Photos

According to some sources, this manmade lake, called Rivers of America, I think, used to be stocked with catfish a few decades back, and people could actually go fishing off the island! Would be hard to keep that many fish in this lake now, of course, because of all the tourists... and I wonder what one would do with them all day while visiting the park... This is one of the original features of the Park. The newest addition is the Pirate's Lair in reference to the new movie trilogy. Rather, the whole area has been re-themed to fit in with the movies; it was opened to the public again in 2007. This is the spot where Fantasmic is also shown, which opened in 1992. You can still ride both the sailing ship Columbia and the Mark Twain Riverboat which make circuits around the artificial island.

One of the most significant tourist attractions in Southern California, the origianl Disneyland (now there are five) was dedicated on July 17, 1955 and opeend to the public the following day. It remains, however, the only theme park that was designed, built, opened and operated by Walt Disney. According to some statistics, it's been visited by more than 500 million guests, including presidents, royalty and, well, me! It was the second most visited park in the world in 2007, with an estimated 14.8 million people passing through. Allegedly the concept was born when Walt Disney was visiting Griffith Park in Los Angeles with his two daughters; while watching them ride the Merry-Go-Round he thought of creating a place where adults and children could go to have fun together. His father had helped build the grounds for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, but the weather is generally more agreeable in California, so he conceived a park with various "lands" filled with rides and themes. The original "Mickey Mouse Park" was initially supposed to occupy about 8 acres but the concept grew. Walt then acquired 160 acres of orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim. Construction began in 1954, and only a year later the park was opened. It reportedly cost about $17 million USD to complete, a considerable sum at the time. US Route 101 (now the 5 freeway) was also being built at the same time in preparation for the traffic. Numerous rides have been added, removed and added again over the years, and the area has expanded into literally a small city. The site is now home to a number of hotels, the California Adventure Park, and the Downtown Disney shopping complex. One parking structure can hold more than 10,000 cars and is the largest one in the US.