The Mystery Hole

My mother always told me that if someone invited me to see their mystery hole, I was to promptly run in the opposite direction whilst blowing a distress whistle!  If that person was dressed as a clown, all bets were off - ditch the whistle and starting screaming holy hell!!!

Nobody believed that this sign was salvaged from

the circus-themed office of a local proctologist.

It is a fact that it has one of the most unfortunate names in the history of weird, roadside attractions but, mother's warnings aside, there was no way I was going all the way to West Virginia without uncovering the mystery of The Mystery Hole for myself.

What's it all about?

I had a feeling that the big ape knew...but he wasn't talking.

I was more than slightly disappointed when I pulled off the highway, eagerly anticipating the answers to the secrets of the universe, only to learn that I had just missed the most recent tour group.  That turned out to be only a set up for the real blow; tours were not regularly scheduled.  The next descent into the Mystery Hole was dependent on more poor suckers like me showing up; "It could be ten minutes or it could be an hour," was the only indication I got from the nice lady at the front counter of when I might expect to.  I had to find solace in the gift shop which, for me, was really easy; I do love a good gift shop!

If you look, you can see some the Mystery Hole gift shop
 finds amongst the rest of my West Virginian treasures. 

When they bought the Mystery Hole fifteen years ago, the current owners got all of the gift shop's inventory in the deal.  Every item in the history of the Mystery Hole that hadn't yet sold was still on the shelves for sale.  While most people would go for a shot glass or keychain, I went for the pennants and vintage postcards and bric-a-brac that were still hanging around.  As happy as I was with my loot, I was there to do much more than shop.  The real mystery seemed to be if I would ever see the Mystery Hole.

Was it going to take a major car-tastrophe to get inside the Mystery Hole?

Anxious with anticipation, I was contemplating the realities of digging my own mystery hole when all at once a few cars joined mine in the dirt parking lot.  Piling out of their dust-covered automobiles, road weary travelers seemed to perk up at the chance to participate in what would otherwise be a foolhardy activity - following a stranger into a dark, underground room where cell phones are banned and escape routes are limited.

A pretty clear indication that this could be dangerous...

Needless to say, I made it in and out of the Mystery Hole quite alive...but not necessarily unchanged.

I might have gone in in relatively-stable health but the fact is that what I
 saw in the Mystery Hole can never be unseen and the effects are lasting!

If nothing else, I am a man of conditional principles.  Under the right circumstances and for the right price, I would rat out even my closest family members and spill my guts on any classified information with which I had been entrusted.  Among visitors to the Mystery Hole, however, there is an unspoken code to never reveal the wild and wonderful mysteries that lie within; to the brotherhood of the Mystery Hole I must be true.

Of course, there are plenty of online sources to discover the
Mystery Hole's mysteries but, call me a "rule follower" if you
must, I'll never tell!

As they say, "Dead men tell no tales," and I don't want to test the theory!

If you're ever in Ansted, WV and you're feeling like Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, be sure to take the case, "The Mystery of The Mystery Hole."  Hopefully, they'll still have a few of the good souvenirs left in the gift shop!



The Mystery Hole
16724 Midland
Ansted, WV
(304)658-9101

www.mysteryhole.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Collecting: This Little Light of Mine

I am not a blasphemer.  The strength and coarseness of my language are dictated by the strict rules we had in our house as children; name-calling was forbidden and we got in serious trouble for saying, "Shut up."  Seriously..."Shut up."  Bugs Bunny said, "Shut up" on a regular basis and he was a cartoon rabbit.  Any indication that something inappropriate might escape my lips is preempted by the thought of my mom's disappointed face - the notable exceptions being the times when I am alone in the car and surrounded by idiotic drivers (read every time I am behind the wheel).  What can I say, I am a total square.  The only reason for this preamble is a sincere hope that this post will not offend anyone - including my mom.

My mom really doesn't like it when there is any association between Jesus and the world of wacky tacky; unfortunately for her, there are times when the link is unbreakable.  Those times are almost always due to some well-intentioned Christian faithful who, filled with the spirit, creates a piece of art that has an even greater (perhaps subversive) impact than originally intended.  This might be the case with a little bit of religious ephemera I came across whilst performing an intense round of pre-Spring cleaning.

