July 17, 1955: Disneyland opens its gates for the first time. The press preview is broadcast live on ABC and watched by over 90 million Americans (nearly everyone in the country with access to a television set). Robert Cummings, Art Linkletter, and Ronald Reagan oversee the proceedings. Walt dedicates the park with the following pronouncement…
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, dreams, and the hard facts which have created America…with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
OPENING-DAY ATTRACTIONS
Main Street, U.S.A.
- Main Street Cinema
- Main Street Vehicles (Fire Wagon, Horse-Drawn Streetcars, Surreys)
- Penny Arcade
- Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad
Original 10-cent attraction tickets for Main Street Vehicles
Original ticket strips for the Santa Fe & Disneyland R.R.
Fantasyland
- Canal Boats of the World
- King Arthur Carrousel
- Mad Tea Party
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Snow White’s Adventures
Original 35-cent attraction tickets for Snow White’s Adventures
Tomorrowland
- Autopia
- Circarama (July 18)
- Space Station X-1
Original 1955 Autopia driver’s license
Frontierland
- Golden Horseshoe Revue
- Mark Twain Riverboat
- Mule Pack
- Stage Coach
Original Mark Twain Riverboat Tickets
Adventureland
- Jungle Cruise
Souvenir postcard booklet featuring a dozen scenes from the land’s sole attraction
July 18, 1955: Disneyland opens to the public at 10:00 a.m. Cousins Michael Schwartner and Christine Vess are the first children to be admitted to the park. After eight hours in line, local college student Dave MacPherson becomes the first paying customer of The Happiest Place on Earth.
Press photo signed by Disneyland’s first visitor, Michael Schwartner
Vol. 1, No. 1 of The Disneyland News, published shortly after the park’s opening
DISNEY COLLECTOR ARCHIVES 