History of Disneyland

Disneyland in 1956 "To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, dreams and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955
Where did Disneyland come from?

Well, Disneyland began as a Dream. A young boy with a love of trains and fantasy who lived in a rural town; grew up to be the person everyone has heard of at one time or another: Walt Disney. Yes of course, Disneyland was his dream… and then his reality. Here is how Walt Disney got his beloved Disneyland started.

In 1923 Walt Disney and his brother Roy formed Walt Disney Studios.

In the early 1950's Walt got the idea for his very own Mickey Mouse Park. While the theme park was Walt's idea (and at times Roy thought he was crazy) they went on together with the plan although Roy never hesitated to make his feelings known. Roy simply didn't trust the project and was concerned about failure. It was Roy Disney, not Walt, who was able to make a deal with ABC television (they having their own problems at the time) to show the weekly television project Disneyland which allowed them to finance Disneyland.

Disneyland opened for the press, selected friends, and some family members on July 17, 1955 but there was a long hard road of work before opening day.


Walter E. Disney grew up in Marceline Missouri with a fascination for trains. That joy and wonder turned into a larger idea. Walt Disney decided that he wanted to build a theme park and call it Disneyland. While he began thinking about this before World War II even started, plans were put on hold until well after the war was over. During these years Walt Disney never let his dream die; he just expanded that dream to encompass his love of trains and his desire for a theme park.

In 1953 the search was on for the land needed for the planned Magic Kingdom, named Disneyland; which would include a railroad track, rivers, lakes, a ride for children with flying elephants, and a beautiful castle. Walt Disney's dreams were big but he was not an incredibly wealthy man; so needed to find land to encompass his dreams at a good price and the location had to be just right.

The site for Disneyland was finally found. A 160-acre Orange Grove in Anaheim California was for sal, and the price was something Walt Disney could afford. Unable to get financing because bankers don't finance dreams, Mr. Disney had to come up with alternate plan to help him make this dream possible. It was then that Walt turned to television. Using his new show 'Walt Disney's Disneyland' was a great way to showcase his plans and dreams for the future; at the same time getting financial support to make the dreams come true.

Now that things were coming together for Walt it was time the begin construction. July 21, 1954 as the start of the construction on what the world now knows as Disneyland.

After working nonstop for a year and dealing with setbacks such as a colorblind worker told to remove only the trees with red ribbons, long hours, and the California heat, finally Disneyland was ready to open.

Continue With Disneyland History


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