This die cut, trifold card was among the programs from the funeral of my great-uncle,
 who passed when I was but an infant.  Having no memories of him whatsoever, it is a
 wonder why I would have have these things beyond the fact that I really appreciate
 the printed wood grain and ornate strap hinges...and hoarding.  

When opened, the card treats the holder to a beatific portrait of Jesus, eyes closed in
"reverential silence," and a brief history of our understanding of Jesus' physical appearance.

"And Jesus was transfigured before them and His face did
 shine like the sun, and His raiment was white as the light."

The back of the card explains that the original painting used for the
interior portrait is hung inside the Little Chapel at Knott's Berry Farm.
Knott's Berry Farm!!!
Then we learn that "This picture glows in the dark and the eyes open."
As if the theme park association wasn't enough, this picture GLOWS IN THE DARK!!!

Proof!
Proof that glow-in-the-dark pictures are difficult to take.
One eye is definitely glowing brighter than the other -
almost giving the appearance of a sly little wink.

It might not be the Virgin of Guadalupe on a tortilla, but I like it.

In the end, this little bit of paper may have had absolutely nothing to do with my great-uncle's funeral.  As it turns out, the artist, Paul V. Klieben, painted multiple works for the Knott family and their park.  Giving "This Little Light of Mine" a whole new meaning, this card was handed out, starting in the early/mid 1940's, at the end of every service performed at Knott's Little Chapel.  Whether you are a believer or not, I hope it is possible to see the beautiful bizarreness of a glow-in-the-dark Jesus handed out at a chapel inside of a Western-themed amusement park.  The moral of this story is that if you have a little light, including a glow-in-the-dark card, you've just got to let it shine; I think even my mom could find the amusement in that.

"This Little Light of Mine" - Sam Cooke

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Corriganville Movie Ranch: A Railroad Adventure

The only thing consistent about Hollywood is its insatiable desire for "the next big thing."  Left in the wake of obscurity created by Hollywood's endless voyage towards new horizons are many people who devoted their entire careers to the business of show.  One of those folks is Crash Corrigan.

Crash Corrigan
(February 14, 1902 - August 10, 1976)
(Source)

Crash Corrigan found minor success as no-name working actor in B-movies.  He really hit his stride when his willingness to perform extreme stunt work made him a hot commodity and a star of action films - particularly Westerns - of the 1930's.  In 1937, Corrigan parlayed his affinity for the West with his knowledge of the film industry into Corriganville Movie Ranch, a parcel of land that he bought, and on which he built a fully-functioning Western town, with the express purpose of renting it as a location for filming.

The gates to Corriganville

By the late 1940's, the entrepreneurial Corrigan saw an opportunity to exploit the possibilities of his Old West town even further.  Why not open the ranch to the public?  In the days of The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, and Roy Rogers, it only made good business sense to recreate live scenes of cowboy bravery and high noon shootouts for public consumption.  At the height of its popularity, Corriganville Movie Ranch was a much larger draw than its cowboy cousin to the South, namely Knott's Berry Farm. 

Rodeos, Wild West shows, pony rides - Corriganville was a full-service
 theme park years before Uncle Walt had Disneyland up and running.
(Source)

Corrigan and some lucky cowpokes.
(Source)

There is nothing we love more at wacky tacky than a midcentury interpretation of the Old West, so we were hot on the trail of Corriganville Movie Ranch.  It seemed the perfect destination for an adventure day with our pals Jesse and Emily (a lover of old Hollywood and head blogger at The Silver Screen Affair).  Knowing that the movie ranch itself was long gone, we were hoping to see some remnants of Corrigan's vision.  Unfortunately, the parts of Corriganville that were not devastated by a fire, were destroyed by earthquakes.  Anything else that was left was torn down in the interest of public safety.  The good news is that the land on which Corriganville stood is now a park that can be explored by anyone with a free afternoon and a love of cowboy culture and the great outdoors.

While the Western town is gone, Jesse proves that the landscape offers plenty of Western frontier to discover.
Hiking trails abound and we came across a least two boy scout troops .

Mr. Tiny, Mary, Emily, and Jesse

The only vestiges of Corriganville's former glory are some cement foundations and some
partial stone walls that were part of the working stables. It appears as if some horse's behinds
still populate the premises. 

