Background
Walt Disney's first idea of Disneyland came when he took his two daughters to a small amusement park and he noticed how filthy and run-down it was. He observed that children's parents had nothing to do, while the children were having fun. He began forming ideas of a "New Kind of Amusement Park". He thought that amusement parks should be clean, and where parents and children could have fun together. Walt Disney said, "What this country really needs is an amusement park that families can take their children to. They've gotten so honky tonk with a lot of questionable characters running around, and they're not safe. They're not well kept. I want to have a place that's as clean as anything could ever be, and all the people in it [his park] are first-class citizens, and treated like guests." Disney began to construct Disneyland on a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim, California, the summer of 1954.
Disneyland Construction
Castle Under Construction Castle Under Construction 1955 Disneyland form Above
Walt Disney Going over Disneyland Plans Disneyland Construction Main Street Construction
Walt had a difficult time finding a company to invest in Disneyland, because "the outdoor amusement business was a cultural anachronism that had already declined into senility." However, a few months later, ABC agreed to invest in Disneyland. In 1954, Disney was searching for space for Disneyland, approximately 100 acres, outside of Los Angeles. He finally found an area in Anaheim, California, on a 160-acre orange grove. Construction started for Disneyland on July 21, 1954, which was only twelve months before it was scheduled to open. Crews worked hard to meet the twelve month deadline, and on July 17, 1955, Disneyland was open to the public.
Disneyland Layout
Disneyland was designed to be like a wheel shape. Visitors would enter though a long hallway, Main Street, to a visual attraction in the center of the park, Sleeping Beauty's Castle. From the center, visitor would separate on different paths to the rest of the park.
Walt Disney with a Map of Disneyland 1963 Map of Disneyland Aerial Layout of Disneyland