Summer Love at Disneyland

I don't know if it still happens today, but it used to be that Disneyland was utilized as a babysitter of sorts. When parents wanted to free themselves of the kids and spend some time alone, they would drop them off at Disneyland.

The kids would have fun all day long, and the parents picked them back up in the evening.

My parents never dropped me off at Disneyland. I was 12 years old when we moved to Orange County, and my little brother was a year old. So I just old enough to take care of myself, and take care of my little brother. My parents took advantage of that.

Mark of Cabernet and Chocolate submits his memories of getting dropped off at Disneyland and meeting his girlfriend there...

I believe I was in Junior High when I discovered that Disney was a great place. Why? Well, you could get dropped off at the "Park" and parents thought it was safe. Remember, they had those giant security guards in the sixties. Even better, was that the parents of girls thought Disney was safe. No parents, safe place and girls, Disney was a great place.

In the summer of 1965 I met Sharon. She was from Granada Hills. Her parents thought Disney was safe and would drive down the 5 to drop her off and then would go to a local spot they like for "dinner and dancing". Sharon was gorgeous, blond, tan and so very cute. It was puppy love at first sight. We rode rides, we watched can can dancers and even better we rode the "dark" rides.

If you lived in Orange County you know what I mean. How many times can you co "up up and away" on the Peter Pan ride in one night.

Every Saturday I would meet her at 7pm at the gate. And at 11pm she would scamper like Cinderella out the gate and back to Granada Hills. She was my first romantic, bells and whistles kiss. I feel for her. Then one Saturday she did not show. I found out later her parents had found she was hanging out with older boys. I was 14 she was 13. I called her and she professed her love and frustration but I never saw her again. I called her once, still had the phone number, she had a boyfriend and I was in love with a girl from Santiago, but wow, those Disney Delights.

Read More

Banzai Mini Cycle Park in Anaheim

Anonymous remembers the Banzai Mini Cycle Park ...

Anyone remember Banzai Mini Cycle Park? It was across Walnut from Angel Stadium where a fire training facility is now. Right next to the Santa Ana River. They only allowed bikes of 100 cc's or less if I remember right. I had a Suzuki 90 at the time so I spent some time over there.

Read More

The Wild Wild Wet in Anaheim

Anonymous asks if anyone remembers going to Wild Wild Wet...

Does anyone remember "WILD WILD WET" the waterpark that used to be off of the 5 freeway in Anaheim? It was located at the site where the BANCO POPULAR building now stands. It was next to the Sheraton Hotel.

This would have been in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was a concrete water slide in Anaheim, right off the I-5. I never went there, but I remember seeing the ads, and the television commercials for it. My wife went there once.

Also, another reader, "Daveondemand", submits a memory of going to a water park, but can't recall the name of the park. I believe he's also remembering Wild Wild Wet...

I recall a small waterslide park located just North of Ball road and what used to be Manchester (now Disneyland drive or something like that). Does anyone remember what it was called or seen any pictures of it? Currently, there is a Banco Popular building where I think it used to be along with that expressway that leads directly from the 5 fwy into the "Disneyland Resort Megastructure" I remember going to this water park in the early 80's and wiping out really bad. It felt like I swallowed half of the pool...There were so many other entertaining things to do in that general area i.e the mini golf place across the street from Disneyland on Harbor (next to what used to be Melodyland"), and the "slic Track" go-karts off the 5 freeway next to the Corvette Mike's original location between Ball and Lincoln...ahhh the memories

Read More

When John Wayne Visited Knotts Berry Farm

Anonymous describes when John Wayne visited Knott's Berry Farm to be the first person to ride the Log Ride...

When I was 16 I got my first "real" job. I was a bus boy at the Steakhouse at Knotts berry Farm. My first girlfriend, Charlene Scott worked at the grill. But that's another story.

It was 1969 and they were just completing the log ride. It was really cool. They let us ride it all we wanted after work.

Well, John Wayne came one day to dedicate it by being the "first" one to ride it. Anyway I was at the time clock punching in and to my suprise Mr. Wayne was walking straight for me. It was just him and me. I was so stunned I just stared at him. He looked at me and smiled and said "Well, howr you!" I really don't remember what or if I said anything.

Later on I took a break in our common break room where I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.

Read More

The Big "O" in Orange

Brett M remembers a waterslide in Orange...

I remember in the mid 80's growing up in the City of Orange. Off of Chapman Ave., just off the Fwy there was a waterslide. It was originally made of glass(?) and I think someone actually either died or was severely hurt. None the less, I remember walking there from my old home off of Palmyra and Yorba.

