken from Disneyland’s Mark Twain riverboat and features a lovely panorama shot of the quaint mining town of Rainbow Ridge. This detailed show really illustrates the power of forced perspective. When you see the workers next to the buildings at the top of the town, you realize just how small they are. 



In this second image from the same batch, Sheriff Lucky guards over the Nature’s Wonderland attraction, keeping guests safe from that nasty bandit, Black Bart.



It appears that there was some professional filming going on at the time this photo was taken:



Panning to the right, an early example of graffiti, giving a shout-out to Pecos Bill.



This previously posted image shows another photo opportunity in the works at Rainbow Ridge, with some camera equipment that is a bit less spectacular!



See more Disneyland Nature’s Wonderland photos at my main website.

Carrots for Friday

I am semi-obsessed with the Disneyland Pack Mule attraction. To think that “live” animals and an unpredictable element were ever at the Park is difficult to comprehend now. This little girl from June 1961 must have been obsessed with carrots, and she was not afraid to let the world know. A carrot on her shirt, and a pair of capri pants LOADED with carrots. I bet she had good teeth and vision.



This previously posted July 1962 image shows the same area, but from a wide-angle. I like covering all the angles.



You can see that the obscured sign in today’s first image is for wagon repair. Better go there quick; I hear parts are taking a long time to ship these days.



See more Disneyland Pack Mule photos at my main website.

The Evolution of Disneyland’s Frontierland

From the top of Disneyland’s Mark Twain Riverboat, one can get a great overview of Frontierland. Today’s post shows a few vintage views of the evolution of this area. While this image is undated, thanks to the lack of the Matterhorn on the horizon, we know it’s at least pre-1959. Zooming in, we can see the ticket booth for the The Rainbow Caverns Mine Train; this shot is most likely between 1956 and 1958.

Panning to the right for details you can see the tarps covering the Zocalo Market area:

At the far right, the Moonliner in Tomorrowland looks strangely out of place with the Frontierland Shooting Gallery in the foreground.

Another undated 1950’s shot that would appear, based on the tree growth, to be from the same time period:

The original round Skyway bucket design can be seen floating in the background:

This March 1958 shot was probably taken from the Treehouse on Tom Sawyer Island:

Still no Matterhorn at this point in Disneyland history:

By June 1959, the Matterhorn was almost complete:

A great overview detail of Rainbow Ridge:

And if you zoom in juuuuuuuust a bit closer you can see the scaffolding on the still unfinished Matterhorn:

Our June 1961 photographer didn’t care about the panorama, but instead chose to focus on the dock area itself:

The little pavilion where the Gonzales Trio performed is now visible:

That beautiful sign for El Zocalo...if only the photographer had a better zoom lens!

Moving ahead to September 1963:

Colorful thatched “umbrellas” now adorn the Casa de Fritos restaurant:

June 1965:

A Tour Guide can be seen at left, and it would also appear that the photographer captured the Gonzales Trio mid-performance:

The last one for today hails from September 1969:

The Pavilion is no longer in site:

But a little refreshment stand is visible:

This 1978 publicity shot let’s us know it was for Hot Burritos for only 35¢:

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