JimmyBo Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 So my mom was going through some old pictures and she found some of when she went to Disneyland in 1958 (she was only 4). The pictures aren't of best quality but it just amazes me to see Disneyland in its early years. Before all the trees grew, before all the hotels surrounded it, before DCA took over the old parking lot, before Big Thunder, before Tomorrowland, when there was the skyride, Chicken of the Sea, and Fantasyland...back when it was an amusement park where families could have a funfilled day and forget about everything going on outside of the park. Here you go... And I leave you with this, the horse and carriage with a fare of 10 cents Band playing in front of the Golden Horseshoe The Mark Twain The Skyride and more of Fantasyland...still very crowded back then The Skyride and some of Fantasyland Here's an overview of soon-to-be Tomorrowland. Crazy huh? Notice that these Autopia cars didn't have the steering line underneath...I guess they had two different types of Autopia's back then That kid is either screaming his head off cuz he's excited or ready to get off...but he sure is yelling My uncle getting strapped in My mom and my uncle driving the autopia cars, notice that this one is for the little kids cuz of the steering line underneath The autopia, before Chevron took it over Even Dumbo was there...and where are all the hotels and skyrises? And even more Storybook Land More Storybook Land... Storybook Land... You thought I was kidding about the name? Look behind my great grandpa Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship First off, here's the castle...still looks tiny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeezus Juice Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 There were actually 3 autopias at one time. The first Autopia didn't have guide bars. They actually left it up to you not to jack-knife the whole ride. For the little ones they had a "junior" autopia with a guide bar. I believe that's the one you have pictured. There was yet another even more junior version called the "Midget Autopia" which was little more than an outdoor darkride with an electric bus bar. Awesome pictures, nice find man. That was the year before the Matterhorn, Monorail, and subs went in. Weird that there didn't seem to be much site prep going on. I guess you could build a ride much quicker back then without enviromental regulations and such. Hell, they probably used asbestos and chimpanzee's! they were probably built in a week! -Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Whoa Jim, so cool!! I love retro TRs, the older the better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Great pics but you have one mistake. That is a picture of Columbia not Chicken of the Sea. Chicken of the Sea was the name of the restaurant in the pirate ship by skull rock. You have pics of that ship. It is the one with the red and white striped sails. They had a great tuna melt there. One of my favorite places to eat as a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 ^ I still have a paper placemat from 'Chicken of The Sea', AND pieces of the plastic 'sword' picks used to hold the tuna sandwich together! I think I need something else to do, heh heh. Great Retro-TR Jim. Great to especially see those photos of the various Autopias that Disneyland offered at that time. The 'history' of the guide rail was that Disney actually thought that "the drivers of tomorrow" would be safe and responsible, hence no rails at first. Hah. Rear-enders aplenty caused major headaches for maintenance crews, so I think the guide rails were added a couple of years after the newest part of Tomorrowland (Matterhorn, Subs, Mono) was added in 1959. I'm pretty sure the rails were in place when my mom and I were there in 1963. Thanks for sharing the memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sexy No Jutsu Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 MIDGET AUTOPIA! Photo's from the awesome Yesterland.com. I found my moms old E-tickets and other tickets booklet. I gotta scan those in and post them. They're really neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrowfanman Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Very cool trip report Jimmy! I love to see those sorts of pictures! They let you know where you came from and how far you came, as a theme park and as a family, if you know what I'm sayin. -Jahan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCoaster Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Its cool to see these old photo TR's. Amazing how even the surrounding area doesn't look that crowded. I have a map from Disneyland sometime in the 60's and some tickets from the first year of operation somewhere in my house. Its just cool to see how it used to look back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65skylark Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Excellent TR. Best retro TR I think I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krouvi Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Amazing pics. Thanks you very much. Question : Through the years Disneyland changed his face several time but I am sure there was one point in which there was a major "face lift" to the park. I just wish to know when it was . When Disneyland changed its face and became a "wow" . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 ^ 1959 / The Tomorrowland expansion, with the Matterhorn, Monorail and Submarine Voyage. 1965 - 67 The World's Fair Years... Lots of stuff coming back from the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair, mainly affecting a totally re-designed Tomorrowland in 1967. The Mountain Years... 1959 Matterhorn 1977 Space 1979 Big Thunder 1989 Splash New Orleans Square debuts in 1966 - Pirates in 67 - Mansion in 69 ~ ~ ~ But I think the first "WOW" happened when a scale replica of a Swiss mountain started to appear among the (then still in spots) Anaheim orange groves, lol. 1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 This was cool... a trip report from the past.... 2 thumbs up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 More people should post TR fro the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Very cool. My family actually has some old 8mm footage of Disneyland from the 1950s, which has since been transferred to videotape. I used to have a super 8 camera when I was 12, and shot some POV (before it was cool) of the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland--footage that has been missing (and presumed lost forever) for quite some time. And, yes, I remember eating a tuna sandwich in the pirate ship. Skull Rock, with its waterfalls and glowing green eyes, looked pretty cool at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 I have some pictures of Magic Mountain from the early '70s. One day, I ought to find them, scan them, and post them here. I regret that I never took pictures at Busch Gardens in Van Nuys. Those would have been nice to put here, too. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyBo Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 Found some more photos and this time...drum roll...MATTERHORN. Photos from 1961 and again, sorry for the bad quality but still cool stuff from way before I was born. Hey old farts...bring back memories? And there you have it...Disneyland Castle and Matterhorn Complete with Gay Pride Geysers that squirt out white juices You travel through the Grand Canyon, boulders fall on you and you die...good family fun This is the train ride that was in the place where Big Thunder is now The fort on Tom Sawyer's Island...soon to be themed as a pirate fort, WTF? Tom Sawyer's Island before there were trees and Fantasmic Here's the "Bear taking a dump in the water" effect when riding the Mark Twain Going through zee Matterhorn...where's Yeti Ball? There it is...MATTERHORN in 1961 complete with snow and stuff Here's the entrance...like Mickey's tights and big head? And Chip N Dale are there too. And what's with the ladies in Mermaid outfits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Clinksalot Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Very awesome pics. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summerof72 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 great.....i collect the old Disneyland postcards....be sure to hang onto these : ) i wish i had been able to go there when i was little..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrock23 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Awesome pics. It's really neat to see how everything was back then, and it's amazing the Matterhorn has been around for that long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I think the "bear taking a dump in the water effect" is from the Mine Train (not the Mark Twain). It's interesting to see how the character costumes have changed (or not) over the years. Mickey was pretty freaky looking back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFanatic Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Very awesome. Interesting to see a TR from so long ago. Post anymore that you have. This is killer stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLastGunslinger Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Amazing photos. It's so cool to see Disneyland without all of the urban setting outside it ruining the theming. It looks so much more spacious when they didn't have to block out the view of the outside world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 In this pic the monorail station is missing. Did they reprofile the track to what it is today and move the station? Or am I crazy, the second one is more likely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 These old pictures are cool. Brings back a lot of memories. I'm going to have to go thru my Moms pictures. We visited Disneyland every year around Christmas time when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrhambone Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Forget Mickey - WTF is up with the mermaid sniffing her pits? And why are the first two watching her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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