Here we go for the part three article with these amazing pictures of Disneyland at opening day shot by LIFE photographers. This time we will have a closer look at Frontierland as it looked on opening day thanks to pictures shot by LIFE photographer Loomis Dean. As usual, click on each picture to see them in big size. If you've missed the part one with pictures of Main Street and Fantasyland on opening day you'll find it HERE and the part two with the Tomorrowland pics is HERE.
The first interesting thing that we can see on these pictures is of course how the vegetation is different now than it was on opening day. It's not a surprise, sure, but it also gives you an idea of the tremendous work that has been done by Disneyland horticulturists since Disneyland opening day!
Below, a picture of opening day guests waiting for the arrival of the Mark Twain at the "Disneyland Steamship" pier.
And there goes the Mark Twain for one of its first journeys along Frontierland river!
As the vegetation was not that high on opening day, you still could see Sleeping Beauty Castle from the banks of Frontierland. Also note the Frontierland Stagecoach passing by in the background.
Let's move to the Golden Horseshoe Saloon as the beloved Golden Horseshoe Revue was there from opening day - and as you will see on the show curtain its sponsor Pepsi Cola, too!
Up on the terrace on the first floor the girls from the Golden Horseshoe Revue could relax and have a beer - something unthinkable today.
Even more unthinkable: having their young children drinking beer, too!... or may they were drinking root beer or Pepsi Cola! Note: the LIFE picture was reversed - probably the negative was backwards when they did the print - so i fixed it.
And now we move to another part of Frontierland for very rare pictures - always shot by Loomis Dean - of the now long time extinct and almost forgotten Rainbow Ridge Pack Mules and Conestoga Wagon rides!
Not only the Conestoga Wagon was crossing a little river but at that time the Indians were not Audio-Animatronics, they were real human beings! Not sure all of them were real Indians, though...
Uh-Ho, it seems that we have a little problem of 20th century intrusion in a supposed 19th century environment!
I'm adding to this article two more LIFE pictures shot by photographer Ralph Crane, but these were not shot on opening day as it shows the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland which was introduced in1960!
See you tomorrow for the final part with amazing pictures showing Adventureland Jungle Cruise on opening day! Don't miss it! If you've missed the part one with pictures of Main Street and Fantasyland on opening day you'll find it HERE and the part two with the Tomorrowland pics is HERE.
Pictures: copyright LIFE - Time Inc
If you like "opening day" pictures the Disneyland Paris book - in which you have the whole park in 320 pages with 750 photos including 250 WDI renderings - has plenty of pictures of Disneyland Paris in its early days and the book is still available in its collector edition! I also remind you that unfortunately there is now less than FIFTEEN copies of the Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality book available in its english collector's edition - french edition is also available - so if you don't own the book yet, it's really now or never!
And there is a special price right now with a $45 / 40€ discount on the normal price, so order your collector copy while there is still copies available as it's really the last english collector copies. You'll find below a one click Paypal button as well as a video showing the whole book. Also, you can have more infos about this gorgeous 320 pages book HERE.
Click on the image below to jump to the book presentation page.
I am sure since Disneyland did not have a liquor license till Club 33 opened that this was not beer but Pepsi in a beer mug.
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