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| Walt Disney always dreamed of creating a place where people of all ages could go and enjoy themselves. When Disneyland was created, it was one of the many dreams come true for Walt. From an idea, to sketches and drawings, to an actual place, Walt had been there watching this magical place take form. |
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Walt had bought 85 acres of land in
Anaheim, California for his dream park, and immediately began
preparations. About 160 acres of citrus trees had been cleared,
and 15 houses were removed. Construction for Disneyland began on
July 21, 1954, which was a mere 12 months before the amusement park was
scheduled to open. Slowly the park started to take shape, and
construction barely finished in time for opening day. But Walt did
not want to push it back. As a result, workers worked around the
clock to get ready for Opening Day. Finally, everything seemed to
have come together. Walt Disney's "magical little park" really was
a $17,000,000 "Magical Kingdom".
Opening Day was a day to remember, and a disaster. Almost everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. A 15-day heat wave nearly wiped out the park. The temperatures went up to 110 degrees F. There were very few water fountains operating to a plumbers strike. Rides broke down and shoes stuck to the newly poured asphalt. Eventually, everything turned out all right, and all the needed repairs were done. Six thousand invitations were mailed to the Grand Opening of Disneyland. By mid-afternoon, however, over twenty-eight thousand people were at the gates. Most of the tickets were counterfeit. The design for Disneyland was completely unique and one-of-a-kind. There was to be five different lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland. Surprisingly, Walt had trouble designing Tomorrowland. He said that "right when we do Tomorrowland, it will be out dated." By 1965, the ten year anniversary of Disneyland's Opening Day, 50 million people had come through the gates. |
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