I think he's referring to the Big "O" in Orange, which was a skateboard park that had a fiberglass waterslide.

I think it shut down because the fiberglass would crack and cause people's bathing suits to tear. I didn't hear about someone dying or severely injured, but I wouldn't doubt it.

Read More

Hippies at Knott's Berry Farm

Anonymous writes about how the hippies "ruined" Knott's Berry Farm...

I grew up less than a mile away from Knotts in the sixties. We used to go there and hang out. It was free to get in before the Hippies ruined it. Knotts started charging admission to get them to stop loitering. Nothing against against the Hippies though. Great place to go on a Sat night and try to pick up girls.Knotts had a park in back that was short lived . I believe it was called "jungle island". You paid 50 cents to get in and you got to play there all day-what a blast. We used to buy our cigaretts at the "pottery shop" that was across the street from Knotts. They had a machine in the back. Nobody was ever looking and for 35 cents we got a hard box of Marlboros. Next to it was the Alligator farm. Who out there remembers that place?

Coincidentally, another commenter, Dave, posted a note a couple of years ago making a similar comment...

The hippies were sleeping in the parking lot, so thats when they fenced it in, and they wide the tracks for the train to run on, and charged a quarter for admission.

I didn't realize that Knott's changed from being free admission to paid admission as a way to get rid of hippies, but I guess that's one way. But it seems to me that as the park grew larger and larger, charging a fee would eventually happen anyways.

Read More

Donating Chickens to Knott's Berry Farm

Anonymous shares memories of Anaheim in the 1960s, and finishes up with something about dropping off chickens at Knott's...

I moved to Anaheim in 1963 and went to Benito Juarez elementary, South Jr. High and Katella High School. We used to walk through orange groves as kids to get anywhere. It was a big deal when they opened the 7-eleven on St. College and Ball and I do recall the "Mr.T's" restaurant down the street. We hung out there all the time. It was originally a Tasty Freeze with a walk up window. I will never forget the chile-cheese dogs. I am trying to remember the name of a diner on the corner of East and Lincoln that was there at least until the mid-80's. Anyone?
How about the Original Van's shoe store on Broadway?

I also remember Escape Country. We used to drive there along those windy roads every Sunday in the summer beacuse they had live bands play in the afternoon and everyone would party. I think that area is now Dove Canyon and Robinson Ranch are of Santa Margarita.

We too use to drop off chickens in the parking lot at Knotts.

Those were the days!

That's an interesting point. How many other people let loose their chickens or other excess farm animals at Knott's, just because they figured Knott's would take them in?

I guess that would have been more humane than tossing them over the fence into the Alligator Farm nearby.

Read More

Old Knott's Berry Farm Rides

OCThen reader, Snoop-tastic, writes about his/her memories of Knott's Berry Farm, and the attractions that are no longer there...

I remember going to Knott's Berry Farm atleast once a year as a kid...And now I work there! It truely is the "Friendliest place in the west". I remember what reflection lake looked like before the Silver Bullet was added....The water show thing they used to do was always great to top off every visit! I used to be scared of the Calico Mine Ride....It still freaks me out a little! lol. I loved the Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, and I hate that I couldn't ride it just once more before it was removed. I remember the Tampico Tumbler, the Gran Slammer, and I even have vague memories of the rides underneath the Wind Jammer (Where X-celerator is now.) The music at Knott's gets stuck in your head, yet it leaves a smile on your face. The stage shows (at the Wagon Camp, Calico Stage, Camp Snoop Theater, and Charles M. Schulz Theater) are all magnificent and well-written. I love Snoopy's Big Bow Wow, Charlie Brown's Jungle Journey, The Wild West Stunt Show and, at Halloween Haunt, "The Hanging". Every moment spent at Knott's, whether working or playing, is an adventure and a time to remember. For anyone who has not been to KBF, I highly recommend it, and while you're there, be sure to check out as many of the shows as possible, including the one in the Mystery Lodge!

The first time I went to Knott's was in 1973 (or was it 1974?). I can't recall what all that was there at that first visit, but I do remember the Haunted Shack, the mine tour, the train, the stage coach, panning for gold, the Calico Graveyard, and of course the log ride. I think only the Haunted Shack is no longer there.

Back then, I lived in San Diego, and it was a really big affair for us to drive up to Buena Park. I was so excited to have visited Knotts!

Read More

Memories of Anaheim in the 1960s

OCThen reader Amber submits her memories of growing up in Anaheim, probably in the 1960s, based on the $4.95 it took to get into Disneyland...

