Construction of Disney World's Magic Kingdom 1965-1971 - Life in America

[@johngregreid1]

My wife of. 51 years & I drove there from Toronto the month it opened. This bring backs fond memories. Sadly she passed away this past year but I do have wonderful memories of us as newlyweds discovering Disney World.

[@toddmo1]

My first of 5 family vacations was in 1974 and we loved every minute of it. I moved to Orlando in 2004 and went to WDW a lot with my annual pass but then it got to be too expensive and too crowded. I haven't been to WDW in 10 years.

[@TheDoorman55]

My friend and his family moved to Orlando the year before DW opened. He was their first Pluto. I remember he sent me a newspaper clipping of a picture of him as Pluto standing next to Joe Frazier.

[@minioncool1061]

Cool!

[@thomasallen3818]

I have never been to Disney World, but I was a regular visitor to Disneyland in the 50’s and attended the Grand Opening which was for the employees who built the park and was basically a trial run for the opening to the general public in 1955. One of my uncles was an electrical engineer who helped design the park, along with many of the original animatronics. We would go every other year on vacation until 1965, when my uncle retired and moved to Arizona from Orange County California. I’ve never been back. I guess it was been there done that, and I was really more into historical places as I got older.

[@Gio-gu9gb]

I was there in 1978 and I remember that park very well picture and video of that park when we were young, The good old days.

[@alexcootieart2210]

I worked at WDW from 1979 on. Best experience of my young life.

[@hiridavidfeign]

An amazing example of design and construction. Unfortunately today's version is vastly less unified. Great set of pictures. Thanks.

[@robertphillips6296]

Walt originally planned to build the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow (EPCOT). It was to be a planned city with people working and actually living there. At one time during the development stage it was going to have a dome. He died before it could be finalized and his brother Roy took over. EPCOT was put on the back burner and Roy went ahead with building the Magic Kingdom and sadly the city never came into being.

[@interdimensionaltraveler1264]

It actually did

[@matthewsherwin8741]

Well of course Epcot came to be but it’s not exactly what Walt intended. I wonder if he would have liked the way Epcot turned out

[@aleksinfroid4644]

Sounds like a covid camp for the vaxxed sheep.

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

We lived in Orlando from 1972-74 at a nearby Air Force Base. Neat to be there at or near the beginning of Disney World. I think we visited twice while we lived there. Have been back 7 times since. Orlando sure has changed since 1974.

[@Laura-wc5xt]

McCoy AFB

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

@@Laura-wc5xt Yes! I can still remember seeing the U2 Spy plane fly over our house. McCoy was the base for some of the spy planes. I also remember getting in trouble with the MPs when I rode my Honda 70 on the street. They escorted me and a buddy back to our house and talked to my dad. Fun times!

[@ShakaCthulu]

Orlando was a great place to grow up in the 70’s & 80’s. ‘Member the Mystery Fun House?

[@incog99skd11]

I went to Disney World in 2012. I stayed in one of the hotels. It was the most expensive place on earth (play on happiest place on earth). A hamburger lunch was 25 dollars per person. By 2012, it had long passed affordability for the middle class in my opinion. It has become a playground for the privileged. The amenities were superb but the prices were out of this world!

[@Rtp4k]

Disney has massive stocking issues which is why the prices are skyrocketing

[@smith9808]

Definitely wasn’t 25 dollars for a burger and fries. It isn’t that now. Not a quick service anyway. Still, it’s definitely expensive and definitely more now than in 2012…but then again, what isn’t!

[@Dave-hc6pp]

I remember Walt Disney talking about building Disney World and showing construction from the air.

[@eandatoo]

My family went to Disney World shortly after it opened in 1971. I was too young to go so I stayed behind with my grandparents. I finally got to go in 1978 and I absolutely loved it!! Such great memories

[@djmgoblue]

I went for the first time when I was 12 years old in the summer of 82. It was enchanting. EPCOT opened a week after I left Orlando.

[@johngregreid1]

Love your background music. Please don’t ever change it.

[@TruckEnthusiastYT]

It’s so cool seeing all the old pickup trucks

[@sgon22]

Love the photos. One of Disneyland California snuck in there. 3:00

[@robertphillips6296]

Yes was definitely the Main Street Train Station, under construction at Disneyland, in Anaheim, California.

[@BBCHZ]

I was just about to comment that too!

