Windows With A View (Part 5): Rocks, Maps, Gold, and Costumes

In this episode of the Where In The Park Podcast, we continue our Windows With A View series along Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, exploring the dedication windows hidden around the Carnation Café courtyard.

Discover the stories behind Fred Joerger, Disneyland's legendary rockwork expert; the mysterious "Sam the Tailor" window that many believe may reference Disney Legend Sam McKim; Ed Winger, the craftsman connected to the famous Burning Settler's Cabin and Mike Fink Keel Boats; and Renié Conley, the Hollywood costume designer who helped create Disneyland's original Cast Member costumes and designed the gowns worn by Betty Taylor in the Golden Horseshoe Revue.

Along the way, we'll uncover hidden details, forgotten attractions, the history of Frontierland, and the creative minds whose work still shapes Disneyland more than 70 years later.

Links referenced in this episode:

Imagine That! Ep. 22 - A Chat with Matt McKim - Pt. 1: https://youtu.be/rNtvYDubx4Y?si=JYP8Od0OJh5Zsn72

Imagine That! Ep. 23 - Disney Imagineer Matt McKim - Part 2: https://youtu.be/cCZFR4yzIqg?si=GUWZNn9GE2Yd6bFI

 Imagine That! Ep. 39: The Rockwork Architect: The Life and Legacy of Fred Joerger:
https://youtu.be/pkRvil_Uf2Q?si=xdztJ_MQncNZL0iL

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Transcript

Hello everyone! This is Amanda, and today on the Where In The Park Podcast, we are going to continue our series of Windows With A View, exploring the next set of windows along Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland! 

For those just joining us, we started this series at City Hall, and we’ve been going to each window along the left side of Main Street. Today, in this Part 5, we are starting at the back of the seating area of Carnation Café, where we’ll explore the windows along the side of this dining area.

If you have missed any of the windows up to this point, the easiest way to binge this series is to go to WhereInThePark.com/Podcast. There, you’ll find a dropdown for Disney Parks with the links for this Windows With A View Series. Clicking on each one not only provides the photos, references and scripts of each episode, but also includes the embedded podcast player right there! So you can listen and follow along! 

Alright, so let’s continue on our journey and see who we can find!

Fred Joerger

In the back right corner of the Carnation Café, above the seating area, is a 2-pane window that can only be seen in its entirety if 1) all of the umbrellas are down in the seating area, 2) if you are dining at Carnation Café, or 3) you walk down the narrow walkway toward the restrooms, lean over the railing to look over the table and under the overhang at this window (yes, it’s a very strange spot). But this window reads:

Decorative

Fountains

and

Waterworks

By

Fred

Joerger

Between the words “Decorative” and “Fountains” is a fountain with an angel or perhaps a cherub on top, which is standing on one leg holding what looks to be a penguin? I don’t know… typically, fountains with cherubs would be holding some kind of water jug or urn, but to me, the one on the window looks like a penguin. So check it out next time you’re at the park, and report back as to what you see! DM us @WhereInThePark on your favorite social media platform, or you can join us on our private Facebook Group: Where In The Park Explorers and you can report back because… I don’t know… it looks like a penguin to me.

Anyway, Fred first started his Disney career in 1953 as a model builder, working on models for live-action movie sets and props, and for Disneyland attractions and lands, such the Mark Twain, the Jungle Cruise, Main Street, U.S.A. itself and Sleeping Beauty Castle. 

He would later transition to rockwork, becoming the ‘resident rock expert’, and assisting in many projects for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. His list of rockwork projects include (in no particular order):

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (at both DL and WDW)

At Disneyland, he worked on:

• Pirates of the Caribbean 
• Tom Sawyer’s Island
• Haunted Mansion

Speaking of the Haunted Mansion – Fred has his own tombstone, which we talked about in our Behind the Tombstones episode last October. His tombstone reads:

Here Lies
Good Old Fred,
A Great Big Rock
Fell On His Head
R.I.P.

(which makes sense – because he’s the rock expert!)

At Walt Disney World, his projects included:

• The Jungle Cruise
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• The Atrium waterfall and swimming pool at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Rockslides for River Country water park
  • Quick side note - If you were like me and had never heard of River Country Water Park – it was opened from 1976-2001 and became abandoned after Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach had opened. Demand was not high enough to maintain and reopen River Country. This park has since been demolished and the new DVC resort called Disney Lakeshore Lodge is scheduled to open on this property in 2027.

Anyway, after 26 years with the company, Fred retired in 1979, but came out of retirement to serve as a field art director during the construction of EPCOT.

