Monday, March 07, 2011

Farmland vs Fantasyland

1955:  Old Anaheim trees on the outskirts of Fantasyland

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UPDATE!  Photos taken this week...
  2011:  The huge trees are still alive and well, 56 years later.


These surviving sentinels from Anaheim's rural past currently provide shade for a snack stand near the Fantasyland Theater.

9 comments:

Thufer said...

What a wonderful capture of the 'International Channels' prior to the plus-ing. This is a really rare moment in time and a wonderful memory. Thank you for posting this. Very, very nice.

Major Pepperidge said...

Wow, that must be a very early picture... I don't think that grove of trees lasted very long, although I DO think that a lot of land remained vacant for some years afterwards.

Snow White Archive said...

What a great perspective shot.

Kirk said...

I wonder if anyone got oranges from the farmland. :-)

Dr Bitz said...

How un-immersive. A great shot!! Wow.

Barry said...

Is it me or is Monstro missing from Storybookland?
When we ran track in high school there was an orange grove just like this next to Tustin High..we hopped the fence and loaded up on Oranges every time we ran there. It didn't help us at all in the mile relay.
Great Photo Kevin!

Kevin Kidney said...

Barry you are correct. This photo was taken in the Fall of 1955 when the attraction was jokingly known as "The Mud Bank Ride". It closed that September and re-opened the following summer as Storybookland, complete with Monstro. I think it's fun to see the uncovered bend in the river that Monstro would cover up.

BUT my favorite thing about this photo, and what I'm most intrigued by, is the stand of trees behind the berm that all the cars are parked behind. Those were an old, fully grown windbreak of trees that had been planted in that very spot many years earlier. And guess what? They are still there today, between Storybookland and the Fantasyland Theater (Videopolis). The giant tent roof of the Fantasyland theater currently covers up most of the orange trees here. (Personally, I prefer the orange grove!)

The train tracks you see in the photo, running along the back edge of Fantasyland, were later moved farther out, practically to the bottom edge of the photo.

Also note the corner of dirt patch showing in the upper left hand. Fantasyland ended right here and the Mickey Mouse Club Circus tent would soon occupy the patch (now the old Motorboats location.) So much change!

Chris Jepsen said...

In Orange County, the farm ALWAYS loses to development. Nice that the windbreak survived, however. Thanks for the great photo!

Connie Moreno said...

I'm speechless...WOW!!!