Not long after exiting the Main Street Train Station, Walt and Company convened in Town Square for the official dedication ceremony. Using photos from the USC Digital Archives as well as some from my own collection, I am presenting a variety of views from this special July 17, 1955 event.
A few setup/casual photos before the actual event occurred. Walt is without his tie; I can only imagine the heat on this July day! The lineup (from left to right) is Mrs. Goodwin J. Knight and her husband, the Governor of CA, Reverend Glenn D. Puder, Walt, and…I'm not quite sure!
A nice overview shot of Town Square during the ceremony:
That flag post looks dang tall!
For those that engage in the debate of whether 7/17 or 7/18 is Opening Day, I will point out that it was 7/17 that Walt made his historic speech.
Just sayin'…
See more vintage Disneyland Opening Day photos on my main website.
One of the things I love about the young trees in earlier images of Disneyland is that you can fully see and appreciate the architecture of the buildings of Main Street, USA.
ReplyDeleteAccording to weather history data, it was 82° on opening day. That's considered hot in CA, but having lived in Texas, and now South Carolina, that's almost chilly. I remember it being a beautiful day when I went on my birthday two weeks later at age 14. It was great!
ReplyDeleteLee - what a great way to spend your birthday!
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