[@DavidDeLoach]

You beat me to it. Still love the video, though.

[@lanacampbell-moore4549]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@Bobby21Bobby21Bobby]

Imagine getting home from fighting in Vietnam and then going to work building Disney World.

[@Laura-wc5xt]

thank you for your service, Paul from Orlando

[@King_Colombia_Inc]

Thank you for your service, Anthony from Miami.

[@sharontheobald7283]

Thank you for your service to our country.

[@jimkofron8638]

Best time to go. October. Kids are in school. Take yours out. Used to explain to my kids teachers that we had an important family event to attend, and please give them their assignments for the week of their absence so they could do ahead of time and not fall behind. Get there at opening and immediately head to the far end of the park. Then work your way during the day back toward the front. Believe me. You will have at least 2-3 hours of relatively hassle-free uncrowded attractions. Most people tend to do the opposite and meander from the entrance toward the far end throughout the day.

[@johnpick8336]

This place is incredible with first class construction.

[@Laura-wc5xt]

They built the Swiss Family Robinson tree at the old Dr Phillips processing plant in Dr Phillips, I later worked for a company there in 1974 thru 1984, who did convention service work, Vision was the name of company, long gone now.....it was a fantastic building, a 1920's factory....

[@francesdellaquila8570]

I was there the first thank ing with my newly married husband , was a great honeymoon. November 1971 never never forgotten.

[@scottgirard2686]

At 3:05 the photo of the Main Street railroad station is not the WDW train station. It's a photo of the Main Street railroad station at Disneyland during its construction '54-'55.

[@1yabba]

Well done!

[@douglashall6326]

3:00 That ladies and gentlemen is in fact Disneyland's Main Street Train Station. Walt Disney World's Main Street Train Station looks completely different.

[@mermaidlu5125]

went to Disney I summer 2015 it was fun my first time there! hopefully ill visit soon again

[@imac1960]

back when you enjoyed going to Disney World

[@98cebu]

IT sucks now, not worth the outrageous admission.

[@twistedtrails8128]

Have a magical day!

[@bravobravoh1344]

Pretty clear photos. I wonder if any of the men who worked on the project have seen this video.

[@Shreksmith27]

I just was at disney world last week this is cool to see

[@SamsonSilvo]

3:00 This photo is from Disneyland in California, not the Magic Kingdom in Florida...

[@FrankG5874]

My first visit to WALT DISNEY WORLD was during the American Bicentennial year of 1976 as I went there with my folks, and sister when I was only two years old. I will be going to WALT DISNEY WORLD to celebrate it’s 50TH at the end of this month.

[@unclej3910]

My first visit was in June or July of 1976. I was 15 and it was fun, being there for the bicentennial.

[@williamzandy8085]

The picture at 3:00 is the Disneyland Train Station, not Walt Disney World. FYI

[@theirishhammer9108]

And it took four years to build half a garden in Epcot… sigh

[@EddieDisneyTheFansAndFriends]

Walt Disney World Was Opening On October 1, 1971 In Orlando Florida

[@kengoodwin5838]

I had family menbers work there as electricians. They could not stop talking about that project.

[@questfortruth665]

Walt sure had a great idea - or two - or more!!

[@bradkoerner1]

This is an amazing collection of photos. I'm a huge WDW fan for decades now and haven't seen many of these. Where did you get them?

[@robertaverill936]

Outstanding..well, except for the balloons..😁 Who knew back then?.

[@jkaw9291]

Love the video, and I wondered will you be doing videos of various amusement parks ? The ones that have closed would be great if you can find video of those and or pictures

[@charlotteriddle7303]

My daddy drove a tour bus and has pics of the magic kingdom in construction

[@TaciturnRichard]

The picture of the Main Street Station at 3:00 is actually at Disneyland not Walt Disney World.

[@themeparkcheetah]

4:55 What ride is this?

[@Ebd1990]

It might be Space Mountain? 🤷‍♀️

[@themeparkcheetah]

After watching again, it appears to be the seven dwarfs mine train which somehow made it into this video.

[@JonnyJonJon]

Sad what it has become today

[@MrLamontSanford]

At 2:59 it is disneyland RR station not WDW

[@billthompson5644]

He must not have hired union labor it would have taken 12 times as long to build it and cost 12 times as much with those Union slackers

[@Laura-wc5xt]

their were picket lines and the Sheriff Dave Starr showed up with his Thompson submachine gun and a passel of deputies to quell the affair.....I am a native of the area so remember it well.....and I was 16 at the time...