I grew up in Anaheim.. I remember dad getting take pizza from Costello's, down around Walnut ? and Cerritos.. then it was changed to Mama Cozza's... I remember hearing they had cockroaches all over and they just baked them into the pizza.

I remember "..don't cook tonight, call Chicken Delight.. we deliver.." and White Front Pharmacy in Garden Grove.. I remember the Skate Rink off the 22/Haster, skating to the theme song from Grease.

Till I moved to Dana Point, I STILL drove up to Ball /Euclid to see my childhood and adulthood DDS, Dr. Cornelius.. he had a daughter and I never knew her, but she went to school at Ball and Loara HS.

I remember the OBON festival every Summer during my Birthday and I'm finally going to the one here in Denver...

Remember Disneyland on my BD every year with my friends.. I VIVIDLY remember us complaining it cost us $4.95 to get in! I remember hoarding E tickets and going home for dinner and coming back later on till they closed. I remember the GE Carosel of Progress.. my fav thing other than Pirates of the Carribean.. in 2006 we went to DisneyWorld and didn't like it.. way too big . BUT, the GE show was there and I videotapped the entire thing! Only one other person was in there with us.. they totally updated it and I HATED that.

Read More

Calico Cash Social Hour Coins

OCThen reader Slatts asks if anyone has information about some coins that came from Knott's Berry Farm...

I found 13 wooden Calico Cash Social Hour coins from Knott's Berry Farm. They are the size of silver dollars and just as thick. They must be from the 60's and I'm trying to find out what they were used for. Does anyone know? Thanks, Slatts

Click on "Post a Comment" below if you know anything...

Read More

Knott's Berry Farm versus Tom's Farms

Anonymous writes about Knott's Berry Farm back during a time when it was a dirt lot and free to get in...

Speaking of Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland! I remember the dirt parking lot and chickens! And it was free to get in! No log ride yet. I remember when it was getting built and the excitement of it all. And Disneyland... remember the tickets for the rides. "E" tickets were the best but you only got like 3! Of course "A" tickets were the sucky rides and you got like 6! But you could use the ticket book for next time. That's when Disneyland was affordable! I was just at, is it Downtown Disney? Its been over 20 since I've lived in Orange County. So many people... so little land!

Just south of Corona, along the I-15, is a place called Tom's Farms. Everytime I go there, I think of Knott's Berry Farm, and wonder if it looks anything like Knott's Berry Farm from those very old days.

Tom's Farms is still largely a glorified produce stand, with a shop for wine and cheese, a furniture store, a candy shop, a mexican restaurant, and a burger shop. But it also has a Merry-go-Round, a shooting gallery, a train ride, a large duck pond with live band, and even some carnval rides. And the place keeps adding more stuff all the time.

Read More

Claude Bell's Artist Shack - Knott's Berry Farm

OCThen reader Michelle submits her memories of Claude Bell's Artist Shack at Knott's Berry Farm...

Knotts Berry Farm! One of my favorite places to ride out a cold!

My Mom Moselle Townsend was one of the Pastel Artists there when I was young! Above Claude Bell's Artist Shack was a patio roof with umbrella chairs and a table and when I was sick Mom would take me there to relax and read while she worked!

For lunch I get to meander around and visit Motts Minatures, the gold panning area and some great old ladies in prairie bonnets. Being sick was a priviledge! I loved to eat at Mrs Knotts Kitchen, is that what was it called? Bosenberry Pie is still my favorite to this day, rubarb in syrup and the greatest fried chicken and gravy! Wasn't there a great little dish of bacon and cabbage too?

I still have the want ad mom cut from the newpaper. Claude Bell was looking for a pastel artist to do portraits and my mom thought she could do it so she drew my sister, brother, dad, me and our friends from Lakewood all in one week and then went down and applied for the job and got it. I am not sure how long she worked there but it helped buy her supplies while she got her MFA at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles.

I have often wondered how many portraits she might have painted over the years she was there? I think she might have been there for about 4 years! Perhaps 1955 to 1960.

I went to High School in Whittier in the 60's and my dad use to drive us down to Retail Clerks, the Union Hall right past Knotts Berry Farm where we could dance for $1.00 with great groups like the Righteous Brothers! Growing up at that time was really fun. Michelle.

If you had a portrait drawn at Knott's Berry Farm between 1955 and 1960, Michelle's mom probably drew it.

Read More

Old Berry Stand at Knott's

Dale Turkle has a question for OCThen readers about what he thinks may be the remnants of the old roadside berry stand that Walter Knott used to run...

