Monday, January 09, 2006

Knotts Berry Farm Prospector Statue August 1961

My first collecting passion is Disneyland, but I also love vintage Knotts Berry Farm. It was the first true theme park with a great Ghost Town and the originator of a Western style steam railroad at an amusement park. The souvenirs are cool and I have great memories of going to Knotts and really enjoying the Ghost Town and Sad Eye Joe in the jail. And the mascot of the early park was the old prospector and his mule. This statue used to be more accessable as it is now on the corner of Beach Boulevard and elevated. But at this time, it was placed in front of Ghost Town with directions to the Chicken Restaurant in the background. Much more photogenic in this location. I like the cactus around the prospector. Image is from a Kodachrome slide dated August 1961.

1 comment:

Chris Merritt said...

And it was sculpted by Claude Bell, creator of the famous Cabazon dinosaurs!

Here are some fun pics I posted of him:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=13943&forum=13&vpost=150193