Tag Archives: Themeparks
Aerial photograph of the Disneyland parking lot, Anaheim, California, 1963
And from the “I Wish It Was Still Like This” file comes this 1963 aerial photograph of Disneyland and its parking lot. My first visit was in 1975, and I’m pretty sure it was like this. You drove up to … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Anaheim, Disney, Disneyland, Themeparks
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Washington Gardens Chutes Amusement Park, with Chutes Water Slide Chutes Theater, corner of Washington Blvd and Main St, south of downtown Los Angeles, circa early 1900s
When I first saw this circa early 1900s photo of the Washington Gardens Chutes Amusement Park, with a rollercoaster, Chutes Water Slide, and Chutes Theater, I assumed it was at the beach. Probably Santa Monica or Venice. So imagine my … Continue reading
Color photo of the entrance to the animal theme park, Jungleland, Thousand Oaks, California, circa late 1950s
Jungleland was an animal theme park in Thousand Oaks, 35 miles west of downtown LA. When it opened in 1926, as an animal training and housing facility for the Hollywood movie studios, Thousand Oaks was in the middle of nowhere, … Continue reading
Color photo of late-1950s American cars line the parking lot at Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, 1960
Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park near Disneyland in Anaheim started out as a berry stand, then added a tea room which became a chicken dinner restaurant, and eventually a theme park. We can see the sign for the restaurant … Continue reading
Color photo of a 1955 Oldsmobile stopped in traffic outside Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, Southern California, circa mid-1950s
As if the entrance to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park wasn’t colorful enough with that gold prospector and mule statue welcoming funsters to the park, but in this photo, we’ve also got a two-toned orange-and-white 1955 Oldsmobile at the … Continue reading
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Tagged Buena Park, Color photo, Knott's Berry Farm, Themeparks
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Walt Disney surveys the construction of Sleeping Beauty’s castle under construction, Disneyland, circa early 1955
These days (or at least for anyone born in the late 1950s and later) Disneyland seems a fait accompli that’s always been there. But for Walt Disney, the guy in this photo, the project was a huge gamble that could … Continue reading
Aerial color photograph of Disneyland, Anaheim, 1963
This color aerial gives us a bird’s-eye view of what Disneyland looked like in 1963. It’s a reminder that 8 years after it opened, the place really wasn’t that big—at least, not compared to the two-park behemoth it is these … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Anaheim, Color photo, Disneyland, Themeparks
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Disneyland mountaineers climb the park’s Matterhorn Bobsleds ride, Anaheim, 1960
This photo gives us a rare glimpse of what Disneyland looks like from the top of the 147-foot Matterhorn Bobsleds ride. Debuting on June 14, 1959, 4 years after the theme park opened, it was the world’s first tubular steel … Continue reading
Disneyland from the inside looking out to the parking lot, Anaheim, July 17, 1955
Most photos of the front of Disneyland are, understandably, taken from the outside looking in because it’s so lovely to look at. So I was pleased to find this one taken from the inside looking out. That’s the Disneyland railway … Continue reading
Knott’s original berry stand, Buena Park, California, circa 1926
The big kahuna of Californian theme parks is, of course, Disneyland, but preceding it by quite a couple of decades is Knott’s Berry Farm. Walter Knott started growing berries on his farm in Buena Park in 1920. This photo is … Continue reading