If I had a time machine at my disposal, it would be very tempting to travel back to 1955, cough up the dollar fifty admission and visit Disneyland during its inaugural year. While, I don’t have a time machine, there is YouTube and the great culture of sharing home movies. Here are a few home videos that feature Walt’s park in its earliest incarnation.
This next one captures the park just a few days after opening. Walt even makes an appearance:
Holy smokes. Did you see that clown at the 2:08 mark? Where did that come from? Also note at 2:30 that Dumbo was still under construction.
This one from the Disney History Institute places 1955 Disneyland in historical context:
What do you miss the most about the early days of Disneyland?
To me, the biggest difference in pretty much all of Disneyland is the lack of mature trees. Especially in the Casey Jr./Canal Boats area — that part of the park looks rather bleak.
I would love to have seen the Pack Mules/Stagecoaches. That was long gone by my first trip to Disneyland. The original Tomorrowland would also have been cool to see.
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