Disneyland, July 18, 1955

Disneyland Opening Day is typically celebrated on July 17, 1955. While it is true that the Park was open on that day, that was more akin to a soft opening. The actual date where Walt Disney’s innovative theme park wasn’t open to the general public until the following day, July 18. Below is a guest taken shot showing the Sleeping Beauty Castle drawbridge being lowered for guests the second time.





See the guests excitedly “storming the castle”:



A closeup of the still-blank plate for the Disney family crest:



With crest, as seen in this March 1968 image:



Back to 7/18/55 and the recently lowered drawbridge. Note the distinctive salmon colored roof in the background:



Originally, this bandstand was located just off of Central Plaza. It was too big for Town Square (it blocked the view of the Castle) so this is where it landed first:





The Mad Tea Party teacups were a popular attraction from the beginning; the Mickey Mouse Club Theater in the background was replaced by the Pinocchio dark ride in 1983:



The Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship restaurant was not ready for business just yet:



If you look closely, you can see that the windows and other details are not yet complete:



This photo from the collection of Michael Black was also taken on July 18, when scaffolding and work was taken place in plain view of guests:



The Dumbo attraction still had flapping ears at this point; they are now molded in one-piece; much easier to maintain! Note the plywood sitting in this particular Dumbo seat:



The Jungle Cruise attraction:



The Mark Twain was filled with guests, as these were pre-Columbia days. Behind the boat is the Chicken Plantation restaurant:



An unobstructed view of the restaurant:



Next to the Golden Horseshe Saloon was a row of dining establishments, including The Oaks Tavern, Casa de Fritos, and Aunt Jemima’s Pancake House:
 


Tomorrowland got the shaft for Opening Day; there simply just wasn’t enough time to get everything completed in time. An easy fix was to have the 20k League Show, which recycled some of the set pieces from the 1954 Disney classic live-action film:





Were any of you there on that magical day?

See more Disneyland Opening Day photos at my main website.

Disneyland Comin' at Ya! Summer 1955, Pt. 2

The Daveland time machine is taking you back to the Summer of 1955 for some 3D images presented in Genuine FauxD©! The Disneyland Band is aboard the Horse-Drawn Streetcar in Central Plaza. Rain must have been a problem that day, as the photographer wrote, “It Aint Gonna Rain No More” Band on Horse Trolley on the back of the slide. Below is the wider panorama view, created by merging the left and right images.



The Sleeping Beauty Castle is positively  C-R-O-W-D-E-D!



The wider view:



A closeup view of the cute poodle bag, the retro shades, and of course the ticket book and brochure in the gal’s hand on the right of the image:



In the heart of Fantasyland, we can see that the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship still has a few finishing touches to be added before opening to guests:



The restaurant opened for business on August 29, 1955, putting this batch of images somewhere between mid-July and August.



A closer look at the work crews:



How the ship looked on August 27, 1955, shortly after the restaurant opened:





Still a few more 1955 3D images to come!

See more Disneyland photos from my collection at my main website.

Disneyland Transportation Cutbacks: Fantasyland & Tomorrowland

One of the lesser-known transportation cuts at Disneyland was the extended route of the Omnibus. This duo of July 1957 images shows the Omnibus in Town Square. Nothing strange about that! However, the next shot clearly shows it in the middle of Fantasyland, near the Fantasyland Autopia!



Before the construction of the Matterhorn, the Omnibus took guests right into Fantasyland, as seen in this 1958 shot:



This December 1957 shows Snow Hill (eventually the Matterhorn) on the left and the Monsanto House of the Future at right.



Shot from the Skyway (more on that in a minute), you can see it near the Alice attraction, circa July 1958:





This provides a great segue into one of my largest transportation disappointments at Disneyland. When Toon Town opened in 1993, it had the Jolly Trolley, which took guests around the new land. It didn’t take long for the Park to bolt this little cutie to the ground and turn it into a photo op:



I wish…oh how I wish…that instead of bolting it down, the Disney Corporation would have seen fit to expand its tracks to have the Troller run all the way to Central Plaza. Once at Central Plaza, there is no good way (other than walking) to get to Toon Town.

The Skyway opened in the Summer of 1956:



Guests could soar over the Park from Fantasyland:



All the way to Tomorrowland, as seen in this July 1957 image. What a great way to save time, steps, and get some incredible views!



This one is probably a debatable transportation cut, as it really falls more into the attraction category. Still…for a nice leisurely cruise, the Motor Boat Cruise operated in one form or another from 1955—1993. The Skyway afforded this overhead shot from August 1956:



Loving this 1960s shot with the Monorail AND the Motor Boat Cruise dock all together:



Last time I saw it, the Motor Boat Cruise dock was just rust and decay. Here’s an interesting idea…with the Autopia sorely needing an update, how about creating a vehicle that goes on land AND water. Since both attractions use a track for the vehicles, I wouldn’t think a hybrid would be all that difficult.



Finally, the most mourned loss of Transporation in Tomorrowland is the PeopleMover. Circa July 1968:



August 1969 gives a great view of the Rocket Rods when they used to soar majestically over the center of Tomorrowland, and the Mary Blair murals on the right:



This 1969 images shows the PeopleMover entering the attraction building. So much to see on this slow little attraction!



The PeopleMover was changed into the Rocket Rods in 1998; they were a bomb, and ended up shuttering the entire thing by September 2000.



Today, the decaying/crumbling tracks are all that are left of this one.

Did I miss any?

See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

1990s 3D: Castle and Fantasyland

The Daveland Time Machine takes you back thirty years and allows you to experience Disneyland in-person via the miracle of genuine FauxD©. A balloon seller manages to stay on terra firma despite holding an incredible amount of Minnie Mouse balloons. Heading over to the heart of Central Plaza we see the Partners Statue, sculpted by Blaine Gibson and dedicated on November 18, 1993.



To the right is one of my favorite areas in the Park, the Snow White Wishing Well Waterfall:



From that area, we get a side-view of the Sleeping Beauty Castle:



The balloon sellers were out en masse that day!



It would appear our 1995 photographer had a balloon fetish.



A closeup of the seller's wares:



Definitely a fetish.



Inside the Castle, we get a rare glimpse of the Diorama, during the “Barbie and Ken” years (1977-2001):



Our 1995 photographer supplies us with two rare interior shots from the Snow White dark ride:





Still more 1995 3D images to come!

See more Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle photos at my main website.