This Disneyland main-gate map is the first iteration of the 1956 versions (of which there were a total of three, due to slight revisions to the park’s offerings throughout the year). The 1956 copyright information for Disneyland, Inc. can be found on both the front panel, as well as the interior map section.
Panel One includes the “Welcome to Disneyland” headline, an image of Tinker Bell flying alongside Sleeping Beauty Castle, as well as the following text:
This is your personal map and information guide to the Happiest Place on Earth – Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Disneyland.
Please remember that all of us at Disneyland, your Hosts and Hostesses, always welcome the opportunity to help make your visits more pleasant and enjoyable.
Your happiness is our first consideration.
The Disneyland Staff
The inside panels of the quad-fold brochure feature a sketched rendering of Disneyland—a decidedly more detailed drawing than the park’s inaugural main-gate publication—along with an excerpt from Walt Disney’s official dedication speech and a basic map-key.
DISNEYLAND: TO ALL WHO COME TO THIS HAPPY PLACE, WELCOME
Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past…and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America…with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
July 17, 1955 (Official dedication plaque located at flagpole in Town Square on Main Street)
YOUR PERSONAL GUIDE TO DISNEYLAND
There are five main areas in Disneyland. You can locate them and other features easily by referring to this map. A Main Entrance and Exit B Main Street C Town Square D Plaza E Tomrrowland F Fantasyland G Frontierland H Adventureland
The final three panels include, in order, an overview of the park’s available food options, information on personal services for visitors, and finally, a complete listing of the park’s no-admission shows and exhibits, categorized by location.
Additions to the list from the previous main-gate map (1955) include mostly name revisions or clarifications, but also at least two new establishments (Oaks Tavern and the American Dairy Association Exhibit):
Food Stands – Fantasyland
Oaks Tavern – Frontierland
Yacht Club – Tomorrowland
Cantina – Adventureland
American Dairy Association Exhibit – Tomorrowland
Refreshment Stand – Frontierland
Subtractions include:
Hamburger Shops – Fantasyland, Frontierland and Tomorrowland
Malt Shop – Frontierland
Tropical Bar – Adventureland
FOOD and REFRESHMENTS at Disneyland
A wide variety of appetizing food and refreshments – with costs ranging from modest to moderate – are available for your enjoyment in Disneyland. Below is your complete list to choose from.
LIGHT FOOD AND SNACKS
Aunt Jemima Pancake House – Frontierland
Carnation Ice Cream Parlor – Main Street
Casa de Frito (Mexican Food) – Frontierland
Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship – Fantasyland
Food Stands – Fantasyland
Maxwell House – Main Street
Oaks Tavern – Frontierland
Yacht Club – Tomorrowland
Space Bar – Tomorrowland
Golden Horseshoe – Frontierland
Puffin Bakery – Main Street
REFRESHMENTS
Cantina – Adventureland
American Dairy Association Exhibit – Tomorrowland
Welch’s Grape Juice Stand – Fantasyland
Coca Cola Refreshment Corner – Main Street
Refreshment Stand – Frontierland
COMPLETE MEALS
Red Wagon Inn – Plaza at foot of Main Street
The Pavilion – Plaza at foot of Main Street (Cafeteria style)
The Plantation – Frontierland
Additions to the list of personal services, not mentioned on the former main-gate map, include the following sections: Public Telephones, Mail and Postage Stamps, and Banking Service. The Information section has similarly been added and combined with the previous version’s Security section.
PUBLIC FACILITIES for our GUESTS:
Public Telephones:
Located in each of Disneyland’s five “lands,” Main Street, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Adventureland. Look for telephone booths marked in these areas.
Rest Rooms:
Main Street: Adjacent to city Hall and West End of Center Street. Tomorrowland: At the rear of the first main building on the left. Look for signs across from the Yacht Club area. Fantasyland: Across from the Dumbo ride. Frontierland: Located between Adventureland and Frontierland, to your left as you enter Frontierland, or to your right as you enter Adventureland.
