Civil War Dispatch Ride Freedomland

The final three slides are from the Civil War Dispatch ride in the South section of Freedomland. The premise of the ride was that you were a reporter in the 1860's and out riding in your wagon to get news stories. The ride as you can see was horse powered and you would ride by several camp scenes and then ride across the battlefield as cannons were firing. I think the last image (unfortunately blurry) is of the start of the battle and the cannon is firing.

Souvenir Friday-Freedomland!

Today I am showing a brochure, a flier, a bag and the Menu from the Brass Rail Steak House that was in Chicago. The graphics on the brochure remind me of some of the Pacific Ocean Park brochures done in the same time period. Tomorrow the finish of the Freedomland slides with a trip through the South.

Northwest Fur Trapper Ride Freedomland

Today's images are from the Northwest Fur Trapper Ride set in the location that would be Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and more. I am not sure how the ride flowed or what the scene set up was. I do know the ride was like going around the Rivers of America in a Keel Boat. The first image is of the ride vehicle, a flat bottom boat. Some amazing Disneyland like images in this group. I have posted a close up of the sign in front of the cabin which reads Pelts peddled here.

The Great Southwest Freedomland

Today's images are all from the Southwest Section of Freedomland. The biggest ride here was ore carts which was basically a lightly themed skyway ride. The photographer and his family did not ride this attraction, opting instead to ride the mules. Here are several shots of the Mule pack ride. In the background of the Indian Burial ground is one of the towers for the sky ride.

The last shot is of Fort Cavalry. I love the arrow directional sign on the tower. Also the souvenir shop seems to be fairly busy.

And for those enjoying these images, Jordan at the Perky Pickle blog is showing his collection of silk screened ride posters from Freedomland. Let me say they are amazing.

Chicago Fire and Midwest Farm

The first slide is from one of Freedomland's most famous and beloved attraction, the burning building from the Chicago Fire. The building was concrete and fitted with gas pipes which could be lit and burn. Similar to the burning cabin at Disneyland, but in this case it was interactive with kids assisting fire fighters and the crowd watching. It looked like it was a good show with lots of people watching.

The next image appears to be the most boring exhibit at Freedomland, the midwest farm where Elsie the Cow lived. Not very exciting and pretty open space. The only thing that redeemed this display was that most visitors were New York City residents and had probably never seen a farm or cows in pasture in their life. The train trestle in the background is the only clue this was in Freedomland.

Freedomland Transportation Rides

Today I am showing two different styles of transportation at Freedomland. Both appear to be stolen from Disneyland. The first is a Stagecoach ride through the wilderness and desert. The ride was sponsored by Wells Fargo and Company.

The next is the Santa Fe Railroad with similar cars and engine. In fact the engine is named the Chas Holliday and the cars are named after Southwestern cities. I do like the guy climbing the trestle through the bushes. He is either a friendly Freedomland employee retrieving a stuffed animal or a crazed train nut trying to get a closer image.

Requested Close Ups from Freedomland

I have received a couple requests for close ups of the Freedomland pics. I hope these help. The first is of the attraction poster that is seen on the fence in the front entrance image.

The other is of the sign seen out in front of the Fire Station.

Old New York and Chicago

The first image shows some of the street characters in Old New York. They look like extra's from The Gangs of New York film. The second image shows the Firehouse seen in Chicago. Chicago's main attraction was the burning of the town. The third image is of the steam boat The Canadian. As you can see the attractions were loosely based upon attractions seen at Disneyland. One of the reasons was that C.V. Wood was one of the main driving forces behind the design of the park.

Entrance to Freedomland and Old New York

Starting off the slide images of an August 1960 trip to Freedomland is the first sight visitors saw; the entrance to the park and the ticket booths. Posted on the entrance is what looks like an attraction poster. I have never seen an attraction poster from this park on the market.

The next image is of the two boys proudly wearing their Civil War era hats. During this time period the Civil War was having its Centenniel and the country went a little Civil War mad.

The next two images are from the streets on Old New York. I like the one with the small China Town in the background. Chicago was right next to Old New York where the train station was located which is in the background. I will show the menu from the steak restaurant shown in the top image.

Souvenir Friday- Freedomland Pre-Opening Brochure 1960

To start off a long posting series on the New York City amusement park Freedomland is this scan of the first two foldouts for the pre-opening brochure. The graphic design and original design art in this brochure is amazing. Look for more Freedomland posts throughout the week and maybe beyond.

Magic Mountain Rides 1972

More snapshots from Magic Mountain in 1972. What is so striking about the park is the emptiness and the wide open spaces of the park. Unlike so many amusement parks these days with rides twisting in and between each other. The rides do appear to be fun rides and the roller coaster built on the hill is pretty fun. I think it is still there and is the Gold Rusher. Unfortunately the cameral used to take the images causes a slight blurriness.

Magic Mountain Trolls and Wizard

Taking a quick road trip north up the 5 freeway brings you to scenic Valencia home to Magic Mountain. What started out as a small theme park has now morphed into a giant coaster park. It was once surrounded by nothing but fields and more fields and is now home to houses and strip malls. But back in 1972 they had their own costumed characters, furry trolls and the wizard who ran the place. The characters are almost as scary as the Fuji Folk seen at Japanese Deer Park.