Nothing to post for St. Patrick's Day, so instead, I am providing aerial views detailing the construction of Disneyland's New Orleans Square. Thanks to devoted Daveland reader B. Finberg, today's post starts off with a bang. This July 1962 image taken from the window of an airplane gives a great overview of construction not long after it had begun.
The little structure that you see in the detailed view below...
is the original gate to Holidayland, shown below. Holidayland closed Fall of 1961.
This second detailed view shows not only the skeleton of New Orleans Square, but construction of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse which would open in November 1962:
This July 1962 shot of the Columbia shows some construction equipment in the background...
most likely busy with the construction of the Haunted Mansion and the Disneyland Railroad.
This aerial was taken a little bit later:
A detailed view of a still flat New Orleans Square:
By January 1964, the Haunted Mansion was completed...
but New Orleans Square was still not showing much growth:
By the time of this February 1966 shot, New Orleans Square had finally gone "up" and was showing real promise!
Want to see some more pre-drone aerial views? Soar over to my main website.
Love aerials of Disneyland and there are two posted today that I haven't seen before. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that by the time Disneyland's first decade was over the park's basic shape and layout were cemented and it really hasn't changed too much since then. Perhaps only Bear Country, Big Thunder Trail and Mickey's Toontown are the only new guest walking areas since that first decade of rapid growth. Extra nice post today. Thanks, Dave.
Outstanding shots today, Dave.
ReplyDeleteThat first shot shows, in a way, what kind of realignment the tracks of the SF&DRR went through with the addition of New Orleans Square (or as I can remeber it being called on early occasions, Old New Orleans Square.) The tracks used to run not too far from Fowler's Harbor.
And long, how very long, did we peer through the green wooden wall at the red-primered beams covering that giant hole in the ground wondering just how much longer it was going to be before opening.