Jul17

‘if you can dream it, you can do it.’ -walt disney

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Today, the “Happiest Place on Earth” turns 69 years old. After a year of construction and a $17 million investment  (the equivalent of nearly $200 million today), Disneyland welcomed its first visitors, inviting thousands of studio staffers, construction workers, members of the press, and company sponsors to preview the Anaheim, California, park before it opened to the public the following day. At the time, tickets to explore Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Main Street USA cost $1 for adults and 50 cents for kids.

American movie producer, artist, and animator Walt Disney (1901 – 1966) at the end of opening day, as he sits on a bench in his Disneyland amusement park, Anaheim, California, USA. 
“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land,” Walt Disney once said.

 

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‘it’s kind of fun to do the impossible.’

-walt disney

 

 

 

 

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source/image credits: travel and leisure, getty images, gene lester

 

 

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52 responses »

  11. Wow, it surprises me that tickets were so inexpensive at first. I grew up in Southern California, and I remember Disneyland being expensive. I know people made less money then, but I imagine a dollar was a smaller fraction of the median income then than the prices today are in comparison to our salary. My daughter went recently, and the tickets were, hundreds!

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  13. Was there in the sixties and it was incredible! I remember thinking that seeing Mickey Mouse walk down the street, a shootout at the OK corral, a hippo surfacing, jaw wide next to our tour boat AND sea dragons outside the submarine were normal!
    I was a kid again.
    The only downside was our car was broken into and we were robbed :(

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  18. This is wonderful, Beth. Walt Disney was an innovator and a genius. He was also like us, full of life and wonder and wanting to share that with children. I smile at his words.

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  21. I visited the one in Orlando and was blown away (then). I lived 12+ yrs nr Paris and never ever felt like visiting Disneyland there. But the guy was truly visionary and he made dreams come true. He had some great projects and films.

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  23. Working at Walter E. Disney Enterprises (WED) with the “Imagineers” in the 1980s was fun. There were some great talents there (accompanied by great egos). Underlying it all was an unmentioned paranoia, and we had to be careful what we said to whom.
    Despite that, the place was fascinating.

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  24. Wow, that’s some fascinating history about Disneyland! It’s incredible to think about how much the park has evolved since its early days. The fact that tickets were only $1 for adults back then is mind-blowing compared to today’s prices. Do you have a favorite part of Disneyland, or any fun memories from visiting the park?

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