Souvenir Friday- Disneyland Hotel Keys

Today's souvenirs are of Disneyland Hotel Keys. I have managed to acquire several different versions of the keys. An interesting fact is that the keys are all Yale and Towne keys. Yale was the official lock shop of Disneyland. Of course these days, the locks are all electronic and the card has cute Disney graphics.

Since it is February 29th, I would like to wish you all a Happy Leap Year. This is a postcard from my collection celebrating the same event 100 years ago! I believe the tradition is that girls can propose to guys on the day.

Esther's Photo Album #24 Final Pages

At long last, the two final pages from Esther's photo album. She definitely saved some of the best for the last. For those who wanted a close up of the Book and Candle shop sign, here it is:

The first image on the last pages is captioned Lou Miller Wardrobe. The sign in the window reads Madame Lulu Miller and Associates. Exclusive Tailors for Men and Women since 1955.

The next three images are captioned Employees Harbor Gate Entrance.

I am sure some of you have gone throught that gate many, many times in your life. The final image shows one of the photographs in the album with the handwritten caption by Esther.

For those keeping track, there are 105 different images in the photo album plus a couple of more postcards. All in all a pretty amazing document of what it was like to work on Main Street in the late 1950's. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Esther's Photo Album #27

Today Esther shows off the Emporium with several shots of the building. The first is captioned Ann Salisbury Emporium.

The next three show various angles of the Emporium. I like the view with the Crystal Arcade and the hanging Sleeping Beauty Castle. I also like the Disneyland Livery vehicle out. I rarely find any photos with that particular wagon on Main Street.

If you have not heard yet, Don Ballard the author of the definitive history of the Disneyland Hotel has a new blog. Take a stroll over there to check out the history and items from the Hotel. The Original Disneyland Hotel

Esther's Photo Album #26

As far as I know about Esther is that she retired from Disneyland and was running an antique store. The photo album was purchased from the store in the 1980s and traded to Dug Miller a Disneyland collector extradonaire who also published a fanzine. He then sold it about 2 years ago to me. I have not done any research but plan to do it sometime. I know she worked at Disneyland from 1956 to the early 1960s. Today's first picture is dedicated to Daveland. It is the stroller rental store from 1960. Located next to the printing shop at the Opera House. I have included a close up of the stroller so Dave can identify them when he sees them.

The next imag is captioned Phil Upjohn. I like the 1890s look of his outfit and the cast iron chairs for Carnations.

The next image is captioned Fred and Eloise Upjohn.

Esther's Photo Album #25

Esther did not caption any of the photographs today. The images are of the shops on Main Street in the early morning. Some wonderful Main Street images. The first is of the Candy Palace and the Coke Corner. I think a business college over a candy store would be tough as the students would be hungry every day.

The second image is of the Penny Arcade. I have shown a detail with a nice sign from the lamppost which I have never noticed before.

The final image is of the Carnation restaurant and Ice Cream parlor.

Esther's Photo Album #24

Coming back to open up the photograph album to the next page. The page is deveoted to the Coke Corner. The first image is of the restaurant with the Mad Hatter shop in the background. The shop is now a part of the Candy Palace.

The next image is of the Coke Corner from the street.

The last image is of Vera at the Candy Palace.

Some Machines at the Crystal Arcade on Main Street

Going away from Esther and her photo album, here are two close images of two different penny arcade machines in the Crystal Arcade. The first is of Esmeralda the Fortune Teller.

The second image is of the 10 cent price for the nickelodeon music machine.

And for those who miss Esther and her photo album, I will start back with more images tomorrow.

Souvenir Friday- Indian Trading Post Sign

Like most of you, I am a signage freak. I love the visual signs of Disneyland and will try to purchase Disneyland signs when I find them. This sign was purchased from a friend's shop a couple of years ago when one of their consignor's brought in a large collection of signage. It is a nice size, being approximately 10 by 12 inches and a classic piece of Disneyland which no longer exists. One side is the clock face, the other is that the store would not be open.

Esther's Photo Album #23

Today I am showing two pages from Esther's photo album. The first image is of the INA Carefree Corner. I like the sign for the Guided Tours.

The second image is a postcard. Esther's caption is Mr. Austin of Upjohn at the Left. I like the posed postcards and this one I always thought was posed with employees.

The next two images are of the employee's cafeteria which was located at the back of the Red Wagon Inn. The caption is steps to employee cafeteria.

And this is a close up of the water sprinkler sign. I would love to have this as it is specifically marked for the Red wagon Inn.

The next two are captioned Alice Employee Cafeteria. I assume she was like the school lunch lady and was the cashier for the cafeteria.

Esther's Photo Album #22

To answer Chris' question, I believe the photo album has about 100 images of Disneyland and Esther's co-workers. Today's has a guest from Frontierland on the pages. The first image is of the street showing the Ruggles shop, China Closet and other stores. I will have to look specifically for the clock the next time I am at Disneyland.