Back to his window on Main Street at Disneyland… this particular window was added in 1992 – but it is not the first to feature his name. Over at the Magic Kingdom back in 1975, Fred shares a window pane with Jack Ferges and Mitz Natsume, along with Bob Sewell and Malcom Cobb for Daughterland Modeling Agency. You’ll find that set of windows above Uptown Jewelers, and we’ll be sure to do a deeper dive into that when we do our Windows With A View – inspired series over at the Magic Kingdom in a later episode.

The next dedicated window is on the brick building that serves as the entrance to the Carnation Café. There are 5 windows, but only 3 are dedicated as of this recording. Left to right, these windows are for Sam, Ed, and Renie. 

Sam

The first window here is a single-pane reading:

Sam

The

Tailor

With a pair of open scissors behind the letters spelling “Sam”. 

Now… the majority of Main Street’s windows have a full name for us to go “ah, I know that name!” Or have something more to go off of, like a well-known fact referenced in the context of the window itself… but not this one. This opening-day window has provided many to ponder its namesake’s hidden identity. This is just “Sam” who happens to be a tailor. But who is Sam? 

According to several sources, including the book People Behind the Disney Parks (page 97), this window is to show fictious businesses upstairs and is used for “atmospheric purposes” only. That said, many believe it is in reference to Disney Legend Sam McKim, as he “was included in documentation dated May 1955 as a Main Street Window honoree.” 

Disney Legend Sam McKim started his Disney career in 1954 as a storyboard illustrator for movies, TV, and later attraction design, as well as concept art for all four Disney attractions at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Perhaps most notably, Sam was known for his amazing souvenir park maps, which sold at the park from 1958-1964. Although he retired in 1987, he came back in 1992 to create the park map for Euro Disneyland (which is now Disneyland Paris).

To set the story straight about this “Sam the Tailor” window, we reached out to Matt McKim, Sam’s son, who is also a Disney Imagineer, who said:

“The window is a mystery… Dad worked on the windows before the park opened. As a joke, he included his own name, but was told that he hadn’t been with the company long enough. That window could have been a joke and was a nod to him… He was known to be a snappy dresser… There’s no proof of that, and I never heard my Dad talk about it.”

So, while the mystery is still out as to the full origin story, I’d like to think that Sam created his own window, as he was creating other windows on Main Street anyway. Of course, Sam now has an official window on the other side of Main Street, by Plaza Pointe near the Little Red Wagon corndog cart. His official window pays homage to his career as a cartographer and his wonderful souvenir maps of Disney parks. We’ll be making our way over to his window in a few episodes of this series, where we will take a deeper look at his career – so stay tuned! 

Quick plug until then – we had a fantastic two-part interview with Matt McKim back in December 2024 on Episodes 22 and 23 of Imagine That! – part of Walt’s Apartment Productions – a podcast we also host! So be sure to click the link in the show notes and check out those episodes, as it was such a blast chatting with Matt about his time at Disney as well as some stories of Sam’s career as well! 

While you’re there – check out Episode 39 of Imagine That! from September 29, 2025, where we had an Imagineering Spotlight about Fred Joerger, including a Blue Sky Armchair Imagineering session inspired by his work. That episode was also a lot of fun. Again, I’ll have links to everything in the show notes, but if Imagineers interest you (which, I can only assume because you’re listening to this show!) then you’ll love our other show all about Imagineers over on Imagine That! Just search for Walt’s Apartment Productions on your podcast player, or click the link in the show notes to go to the YouTube channel. 

Ed Winger

The next dedication window reads:

Old Settler’s

Gold Dredging

Ed

Winger

Proprietor

At first glance, that sounds like someone straight out of Frontierland…and in a way, it is!

Ed Winger joined Disneyland during its construction in 1954 and played an important role in helping bring the park to life. Over the years, he became Supervisor of the Paint Department, Mill and Sign Shop, overseeing many of the signs, finishes, and visual details that helped create the atmosphere and storytelling that guests experience every day.

So why does his window mention gold dredging instead of painting or sign making?

Well, for one thing, Ed was an avid gold prospector who enjoyed searching for gold in Northern California, and his tribute window honors that hobby, complete with the large gold nugget on the first window pane.

But Ed is perhaps best remembered for a connection that guests may have unknowingly seen for decades.

When Tom Sawyer Island opened on June 16, 1956, one of its most memorable sights was the Burning Settler's Cabin. From across the Rivers of America, guests could see a frontier cabin engulfed in flames. It was one of the most dramatic and talked-about scenes in Frontierland and became a Disneyland icon for more than 50 years. 

