Disney parks were supposed to have their own ski resort: why it didn’t happen
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When Walt Disney opened Disneyland in 1955, it was unlike anything the world had ever seen. Walt himself was clearly happy with what he had created. Because as soon as it was completed, his attention shifted to more resort-style projects. Of course, what would become Walt Disney World is the best known, but that wasn’t the only thing Walt had in mind after Disneyland. At the same time he was looking for land in Florida, he was also eyeing a ski resort project in California. Disney’s Mineral Ski Resort was unlike anything we had ever seen, but it would have been a truly unique experience.
There are as many ideas for Disney theme parks that never came to fruition as there are Disney theme parks that exist today, but if Mineral King were to become a reality, it would be truly unique among them. This is the story of what happened to Mineral King and why it didn’t happen.
Mineral King: Snowy Disneyland
In 1960, five years after Disneyland proved a success, Walt Disney was asked to officiate the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. As a result, Walt ended up spending more time in the winter on his sport. He already enjoyed the sport, having been snow skiing regularly since his 1930s, at least to some extent, but as he began working on the Olympics, the idea of a permanent Disney ski resort permeated his mind. It seems like it’s starting to happen.
Eventually the idea became an active project, and Disney began looking for a place to build a ski resort. He discovered Mineral King, part of the Sequoia National Forest, a few hours north of Los Angeles and about the same south of San Francisco. In 1965, the U.S. Forest Service solicited proposals to build a ski resort complex in the area. In December 1965, one month after a press conference confirming that Disney was purchasing Florida wetlands to build East Coast Disneyland, the U.S. Forest Service granted Disney the rights to develop the land. Ta.
It will certainly require significant development. There wasn’t even a paved road leading to Disney’s Alpine Village where he envisioned building a ski resort. Considering the construction costs of the resort, it would need to be open all year round, so there was also the problem of what to do with the resort when it didn’t snow.
Skiing, of course, became the main winter attraction, and more than a dozen ski lifts were originally planned, but ice rinks, tobogganing and dog sledding were also included as part of the development. In summer you can enjoy swimming, horse riding, tennis and hiking.
Multiple hotels and restaurants were planned, one of which was to have the most “Disneyland” feel. Walt came up with the idea for an animatronic band made up of bears that would play while people ate. This idea became Country Bear’s Jamboree, which eventually became an opening day attraction at Magic Kingdom and was also built at Disneyland.
Battle over Disney ski resort plans
When Walt announced his Florida project, he was welcomed to the Sunshine State with open arms. The state of Florida created a special district to oversee Walt Disney World, giving the resort more control over itself.
This was also true for Mineral King, at least at the state level. Both Governor Pat Brown and later Governor Ronald Reagan strongly supported the plan to raise money for tourism and create jobs. Mr. Brown helped secure funding to cover some construction costs, such as building and widening roads.
But environmental groups, especially the Sierra Club, thought differently. They opposed the idea of building a Disney resort in the middle of the Sequoia National Forest. They argued that the development that must take place, including the construction of miles of new roads for automobiles, would destroy the area’s natural beauty.
Walt Disney argued that the area’s natural beauty was exactly what he wanted people to experience, and he had no interest in destroying it. Walt was inspired by the Swiss town of Zermatt, which he visited while making the film. third man on the mountain, it was an area without internal combustion engines. Walt envisioned a similar design at Mineral King, where guests parked their cars several miles away and were transported to the resort area by some type of railroad.
In September 1966, a press conference was held to officially announce the Mineral King project. This was similar to what he did a year earlier in Florida for Disney World. At the time, it was reported that Walt Disney was not in good condition. Two months later, Walt died.
Mineral King project ends due to Walt Disney’s death and lawsuit
Obviously Walt Disney’s death had a huge impact on the company, but the biggest impact was that all the attention turned to Disney World. Walt’s older brother, Roy O. Disney, planned to retire when Walt died. Instead, he became CEO with the sole goal of completing the Florida project.
Work continued on the Mineral King project, but as construction costs for Disney World began to rise, plans for Mineral King began to wind down. Most of the new developments regarding the project took place in court. The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit against the project. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the case in 1972, but the Sierra Club subsequently filed an amended lawsuit. By this time, both Roy and Walt were dead, and there was no desire within the company to continue the fight.
In November 1978, Mineral King officially became part of Sequoia National Park, ensuring the land was protected from future development. By that time, Disney had long since moved on from Mineral King, so it was never going to happen anyway. Perhaps it shouldn’t have happened, as arguments to the contrary aren’t without merit, but you can’t help but wonder what kind of place it was.
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