The next image is captioned Phil Ruggles China Shop.

The final image is marked Aunt Jemima Frontierland. She is posing at the Main Street Cinema with the classic poster on the column behind her.

Esther's Photo Album #21

Today's page in the album deals with the Timex Clock and watch shop. The first image is of the shop on Main Street.

The next image is captioned Vera. Nice selection of Timex watches in the window.

The final image is captioned Dianne. I wonder what ever happened to the large street clock. I also like's Dianne's radiant smile. She must have been fun to work with.

Esther's Photo Album #20

I think the local camera shop must have loved seeing Esther come walking in as she seemed to have taken lots of pictures. I am willing to bet that Esther used the Kodak shop shown in the images. Today's post feature more images of her co-workers on Main Street. The first two images are of Main Street in March 25, 1960.

The next image is captioned Ruth from the Gibson Card Shop. In the window behind her is a poster for character drawings.

The second is captioned Margaret and she is standing in front of the Coin and Pen shop.

The final image is of a lucky gentleman with two girls on his arms. The caption is Frankie, Herb and Nadine Camera Shop.

Esther's Photo Album #19

Coming back to the photo album from Esther are these three images. The first two are of the Gibson Card shop and Wonderland Music.

The last image are of the manager of the shop and his wife. Based upon the photographs here most of the shops were run by husband and wife teams or at least by a family. The caption for the photograph is Dorothy and Jerry.

Worlds of Fun Snapshots Early 1970s

An outpost of a theme park is World's Of Fun located in Kansas City, Missouri. The park celebrated it's 35th Anniversary in 2007 and I believe the snapshots to date from the first year. The theme is an update of Jules Vernes's Around the World in 80 Days with each of the themed lands dedicated to a different part of the world. You can check out the amusement park here. Worlds of Fun

Now on to the images showing the park in it's early days. The first two are the Dolphin show from the Asian section of the park.

The next three are some general park shots. The light post thing in the second image looks very cool, I wonder if it was a directional sign.

The next image is a wonderful jeep safari ride that must have been in the Africa section. The jeep ride is similar to rides that were at Lion Country Safari and also at Legoland in Carlsbad, California.

The park also featured classic amusement park rides such as this nice octopus ride.

Souvenir Friday- Passport to America's Hub of Happiness

Today's souvenir was given out to attendees of a convention planners convention to promote Anaheim as a site for conventions. Designed to look like a passport, the front cover features Anaheim as America's Hub of Happiness. The inside advertises the attractions around Anaheim along with hotels and motels and their convention hall capacities. Also the souvenir from the convention was to have your picture taken with a tour guide, in this case Carla. The souvenir also touted the brand new for 1965 Anaheim Convention Center. The back page has contact information for the Anaheim Tourist and Convention Bureau.

Esther's Photo Album #18

Back to the photo album and flipping the to the next page we find these images. Out of all the photographs, Frank Smith is one of my favorites. Just looking at the images, this guy must have been lots of fun to hang around with and work with. The first is captioned Frank Smith Ralke Co .

The second image is Frank with a co-worker. Unfortunately not captioned. I do really like the shirt and sweater combination he is wearing in this picture.

Finally we have this non-smiling image of a Main Street employee standing at the News Stand. I do like her cat eye glasses.

Esther's Photo Album #17

Flipping to the next page, we find three more snapshots. The first shows the pen shop which was located where Disney Clothiers is now located.

The second image is taken in front of the Red Wagon Inn restaurant. The caption is Marie Pen Shop.

The final image is taken beside the Red Wagon Inn with the nice First Aid and Lost Children sign. The caption is Marie & Esther. I really like the antique auto pattern dress Esther is wearing.

Esther's Photo Album #16

Getting back to the photo album from Esther, here are four more views of co-workers. The first is captioned Marie and features the second Disneyland Security Offices. The first were located at Town Hall and later moved for the tour guide area. Based upon the windows I believe this may be where the current baby station is located. Any ideas out there?

The second image is captioned Beth Security. She looks like a plain clothes security officer who may have tailed shoplifters.

The third image is captioned Bertha. I really like her coat.

The final image is captioned Jack. On his Milk Delivery Man's hat he is wearing the Disneyland ID badge.

Final Images from the Stip and a Look at The Images in 3-D

Here is the last image from the photo strip. Town Square being finished in time for the grand opening.

The next image is per a request, here are two of the images side by side so you can view it in 3-D.

Pre-Opening Boat Images

Continuing with posting the images from the pre-opening film strip, here are three aquatic themed images. The first is of the Mark Twain. I like the construction on the right hand side. It appears the nice dock and structure was not built early but as a last minute item.

The second shows the temple set on the World Famous Jungle River Cruise.

The final image is of everyone's favorite tuna fish restaurant under construction. It appears this was one of the last big structure constructed prior to opening.

