Nature's Wonderland Railroad

One of the rides I miss the most is the Nature's Wonderland Railroad. A fun, scenic and relaxing ride through the deserts, forests, caves, and scenic wonders of the Frontierland of Anaheim. The humor added by Marc Davis enhanced the experience. Big Thunder is fun and an approximation, but nothing like Nature's Wonderland. I always thought of Nature's Wonderland as a Jungle River Cruise on land. So just sit back, keep your hands and arms inside the car and enjoy the ride.

Souvenir Friday- Disneyland Marshall Badge 1950s

A nicely designed stamped metal badge with a simple pin enclosure from the early days of Disneyland and Frontierland. The mystery is was this sold in a playset or was this sold individually? I have found three of these badges over the years and have never seen a Disneyland Marshall playset. In images of Marshall Lucky, it appears he is wearing the same badge....

The back is double marked with a copyright for Walt Disney Productions.

This does bring me back to days of playing gunfighter with my brothers.

Main Street 1956

After entering into Disneyland, the photographer snapped some shots of the Main Street vehicles. The first was the Horse Drawn trolley with the horse wearing a straw hat. I hope it protected the horse from sunburn.

The camera bug then snapped a photograph showing a nice overview of Town Square as seen from Main Street Station.

The Entrance

Two views of the entrance to Disneyland. The first image shows a crowded day with a very tall gentleman standing out front. Also of note is the separate entrance for strollers and wheelchairs, Dave better stay away from the turnstile.

The second photograph shows the entrance at a slightly less crowded time although it is the same day. The large sign up on the left hand side of the photograph advertises George J. Keller and his felines.

Two Views at Disneyland

From a collection of 1956 slides, two photographic views of transportation within and outside of Disneyland. The first image shows one of the green Rainbow Mine trains coming out of the tunnel and into the station. The sign over the tunnel is very cool, reading Caution Explosives Do Not Enter R.M.R.R. Co.

The second photograph for today is of the Disneyland Hotel tram (single car) dropping off guests at the main entrance. What a wonderful color scheme for the tram.

Rocket Rides in Tomorrowland

Two 1956 images of space rides in Tomorrowland. The first shows the TWA Rocket To the Moon from a slightly different angle than normal.

The second is of the Astro Jets in motion. This is once again from a different angle than normal. In the background can be seen the advertising "book" sign for the Skyway. I have included a close up of the sign but it is almost too far away...

Casey Junior in 1956

Four nice photographs of Casey Junior in 1956 when Storybook was being landscaped and created. It is amazing Disneyland kept Casey running with construction and landscaping going on. The last image shows the Dwarves mining tunnel being built and the canal dry.

Mushrooms at Santa's Village

One of my strongest memories from Santa's Village are of the large multi colored mushrooms throughout the park. When the park was sold at auction, the mushrooms received and were sold for some very high prices. I can remember sitting on the mushrooms and posing the same as in these images.

Souvenir Friday- Disneyland Knife Keychain

Back when you could carry a small knife with you, Disneyland sold this keychain and knife. The card is very nice with Ms. Tinkerbell. The price was somewhat high, being 52 cents total (4% sales tax!)

Seattle World's Fair Construction

Some of the larger construction sites at the Seattle World's Fair in 1961. The first image shows the Federal Science Pavilion with the distinctive arches.

The next two shots show the stadium and the large water track that was built. During the fair the track would host a speedboat and water ski show.

This last shot taken from the stadium shows the iconic space needle, the symbol for the fair.

Seattle World's Fair Pre-Opening

A Disneyland cast member who was very familiar with the Monorails went to the Seattle World's Fair in 1962 while the attractions where being constructed. When he was in Seattle, he took several pages of photographs of rides and buildings under construction. The first photograph is of an off the shelf tilt a whirl ride being installed.

The next photo is another view of the ride, showing the ride vehicles.

The final view for today is one of my favorites, Autopia style cars parked and waiting to be driven by happy youngsters.

Disneyland News Stand 1962

The Disneyland News Stand is the last stop prior to leaving the park. In the early years, the stand sold copies of the Disneyland News and souvenirs. By 1962 when this picture was taken, the Disneyland News had ceased publication and the news stand sold real newspapers alongside the souvenirs. The problem with selling real news is the bad news headlines, such as the one on the bottom newspaper that a freeway crash had killed two police officers. Reading that or a similar story is not a way to start a fun filled day at Disneyland. Now the stand is filled with souvenirs.

Japanese Village Deer Park

A recent discussion on another bulletin board (GiantRobot) is on Japanese Village Deer Park, so I thought I would throw these two images up on the web for the participants to discover. The first is a nice image of one of the many bridges all decked out in red with lanterns to light the way.

The second view is one of the main attractions, feeding the semi tame deer.

Pedal Car Photographs Christmas 1957

As you can imagine, I go through lots of slides in search of Disneyland and other amusement park images. Every once in a while, I find slides that are a great slice of Americana from the 1950s and 1960s. This set of slides fits the bill of Americana. The slides are marked for the subjects Annette the mom and Cathy and Jan the daughters. In Christmas of 1957, Jan received a couple of dolls and a fire engine pedal car while Cathy received her first bike. And the family was driven around in what appears to be a 1955 Ford Country Squire station wagon. Tomorrow a return to the regularly scheduled theme park.

A Trip to the Disneyland Tencenniel Part 5

The big (okay, its really not that big) finale to the series of photographs documenting a family trip to Disneyland's Tencenniel in 1965. The first shows the old Astro Jets in Tomorrowland. Every one of the rockets on the ride was named for a different planet or star.

The next photograph is a great shot of the Monorail over the Submarine Lagoon. I like the little girl peeking out of the window.

The final two photographs are group photographs. Based upon the clothing, I would say the party spent a couple of days at the park. I like finding these images as they really personalize the park experience for me. The photographs are truly a window back into time.

Souvenir Friday- 1959 Autograph Album

One of my favorite pieces in my collection is this autograph book. The front cover features a very cartoony Tinkerbell adding her pixie dust magic to the word Autographs.

Although the front cover is nice, the back cover is fantastic with great 1950s illustration style art for the Submarine Voyage, Skyway, Autopia and Mad Tea Party. These illustrations are also used on a large size scrap book that was also sold in 1959.

The interior does feature a Walt Disney autograph (unfortunately printed, but still a nice touch.)

A Trip to the Disneyland Tencenniel Part 4

Moving to the wonderful land of Frontier, the dad took a nice photograph of the Mark Twain from the opposite side. This is the side that faces Tom Sawyer's Island. (I know, it looks just like the other side.)

Once the family was over at TSI, they climbed Tom's tree house.

Finally they hiked over and climbed the stairs for a nice view of Fort Wilderness. Oh how I miss Fort Wilderness.

A Trip to the Disneyland Tencenniel Part 3

Continuing on with the trip through Disneyland in 1965 with a visit to the Tiki Gardens outside of the Tiki Room. The first photograph shows the old entrance sign.

The second photograph shows Maui with a kid watching the water drop from the time keeper.

The final image for today shows Tangaroa the father of all gods and goddesses. I like the A-Frame in the back and the nice shade provided by the fabric overhead.