Monday, July 11, 2011

Knott's Calico Log Ride - 42nd Anniversary!

In honor of the 42nd anniversary today of Knott's Berry Farm's and Bud Hurlbut's Calico Log Ride, I'm posting a souvenir from one of my childhood visits to the park. It's a postcard booklet dated 1970.....one year after the attraction debuted.














16 comments:

Thufer said...

Thank you, that really brought back a lot of really good memories.

Vintage Disneyland Tickets said...

Awesome postcard - the attraction looks so clean! It also looks nice without all the that twisted steel around it!

Major Pepperidge said...

Fantastic! I frequently look for vintage postcards showing the Log Ride, but they seem to be surprisingly scarce. I love the clear look at so many of the vignettes; I rode the Log Ride during the "Knott's Preserved" meetup and don't remember most of them. Have many of them been removed?

TokyoMagic! said...

Connie and Thufer, I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is one of my favorite Knott's souvenirs.

VDT, I agree with you about the twisted steel....and Supreme Scream which sticks up directly behind it. Too bad they didn't try to leave the views of the Log Ride "uncluttered."

Major, I think the racoons have been removed. There is still at least one bear, but the lights have been turned down so low on it that it is barely visible....I think the same thing with the deer. The little house and the logging train are still pretty visible, as well as the man standing on the log but unfortunately a lot of the detailed "landscaping" seen in these vintage shots has been stripped away.

Daveland said...

Chris - Just seems like only a year ago we were riding this. Hey...that was about a year ago! Looks much better in the postcards!

TokyoMagic! said...

Dave, Yeah, it's hard to believe but the Knott's Preserved event was April of 2010. Boy, time goes by fast! If I remember correctly, that was your first time on the Log Ride. Unfortunately, it has changed over the years and not necessarily for the better. :-(

Dan Alexander said...

Wow! That is one of the best themed Log Rides I've ever seen. Retro Knott's is cool!

TokyoMagic! said...

Yep Dan, retro Knott's was pretty darn cool. Like with the Disney parks when you're a kid, you just assume that certain things will be there forever, but then you see them ripping stuff out and destroying what is still there.....it's sad!

Major Pepperidge said...

I mostly remember a scene with deer in which the painted background was literally falling off the wall in large pieces, which made me cry loudly and uncontrollably.

By the way, I STILL think that the pine smell I remember so well was really added, and not just a factor of the use of fresh lumber.

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, that's probably why they made the scenes so dark now....so that they wouldn't have to repair or replace stuff. I think the pine smell was added too.

Snow White Archive said...

Those are some great dioramas. Really like the train engine and the forest scenes. I've never had the opportunity to visit there, but it sounds like from the other comments that it's not the same today?

TokyoMagic! said...

SWS, I would say that if you get a chance, it might still be worth a visit to see the Ghost Town section of the park, including the Log Ride (even though it's not quite what it used to be) and the Calico Mine Train Ride.

Unknown said...

My absolute favorite ride as a kid at Knott's! Thanks for the memories!

JG said...

This is how I remember it.

You have a nice blog TM, first stop in.

Thank you.

JG

TokyoMagic! said...

Thank you, JG....I hope you'll return!

...But It Wasn't Always That Way! said...

YES.