I’ve had Stuff from the Park in my Google Reader for quite some time now. I am not sure how I stumbled upon it. The gist of it is this: Matterhorn1959 collects relics and slides from people’s trips to Disneyland, and posts the stuff… wait, considering I’ve been reading it for so long, you would think I know whether or not Matterhorn is male or female? How do I not know this? It’s not on the site anywhere. Oh well! Anyway, they post the stuff they collect. It’s a simple idea.

I’m not a big fan of Disneyland, but I can understand the draw to post these sorts of photos and old souvenirs. I remember when Disneyland was a magical place for me, and I remember when Disneyland started to get rid of, or change things, that I thought were perfect as they were. Cory Doctorow’s book, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (easily one of the most inventive, and confusing, sci-fi books I’ve ever read) deals somewhat with this issue, being about people living within Disneyland and trying to preserve the original rides against the attempts of others at updating (destroying!) them. If it was up to me, Disneyland would never have changed from my youth, but even if it never changed, it wouldn’t change the fact that I have changed.

Simply looking at these old photos from a time that I didn’t even know helps me relive my memories of Disneyland. I can look at a photo of a little boy from the 50’s in his short-shorts and pomaded hair with a huge smile on his face, and it makes me think about how excited I was to take the rafts across to Tom Sawyer’s Island and run through it as fast I can. I don’t know why I always enjoyed it so much, but I did, even when I would awkwardly run into kids much older than me making-out in the caves. I remember being twelve or thirteen, maybe a little old for Disneyland, and feeling deep pangs of disappointment when I discovered that the fort on it was closed up for good. (Found this cool Tom Sawyer’s Island facts page randomly on Google right now, and it’s a joy.)

More than anything, Stuff from the Park reminds me that I’m not alone in my longing for the Disneyland of old. There are probably more people out there than I can even imagine who long for their own version of Disneyland that now resides only in their memories. The Disneyland I enjoyed from my youth may be gone, and the kid I was may be gone, but at least I can sit back and remember a time where Disneyland meant nothing but pure joy, wonder, and happiness. I hope that it still brings that feeling to kids today, even if it’s not the same park it was when it did for me.