Tencennial: Go West Young Man!

With one vote for Frontierland, and one for Adventureland, I did what any Democratic person would do: flip a coin. So it’s off to Frontierland, with a nice view of the Columbia sailing on the Rivers of America. Next up is the very latest in ROA transportation: A raft on the left (to take you to Tom Sawyer’s Island) and a Keelboat. Right nearby, looking like it might collapse at any minute is Fowler’s Inn & Harbor, where the Columbia and Mark Twain get free parking.



Here’s a wider shot showing you how those newfangled rafts make their way to and from TSI:



Watch out! Here comes one of them Indian Canoes from the right!



And here comes the Mark Twain, sandwiched between Castle Rock & Cascade Peak:



Here are 2 more of Cascade Peak:





Tomorrow, we’ll spend another day in Frontierland with a few more views from September 1965.

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

Tencennial: Central Plaza & The Castle

In my excitement to post yesterday, I left out one of my favorite images: the Main Street Train Station with #4 pulling into the station (and Denny’s in the background—what a buzzkill!). To get down Main Street to see the rest of the park, let’s take the Omnibus.



And now the obligatory Sleeping Beauty’s Castle shots:





For tomorrow, how about a vote to see which hub we visit next? Exercise a little Democracy and leave a comment on the blog.

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

San Juan Capistrano Mission Pt. Trois

MORE pics from the famed Mission.













See more vintage and contemporary San Juan Capistrano photos at my main website.

Disneyland Main Street Commissioned Painting 12

Doing shadows is not the most exciting thing. This is why landscapes, etc. take me so long; VERY easy to lose interest in the mundane.

To see more of my art, visit my main website.

Tencennial: The arrival

If you have no interest in The Tencenniel/1965 photos, you might want to avoid my blog for the next week or two. This series was taken in September 1965. Today is post one in the series, starting out with (what else?) Main Street. This look back towards the Train Station shows the Tencenniel signage/bunting on the Main Street gaslamps. Shot 2 is a little closer to the Train Station; always interesting to see the shops that are still there and the others that are gone.



#3 is the money shot that EVERYbody takes, a view towards the castle (get that Cast Member out of the street, willya'?!?). Included is a closeup of a Plaza Innn paper sign on the gaslamp: “A Victorian Restaurant in the Grand Manner.”





One more money shot (no cast members this time!) and a detail of the Tencenniel signage.





See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Main Street U.S.A. photos at my main website.

Storybook Assortment

Yup, it’s Spring Cleaning in September. Here is an assortment of shots through the years of Storybook Land. Just making way for the HUUUUGE (and I mean huge!) Tencenniel series starting tomorrow (that's Monday, peeps). First 2 shots today are from August 3, 1959, and shows a little cutie about to get eaten by Monstro. Oh, wait....no, she escapes out his backside and ends up in Storybook Land. Phew! No wonder she looks so calm.



Here are 3 shots of Pinocchio’s Village, from August 1958, June 1964, and an undated view.







Last one for today is this undated look (most likely 1950’s) at Mr. Toad’s Hall:



Compare and contrast with this modern-day view:



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.

Upjohn Pharmacy Interior, Nov. 1955

One of the greatest things about doing this blog is being able to “meet” (or whatever the word is for the online equivalent) people who worked for the park and other Disneyland fanatics who are just as much into the history of the park as I am. One such person is CoxPilot. Having worked at the Flight Circle in Tomorrowland, he has been a fantastic resource for photos and information. He has willingly shared his memories and allowed me to post them to my site, for which I am extremely grateful. Here are 3 photos from his collection, starting off with an interior of the Upjohn Pharmacy on West Main Street, from November 1955. Picture 2 is from the 20K Exhibit that was in Tomorrowland, showing off some of the actual suits used in the movie.



Pic 3 is a little short on detail, but still a rarity: a pencil sketch of the Nautilus, from the same exhibit:



Many thanks to CoxPilot for making it possible to view these rare images.

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

San Juan Capistrano Mission Pt. Deux

More pics from the famed Mission.







See more vintage and contemporary San Juan Capistrano photos at my main website.

Through the Years: Matterhorn Medley

I present a chronological series of the Matterhorn today, beginning with Nixon & his family on the momentous day in June 1959 when the Matterhorn, Submarine Voyage, and Monorail were officially unveiled. Nixon’s family actually christened the Monorail that day. Pic 2 is from the same summer, August 3 to be exact.



From July 1961, including a glimpse of the Monsanto House of the Future:



January 1962:



This cracks me up to see this guy plugged in to play his accordion, from Nov. 29, 1963:



Another 11/29/63 view, showing the Annual Christmas Star atop the Matterhorn:



Finally, an August 1976 Bicentennial year shot:



See more Matterhorn photos on my main website.

San Juan Capistrano Mission

It would be embarrassing to actually count the amount of times I drove by the exit for this Mission without stopping to see it. Finally this year, I did, and here are the results of photo snapping. Truly a beautiful place, but would love to come back when all the school children don’t have a field trip at the same time!







See more vintage and contemporary San Juan Capistrano photos at my main website.

Town Square Duo

The same strapping lads that were posing by the Moonliner yesterday were also coerced to stand next to the Horse-Drawn Trolley. They look like they’d rather be eating ice cream out of the cart in front of the Opera House instead. While in Town Square, I will throw in this November 1957 shot of President Harry Truman. Apparently, sour-puss wife Bess didn’t get the joke.



For Major, here’s the detail shot from yesterday that I promised, showing the Thimble Drome Flags/Banners:



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Moonliner photos on my main website.

1950’s TWA Moonliner: In glorious sepia

Here are 2 undated (and separate batches) bw TWA Moonliner shots from the 1950’s. For those that missed it when I first posted it, here’s an upclose color version of the signage:



Back to sepia. Looks like gigantic martini olives on toothpicks behind the Moonliner, huh?



See more Moonliner photos on my regular website.