The Original Location of Disneyland - Where Mickey Mouse Park & Walt Disney Attractions Were Planned
A visit to where Walt Disney's first theme park was planned and almost ended up.
Transcript
0:02
welcome everyone atoms of whoo here
0:02
today's adventure will take us up to
0:04
Burbank California
0:06
to the original spot the proposed
0:09
location and planned area of what would
0:13
become Disneyland not where it currently
0:17
resides in Anaheim and it had a
0:20
different name from the beginning and
0:21
was actually morphed into what it has
0:24
become for that name focused around this
0:31
guy I'm inviting you to join me
0:36
shalyah this is a subject matter I've
0:39
wanted to cover for quite some time just
0:41
getting my stuff packed up and ready to
0:44
roll yep you're right big the foot it is
0:47
about we have 40 miles I think it's more
0:49
like 36 to be precise you know that's a
0:52
great idea
0:53
stop off at Griffith Park give a little
0:54
timeline this carousel which originally
0:58
was at San Diego place there in 1926 in
1:02
1937 moved here on the side of this hill
1:12
at the moment is not open you could
1:12
almost call this the original party zone
1:16
and just like Club pool at Epcot it's a
1:21
little tie in just like the water here
1:25
you don't want to drink the Beverly it
1:30
is a very well-known story that Walt
1:33
himself used to bring his two daughters
1:36
right here and would sit on one of the
1:39
benches and watch them have a good time
1:41
and the nuance of that is that by being
1:45
here it gave him the idea to start a
1:49
theme park now that has kind of been
1:51
shortened a little bit to consider that
1:53
by him doing that that that's how
1:56
Disneyland came to fruition but there
1:59
there is a step or two in the middle of
2:01
that story that sometimes gets
2:03
overlooked it is all up to speculation
2:06
the precise date of when he would have
2:09
been here and happened on more than one
2:11
occasion this was a regular occurrence
2:13
that he would come hang out as at Diane
2:16
and Sharon his two daughters were both
2:18
born in the mid 30s and because they
2:21
were very young safe to say was probably
2:24
late 30s early 40s where that story
2:27
would have been you know and along the
2:29
timeline so it would have been probably
2:30
early for us just say early 40s but that
2:34
would have been the first at least on
2:35
record documented occasion where the
2:38
wheels were in motion that and you know
2:41
a little bit later
2:42
throughout the years him visiting other
2:46
amusement parks attractions and talking
2:49
to those owners and just kind of kind of
2:52
really thinking heavily about opening
2:54
one nearly a full decade ten years give
2:58
or take before he took the plans what he
3:03
thought would be up here in LA would
3:06
eventually ended up in Orange County
3:09
it's interesting story about his
3:12
daughter Diane these carousels used to
3:15
have brass rings where you'd circle
3:17
around and if you were lucky or
3:19
proficient enough you could grab the
3:22
brass ring and Diane got won't not just
3:26
one but continually through the day kept
3:30
getting getting him over and over and as
3:33
the tale was told she did not do that on
3:36
her own accord even though she you know
3:38
it might have used her expertise and the
3:43
grabbing of the brass rings just helped
3:45
along a little bit because her father
3:48
mr. Disney paid the on staff employee to
3:52
kind of help her out a little bit just
3:55
kind of sweeten the deal he wanted to
3:59
make he wanted to make his children very
4:00
happy he wanted to see them happy and
4:03
that kind of escalated into making
4:05
others happy who knows if that's even
4:08
completely factual or just now steeped
4:12
in folklore it's fun to think about the
4:16
benches out front have been the original
4:19
ones have been removed and new ones
4:21
placed but inside if you ever arrived
4:24
while this place is
4:26
fully operational they have one of the
4:28
benches next to an organ that was placed
4:31
here in the 80s it was not here in waltz
4:35
day but it's pretty fantastic in the
4:37
organ plays while that merry go goes
4:40
round and round there's even a piece of
4:43
signage there referencing back to one of
4:46
those benches I believe there were three
4:48
and they are still in existence I need
4:53
to think about if you will waltz sitting
4:57
right there in that spot just enjoying
5:02
the day
5:18
before exiting on however quick thought
5:18
I should return here in the future and
5:20
