Fort Friday

Friday is Fort Day, or at least at Daveland! Enjoy a rare inside view of Disneyland’s Fort Wilderness, which once was a place of exploration. Image one is from June 20, 1956, about one month after the Fort first opened. Look at that family; I’d say they were satisfied with their visit and rated the Fort 2 thumbs up for fun!



An early 1956 inside view of the Fort:



This one was shot from the Columbia as it navigated the waters of the Rivers of America:



Zooming in to the party about to enter the Fort:



An undated 1950s exterior shot; note the Mark Twain smoke-stack on the right side of the shot:



A little groundskeeping work being done in this 1957 image; it takes a lot of work to look this rustic!



A 1957 interior shot:



1957:



...and of course a detailed view of the dock and entrance area:



From March 1957; looks like some additional trees are awaiting to be planted.



April 1958:



Also 1958:



The Fort closed in 2003 and has not been reopened to the public since. A variation of the Fort (which looks like something from Home Depot) still exists, but is just a shadow of its former glory.



See more Disneyland Fort Wilderness photos at my main website.

Historic Sugartown

My mom will often bait me with things we can do to get me to come visit her out in Pennsylvania; historic Sugartown was one of those things that she had been dangling in front of me for years. I finally told her we needed to go see it. Unfortunately, it is only open a few days per week and the rainy day we visited was not one of those.

What’s Sugartown? I’m so glad you asked! It’s a 19th-century village where early residents established a school, general store, businesses, and meeting places for the surrounding farming community. The village was originally named Shugart’s Town, after tavern keeper Eli Shugart, serving as a stop for weary travelers hauling wagonloads of goods to the markets of Philadelphia and other parts of the county. Seems like Shugart got the shaft as the tavern is no longer in biz and the name of the town obviously changed.



Even though the shops were closed, I still managed to make my way around to take a few shots.





One through the windows:



The weather and the buildings made me feel like I was inside an Andrew Wyeth painting.









Of course, Mom promised that next time I visit she’d check the schedule ahead of time so that we could tour the historic buildings. Should I believe her? Or is this just another dangled carrot? I’ll give her a second chance; it looks pretty cool!

See more historic Sugartown photos at my main website.

My Favorite Adventureland Gadget

Some of my very favorite memories of Disneyland as a kid involved the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Today’s first image is from February 1965. Why did it appeal to me? That water wheel...that great big beautiful Rube Goldberg mechanical wonder! If you don't know who/what Rube Goldberg is, look it up! Briefly, let’s flash forward to 2012 to see a very similar view of the Adventureland border below:



Why was I fixated on Rube Goldberg type machines? Blame it on this game by Ideal: Mousetrap! I didn’t care what the rules were or how you were supposed to play it. I just lived for the final moment when you could watch the ball go through the entire maze and see how each section of the game helped catapult it forward. It still gets me excited to think about watching that cage come down on the plastic mouse!



Here are two from July 1963:





Look at the sense of wonder on those guests’ faces!



All that intricate machinery! It’s like Mousetrap...ON STEROIDS! May 1965:



August 1966:



March 1968:



December 1968:



Three from February 1971:







And then...the day my favorite treehouse got dumbed down. Tarzan took over in 2000.



RIP, you beautiful Rube Goldberg wheel! You inspired my brain with your awesome gadgetry!

See more vintage Disneyland Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse attraction photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley and N.C.

In the 1934 Shirley classic “Little Miss Marker,” the 1880 book “The Boy’s King Arthur” by Sidney Lanier is a large part of the movie. Marky (played by Shirley) loves to have it read to her, and she renames all the people she meets after characters from the book. Many of the publicity stills show Shirley holding the book. In 1917, N.C. Wyeth, one of my very favorite painters, did the illustrations for Lanier’s book.



Through the magic of Photoshop, Shirley is now holding my vintage edition of this book:



For the 1936 re-release lobby card, artists did a pretty nice colorization of the black and white photo:



Here’s a clear shot of the cover of my 1933 edition; this could very well be the same edition that Shirley used in the film.



The title page:



The title page illustration by N.C. Wyeth:



This original 1917 Wyeth painting for the book (39 1/4" x 31 1/4") sold in 2019 by Heritage Auctions, fetching $615,000. Yowza!



Towards the end of the film, Marky’s friends throw her a King Arthur party, where they dress appropriately for the characters she has dubbed them.



Naturally, the book finds its way into her pretty little hands:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

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Ready, Aim, Fire!

This February 1965 image brings up so many questions for me! If you look closely at the detailed view on the left, what the heck is that? Well, apparently Walt wanted his Frontierland to be authentic and ready for battle! It appears that there was a spring contraption inside the gates to Frontierland, ready to launch a giant boulder against the enemy. Perhaps parents with a triple-wide stroller, or maybe someone who left their gum on the pavement. Whatever the reason for it, I do not believe this boulder is still there.



This 2011 shot shows no boulder or springy contraption, just some "ammo," flags, ladders, and lanterns. What I really want to know...did that contraption actually work? Boy, that would have been more fun to watch it in action than seeing the drawbridge get lowered.



Zooming into the right side of the shot, it appears that there is some construction going on in Central Plaza. Not sure for what; it’s too early for “New” Tomorrowland.



See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my main website.

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