One of the things I enjoy most about Disneyland is the history of the theme park. This past weekend, the Grand Canyon diorama in the the Disneyland Railroad reached fifty-five years as part of the attraction. The diorama might not be a thrill ride by today’s standards. But in 1958, the 306-foot-long diorama was considered a big attraction and boldly hyped as the “longest diorama in the world.”
When I worked at Disneyland, I “accidentally” walked into the primeval world and Grand Canyon diorama, which gave me a unique chance to see the painting up close. It is hard to appreciate it from the train (where you are viewing things from behind glass), but the mural is actually painted on one seamless piece of canvas. It is relatively well preserved, considering its age. That said, I highly doubt it would survive if they ever tried to move it.
Not much is known about the source or history behind the taxidermied animals, other than simply knowing they include mule deer, a mountain lion, desert bighorn sheep, a golden eagle, wild turkeys, a striped skunk, and a porcupine.
When the Grand Canyon diorama was added in 1958, Disney had a 96-year-old Hopi Indian chief, Chief Nevangnewa, bless the trains on the diorama’s opening day. The chief was asked to be part of the ceremony because the Grand Canyon was the homeland of the Hopi tribe. I was not able to find any photos of Walt and the chief, but there are several old photos of Walt Disney and a young native american child during the dedication.
The Grand Canyon diorama was one of several attractions added to the theme park in 1958. Alice in Wonderland opened in Fantasyland (Mouseketeer Karen Pendelton played the part of Alice during the opening event). The Sailing Ship Columbia began to navigate the Rivers of America. The Fire Truck appeared on Main Street and Disneyland held its first New Year’s Eve party (which 7,500 people attended). Disney had invested about $23.6 million into the park at that point.
Over the years, much of Disneyland has changed, but the Grand Canyon diorama remains the same. It is one of those little surprises you find during a trip along the Disneyland Railroad and an element unique to the original Disney theme park.
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Photos via Disney. Delmer Yoakum photo via Wikipedia.
Wow! Great photos.
I like the old photos of Walt too. He always looked so happy while inside Disneyland.
The young Native American child is portraying “Chico,” the mascot of the Santa Fe Railway in the 1950s and 1960s. Chico appeared in many of the Santa Fe print advertisements during those decades.
Hi Steve – Thank you for the info. That is really interesting to hear and makes sense given the Santa Fe sponsorship at the time.