home > Disney D23 > Pictures > Saturday, May 14, 2011

This page is to help you quickly jump through this picture set. Below you will see a listing of the pages and the captions on that page.

  • Page Number: 1
    The second presentation of the day started just after 11am and featured the newly retired Dave Smith who was director of the Disney Archives.
    Dave was greeting by a loud round of applause.
  • Page Number: 2
    You start off the WDW story with a shot of the land before Disney developed it.
    An overview of the Florida property is outlined in the center of this shot.
  • Page Number: 3
    As all us Disney geeks know there was a lot of speculation about who was buying all this land in central Florida.
    A local Orlando reporter broke the story.
  • Page Number: 4
    A few days later Disney made it official.
    Walt on site checking out the property.
    Bay Lake
  • Page Number: 5
    Roy O Disney stepped up after Walts passing and brought the first phase of the Florida project to completion.
    For training purposes Disney bought and used the Celebrity Sports Center in Denver, Colorado.
    A brochure for what awaits you there.
  • Page Number: 6
    For Resort training Disney used the Hilton Inn South on International Drive.
    The preview center was the first building constructed by Disney. This sits near Lake Buena Vista. It operated from January 1970 through October 1971. Then was used by others over the years. The building still stands and is in use.
  • Page Number: 7
    A look inside the preview center which of course featured a gift shop.
    Next up construction of the canal system to manage the water on property.
  • Page Number: 8
    The Disney system is built to look like a river and follow the land vs just straight channels.
    A shot of the draining of Bay Lake I believe. This was down to clean out the muck and in the process yielded the sand that was used on the beaches.
    A tree farm was started very early on.
  • Page Number: 9
    Recognize any of these?
    Roy O Disney on the site of what will become the Magic Kingdom
    Here you can see the Rivers of America in the distance taking shape.
  • Page Number: 10
    The transportation and ticket center under construction in the foreground, off to the right you can see the elevator shaft for the Contemporary.
    Main Street going up.
    Off in Tampa work on the steam trains.
  • Page Number: 11
    No water in the Seven Seas lagoon yet. But the park is really taking shape (I was not quick enough to get the dates for this but I am guessing early 1971)
    More Main Street shots.
  • Page Number: 12
    Interesting how much further along the West side of the street is than the East.
  • Page Number: 13
    Paving of Main Street. February 25, 1971 (Dave Smith took the picture and had the date).
    The Jungle Cruise
  • Page Number: 14
    Anyone know this tree?
    The Haunted Mansion
  • Page Number: 15
  • Page Number: 16
    Thought this was interesting.. the Skyway station.. which will be coming down very soon.
  • Page Number: 17
  • Page Number: 18
    The subs show building.
  • Page Number: 19
    Tomorrowland
    Notice the test Swan Boat in the moat.
  • Page Number: 20
    Shifting over to the Contemporary.
    The rooms that were assembled near by then trucked over to be inserted into the tower.
  • Page Number: 21
    Here they are lifting one room into place. Looks like they started with the fifth floor.
    A monorail being assembled.
  • Page Number: 22
    The round house under construction.
    Skipping ahead a few years... Speaking of round Space Mountain.
    Big Thunder
  • Page Number: 23
    Big Thunder
    Now over to EPCOT. This appears to be the topping out of Spaceship Earth
  • Page Number: 24
    World of Motion
    This really shows the size of the American Adventure show building.
    The main tank of the Living Seas.
  • Page Number: 25
    Now over to the Studios
    The Great Movie Ride
    Tower of Terror
  • Page Number: 26
    Over to Animal Kingdom and the Tree of Life.
    A ticket for dedication day.
  • Page Number: 27
    We have all seen this shot.
    And this famous one...
  • Page Number: 28
    The official first family.
    Now a look at some attractions that have come and gone in the parks. Starting with the Magic Kingdom.
    The Walt Disney Story.
  • Page Number: 29
    Now Tonys.
  • Page Number: 30
    Believe this was the Main Street Disneyana store.
    This portion of center street was enclosed and made part of the shopping mall down the west side of the street.
    The infamous Swan Boats
  • Page Number: 31
    A foreshadow of Sundays Announcement??
  • Page Number: 32
    The original Frontierland station
    I miss the Christmas show (and the Vacation Hoedown too!)
    The Keel Boats
  • Page Number: 33
    The canoes as long gone too.
    The Joe Fowler (1971-1980)
    The original revue show.
  • Page Number: 34
    The Skyway.. another crowd favorite.
    The original Dumbo.
  • Page Number: 35
    Mickey Mouse Revue before it was shipped to Tokyo
  • Page Number: 36
    Then the theater was used for Magic Journeys when it was displaced from EPCOT.
    Then the Lion King took over (now its Philharmagic)
  • Page Number: 37
  • Page Number: 38
    Timekeeper
  • Page Number: 39
    Alien Encounter
  • Page Number: 40
  • Page Number: 41
    Next up EPCOT
  • Page Number: 42
    Opening day.
  • Page Number: 43
    Smart One
    The create your own coaster kiosk
  • Page Number: 44
    The short lived Person of the Century
  • Page Number: 45
    World of Motion
  • Page Number: 46
    Another crowd favorite the Kitchen Kabaret @ the Land.
  • Page Number: 47
    The ultimate crowd pleaser... the original Journey into Imagination.
    Horizons
  • Page Number: 48
    The Living Seas
    The hydrolators
    Seacabs
  • Page Number: 49
    Wonders of Life
    Another crowd favorite.. mine too.
  • Page Number: 50
  • Page Number: 51
    Next up the Studios
    The original name.
    Super Star Television
  • Page Number: 52
    The Monster Sound Show
    On the backlot tour in one of the soundstages
  • Page Number: 53
    Next up Animal Kingdom
    The Jungle Book show originally ran in the Theater of the Wild
  • Page Number: 54
    The CM that was helping with Little Red on the Safaris
    The Riverboats
  • Page Number: 55
    I cannot remember the name of this lounge.
    The original 4th floor configuration
    The Top of the World
  • Page Number: 56
    The Fiesta Fun Center
    An original Polynesian room
  • Page Number: 57
    The Fort Wilderness Railroad
  • Page Number: 58
    River Country
    The Golf Resort
    Which became the Disney Inn (now Shades of Green)
  • Page Number: 59
    The original table service restaurant at the French Quarter
    The Buena Vista Club
    Original Tree House
  • Page Number: 60
    Disney Institute
  • Page Number: 61
    The Empress room and Steermans quarters
    The Neon Armadillo
  • Page Number: 62
    The Adventurers Club, another crowd favorite
  • Page Number: 63
    The STOL airstrip that operated near the Magic Kingdom.
    To close his presentation a shot of the Magic Kingdom.
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