drink one of those bitter beverages at
5:24
the old school party zone 1949 he
5:29
purchased a house over in Holmby Hills
5:33
in a year later he built a miniature
5:36
railroad and his wife did not really
5:39
approve too much so just to kind of to
5:42
ease her thoughts he called the
5:45
miniature train the Lillie Belle in
5:47
honor of her well it wasn't this she
5:49
disapproved she just wanted that area
5:50
for a garden but he had other ideas
5:53
and even though someone else lives in
5:55
that home the relics of what he created
6:01
in the backyard have been moved about
6:03
two miles from here through the park in
6:07
1999 his trains and barn were moved here
6:16
the Los Angeles Life steamers railroad
6:16
museum and last summer I was able to
6:19
attend a party on the property in
6:23
attendance where Tony Baxter Bob ger
6:28
some other Imagineers
6:35
sat around listen to some stories learn
6:35
some history it's a really cool
6:37
experience but there are those train
6:39
tracks moved from Walt's home and that
6:43
barn that used to also sit on his former
6:46
property and I mention this because this
6:49
was his passion that was what he kind of
6:52
dove deep into for a couple of years
6:57
since from 1950 till around probably 51
6:59
52 then 53 when all of his attention was
7:04
devoted to the theme park the original
7:08
name Mickey Mouse Park I'm wearing an
7:18
appropriate t-shirt which the proposed
7:21
spot is just a handful of miles just a
7:24
couple miles from the barn
7:38
I've also heard that Mickey Mouse Park
7:38
before they took it to the Burbank City
7:41
Council they did call it Disneyland
7:50
that's what I've heard anyway also want
7:50
to note by focusing on this miniature
7:52
church that there was another idea he
7:55
had a Bruin called Disneyland eeeh it's
7:59
gonna be a traveling exhibit of
8:01
miniatures and that got scrapped before
8:04
heading over to the main destination I
8:07
just want to say when this place reopens
8:09
you gotta check it out
8:11
it is steeped in history and here
8:16
probably a dozen times and will return
8:19
once they reopen more or less ground
8:23
level not too far up into the hills only
8:25
an elevation of 480 population 500
8:37
I don't see anyone to reiterate up to
8:37
this point we got the carousel which
8:39
gave him some ideas then his interest in
8:42
trains which we know where that's
8:44
leading and on to the next back moving
8:48
along up around this corner hoping to
8:49
get up a little higher so I can get a
8:51
kind of a bird's eye perspective of what
8:54
I want to see and match up it's gonna be
8:56
a little tougher than I had thought
8:58
to get my bearings from up the hill a
9:01
bit but notice this this is a little
9:04
artistic rendering when they were coming
9:07
up with the ideas on the bottom you see
9:09
the LA River
9:10
you can faintly see it so that would be
9:13
where the property begins and then
9:16
heading upward above it it's Riverside
9:19
Drive now directly above Riverside Drive
9:22
is Walt Disney Studios that's where the
9:25
water tower is and then over on the far
9:28
end it's point of Vista Street so we got
9:31
Wayne of Wayne a Vista on the far end
9:34
and then above the proposed property
9:37
Riverside Drive ending with the the LA
9:41
River canal point of reference there's
9:44
the water tower
9:45
so this side of the water tower is
9:48
Riverside Drive the ABC building which
9:51
is also on their property that is on the
9:56
corner of huayna Vista Street the far
9:59
end far end of the frame of the ABC
10:02
building would be we're gonna go down
10:04
there but I want to show it from up here
10:06
would we Buena Vista Street and
10:09
Riverside the top intersecting road
10:14
corners there which also was the
10:17
entrance into Mickey Mouse Park and the
10:21
parking area on the opposite side of the
10:24
road of Buena
10:26
a good place to park is here on
10:29
Riverside Drive and hare ish Street P AR
10:35
is H just a little bit down the way from
10:41
the studios and there is an entry point
10:43
here
10:51
it takes you on to property now for many
10:51
many years I just assumed that all of
10:55
this empty land used for horseback
10:58
riding was going to be part of the park
11:03
you see the freeway which when the
11:07
original plans were being formulated did
11:11
not exist and that continues on but the
11:17
more research I did I realized that it
11:22
was going to be down that way a little
11:23
bit still in the empty area well there
11:27
are some buildings but there's more of
