Melinda Goes to Knott’s Berry Farm

Melinda is back in time for the July 4th celebration with more images from her June 1980 trip to Southern California! This time, she has shared photos from her family’s visit to Knott’s Berry Farm. Once again, I will rely on my better-informed readers, as Knott’s is definitely not my area of expertise! As for the photos themselves, they were shot by Melinda “…with my little Kodak 110 camera of some sort.” Even her recollections of Knott’s are a bit cloudy:

I only have vague memories of riding the log ride at Knott's, and really nothing else about that park. We must have gone there last of the three [theme parks] as there are hardly any photos of it, so we were probably finishing off our last rolls of film for the trip.

Anyone else out there recall the joy of having a few photos that needed to be shot to be able to take the roll to the camera shop to be developed? The first image shown is of the Timber Mountain Log Ride, the one attraction Melinda remembers. The attraction itself looked pretty much the same when I photographed it in October 2014, other than the monstrosity on the right:



I’m going to make a guess that these next two were from the Fiesta Village:





Melinda and family pose in front of the Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge train from the Calico Railroad:



The train was still running when I last visited Knott’s in August 2021:



I’m not sure what this attraction is, but it’s my favorite photo of the batch; you can just feel the centrifugal force as everyone is joyously pushed to one side of their ride vehicle!



Looks like the Flying Ace attraction from Camp Snoopy:



I am assuming this is Knott’s, but another area I can’t identify:



The next three are from a marionette show; Bob Baker, perhaps?







This last one showing an 18' high reproduction of Michelangelo’s Statue of David was from the nearby Movieland Wax Museum, also in Buena Park. It was sold off in 2007 with the rest of the now defunct museum’s holdings. Nope…it wasn’t made of wax. It was actually carved from marble!



Here’s a 1967 ad from Vacationland Magazine for the Palace of Living Art at the Movieland Wax Museum, where the David replica was featured:



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

Knott’s in 3D!

Just when you thought your stomach was safe…I present a trio of Genuine FauxD© Knott’s Berry Farm images from July 1955. Care to take a ride on the Calico Railroad in Ghost Town?

Another view of Ghost Town:



It is so unfortunate this one is blurry; would have loved to zoom in on the wall, the clock...oh this hurts.



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

Knott's Blowout: The 1960's

It's been awhile since I've posted any Knott's Berry Farm photos, so today's post will rectify that in a big way. First up is a batch of February 1964 images featuring the Calico Mine Train attraction (which opened in 1960) and the Calico Railroad (1952).



Two of the stagecoach attraction:



Transitioning into the next group of images, this shot is from one year later, March 1965:



The Mine Train attraction and the Calico Train are probably some of the more photographed areas of the park:



Old MacDonald's Farm. Can I get an "EE-I-EE-I-O"? In 1978, this area was replaced with Montezooma's Revenge.



Moving on to June 23, 1968, we see Boot Hill Cemetery, which is reminiscent of the cemetery behind Fort Wilderness at Disneyland:



Zooming in to see the Native American tableau in the background:



I get sick when I see this contemporary shot from 2010. This is not a good example of "new" and "old" co-habitating.



The Wagon Camp:



A Logging Wheel (just what every amusement park needs).



The Candy Parlour:



Ah, tranquility:



The Church of Reflections:



A view of the church from my 2010 visit:



A faithful re-creation of "The Jersey Lilly," which was Judge Roy Bean's Saloon in Langtry, Texas:



How it looked during my 2010 visit:



The Grist Mill:



The Sheriff poses with guests:



See more vintage & current Knott's Berry Farm photos on my Knott's web pages.