Walt Disney was inspired to create Disneyland when he was with his daughters at various amusement parks. They would run around and play while he would “sit on a bench, eating peanuts” (KGO). In the early development of Disneyland, it had gone through a number of versions starting with a studio tour in a lot next to the existing Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA to the large plot of orange groves in Anaheim, CA that was ultimately chosen as the site. At first, Walt’s brother Roy, who was the financial mind of the company, was not supportive of his grand dreams, and neither were the potential investors.
Disneyland opened on July 17th, 1955 after only about a year of construction. Opening day has been called “Black Sunday” due to the fact that the day was a bit of a disaster. There were counterfeit admission invites so the park was packed beyond capacity. The asphalt had been freshly poured and wasn’t given enough time to dry, so some women got the surprise of having their high heels stuck in the ground. Additionally, during the final weeks of construction it was discovered that there was no way all of the plumbing for the park would be completed in time, so Walt opted out of drinking fountains so that restrooms could be available, many of which failed due to the crowds on opening day. Finally, many of the rides broke down frequently throughout the day since the mechanics didn’t have a chance to get all of the bugs out of the systems. Despite all of these failures, the day went down in history as the start of an empire which would eventually become a staple in American culture.
Disneyland: Reality, Authenticity, and Adoration 