1950 Pictorial California, Pt. 1

The Winter 1950 edition of Pictorial California and the Pacific featured a number of my favorite places. Marking the 25th anniversary of the publication’s start, the founder was Eugene Swarzwald, who simply wanted to “publicize California and the Pacific, to show the loveliness, the dynamic beauty, the grandeur, and the lure of the West.” The ads at the back of the publication are just as interesting as the gorgeous photography featured on sepia-toned pages.



It is fitting that the foreword is plastered over a picture of palm trees, orange groves, and cloud-covered mountains.



The first areas featured are those I have yet to visit. The top picture shows “historic Gardella, where the California State Highway 49 crosses the Mokelumne River.” The bottom image shows “the dusty main street of Volcano.” Volcano is home to many firsts: theater group in CA (1854), private school in CA (1855), first private law school in CA (1855), and first legal hanging in Amador County (1856)!



As a kid, I visited Columbia State Park many times with my California cousins. I loved the old western town with its vintage touristy shops and a stagecoach ride that was “held-up” on each trip. My brothers got a kick out of heckling the stagecoach robber!



A genuine FauxD© 1970s shot of the Columbia State Park Wells Fargo Express coach:



Next up is a two-page spread featuring Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco:



The Wharf area when I visited in 2002:







The photography in this publication is stunning, even without being in full color. Below is a shot of Jenner Beach in Sonoma County, about 90 minutes north of San Francisco:



Storm clouds over Joshua National Forest, named after the Joshua trees that populate the area:



Still beautiful…



Below is the reason I picked up this magazine - a shot of Sunset Boulevard featuring (but not naming) the Chateau Marmont hotel and the Garden of Allah:



Chateau at left, the Garden of Allah across the street:



In August 2015, I captured some similar views:



The Garden of Allah was paved over for a bank and a strip mall, and now even those are gone.



More scenic sepia California views to come!

See more vintage and contemporary photos from my collection at my main website.

Columbia State Park in 3D!

Although it may not be as famous as some other Ghost/Gold Rush/Mining Towns, visits to Columbia State Park were a staple of my childhood. I still recall riding the stagecoach which was magically held up by bandits of the Old West each time. Even though I knew what was coming, it never failed to disappoint…especially the time my smart-ass brother decided to heckle the bandit. Back to this post… By 1852 (only 2 years after gold was first discovered here) there were 8 hotels, 4 banks, 17 general stores, and over 40 saloons. The images presented here are from 3D strips of film from the 1970s, presented to you in genuine FauxD©! Let’s start with a visit to the old Columbia School House, bult in 1860. While less ornate than the one you might see at Calico or Knott’s Berry Farm, it still gives a feel of the era. The school had 368 students in attendance in its first year and was staffed by two teachers and a principal. It was open for biz until 1937 when it was closed for not meeting earthquake safety requirements. Renovated in 1960, it is open for tours.

Saint Anne’s Catholic Church was the first brick church built in California back in 1856. Brick…not adobe!

Here is a recreation of the original Columbia Gazette Printing Office, which was lost to fire in 1857.

The historic Wells Fargo Express Office, built in 1858.

The last one for today shows the Fire House, Drug Store, and Dentist's Office:

I still remember the candy store in Columbia, where you could get rock candy (which looked like rocks) wrapped in a metal mining dish. What a thrill! See more Columbia State Park photos at my main website.

Grace goes to Columbia

Taking a one-day break from all things Disney, I interrupt with a post about a childhood memory that returned thanks to the acquisition of vintage photo #1.

As a child, one of the highlights of our annual trip to California was the time that our family spent with my Aunt & Uncle up in Tuolumne County, 45 miles northeast of Modesto. Nearby was Columbia State Park, a quaint little historic town that preserved what Frontierland attempts to recreate. From the California Parks website:

The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved with shops, restaurants and two hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the 1850s, imagining life when gold miners rubbed shoulders with businessmen and the other residents in Columbia. Visitors can experience a bygone era watching proprietors in period clothing conduct business in the style of yesterday. There are opportunities to ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, and explore the real working businesses of Columbia.

I still have fond memories of panning for gold, shopping for rock candy (it came in the same type of pan you'd use in panning for gold), and riding the stagecoach, which invariably got held up by some nasty varmints that were all part of the fun.

Photo number one from today shows Grace Kelly in Columbia, where they were filming scenes for the classic western "High Noon." Grace played Amy, the wife of Sheriff Will Kane (Gary Cooper) in Fred Zinnemann’s classic film. Fictitious Hadleyville, New Mexico’ was to have been filmed on Columbia State Historic Park's Main Street, but by the time the crew arrived, spring had arrived and the bleak, bare main street of Columbia had burst into green leafiness. Western Street on the Columbia Pictures lot in Burbank ended up standing in for the real thing. Oh the irony...shooting Columbia at Columbia.

There are still a few scenes that were shot in the real Columbia, such as the one showing the white picket fence of Sam Fuller (Harry Morgan), the cowardly friend who sends his wife to claim he's not at home. This is the Wilson House on Main Street, a few doors away from The Visitor Center, and the last privately-owned home in the town.

In this vintage shot of the Columbia Hotel/Fallon Theatre, you can see where Grace was standing.



An interior shot of the Fallon Theatre where I once saw a live stage version of "Dracula." It was very well done, and the memory of the "bats" flying over the audience still lingers with me today.



Another vintage shot, showing the Stage Driver's Retreat:



Last one for today is a May 1963 view of the Stagecoach. One of these days I'll have to find the shots of my family's visits there.



See more vintage Columbia State Park photos on my Columbia State Park web pages.