11:29
this up there where I will be walking to
11:32
is from this direction going this way
11:36
and I'll pinpoint when I get there to
11:39
where it would have began but notice
11:43
there is a river ferryboat similar to
11:46
the current rivers of America and
11:50
there's even a little hub there no Main
11:53
Street USA but there is a hub similar to
11:57
the spokes of a wheel which have become
12:00
very popular at all the Disney
12:03
properties giving myself a little a
12:05
little room not wearing up you know
12:10
because there's no one within hundreds
12:13
of yards from me there are some some
12:16
houses over there on Riverside very
12:20
interesting that in the Greater Los
12:21
Angeles the hustle and bustle of a
12:25
metropolitan area that I am this
12:30
away and alone from from everyone I
12:33
could not completely confirm it's kind
12:36
of a gray area the what was gonna be
12:38
eight acres now this behind me I believe
12:43
that we're going to try to go to the
12:46
city and get this extended but that's
12:50
not in the plans that I could find the
12:53
property line of what was going to be
12:56
right up there kind of on the closest
12:59
point of the building that's nearest to
13:04
me
13:10
and then venturing that way so if you
13:10
just follow the line almost to where
13:15
that electrical pole is the big one
13:19
there towering up you could see it above
13:21
the peaks of the mountain after
13:24
relooking at that photograph a little
13:28
bit different so went along this way
13:33
property line property line stretching
13:36
here and not that power pole which is
13:39
now on the far end of the screen but
13:42
kind of on the opposite end of the
13:44
strength more or less this is just this
13:47
is just my guess
13:52
I'm standing right on the property line
13:52
where the property line would have been
13:54
which means the entryway would be right
13:58
about here on this far end of ABC and
14:02
past that would be the parking lot
14:05
making my way now under the freeway up
14:09
to the riverbed now when the City
14:12
Council was approached
14:14
oh it's getting dark in here when the
14:16
City Council was approached they said we
14:20
denied it
14:20
it was denied you know what they wanted
14:23
to do here in Burbank was said that's
14:26
not gonna happen and one of the reasons
14:28
is they did not want a carnival-like
14:30
atmosphere and stated we don't want
14:35
people falling in the river swimming in
14:37
the river that's not what was probably
14:41
going to happen but that was the one of
14:44
the reasons they gave just about where
14:46
that train at the bottom is going around
14:49
the tracks just above through the
14:52
concrete canal is so would have had a
14:55
train right where I'm standing
14:58
and then the ferryboat you see up there
15:01
cruising around that would be to back up
15:07
to give you the perspective can you just
15:10
picture a ferryboat
15:12
just imagine a ferryboat
15:24
what if wasn't a lot of room wasn't a
15:24
lot of room here it wouldn't be what we
15:26
were used to much smaller you hear the
15:29
traffic above going completely over the
15:32
top of where the ferry boat would have
15:36
been just a reminder the freeway was not
15:39
there then so train coming around the
15:45
bend Grand Circle tour right along this
15:48
pathway continuing past me and that
15:53
river right here
16:02
not to be confused but the river the
16:02
ferryboat would have been on
16:13
train continuing on more or less in this
16:13
general area and then taking a turn
16:18
going around you see the tippy-top of
16:22
the animation building over there closer
16:24
up to Riverside Drive is where that hub
16:26
was you know just think partner statue
16:30
right there in the center and the train
16:33
station right up against Riverside now
16:39
in this section which now we know is
16:41
Main Street USA but it was a different
16:44
type of format there was going to be a
16:46
fire station which we have police
16:49
station which we have or have still have
16:52
in some format at the current Park
16:56
horse-drawn streetcar I thought there
17:02
was gonna be people
17:04
I thought there was gonna be people
17:05
hiking back there and there wasn't
17:33
once again what if what if it would have
17:37
been approved attempting to give the
17:42
best as far as property line goes look
17:44
at the middle of the stream not not way
17:47
up top but middle they just follow the
17:50
very middle of the frame property line
17:53
right in the middle right in the middle
17:56
