Another View of '72

I have more great vintage Magic Kingdom photos for you today, these shared by DisneyShawn blog reader Pat Chastain of Indianapolis, Indiana. Pat's first picture (above) provides further confirmation of the fact that the Mad Tea Party in Florida was built without a roof, just like its counterpart in Disneyland. This particular shot was taken from the Grand Prix Raceway side of the attraction, looking toward 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the background.

Next, Pat provides a couple more views of Tomorrowland. Above, you can get a better look at the waterfall monolith structure at the entrance to Tomorrowland. This image also provides another clear indication that the path for the WEDway PeopleMover was established from the beginning, even though that attraction wouldn't make its debut until 1975.

The image below offers an entirely different view of things, this time from the old Top of the World Lounge on the 15th floor of Disney's Contemporary Resort (where California Grill is today). Look past the groovy orange chairs and track lighting, and you'll catch a glimpse of Tomorrowland in which the Skyway station is the dominant structure. After all, prior to the mid-70s expansion of the land, there was no Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, PeopleMover or Star Jets.

Pat's final shot from that March 1972 trip at first appears to present a bit of a mystery. It's obviously some kind of construction effort, as seen from the Walt Disney World Railroad. My first thought was that this would have been for Pirates of the Caribbean, which was added to the Magic Kingdom in December 1973. The site, though, is clearly much closer to the Rivers of America (you can spot Liberty Tree Tavern and the smokestacks of the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat in the distance). Perhaps this was the site intended for the planned Thunder Mesa expansion, but instead used as a "lay down" area for the work on Pirates when those plans changed? Solid theory, except for the fact that real construction on Pirates of the Caribbean didn't get underway until the Fall of '72.

Then it dawned on me...

When the Magic Kingdom opened, the Walt Disney World Railroad featured only one station. Guests boarded the train at Main Street, U.S.A., for a "grand circle tour" of the park. The station in Frontierland wasn't completed until May of 1972. It appears, from Pat Chastain's photograph, that work on the new station stop was well underway in March of that year.

For the full story on the original Frontierland Railroad Station (replaced in 1992 with the construction of Splash Mountain), check out this article from Widen Your World.