I'm enjoying your site and passing it on to interested friends, and have something to ask you and your readers.

I wonder if you can answer something for me. If you go into the Fiesta Village area at Knotts, walk all the way to the back,, and there is a food court near the furthest Northeast corner of the park.

Stand on a planter there and look over the inside wall toward Beach Blvd and you will see hidden in brambles an old shack and some berry plants. Could this be the remains of the old roadside stand, walled off from the general public and still facing the corner there?

Dale Turkle
Torrance CA

If can add something to this, click on "Post a Comment" below.

Read More

9:35pm Disneyland Fireworks?

Dale writes to me asking why Disneyland fireworks are going off at 9:35pm, instead of 9:30pm. Living out here in Riverside County now, I don't get to see the fireworks anymore, so I don't really know what's going on at D-Land...

Steve

My son-in-law asked me why the nightly fire works go off at 9.35. Why not 9.30 or another time please let me know so I can get back to him as it is very embarrassing not to be able to answer someone that loves to know the facts.

Can anyone chime in? Click on "Post a Comment".

Read More

Little Amusement Park in Garden Grove

An OCThen reader going by the name "ex-kbf employee" posted the following memory of a little amusement park (possibly called Kiddie Land) in Garden Grove during the 1960s...

back in the 60's, in garden grove, there was a little "amusement" park, probably the size of a convenient store parking lot, behind, i believe was a mcmann's (spelling not correct) furniture store on garden grove bl. just past brookhurst, where now stands a korean shopping center. i'm almost positive the little amusement park was called,"kiddie land." anyone remember this? anyone have a pic to post? like all early childhood memories, it's a little fuzzy. i think there was a small admission price. that place was great! i only went once but i will remember it for ever, like a good dream. that's how some early childhood memories are, a bit fuzzy and seem like a dream.

If you have any information to provide about this, click on "Post a Comment" at the end of this article, and share it with us.

Read More

Where is Tom Coughran?

Back in the old days of OCThen (Aug 2001), a guy named Tom Coughran sent us an e-mail about his father, Samuel Coughran, who owned the land that Knott's Berry Farm eventually occupied...

My father, Samuel (Sam) (Sammy) Coughran owned the property where Knott's Berry Farm (known then as Knott's Berry Place) is located. He sold the property to Walter and Cordellia Knott. Walter told Dad that he would pay him $1,500 for the land (I don't remember if that was per acre or for the whole parcel). Dad told him, "Walter, you know it isn't worth any more than $1,000." Walter told him he couldn't pay him cash, so Dad told him, "In that case, I guess it's worth $1,500." My Mom (Florence Margaret Inskeep) married my Dad in 1941. Dad still lived in the two story house that was later used by the Knotts as offices. The house is/was located just south of the Chicken Restaurant and north of the one stall firehouse. My Mom was a waitress at the Chicken Restaurant in its early days. On the East side of the property, along what is now Beach Blvd., where the original entrance was located, there is or at least was, a row of Eucalyptus trees. Dad planted those trees in 1918 or thererabouts. He told us that the first tree north of the entrance has an "unnatural" fork in it. He said he had been plowing the field and tied the plowhorse to the young tree while he ate his lunch. The horse must have been humgry as well as it ate the top out of the tree, thus, the fork. My Dad's sister, Alma, owned the property from the south side of Dad's property to the cross street to the south (Crescent?). I believe she owned it even before she married Elbert Carpenter, but not sure. She was three or four years older than Dad.

I posted the above e-mail on our original article, "Knott's Berry Farm" a couple of years ago.

Well, a lady named Elsie Coughran wrote an e-mail to me a couple of days ago asking me for Tom Coughran's e-mail address. She used to be married to James Eugene Coughran, the son of Samuel Coughran, and she also claims Sam is the previous owner of the land. She goes on to say that James told her many stories of growing up there, and befriending Walter Knott's son, Russell Knott.

However, no one ever mentioned a Tom Coughran. So, she wants to get a hold of him to explore that side of the family. She figures that Tom is a son of Sam Coughran's second wife.

The problem is that I can't find that e-mail anymore! I've gone through a couple of laptops since I posted that article a couple of years ago, and I think something got lost in transferring files. It was also a couple of years ago that I migrated from Outlook Express to Outlook 2003, after Outlook Express crashed on me, and I lost many old e-mails. That could be it.

Anyways, if anyone can hook up Elsie with Tom Coughran, or any of the Coughran descendants from that line, please click on "Post a Comment" below, OR, send me a personal e-mail, and I'll get it to Elsie.