[@neilpuckett359]

Let me guess you think $15 an hour is big money,it was 45 years ago! The scant few union jobs left are the only ones paying middle class wages. Go to Wally's Lowes Depot, appliances made in Mexico,tools made in China. All those good paying american jobs gone and you're bashing the unions. I've never belonged to a union.

[@billthompson5644]

@@neilpuckett359 in 1984 when I got out of the army I was making 17 bucks an hour laying floors not Union. People are way too cheap, TYRANNICAL OVERLORDS don't want to pay shit it's terrible the way these bosses pay people. I fully agree with you on that. And on top of that they treat their employees like absolute garbage. Something's Gotta break and I hope through this it does so the CHEAPSKATE TYRANTS WILL have to pay more money to their employees instead of pocketing at all for themselves.

[@stevehall383]

The plumbers were union, my Dad was one of them.

[@sharoncrawford7192]

Excuse me, my husband ran his own construction business for 20 yrs. He's been working for a union and he works just as fast and hard as he did when he had his own business. Which he had in Naples Florida, and worked for the very wealthy. We only left and moved back to the Midwest, and then he took a job with union. But is also a licensed contractor for the unions. Not all union workers are slackers!

[@garymoisan5899]

The 9th wonder of the world.

[@skiph3]

LET'S GO MICKEY!

[@darrylh1971]

In the descripton: Julia Andrews? You mean JULIE Andrews!

[@dudedude949]

Back before Disney became the epitome of evil....

[@Laura-wc5xt]

I tried getting a job there out of college, they wanted me parking cars, I had a degree in Art and Photography , I said well, I will take a job picking up horse poo on Main Street, they told me I had to work there for a few years first as that was a raised position, this was 1973,,,I never tried working there again....

[@daviddigital6887]

I remember being there the year it opened 1971or72 and we were in a gas crisis. Couldn't get gas anywhere in Florida. We were stuck in Daytona. People were pushing cars down the street. It was a disaster an so was Disney. Hot, humid, long lines and horrible. Never went back.

[@patriciau6277]

Doesn’t take long before Satan ruins everything!

[@xoxoxoxoxo7997]

Now for only 159.00 dollars u can enter a park lmao

[@hazcat640]

What coupons / discounts did you use to get it that cheap.

[@GregMartinez-g4r]

So many under the table employees

[@MrProTechHD]

its really nice but me personally i would never build a theme park in swamp/gator country. i rather build it in vegas

[@chrisfranco6603]

Go woke, go broke. Walt is rolling over in his grave.

[@michaelciccone2194]

All the orange groves and wildlife lands just destroyed!

[@281sTravel]

Oh FFS!!! I doubt any Orange Groves were destroyed, all that land was Swamp Land!!! Not to mention Disney has set aside massive amounts of the property they own for environmental purposes!! But please go on living in your DIRT HUT ya fuckin Hippie!!!

[@matts.6904]

@@281sTravel The conservation area owned by Disney is wonderful- but a lot of natural land outside the property has been destroyed by ugly sprawl and it's a real shame.

[@robertphillips6296]

WDW = Wilderness Destroyed by Walt.

[@matts.6904]

@@brooksteer5629 Sure- there's just better ways more natural land could have been set aside with buffer zones and green areas within the development. I love capitalism- it's beautiful, but it needs some boundaries: otherwise it can result in a land desecrating, species extirpating, water/land polluting, and aquifer draining blighted sprawl (as much of Orlando is).

[@mikemay8334]

You're an idiot, it was nothing but wasteland, a swamp that wasn't good for anything but breeding mosquitoes and disease. He was a visionary that could see potential when others couldn't. I'm sure you must live in a tent somewhere, after all, you can't destroy valuable wilderness just for a place to live.

[@robbygreene7428]

Love a lot of the ole classic Disney animated films & toys pre 1960, but Disney World sucks, major dissapointment, I loved island of Adventure much more.

[@sharoncrawford7192]

I lived in Florida 25 yrs, and never went. I don't agree with their very liberal ideas!

[@fintan3563]

I prefer the narrated versions. 👎

[@martyduncan2636]

I agree completely. The male narrator has a very enamoring, pleasant and comforting voice.