Fourteen of the Opening Day Attractions in the Magic Kingdom are still Running

Walt Disney World opened on October 1st, 1971 with 22 attractions and 5,000 costumed cast members. The 14 attractions still running are: “Country Bear Jamboree,” “Dumbo the Flying Elephant,” “Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Mad Tea Party,” “Peter Pan’s Flight,” “Prince Charming Regal Carrousel,” “Swiss Family Treehouse,” “The Hall of Presidents,” “The Haunted Mansion,” “Tomorrowland Speedway,” “Walt Disney World Railroad,” “Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room,” and “It’s a Small World.”

You can read the 1971 LIFE magazine about the opening day below. Please, allow the appropriate time for the .pdf to load before you can view it or click here to open it in a new page.

1971 Life Magazine - Walt Disney Opens by Marcio Disney

The only People to ever live at Disneyland

Disneyland's only residents were Owen and Dolly Pope. They were hired in 1951 to put together some livestock for Walt's future park. They first lived in a trailer at the Disney Studio where they raised and trained horses. Three days before Disneyland opened, they moved into the park to run the Disneyland Pony Farm

 Located on the side of the Car Barn

"In 1951, Walt hired Harper Goff to begin drawing up plans for the little park he was visualizing being built on the Studio grounds in Burbank. Walt also hired horse trainer Owen Pope and his wife Dolly. He wanted the couple to begin training horses for the western section of his new park. Being close to the livestock was necessary for the amount of training that was to ensue so the Pope’s moved into a trailer on the Studio lot. Besides teaching horses and mules how to behave, they also helped build wagons and coaches for the new park. 

As plans for Walt’s dream changed and grew, the location of his park moved from the Studio to Anaheim. Eventually the Popes needed to move to Anaheim as well to be near the horses. 

Before construction began on Disneyland, something had to be done with the houses that belonged to the former owners of the land. Walt told the Popes they could choose any one of them to live in. Their selection was soon moved to a ten acre area behind what would eventually become Fantasyland. This area was known as the Pony Farm and at one time, the Pope’s cared for as many as 220 animals. The Popes are also the only people to actually ever live at Disneyland. Walt may have had an apartment above the Fire Station, but he never lived there. This honor belongs to the Popes alone. 

The Popes continued working and living at Disneyland until 1971. It was at this time that they moved to Florida to help open the Magic Kingdom. They created the Tri Circle D Ranch at Fort Wilderness where it still stands today. They retired in 1975 and it’s due to their efforts here in Florida that they earned a window at the Magic Kingdom – and it is appropriately located on the Car Barn."

- Posted by Jack Spence on April 17, 2009 5:00 AM

 Click Here to read the entire post at allears.net

The Original Magic Kingdom's "E ticket" Attractions

The original eight "E ticket" attractions at WDW’s Magic Kingdom were Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Jungle Cruise, It’s a Small World, and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.

The Original Monorail Track at Walt Disney World

WDW's original monorail track ran in a loop directly through the concourse of the Contemporary Resort, to the Polynesian Resort, the Magic Kingdom gate & the Ticket & Transportation Center. In 1982 the monorail was extended with a four mile run to Epcot, including a scenic loop through Future World.

The Tempo Bay Resort Hotel

In the early days, Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort was to be originally called The Tempo Bay Resort Hotel. Ironically, Disney referred to Tempo Bay as "the most contemporary resort hotel."

You can buy this postcard here:

http://time-rover-treasures.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1465

Cast Member Wardrobe at the Magic Kingdom

More than 2,500 different designs make up a working wardrobe of about 1,8 million pieces. Approximately 13,000 costume pieces are manufactured each year.

Liberty Belle riverboat

Walt Disney World's Liberty Belle riverboat, which cruises around Tom Sawyer Island, runs on a track!

The Magic Kingdom's original boat was an authentic sternwheeler steamboat called the Admiral Joe Fowler. It was retired in 1980.

The Liberty Tree

Disney's Liberty Tree at the Magic Kingdom, which sits across from Hall of Presidents, is based on the original Liberty Tree in Boston that served as a gathering place for the Sons of Liberty in the months leading up to the Boston Tea Party. 

The events of this time period (and the tree) were featured in the 1957 Disney film, “Johnny Tremain,” which follows Johnny, a young silversmith’s apprentice, in the days before the start of the Revolutionary War. In one scene, Johnny and his friends parade through the streets singing the song “The Liberty Tree” and stop to hang lanterns on its branches.

During the making of this film, Walt Disney became excited at the possibility of adding a similarly themed Liberty Street to Disneyland park. His vision eventually grew into a whole “land” that was added to the plans for Magic Kingdom Park.

Today, our Liberty Tree illuminates each evening with the light from 13 lanterns. Each light represents one of the 13 original colonies.

Fun fact: Walt Disney’s youngest daughter, Sharon, had an uncredited role in the film, “Johnny Tremain,” playing a friend of Johnny’s. (Pictured above, right).

The STR Symbol at the Partners Statue

The Partners bronze statue of Walt and Mickey appear in Disney theme parks all over the world. The STR symbol on Walt's tie refers to Smoke Tree Ranch, a place in Palm Springs, California, where he had a vaction home.

The Original Magic Kingdom's "E ticket" Attractions

The original eight "E ticket" attractions at WDW’s Magic Kingdom were Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Jungle Cruise, It’s a Small World, and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.