Friday, January 04, 2008

Souvenir Friday- Santa Fe Railway Indian Village Chicago Rail Fair 1948

Most readers of this blog probably know that in 1948 Walt Disney and Ward Kimball took a trip from Los Angeles to Chicago to visit the Chicago Railroad Fair. The Railroad Fair is looked upon as one of the major influences for the construction and design of Disneyland. Not only did Walt get to play with lots of trains, there were also themed lands presented by each railroad. One of the most immersive themed lands was the Santa Fe Railway Indian Village. As can be seen in this brochure, Frontierland with its historical faux buildings, American Indian dancers, and theming can be traced to the village. Other influences on the design of Disneyland include Tivoli Gardens, Henry Ford's Greenfield Village, Knott's Berry Farm, and various World's Fair.

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful. There's something about graphics from this period...the colors, the typography, and of course the illustrations...I love this stuff!

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  2. What a fantastic post. Santa Fe Railway stuff...this is awesome. Is there a chance you can post the rest of the brochure? It would be appreciated to no end. Thank you.

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  3. Anonymous9:04 AM

    Also influencing Walt's design for Disneyland was Oakland's Children's Fairyland which is still in operation today.

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  4. Great piece - and it's one we have not seen. Very nice.

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  5. This is the kind of thing I would see at a paper show and immediately pass on by. Thank goodness you're out there knowing something's important when you see it.

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  6. Thanks for sharing this...

    It is amazing how so much of Disney's theme parks were directly influenced by the major World's Fairs in America. The 48 Fair doesn't get as much coverage as the 39-40 and the 64-65.

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