Street, U.S.A.
Walk past
the famous floral Mickey at the Main Entrance and into a
small town way of
life from America’s past. On Main Street, U.S.A., you’ll
Horse-drawn Street
Car and as innocent as the antics of a silent movie
ster. Browse in
the turn-of-the-centuy Emporium or ride the shiny
Disneyland Railroad. From the color and music of a
hometown parade to the
nostalgic flavor
of an old-fashioned treat, you'’l experience the joy of
recalling fond
memories while you create new ones on Main Street, where
both sides of the
street are always sunny.
Whether your
visions of sugarplums include lollipops or luscious
chocolates, your
sweet toot is right at home on Main street where treats
come flavored with
favorite childhood memories.
A fruit
vendor’s cart displays fresh,crisp wares while flovers bloom
eveywhere. The
saxophone band entertains on street corners and a marching
band makes you tap
your toes. Every sight and sound on Main Street is
guaranteed to make
you fell “red, white, and blue ” all over!
Entertainment on Main Street comes in lots of shapes, sizes, styles,
and smiles. Disney
cartoons at the Main Stret Cinema serve up hearty
helpings of
laughter, while shops like the Crystal Arcade offer keepsakes
to treasure. Or
learn a magic trick or two at the Main Street Magic Shop.
Just remember – on
Main Street fun comes the old-fashioned way – you make
it yourself!
Disneyland's History
One day Walt
Disney had a vision. It was a vision of a place where children and parents
could have fun together. The more Walt dreamed of a "magical park,"
the more imaginative and elaborate it became.
The original plans
for the park were on 8 acres next to the Burbank studios where his employees
and families could go to relax. Although, World War II put those plans on hold.
During the war, Walt had time to come up with new ideas, and creations for his
magical park. It was soon clear that 8 acres wouldn't be enough.
Finally in 1953,
he had the Stanford Research Institute conduct a survey for a 100-acre site,
outside of Los Angeles. He needed space to build rivers, waterfalls, and
mountains; he would have flying elephants and giant teacups;a fairy-tale
castle, moon rockets, and a scenic railway; all inside a magic kingdom he
called "Disneyland."
Location was a top
priority. The property would have to be within the Los Angeles metropolitan
area, and accessible by freeway. It would also have to be affordable: Walt's
pockets were only so deep.
The search for the
best spot finally ended in the rural Anaheim, California with a purchase of a
160-acre orange grove near the junction of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) and Harbor Boulevard.
The site
where Disneyland was to be built.
Although, Disneyland was expensive. Walt once said "I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible, because dreams offer too little collateral." So Walt turned
to Television for his financial support. "Walt Disney's Disneyland"
television series offered a glimpse of the future project. This brought the
idea of Disneyland into reality for Walt and the American people.
Construction for Disneyland began on July 21, 1954, a meager 12 months before the park was scheduled to
open. From that day forward Walt Disney's life would never be the same.
Some 160-acres of
citrus trees had been cleared and 15 houses moved to make room for the park.
The area was in semi-rural Orange County, near a freeway that would eventually
stretch from San Diego to Vancouver.
When the real
designing came around, Walt was met with inevitable questions. How do you make
believable wild animals, that aren't real? How do you make a Mississippi paddle
ship? How do you go about building a huge castle in the middle of Anaheim, California? So, Walt Disney looked to his movie studio staff for the answers. The
design of Disneyland was something never done before. There would be five
uniquely different lands.
Walt discussing
the plans of all the different lands.
Walt had planed
out all the lands, to every detail. Main Street, U.S.A., the very front of the park, was where Walt
wanted to relive the typical turn of the century city Main Street. He said:
"For
those of us who remember the carefree time it recreates, Main Street will bring
back happy memories. For younger visitors, it is an adventure in turning back
the calendar to the days of grandfather's youth."
Walt made Main
Street U.S.A the entrance to a "weenie," as he called it. He said:
"What
you need is a weenie, which says to people 'come this way.' People won't go
down a long corridor unless there's something promising at the end. You have to
have something the beckons them to 'walk this way.'"
Walt also had
planed for an "exotic tropical place" in a "far-off region of
the world." Called Adventureland. Walt said, "To create
a land that would make this dream reality, we pictured ourselves far from
civilization, in the remote jungles of Asia and Africa."
"All of
us have a cause to be proud of our country's history, shaped by the pioneering
spirit of our forefathers. . .Our adventures are designed to give you the
feeling of having lived, even for a short while, during our country's pioneer
days."
Fantasyland was created with the goal to "make
dreams come true" from the lyrics of "When You Wish Upon a
Star." Walt said:
"What
youngster. . .has not dreamed of flying with Peter Pan over moonlit London, or tumbling into Alice's nonsensical Wonderland? In Fantasyland, these classic
stories of everyone's youth have become realities for youngsters-of all ages-to
participate in."
Fantasyland would
feature a large Sleeping Beauty Castle, and a Fantasy Village.
Tomorrowland was created as a look at the "marvels
of the future." Walt said:
"Tomorrow
can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the Space
Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. .
.The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to
participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future."
Although, Walt had
trouble working on Tommorrowland. He said that "right when we do
Tommorrowland, it will be out dated."
Walt Stayed close
to every detail of the Park's Construction, and he visited the site in Anaheim several times a week. Progress went sporadically despite exasperating obstacles.
The Rivers of
America, carved out of sandy citrus grove soil, refused to hold water. The
answer was finally found in a bed of native clay: an inch layer on the river
bottom formed a pad as hard as cement. Although, minor set backs did follow,
progress did continue.
Plants were
planted throughout the park, emptying nurseries from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Detail was made; if Walt Disney didn't like what his studio designers came up
with, he'd do it himself. An example of this is Tom Sawyers Island. He thought his designers had "misunderstood the idea" so Walt took home the
plans and the next day had it designed the way it appears today.
Disneyland under construction in 1955
Bit by bit, Disneyland got ready for Opening Day. The staff worked around the clock to get ready. The
Mark Twain was being moved, deck by deck, down the Santa Ana freeway to get to Disneyland on time. Finally, everything seemed to come together. The "magical little
park" was really a $17,000,000 "Magic Kingdom." Walt's dream had
come true and Disneyland was ready to open."
Opening day, was a
day to remember. Six thousand invitations to the Grand Opening had been mailed.
By mid-afternoon over 28,000 ticket holders were storming the Magic Kingdom. Most of the tickets were counterfeit.
Walt Disney was 53
when he dedicated Disneyland Park. It was a memorable ceremony. There in Town Square, Walt could look around and see the fulfillment of his hopes, dreams, and
ambitions in the form of a spectacular entertainment kingdom.
Although, Opening
Day was a terrible disaster. A 15 day heat wave raised temperatures up to 110
degrees Fahrenheit. Also, due to a plumbers strike, few water fountains were
operating in the hot weather. Asphalt still steaming, because it had been laid
the night before, literality "trapping" high heeled shoes. After
opening day, the heat wave continued, and almost wiped out the park.
Beside the terrible
opening day conditions, the park did eventually pick up. By 1965, ten years
after opening day, 50 Million visitors had come through the gates.
Even though Walt
Disney wasn't able to see how his park and his company prospered and grew into
the 21st Century, his legacy still lives on with us. Throughout Disneyland and throughout the entire world, he will always be there.