Where Frontierland Meets New Orleans Square

This elegant piece of Imagineering art from 1954 highlights one of my favorite aspects of the creation of Disneyland: the slight details and smooth transitions between themed areas and public places. (Please note that I increased the contrast on the piece so that details could be more easily seen.)

Long before New Orleans Square was announced, a decade plus before the Pirates of the Caribbean would drastically change the future of theme park design, the outskirts of Frontierland were designed to trail off with a slight nod to what would come in the mid-sixties. The transition from a full on wilderness fort to fairly lovely restaurant at the end of the arcade is barely noticed by the guests until a look is taken at the whole. Walking through the fortress to the end of the road, guest find the Golden Horseshoe building on the corner, signaling a change in direction both literally and figuratively. The restaurants become more decorative with the addition of balconies, window treatments, and landscaping. 

Years later, a full on recreation of "The Big Easy" would debut at the park. Alas, Walt Disney himself would not live to see the opening of his cutting-edge pirate adventure, but he would be around to dedicate the newest of Disney lands. With its French and Creole architecture, jazz combos, and delicious foods true to the original, New Orleans Square became the epitome of theme park design. Adding the beautiful Haunted Mansion at the end of the decade only cemented its place.

Look again at the piece of art: the horse drawn carriage at the right is at the location where a Disneyland guest would one day cross over from west of the Mississippi into the "Paris" of the Americas. This transition would be absolutely seamless if it weren't for the placement of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse / Tarzan's Treehouse right next to the original entrance to the pirate attraction. Nonetheless, the art of Disneyland is more than apparent here. The thoughtful work of the original Imagineers proves once again the wisdom of Walt's approach of giving guests much more than they expect. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Before New Orleans Square

During the opening and early years of Disneyland, the park's Frontierland was a pretty enticing land, full of spots to explore- a stark contrast to the small slice of American history we now find. 

Of course, a favorite of Walt Disney himself and many guests was the elegant Mark Twain. As the riverboat sailed around the Rivers of America, the sights and sounds were decades away from what was currently Anaheim in the 1950s. Walt and his Imagineering team had accomplished something truly out of the ordinary.

The Swift Plantation House (shown above) served up food and some great waterfront views- but perhaps its greatest claim to fame was as it eventual placeholder for the elegant New Orleans Square, coming to the parks in a future decade!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)