Souvenir Friday- Some Treats for Halloween

Given that today is Halloween and Souvenir Friday, I have decided to expand the usual selection of one item from Disneyland. The first two are scans of the outside of Inside Disneyland employee publications with Halloween themes.

To add to the treats is one of my favorite pieces in my collection, the actual keys to open and operate the Matterhorn.

The final souvenir is a trick. What looks like a year pin is actually a Mickey thumbing his nose pin from when Disneylanders went out on strike.

The Little Mining Town of Rainbow Ridge Part 2

Today's post shows not only the little mining town of Rainbow Ridge, but also the train that rattled through the town throughout the day. The first picture shows the town and an empty train in front of the buildings. In the background is the first tunnel that led to Nature's Wonderland.

A nice close up view of the old prospector who ran the train.

This is a nice side view of the train engine and also of the exit. I really like the spinning exit apparatus in the foreground.

Here is a head on view of the train coming into the station.

The final image of the set, a you are there shot taken from the first car. The item the young lady is holding is from the Frontierland Print Shop and is most likely a joke wanted poster.

The Little Mining Town of Rainbow Ridge Part 1

One of the oldest themed parts of Disneyland is the town of Rainbow Ridge. Originally created in 1956 for the Rainbow Caverns mine train and then further developed in 1961 for Nature's Wonderland Railroad and then changed yet again for Big Thunder in 1979, the buildings are pretty much the original structures. The first photograph is a nice overall view of the line for the train ride with the town overlooking the area. Notice the two Nature's Wonderland attraction posters up in the area.

The next image shows the companion ride of the mules passing in front of the town.

The third image is a slighter higher image with the Rainbow Ridge mine in the background.

The fourth image is a nice close image of the wooden sidewalks and street of the town.

The final image shows a close up of the general store along with two of the mine cars.

Check out the post tomorrow for some more Nature's Wonderland images.

Two Of My Favorite Buildings At Disneyland

Today's post showcases two of my favorite buildings at Disneyland. The first shows the Plaza Inn, once known as the Red Wagon Inn. With the changes to the menu, I do not eat here often these days. But I still enjoy thinking of it as the Red Wagon Inn.

The second photo is of the Haunted Mansion prior to it's official opening. The slide is dated 1968 and you can see the famous 999 haunts sign. This sign was reproduced full size after blueprints were found of the design. I enjoy all the incarnations of the Mansion, both the classic and the Nightmare version. However, the bride tableaux leaves me cold and I feel is unimaginative.

Merlin's Magic Shop

One of two magic shops at Disneyland, this was Merlin's own shop in Fantasyland. The other shop of course was the Main Street Magic Shop. Also, I cannot forget the Magic Shop at the Disneyland Hotel. Run by the magic apparatus company Taylor and Hume and stocked with everything a budding young magician could want such as fake vomit, trick cards and disappearing coins. A young magician worked here who would later become a fantastic comedian and movie star. If I could only find the shirt (black and white diamonds) he wore when he toiled in the shop!

Some Interior Images

Today the focus is on interiors. The first two are taken in the interior of the long dark wooden shed that covers the Grand Canyon Diorama. In the first you can see why the train conductor tells you not to use your flash, you create your own Pepper's ghost.

The second is similar to the first shot, but with no ghost. p>

The third and final image is of the Time Clock of the World. This time it is inside the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry showing the time in the worldwide reach of the Monsanto company.

Main Street Montage

A pretty cool grouping of slide photographs from Main Street. The first shows the Disneyland band in their classic red and white uniforms marching proudly through the Hub.

The second shows an unusual image before Disneyland opened. I like the gentleman riding the bicycle in the middle of the street.

Finally not a perfect shot but still an interesting view of the Main Street Flower Market at night.

Souvenir Friday- Dsineyland News Movie Premier Edition

A rare souvenir from the movie premier of Disneyland USA held at the Fox Anaheim theater. The short film showcased Disneyland of 1956 and can be seen on the Walt Disney Treasures series of DVDs. The premiere featured lots of acts and stars from Disney including Roy Williams, Cliff Edwards and birthday girl Annette Funicello. The program is the same size as the regularly published Disneyland News but only four pages in length. Due to the size of my scanner, the images are digital pictures and the articles are not readable. Please let me know if you want to read any of the articles.

Burn Baby Burn

It has been a while since I visited the vintage burning settler's cabin on Tom Sawyer's Island. To set the stage, a picture of the boat that would take you by the cabin.

Another ride on the Rivers of America is the Tom Sawyer's raft. If you wanted to get a ride to the island, the rafts will take you. Note the rustic dirt walkway to the dock and that the docks are located close the Mark Twain dock and not Fowler's Harbor.

Here is the burning cabin. If you look closely you can see the settler with the arrow in his chest.

Finally a scarce view of the Conestoga Wagon and Stagecoach.

Horse Drawn Trolley on Main Street Part 2

A while back I posted some images of the Horse Drawn Trolley on Main Street. Here are more pictures of the ride vehicle and one of Main Street on a somewhat busy day.

This slide was also in the group but it does not appear to be Disneyland. It could be Knott's Berry Farm, but I am leaning towards it being from Clifton's Brookdale restaurant. What do you think?

Bekins Van Lines October 1960

An early park participant and sponsor was Bekins Van Lines. The iconic horse drawn wagon was usually parked in front of their space which served as the lockers area. Bekins was replaced shortly after this photo was taken by Global Van Lines who moved in just adjacent to Disneyland. The locker site is now part of the Emporium and the Global Van Lines offices are now the Team Disney building.

Monstro the Whale Storybook Canal

A quick post on the icon of the Storybook Canal boats, Monstro the Whale. The first is a fantastic image from the old round bucket Skyway looking over Fantasyland.

And two images from one of the worst photographers I have seen. The first is a totally out of focus image of Monstro ready to eat a whole bunch of guests.

The next is of the scary headless tour guide and canal boat driver. It is lucky the ride is on a track or she would never be able to steer the canal boat.

Souvenir Friday- Lucite Key Chains

Some very stylish key chains featuring items encased in Lucite. The starfish one is marked Disneyland on the reverse although I can only think that the connection is to the Submarine Voyage. I really like the Disneyland key chain with the Dinosaur bone in it.

The blog will be quiet a couple of days as I am taking the weekend off. See you all on Monday.

Tomorrowland a Photo Essay

Four nice photographs featuring Tomorrowland...the Tomorrowland of my youth. The 1967 rebuild created a wonderful world of motion and activity while keeping the best elements of the 1959 addition. These photographs were all taken on the same trip.

Swiss Family Treehouse at Dusk

Another set of dusk photographs, this time featuring the Swiss Family Treehouse. I do not own many photographs of the treehouse. I do not know if it was scenic enough to capture the attention of the photographers. The first one is a nice view of the entire tree and the second shows some detailing of the branches.

A Fun Photo

Just one image today, but it is quite nice. A different Fun Photo spot on Main Street with this one being Pluto's Playmate. I like the Donald in the back although maintenance needs to repaint his shirt as it is a little cracked!

Stoybook Land 1956

A series of slides from Storybook Land in 1956. The first is of the large map that was located at the front of the attraction listing the stories and country of origin.