The Pre-Opening Photo Strip

Since there has been some speculation about the size of the photo strip, I thought I would post a scan of it and show the measurements. The strip is positive film and measures 5.25 inches long and 1.25 inches in width. The images are double on each side. I have not seen a viewer for the film strip but it must be pretty small.

Pre-Opening Fantasyland Images

Taking a quick break from scanning the photo album from Esther, here are three more views from the Construction images of Disneyland. All three are from the courtyard of Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Fantasyland. The buildings and rides are all almost complete. The little details like the contractors cars and the bags of cement are interesting to see. I can only imagine the whirlwind of activity and the stress as opening day drew near.

Souvenir Friday- Holidayland and United Airlines Tickets

Three more unusual ticket media I have in my collection. The first is an unused ticket for admittance to a picnic at Holidayland. I love the 1890s style of ticket especially the crossed flags. This was good for July 2, 1960. It has been stamped void. The back is just blank white so I did not show it.

The next two tickets are for United Airlines Stewardesses. The tickets allow Main Gate Admission, Guided Tour and entrance the Enchanted Tiki Room. At this time, United sponsored the Tiki Room and wanted their stewardesses to enjoy the park but also then be able to speak about the wonders of the Tiki Room. The first ticket is undated but I believe to be from the late 1960s.

Here is a scan of the back.

The second ticket with a different design has an expiration date of 1972.

And a scan of the back of this ticket. Note that both were printed by Globe tickets.

Esther's Photo Album #15

Turning to page 15 of the photo album, we find that Esther was a star on a postcard. Of course, her boss and shop were also stars on a postcard as well. The caption for the first postcard is Mr. Westering in front of Market House.

The second postcard is the one featuring Esther. The caption reads Black Bart, Frontierland Marshall, Keystone Cop, Trinidad, Esther in background.

The final image on the page is Dan from the Omnibus.

He is wearing one of the original identification badges on his vest. Although a little blurry, here is a close up of the badge.

And in honor and celebration of Lunar New Year, here is an image from Adventureland celebrating Chinese culture.

Have a happy new year for the year of the Rat.

Esther's Photo Album #14

On to page 14 of the photo album. The first image is captioned Edna Magic Shop. I wonder if she tormented young Steve Martin?

The second image is captioned Beverly, Marie and Jan.

The third and final image is captioned Don Keystone Cop. It is interesting to see he is carrying a billy club. This must have been to quell the riots that took place at the Silent Cinema.

Come back tomorrow to see more images from the photo album.

Esther's Photo Album #13

I am sorry if I mislead anyone, but I am far from finished posting the photo album from Esther. In fact, I have 18 more pages! Today's post is more of her immediate co-workers from the Swifts Market House. Today there is also an image of Esther herself. So sit back and travel back to 1958 and a visit to the employees of the Swift's Market House. The first photo is captioned Lorna.

The second image is captioned Karen.

The third image is captioned Tom Swift's Market House.

The fourth image is captioned Esther. This is the lady who owned and put together the album.

And the final image on the page is captioned The Bischenauers. They may have been the managers for the Swift's Market House.

Esther's Photo Album #12 and a Bonus

Since there are only 2 images from Esther's photo album (before she sold the album, she had pulled some of the photographs of her), I have decided to include a bonus image of Main Street under Construction from the film strip. The first photo is captioned Linda Swift's Market House.

The second image is captioned Royne Swifts Market House.

Both are images of the fresh faced ladies employed by Disneyland at the time.

The bonus image is of Main Street almost done with contractor's vehicles parked on the street finishing up the tasks. Enjoy!

Esther's Photo Album #11

Getting back to Eshter's photo album on page 11. The page shows where Esther worked, the Swifts Market House. The first two images are captioned as Swifts Market House.

The next two photos show her co-workers. Notice the Columbia lamp post sign in each. The first is captioned Lorna.

The second is captioned Karen.

A Saturday Visit to Knott's Berry Farm

Today's post is a nice visit to Knott's Berry Farm throughout the years. The first image is of Chief Red Feather getting friendly with a visitor. Many years ago one of the Antique Stores in Whittier had one of the head dresses from the Chief, but wanted way too much money for it.

The second image is a posed shot at the Pitchur gallery. This is a later shot with the girls in their Jan Brady best!

The third image is of a man exiting the Haunted Shack. I like the bemused look on his face.

The final image is of a group of people who would frustrate me. Right in the middle of the crowded walkway, they decide to stop and pose for a photograph. They should have moved off to the side to allow all those other people a clear walkway to their appointed rides! However I forgive them as the group does do a wonderful mug for the camera.

Souvenir Friday- Disneyland VIP Travel Passport

One of my favorite (and only one of my few ticket related items) is this Disneyland VIP Travel Passport. This was purchased from a large collection of sample tickets that a Disneyland ticket taker had collected over the years. I believe it dates from 1964 as it does have the Tiki Room as a special ticket, but none of the 1965 additions. I really like the graphics on the inside page and also how it is designed like a real passport. This post is dedicated to Vintage Disneyland Tickets blog.