You can also e-mail Elsie directly: eeidc @ socal . rr . com.

Read More

Disneyland Accidents

An anonymous OCThen reader posted a comment on an old article regarding an accident happening at Disneyland. His comment is about an incident he was involved in on the Jungle Cruise...

When I worked on the Jungle Cruise, I was working one evening in the front loader dock position. Two women and a litle girl approached as the boat was filling up. I was talking to the Mom, asking if they wanted to wait for another boat as this one was nearly full.

Before any of us knew it, the litle girl had stepped off the dock and fell between the boat and the dock. The water there is about 12 feet deep, and she was completely submerged.

I fell on my knees in the boat opening and fished for the girl in the water. I found her and pulled her out. It was a couple of seconds at best, but felt like minutes. Her eyes were like saucers, and she started crying almost immediately. All I could do was hold her close, then handed her off to her Mom.

There was no threat of a lawsuit. The Mom said she should have been watching her. I was not punished by Disney, though I did have to go back to wardrobe to change into dry clothes.

It did earn me the nickname "Lipton".

I wanted to ask our readers if they can submit their memories of other Disneyland accidents. I'm not looking for deaths, or major injuries, since those have all been well covered in the media. I'm looking for the stuff that didn't get reported in the papers, which involved little to no injuries.

Maybe someone fell into the water at Pirates of the Caribbean, or someone who actually got sick in the middle of watching Circle Vision, or some kid who got his head stuck between the bars of a fence and had to be greased up to pull it back out. I dunno.

I'm sure past and present Disneyland employees have lots to share.

I haven't witnessed any accidents, other than the countless times I slammed into the back of my buddies on the Autopia Cars. Though there was that time I nearly ran over a parking attendant because I had the sun shining in my face.

If you have something, click on "Post a Comment", and let's get this thread going.

Read More

Cloud 9 and Studio K

Cloud 9 and Studio K were dance clubs inside of Knott's Berry Farm. During the 1980's they were two of the trendiest places in Orange County for teenagers to go to on a Saturday night.

I was never into dancing when I was in my teens. I was into computers, I was a computer geek, though not hard-core geek. There was something in me that resisted the stereotype.

A guy named Stephen L. Becker is trying to put together a tribute website for Cloud 9 and Studio K, and wanted to ask OCThen readers if they can contribute photos. Here's his message...

I remember piling a bunch of friends into a Toyota Tercel and heading out to Balboa Island to see RHPS at midnight every Friday. Then on Saturday, we would all head out to Knott's Berry Farm to dance at Studio K and Cloud 9. I am actively searching for pictures from Cloud 9 and Studio K from the late 80s -early 90s so I can build a tribute site. Please contact me if you have any that I may use. stephen.l.becker@gmail.com

There have also been some other comments and e-mails sent to me about Cloud 9 and Studio K, which I have posted as comments here. Please feel free to post your own comments here as well.

Read More

When Land was Really Cheap

There was an anonymous comment posted on our Knott's Berry Farm article today, about how land was so cheap, it was being given away...

There is a story in my family, that a Great Uncle, Homer Clemons, owned an orange grove in the area. He got the land when it was so cheap, they gave you an acre if you subscribed to the local farm newspaper for a year. Two years subscription got you two acres. The story goes that he left his land to two brothers, who sold it to a man named Knotts. I don't have any proof of this story, but he and wife Belle are on the 1920 & 1930 census. Both are buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park.

I'm not sure how a newspaper would buy up land, just to give it away, or maybe perhaps they were giving away land they didn't need anymore. But imagine owning a couple acres of land in the middle of Buena Park right now?

Read More

Watching Disneyland Fireworks in the Old Days

Mike Baldwin shares his memories of watching Disneyland Fireworks...

I grew up living in Santa Ana from 1952 till my family moved to Costa Mesa in 1963. My fondest memory is during the summers when before bed time, Mom and Dad would walk with my sisters and I up to the Santa Ana river bank to watch the fireworks at Disneyland each evening. During thoses days there were no obstructions to sight across the county to see the nightly display from Disneyland. It was a great way to end each day as the walk back home was a great time to share the the show of that night with each other and to think of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell before going to bed.

By Mike Baldwin

I lived in Santa Ana from 1978 to 1988, before moving to El Toro. But we lived on Richland Ave, out by Bristol St, and couldn't see the fireworks, but you could always hear them, and you always knew what time it was once you started hearing the "boom boom" in the distance.

Read More