Lost Children:
Facilities for care of lost children are maintained at the City Hall on Main Street. Inquire of matron in charge.
First Aid:
Registered Nurses are on duty at the City Hall on Main Street. Doctor also available in emergencies.
Information:
General information on Disneyland may be had at City Hall or from any Security Officers.
Mail and Postage Stamps:
Stamps are available in the Plaza Apartments and at other dispensing machines in Disneyland. Letters and postcards may be deposited in boxes located at convenient places throughout Disneyland.
Banking Service:
Bank of America maintains service at their Main Street location every day Disneyland is open, including Saturday and Sunday.
The content featured in the final panel is a new addition to the 1956 version of the main-gate map. The previous iteration’s exposition on the park’s five lands has been shortened to a single sentence for each, and a list of the available show and exhibit offerings has been included.
Disneyland, Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom, is composed of five main areas or “lands.”
Main Street, a re-creation of a typical American town of 1900.
Tomorrowland, a thrilling preview of our life in the future.
Fantasyland, a world of imagination come to life.
Frontierland, a cross-section of America’s colorful and historic past.
Adventureland, the romance and adventure of far-away places.
All of these are Disneyland and to really experience the “happiest place on earth,” you’ll want to visit all of these five “lands.” During your tour of Disneyland, be sure to visit the many informative and entertaining exhibits and shows sponsored by nationally known concerns. There is no admission charge.
MAIN STREET
Wurlitzer—Old-fashioned and modern pianos and organs.
Upjohn Pharmacy—A detailed, accurate re-creation of a 1900 “drug store.”
Swift’s Market House—The old-fashioned General Store.
Eastman Kodak—Display of early photographic equipment.
Hollywood-Maxwell Intimate Apparel Shop—Early day corsets and foundation garments.
TOMORROWLAND
Monsanto House of Chemistry—Exciting display of chemistry’s contribution to tomorrow’s living.
Kaiser Aluminum—Today’s and Tomorrow’s uses of this vital metal, dramatically presented.
American Dairy Association—Futuristic techniques in production and distribution of dairy products.
Crane Company—Fixtures of the Future.
American Motors Circarama—Exciting motion pictures that actually surround you.
Richfield Diorama—“The Story of Oil” in Technicolor.
Dutch Boy—Our future in colors.
FRONTIERLAND
Pepsi-Cola Golden Horseshoe Saloon—40-minute complete old Western Stage Show.
Pictured above is the map’s second version. The single change is the addition of Yale & Towne to the list of Main Street shops, as featured on the brochure’s final panel:
MAIN STREET
Wurlitzer—Old-fashioned and modern pianos and organs.
Upjohn Pharmacy—A detailed, accurate re-creation of a 1900 “drug store.”
Swift’s Market House—The old-fashioned General Store.
Eastman Kodak—Display of early photographic equipment.
Hollywood-Maxwell Intimate Apparel Shop—Early day corsets and foundation garments.
Yale & Towne—A complete display of the locksmith’s art.
Pictured above is the map’s third and final version. The sum of the changes includes the removal of the Hollywood-Maxwell Intimate Apparel Shop and the addition of North America Companies to the list of Main Street shops, as featured on the brochure’s final panel:
MAIN STREET
Wurlitzer—Old-fashioned and modern pianos and organs.
Upjohn Pharmacy—A detailed, accurate re-creation of a 1900 “drug store.”
Swift’s Market House—The old-fashioned General Store.
Eastman Kodak—Display of early photographic equipment.
North America Companies—Complete Tourist Information Center.
Yale & Towne—A complete display of the locksmith’s art.
The three different versions of the Disneyland main-gate map exhibits proof, even in the park’s earliest years, that per Walt’s promise, it would be an ever-changing, ever-growing environment providing guests a unique experience with each visit.
DISNEY COLLECTOR ARCHIVES 