Here’s what Disneyland looked like on opening day – when nothing went according to plan
Alix Martichoux
Disneyland’s opening day was supposed to be an exclusive affair. Movie stars and California’s governor were invited to check out the attractions alongside Walt Disney. On this day 69 years ago – July 17, 1955 – they all showed up.
So did 15,000 uninvited guests.
After a year of speedy construction, Disneyland was ready to open its gates to VIPs. Hollywood A-listers were invited to bring their kids to test out the new attractions. California Governor Goodwin Knight made an appearance, as did then-actor (future governor, future president) Ronald Reagan. The press was there to document the fun.
The park was expecting a soft launch with an invite-only crowd of about 20,000, longtime Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar told Wired in a 2010 interview. In reality, 35,000 people rushed into the park with bootleg tickets.
A large crowd of people wait to get into Disneyland on its opening day. Bootleg tickets resulted in over 30,000 guests attending what was supposed to be a small first day opening event. (Photo by USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
The huge crowds weren’t the only hiccup on Disneyland’s opening day. It was a sweltering day, recording over 100 degrees in Anaheim that day, according to Sklar. Women’s heels began sinking into the freshly poured asphalt. There was a gas leak in Fantasyland. Rides broke down. There were plumbing problems. The Mark Twain Riverboat was so overloaded with people, it started to sink.
The day was so chaotic it would earn the nickname “Black Sunday.”
There was no Space Mountain ride nor Pirates of the Caribbean, but there was the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Autopia, live monkeys and a scary-looking Mickey Mouse.
See the gallery below for shots from Disneyland’s glamorous (and chaotic) opening day.
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: A view of Mark Twain Riverboat ride during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
California Governor Goodwin Knight and Walt Disney on the opening day of Disneyland. (Photo by USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JUNE 17,1955: Actor Ronald Reagan attends the opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
A large crowd of people at Disneyland on it’s opening day. Bootleg tickets resulted in over 30,000 guests attending what was supposed to be a small first day opening event. (Photo by USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
California Governor Goodwin Knight and Walt Disney on the opening day of Disneyland. (Photo by USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
Disneyland opening, 17 July 1955.Anaheim; Orange; California; USA. (Photo by Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
Hollywood celebrities and their children helped to make the huge opening day crowd at Disneyland. Here, a large group of them rush into Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actor Steve Rowland and actress Kathleen Case and Adelle August pose as they play arcade games during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actress Adelle August poses as she plays the Esmeralda fortune reader during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actor Steve Rowland and actress Kathleen Case and Adelle August pose as they walk through the park during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actor Steve Rowland and actress Kathleen Case pose as they ride on Autopia during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actress Kathleen Case poses with a monkey during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actor Steve Rowland and actress Kathleen Case and Adelle August pose on the train during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Adelle August pose with kids on the train during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actor Steve Rowland and actress Kathleen Case and Adelle August pose as they ride on Autopia during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Two police officers chat with a little boy, who appears to be lost, sitting outside the Main Street Cinema in Disneyland during opening day.
(Original Caption) Hollywood celebrities and their children helped to make the huge opening day crowd at Disneyland. Here, a large group of them rush into Cinderella’s castle.
Full parking lot on the opening day of Disneyland. (Photo by USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actress Adelle August poses as she rides on Autopia during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Walt Disney piltoing the Disneyland steamboat on opening day. (Photo by USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actress Kathleen Case poses by the railroad steam train during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM,CA – JULY 17,1955: Actress Adelle August poses as she rides on Autopia during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim,California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
A photo dated circa 1955 of the main entrance of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, USA. Disneyland opened 17 July 1955. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
Disneyland opening, 17 July 1955.Anaheim; Orange; California; USA. (Photo by Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
Disneyland opening, 17 July 1955.Anaheim; Orange; California; USA. (Photo by Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
Disneyland opening, 17 July 1955.Anaheim; Orange; California; USA. (Photo by Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
Disneyland opening, Anaheim, California, July 17, 1955. (Photo by USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)
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While some of those original attractions are still in place, much of Disneyland today is unrecognizable. So are the ticket prices.
The original cost of admission was $1. When adjusted for inflation, that’s equal to $11.72 today –or about the price of two churros.