According to Disney historians, Ed not only helped create and maintain the effect, but he also served as the model for the unfortunate settler lying outside the cabin. So, if you ever spotted the figure stretched out in front of the burning building, you were actually looking at a tribute to Ed himself.

The scene became so popular that a version of the Burning Settler's Cabin was later added to Tom Sawyer Island at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. While Florida's version has since disappeared as part of the transformation of that area into Piston Peak National Park, Disneyland's original cabin still remains along the Rivers of America today.

The flames were removed during a 2007 refurbishment of Tom Sawyer Island, so newer guests may not realize what they're looking at. Over the years, a new resident has moved in by the name of Mike Fink. He has certainly spruced up the place!

So, the next time you're aboard the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, the Davey Crocket Canoes or even the Disneyland Railroad, keep an eye out for the old cabin across the water, hidden among the trees, along with Mike Fink’s keel boat, Gullywhumper, floating along the riverbank. 

Inspired by the legendary frontiersman Mike Fink from Disney's Davy Crockett television series, the Keel Boats debuted at Disneyland on December 25, 1956. This C-Ticket attraction offered guests a scenic cruise around the Rivers of America. The attraction proved popular enough that versions later opened at the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971, as part of the park's opening day lineup, and at Disneyland Paris on April 12, 1992, opening day for that park as well.

Over time, changing guest expectations and operational challenges led to the attraction's demise. Following a serious accident in 1997, Disneyland's keel boats were retired, while the Magic Kingdom's version operated until April 29, 2001, and Disneyland Paris’ version closing on March 16, 2007. 

There are some great photos over at Daveland and Yesterland of the boats over the years – we’ll be sure to link them in the blog that accompanies this episode over at whereinthepark.com/podcast.

Today, one of the boats remains as part of Frontierland's scenery at Disneyland—a quiet reminder of an attraction that entertained guests for decades.

And that's really what makes Ed Winger's story so special.

While guests may not recognize his name, many of the things he helped create are still here. The old settler's cabin still stands. The keel boat still rests along the riverbank. The atmosphere and storytelling that he helped shape continue to immerse millions of guests every year. And now that you know the story, go out and find these easily-missed details next time you’re at the park. 

Renié

The last window we’ll cover today is the window just to the left of the Carnation Café entrance. Here, you’ll find a two-paned window reading:

Milady

Fashions

Renie 

Dress Making

Hemstitching

& Picoting

Renié Conley—pronounced "Renay"—was one of Hollywood's most accomplished costume designers. Over a career spanning more than three decades, she designed costumes for countless films and television productions, earning five Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design and taking home the Oscar in 1964 for her work on Cleopatra.

As a longtime costume designer for RKO Pictures, Renié's path crossed with Disney's on numerous occasions. RKO distributed many of Disney's films during the studio's early years, and Walt was well aware of her reputation for creating costumes that helped tell a story through clothing.

So when Walt Disney began building Disneyland in 1954, he turned to Renie for help.

As we know, Disneyland isn’t a movie set, but Walt was creating an entire world that would require hundreds of Cast Members to look like they belonged in different lands, time periods, and stories. Renié was asked to create the original costume concepts for the park, laying the groundwork for the look and storytelling that Cast Members continue to bring to life every day.

She also designed all of the gowns worn by Disney Legend Betty Taylor as Slue Foot Sue in the Golden Horseshoe Revue. The legendary Frontierland stage show opened with Disneyland on July 17, 1955, and entertained guests until October 12, 1986, making it one of the longest-running live shows in theme park history. Betty Taylor herself performed in the revue throughout its tenure, becoming one of Disneyland's most beloved entertainers, along with comedian and Disney Legend Wally Boag, who’s window is around the corner from Renié’s and one we’ll cover in our next episode of this series.

In many ways, Renié helped establish the difference between a uniform and a Disney costume. Her designs weren't simply meant to identify employees—they were designed to support the story of each land and make guests feel like they had stepped into another time and place.

Just as Imagineers like Sam McKim helped design worlds for guests to explore, and Fred Joerger and Ed Winger helped bring those worlds to life, Renié Conley helped dress the people who inhabited them. And now, more than 70 years later, every Cast Member costume worn throughout Disneyland can trace at least a small part of its heritage back to the concepts she developed.

This marks the end of the Carnation Café Courtyard, as I call it. Next up in this series, we’ll round the corner, past the entrance to this restaurant and continue down Main Street toward the Castle, exploring more windows on the left. But we have many more details to discover, so be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode.

Thank you so much for listening! We hope you have learned something new and will check out these windows next time you’re at Disneyland. 

Until next time – keep exploring, and we’ll see you somewhere in the park. Bye for now!