Van Arsdale France was hired in March of 1955 to train Disneyland’s first employees. France ultimately set the foundation for a culture of service that would set a new bar throughout the amusement park industry and beyond.
Walt Disney’s first concept to build a park wasn’t called Disneyland and wasn’t located in Anaheim. This concept drawing depicts the Mickey Mouse Park Walt initially wanted to build on land next to the Disney Studio in Burbank.
One of Walt Disney’s many challenges in building Disneyland was taking an orange grove and landscaping themed lands in a way that made it appear like they’ve been there for a long time. The man in charge of that unenviable task was Disney Legend Bill Evans.
Before he could show off Disneyland to his guests Walt Disney loved to entertain them on the Carolwood Pacific Railroad in his backyard. When Walt and his wife Lillian were looking to buy some land to build a house, some space for a railroad was one of Walt’s top priorities.
Here is an early Disneyland plot plan drawn by Disney Legend Marvin Davis.
These photos show Walt Disney and Disney Legend John Hench reviewing early layout designs for Disneyland.
Walt Disney often appeared on his ABC Disneyland television show displaying models, like this one of the Mark Twain steamboat, as a way to give viewers a glimpse of what he was building.
Where to start? Why not at the spot where the very idea of Disneyland first sprang into Walt Disney’s mind - the Griffith Park merry-go-round.
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