These shots are from October 1955, exactly 53 years ago from now. It was either a crisp Autumn day or our lead gal in the photos liked to dress in layers. Here she is at the front entrance. The huge box of Toilet Paper is a nice "welcome mat" to our journey into the Kingdom, don't you think? Back in the day, the park actually was closed on Mondays. In detail shot #2, you can see 2 of the bored conductors carrying on a conversation....

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After a little Sleeping Beauty diversion, I am returning to the pre-opening series of photos. To get an idea of what part of the Rivers of America this area is located at, check out the 1955 aerial shot here & closeup:See more vintage & current Rivers of America photos at my regular websi...

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The upcoming restoration of the Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama probably has me more excited than I've been for any new Disneyland attraction in over 10 years. April 29, 1957 marked the unveiling of the original, with Shirley Temple Black serving as the hostess. Both the entrance and exit areas of the Diorama at the back of the Castle had fanciful canopies that matched the Midieval Faire look of the original Fantasyland:Eyvind...

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Coinciding with the recent restoration and re-release of the animated classic, “Sleeping Beauty,” I thought I’d do a few posts dedicated to it. Shot #1 shows America’s Princess, Shirley Temple, marching up to the Castle at Disneyland on April 19, 1957. Walt is on the left, son Charlie is holding up her cape in back, and as you can see in the detail shot, husband Charles is on the right carrying their daughter Lori. Shirley was...

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Still in Frontierland, here are 2 similar pre-opening shots of the original Indian Village location. Within a year from opening, the Indian Village moved and became Magnolia Park, home to the oft-moved bandstand.For my fellow signage geeks, here is the closeup of the construction requested from yesterday’s post:And for a then-and-now comparison of yesterday’s post this is about the best I can do for the "now" version (without...

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Today is another glimpse of Frontierland before it opened. This area probably will look unfamiliar to many as the landscape has changed a great deal in 50 years. The thatched roof belongs to the Aunt Jemima restaurant, which now is the Riverbelle Terrace. The teepees show the original area that the Indian Village occupied before it was moved to the area now known as Critter Country. I have also included a detail shot of the signage,...

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Billy & Sybil get to join Walt on a ride through Frontierland atop the Pack Mules. Note the stuffed Mickey Mouse doll on the rear mule. He looks much less scary than the Mickey Mouse that was at Disneyland during the first few years! In case you haven’t seen the comments left yesterday (which were very much appreciated!), there is much more background information on Sybil & Billy’s visit at this link. See more vintage...

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You probably don’t know who Billy Krauch and Sybil Stanton are, but back in 1955, they were two of the luckiest kids on earth. Walt Disney gave them a preview of Disneyland before it was open, and this is one of the moments caught on film documenting their visit. Here they are, posing on the C.K. Holliday, engine #1. See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular websi...

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Last call for February 1971! We finish out the series in Frontierland again. Plenty to see and do here! Let’s begin with a few shots of the Ceremonial Dance Circle of the Indian Village. Note the Keelboat and Canoe in the background of shot #1.I have a number of shots like this, spanning the decades, and they always make me happy. I think it’s so cool to see little kids enjoying a cultural learning experience...one that doesn’t...

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Welcome to Frontierland, pardners, circa 1971! Our photographer took his first Frontierland shot at Fowler’s Harbor, with the Columbia resting up in between journeys. Always one for equal time, I wouldn’t want to leave out the Mark Twain:Over on Tom Sawyer’s Island, let’s take a look at Tom Sawyer’s Shack, shall we?Rotating around the Island just a bit, we can see the Old Mill from another angle:See more vintage & current...

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