Old Redwood Tree

For today’s post we have a then & now shot from the Marketplace. What a wonderful place the Marketplace once was. It was full of wonderfully fun things to see! Sadly most of the features that made it so special are now long gone. One of those special features was the old “Redwood Tree” stump that used to sit behind Virginia’s gift shop. It was from this very piece of tree that I learned about counting the rings to find out a trees age. I remember trying to count those rings and never being able to make it all the way through without losing track. These are the simple pleasures that make the memories of a lifetime.

The sign reads “This cross section is from a coast redwood. It was over 780 years old, over 13 feet through and nearly 300 feet high. It had its first birthday in 1161.”

This same area today. In this space now resides a phone booth, which in it's defense is fast becoming a relic of the past that may one day be marveled.

I am not sure when the Redwood Tree was removed but I know it has been gone for quite some time. Does anyone know approximately when it was removed?

So long for now! Take care and Thanks for Readin'

Old Miner Statue

Well the official word is that the peek-ins will be back. Let’s hope that they stay true to their original form. They are rumored to be back this month so I will try to make it out to the farm for updates on the progress. In the meantime we will resume our regularly scheduled programming.
Today’s post features the miner statue that used to be atop the fountain over by the goldmine at the entrance to ghost town. Following an internet tip I headed out to Cabazon California off of Interstate 10 on the way to Palm Springs. The statue stands in front of the Wheel Inn Café which can be found directly in front of Claude Bell's dinosaurs.

“The Cabazon dinosaurs were started in the 1960s by Knott's Berry Farm sculptor and portrait artist Claude K. Bell (1897-1988) to attract customers to his Wheel Inn Cafe which opened in 1958.”
-excerpt from Wikipedia-

Although I cannot confirm that this is the exact statue that used to reside at the farm I can say that if it is not the original it is an exact replica as can be seen in the photos below. The only difference I see is the paint color. Can anyone can confirm its authenticity? Does anyone know how long it has been there? I am pretty sure that I still saw it at the farm back in the mid 90’s. Perhaps there was more than one. It’s topics like these that inspired me to start this blog. I look forward to learning and sharing more.

Take care and Thanks for readin’

Miner Statue in front of the Wheel Inn Cafe in Cabazon

Again from a different angle

What I believe is the same statue at it's original home at Knott's Berry Farm (photo is from Davelandweb.com I believe)

And for fun a shot of one of Claude Bell's Dinosaurs.