Okay, some partial stone walls and the vents for the plumbing;
Emily gracefully displays their improper use. 

Mary found some ancient carvings of some indigenous people that
looked suspiciously like a "WT."  wacky tacky?
Did they know we were coming?

The neat part about this movie ranch turned nature reserve are the markers placed throughout the park that identify the history of the land and the films that were shot onsite.  While Corriganville was a prime location for Western pictures, its sprawling grounds made it a natural for shooting films of all kinds.  Would you believe that the Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller were filmed there?  As a matter of fact, it was Ray "Crash" Corrigan, as Weissmuller's stunt double, who wowed moviegoers by swinging from vine to vine.

A manmade lake provided a spot for shooting aquatic film sequences.
The lake has been drained so we were able to see some structural
 elements as well as the underwater booths/bunkers through which the
 cameramen shot the underwater  scenes filmed on the ranch. 

Emily & Mary sitting in a tree...
This particular tree happens to be in the bottom of the lake!

A bitter divorce between Corrigan and his wife was the beginning of the end for Corriganville Movie Ranch.  Unwilling to sacrifice Corriganville to California's well-known community property laws, Corrigan sold Corriganville Movie Ranch and all of its assets to Bob Hope when it henceforth became known as "Hopetown" (as much as we like Hope, this is pretty lame).  According to our sources, it was a persuasive call placed by Walter Knott, of Knott's Berry Farm, to Hope that sealed Corriganville's fate.  The exact details of the phone call are lost to history but what is known is that Corriganville/Hopetown languished, burned, eventually became a ward of the parks department.  While we wish that Corriganville was still a working Western Town/film location/theme park, it was nice to see that the land has been preserved for wacky tacky adventure days.

(Source)

Corriganville Movie Ranch

7001 Smith Rd

Simi Valley, CA

(805)584-4400

www.rsrpd.org

Just up the road from Corriganville Movie Ranch is another bit of Simi Valley history.  Instead of heading immediately back to the freeway after leaving the park, we made a fortuitous turn and found the transplanted Santa Susana Railroad Depot.  This unexpected stop on our adventure gave us even more insight into the history of Corriganville.

Curt, Mr. Tiny, Emily, Jesse, and Mary

Curt, a local volunteer at the Santa Susana Railroad Depot, was an awesome
tour guide!  He regaled us with details of his 1958 visit to Corriganville and
the "Hanging of Cattle Kate." 

Looking almost exactly as it did on its first day of operation in 1903, the transplanted depot turned museum serves as a historical landmark in the valley, a monument to early 20th Century rail travel and commerce, and a place for train enthusiasts to watch the trains go by and to build railroads of their own.

One of the depot's main functions was to serve as the
Western Union office for the surrounding valley.

If this bike was part of the job of the WU messenger, then I say "Sign me up!"

The depot is outfitted with all the trappings of an early 20th Century train station.

Like sacks of potatoes

Crates of produce

And even more sacks of potatoes....only kidding....the one in the middle is a lady.

I really loved this barrel of railroad spikes.

The most thrilling part of the Santa Susana Railroad Depot was another wacky tacky favorite - miniatures!!!  A large portion of the facilities are dedicated to a huge collection of Lionel trains and a scale model railroad.

Every week, volunteers and scale-model railroad engineers come to
build, operate, and maintain the Santa Susana miniature trains.

A whole environment has been built to reflect Simi Valley and the greater
Los Angeles area.  We were happy to see that  Corriganville was well represented.

Did I mention that I love miniatures?
The details of the setting are meant to reflect Southern California in the 1950's.

Obviously, the details are open to interpretation....
But if I was that shepherd, I would definitely move my flocks far away from
Southern California's native Bengal Tiger population.

Downtown Los Angeles is represented in the form of Philippe's.

This is the part of the railroad's journey that passes through San Pedro.
I think the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce might have a new slogan -
"San Pedro - a great place to hack up sharks." Shudder...

If you're in the market for a wacky tacky adventure day, consider heading up to Simi Valley.  We got a great dose of the Old West, Hollywood lore, railroad history, and vitamin D!  When you're there be sure to give our regards to Crash and to Curt!

(Source)

Santa Susana Railroad Depot and Museum

6503 Katherine Rd.

Simi Valley, CA

(805)581-3462

www.santasusanadepot.org

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny