Main Street U.S.A.'s Penny Arcade

The Penny Arcade is one of my favorite parts of Main Street, U.S.A. It gives such an authentically vintage feel to the Park with its old-fashioned games and musical instruments. This January 1964 image is one of those rare shots that allows me to zoom in a bit closer to get a look at what the Arcade used to look like:



Compared to this view from May 2006:



It appears that some of the games have been repainted and that Esmeralda's exterior was completely revamped at some point:



From 2012:



And 2013; looks like more candy, less games.



One of these days, I hope to get a good vintage shot of Esmeralda, the gal who knows all:



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Rock and the Canonflex

This vintage shot of actor Rock Hudson shows that Canon was his camera of choice. Most likely this is a Canonflex camera, which was introduced in May, 1959. It was Canon's first 35mm single-lens reflex camera, which came with a standard 50mm lens. Discontinued five months after release, approximately 17,000 were produced. Today, you can pick one up for around $100.

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Floating Over Snow Hill, 1958

Holiday Hill...Lookout Mountain...Lover’s Lane...Snow Hill. All names refer to the same area at Disneyland. Before the Matterhorn rose from the former orange grove covered land in Anaheim, the mound of dirt (which needed a place to go when the Castle moat was excavated) with the many names was directly below the path of the Skyway. Most interesting thing about this shot is that you can see the Omnibus, which once had a route that extended into Fantasyland.



The huge support towers of the Skyway were somewhat of an eyesore, and the creation of the Matterhorn helped to cover them up from the view of Park guests. It's hard to believe that in one year the Submarines and The Matterhorn would take over the very same space you are looking at now.

This second shot was also taken from the Skyway as it cruised into Tomorrowland. You can see the station and tracks of the Viewliner below.




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City Hall Quintet

In my opinion, this October 1963 image needs no companion. Five lovely young ladies wearing fashion that is so very "Mad Men," sitting on a bench in front of City Hall in Disneyland's Town Square. Behind them is a very simple hand-lettered sign proclaiming the highlights of the park that guests could enjoy.



I wonder if they all worked together, in a Madison Avenue Agency perhaps..out West on holiday. Could Don Draper be the one behind the camera?

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Vintage Frontierland Signage

A few lesser-known signs of Frontierland are featured today, starting off with a January 1958 shot of the Birch-Bark Lodge signage. On a separate note...the security cop in Frontierland is a bit jarring.



This Birch-Bark Lodge was one of the many authentic "exhibits" that guests at Disneyland could learn about in the Indian Village.



Here's another view of the 1956 Storybook-style map that heralded the upcoming Tom Sawyer Island:



If only the photographer had a steadier hand...



I can't even begin to read what is on this El Zocalo signage; anyone out there who can squint hard enough to decipher it?



Follow my Daveland updates on Twitter and view my most recent photos on Flickr. See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.