Hump Day on Tom Sawyer Island, September 1969

Welcome to Tom Sawyer Island, circa September 1969! Our first shot was taken aboard the Mark Twain and shows The Old Mill, the raft to the Island, and the Fishing Pier. Yes, you once were able to catch fish at Disneyland. Below, Apple-Skirt Girl is posing next to the Three Falls and steps to the Treehouse.



Not to be outdone, her brother poses for the same shot. Dad did a better job this time, capturing more of the Three Falls this time. Practice makes perfect!



The fam finally made it to the Treehouse.



A detail of the Tom + Becky carved detail, mentioned in a previous post:



Now you can see that Tom and Huck's Tree House was made from boxes that contained oderless (sp) feathers for pillow stuffing.



Dad handed the camera over to Mom for a shot by the Old Mill.



Just in case you wanted to read the sign and learn something. Edutainment.



Time to brave Injun Joe’s Cave! Who knows what dangers lurk inside those dark caverns?



Mom was not going to let go of the Tom Sawyer Island brochure. No way she was going to get lost on the Island. Nice ring, too! That must have set Dad back a pretty penny.



A rare interior shot of the caves. Thank goodness for flash bulbs!



Final one for today shows the fam (minus Dad who took the photo) on top of Teeter-Totter Rock:



See more Disneyland Tom Sawyer Island photos at my main website.

Tom's Treehouse

The Disneyland Tom Sawyer Island tree house is barely recognizable in this early 1950's photo. The mini waterfall below is from The Three Falls. According to a vintage brochure:

Legend tells us that many moons ago, lightning struck this tree and caused three waterfalls to spring from its roots…and The 3 Falls became the headwaters of the Rivers of America.



This September 1958 image gives a closer look at the crates used to cover the tree house:



and one from 1962:



The house survived the transition to Pirate's Lair, albeit with a much less hand-crafted look. Here's a shot from 2008:



Missing that original tree house? Climb on up to my main website and see more.

Blurred Gems, Pre-1965: Rivers of America

Board the Mark Twain for a tour of the Rivers of America. So much to see and do here, yet also a wonderful place to sit back and relax while this beautiful riverboat takes around Tom Sawyer Island. Speaking of TSI, here’s a closeup of the Old Mill. Sorry signage geeks, the shot is too blurry to zoom in for detail. So for now, just pretend this slide is a Monet, stand back, and squint. You might get better results.



Another one from TSI; not sure, but this could be the 3 Falls described in the original TSI brochure: “Legend tells us that many moons ago, lightning struck this tree and caused three waterfalls to spring from its roots…and The 3 Falls became the headwaters of the Rivers of America.”



Another mode of transportation for the Rivers of America is this long-gone Keelboat:



And if you still need more variety, how about a canoe, or the Columbia?



Last one from this series shows the Nature’s Wonderland Mine Train passing the falls of Cascade Peak.



To see more vintage and current Rivers of America photos, visit my website.