The Newest "Oldest" Building in the Land

The Golden Oak Outpost is the most recent addition to Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom, having opened in early 2009, but the story of this location actually places it as the oldest structure in the town.

According to Imagineering legend, the spot initially known only as "Outpost" was a place along the wagon trail where westward-bound pioneers could stop to rest or pick up additional supplies. Over the years, the building has gone through several owners, each of whom added sections to the structure or cobbled together things like this bench from found items in the area:

For a period, there was another building adjacent to the Outpost. The open seating area rests among the ruins of an old mill. There are crumbling stone walls and the remains of a wooden threshold where the door used to be.

The mill stone still sits at the center of the space, and if you look closely (in person, since it's too difficult to make out in a photograph), you can even spy the hoof prints in the ground of the mules that once labored to turn the stone and grind the wheat or corn.

Peek around back, and you'll see where the current owner of the Outpost has expanded with a shed on the rear of the building. Some of his tools are evident here as well, ready to help repair broken wheels on the wagons, buggies and coaches that make their way along this section of trail.

That current owner originally came to the area seeking his fortune in the Gold Rush. He didn't have much luck, so he decided to settle down and instead offer sustenance to other travelers headed to these parts. To make his establishment more attractive and play on the imagination of those Miner 49'ers, he renamed the place the Golden Oak Outpost and even used a couple of his old mining pans to decorate the roof:

The Golden Oak Outpost also happens to refer to a bit of Disney history. Disney's Golden Oak Ranch is an 800 acre movie ranch north of Los Angeles. The property was purchased by Disney in 1959 and initially used in the production of westerns like Old Yeller and the "Spin & Marty" serial on the Mickey Mouse Club. The Golden Oak Ranch is still in active use today. To learn more, visit the official site.