on that end
17:58
continuing on over the current freeway
18:07
and then looking the opposite direction
18:07
panning this way the animation building
18:11
was not here so there would have been a
18:13
lot more room
18:20
and then ending more or less where that
18:20
home is right there
18:31
that's it eight acres or so Walt had
18:31
been to a few amusement parks in his day
18:33
and his thoughts can be traced back to
18:36
working at laughs a graham talking to
18:39
some of those who were on site and he
18:42
was overheard to say when I if I ever
18:45
open one myself mine will be tidy and
18:48
clean and different than those that have
18:51
existed before mine so he already was
18:54
thinking before the carousel before he
18:57
got into the trains most likely from a
19:00
very young age he had some sort of idea
19:04
of what was going to happen
19:05
hired Harper golf to come up with the
19:08
sketches but a couple other architects
19:11
added to it before in March of 1952
19:15
presented it to the Burbank Parks and
19:18
Recreation Department only to have it
19:22
denied in this spot we're going to be
19:26
canal boats similar to storybook land
19:29
you can see the path they are drawn out
19:32
as it kind of goes in all different
19:35
directions but in a complete circle but
19:37
in its own makeshift way and above that
19:40
was an Old West town so right here canal
19:45
boats
19:51
except to use your imagination almost
19:51
where the shade is picture canal boats
19:54
and the Old West town kinda right around
19:59
there and it said he got the inspiration
20:02
of that from Knott's Berry Farm which
20:06
opened years before and you guessed it
20:09
even the whale that we've come to know
20:12
oh so well was sketched out and going to
20:16
be right in this general vicinity
20:19
Praeger even shows a ride vehicle boat
20:24
going directly into his mouth
20:32
pretty dang cool center of the waterway
20:36
is an island no indication that Tom
20:40
Sawyer or you know way before Pirates
20:45
lair would have ever been mentioned but
20:49
it would have sat right there
21:01
if you are the type of person like I am
21:01
that believes things happen for a reason
21:04
then it is a positive note that it was
21:10
denied by Burbank the Parks and
21:13
Recreation Department because what
21:18
happened later a couple of years later
21:20
much more room
21:30
obviously much more to do and better in
21:30
a lot of fashions and what would have
21:33
been here
21:35
the popularity of snow-white when that
21:38
came out in 37 for many years people
21:41
wanted to see the studio which is just
21:44
right over there on the other side of
21:45
the animation building and Walt always
21:48
had the idea what can what can I do to
21:51
draw people in instead of doing it you
21:54
know just a normal studio tour and this
21:59
was his idea well what was gonna be here
22:01
that eventually ended up in Anaheim 30
22:04
miles south give or take from here
22:08
before heading onward outward before
22:12
heading before heading on property line
22:17
where it would have been right there
22:19
where this hedge is
22:39
there's a gentleman walking back there
22:39
just passed by me after wonder if he if
22:44
he knows he might might be a longtime
22:48
resident some notice fact and some don't
22:53
if you're ever zipping down the freeway
22:56
passing Griffith Park waltz barn over
22:59
there the LA Zoo don't hesitate to look
23:06
over this direction and just think to
23:09
yourself what if
23:24
loud motorcycle the reality is he would
23:24
have got his hands on all this all that
23:34
it might have worked it could have
23:34
worked instead of just the eight acres
23:37
up there this would be considerably more
23:43
four or five times as much so it's
23:47
possible
23:49
could have been possible but it wasn't
23:52
so moving on
23:53
no horse-drawn carriage round these
23:57
parts
24:06
a concrete horse head can't end this
24:06
without one final stop starting route to
24:12
Disneyland Resort
24:19
from this angle you can see where the
24:19
entrance would have been right there
24:22
corner of huayna Vista Street and
24:26
Riverside Drive
24:41
that's gonna do it for today if you're
24:41
new here please subscribe by doing so
24:43
helps keep you in the loop I'm telling a
24:44
future uploads here on this channel take
24:46
it a step further ring that notification
24:48
bell and if you enjoyed this particular
24:50
episode give it a big thumbs up lets me
24:54
know you care I'll see you in the next
24:57
video the vlog is over