The “World” According to Jack

A couple of months ago, I published some old pictures I had taken at Walt Disney World. I received several letters asking that I publish more, so here goes. All of these were taken in January, 1972, just a little over three months after Disney World opened.

The first picture is of the Toll Plaza. Notice it says “Parking Entrance.” It doesn’t even say “Walt Disney World” yet.

This next photo is of the Contemporary Resort taken from the Skyway in Tomorrowland. Notice the lack of vegetation. Also, notice the crane. By this date, all of the modular rooms had been hoisted into place, but the suites, which were NOT modular, were still under construction.

This third picture is of a room in the Contemporary. So this is what the Imagineers thought the future would look like during their planning sessions in the late 60’s.

This next shot was taken from inside the Contemporary, looking south from the middle of the building. Notice how this area hasn’t yet been expanded out beyond the windows which would eventually become Chef Mickey’s. Also notice the orange and yellow plastic trees.

And finally, this last picture was taken from one of the balcony rooms of the Contemporary looking west. Once again, notice the lack of vegetation and a missing Grand Floridian Resort.

By the way, a Tower Room in the Contemporary cost $35 per night back then!

Last time I posted old pictures of WDW I received numerous emails requesting more. So here goes. Once again, all of these pictures were taken in January 1972, just a little more than three months after the “World” opened.

These first two pictures are of topiary as seen while driving from the Main Entrance toward the Contemporary Resort. An interesting note… These were fake – made out of plastic. I’m not sure exactly why. Perhaps they were an afterthought and Disney didn’t have time to sculpt real plants before opening. Or maybe they didn’t have sprinklers out this far yet. Whatever the reason, I was a little disappointed to see fakes since I was used to seeing the real thing at Disneyland.

This next picture is of more plastic topiary. The Magic Kingdom bus loading area now occupies this space.

The newly opened Polynesian Resort, as seen from the monorail, is pictured here. The ferry landing is in the foreground. Notice the Poly was much smaller then. The two additions were still years away.

And this next picture was also taken from the monorail looking back across land that would eventually become an expanded Polynesian Resort.

This final picture was taken looking north from the Contemporary. Notice the utilities plant. It was an eyesore back then but is now hidden behind trees.

Here we go again, another set of pictures taken in January, 1972.

These first two pictures were taken of the Indy Speedway from the Skyway. In the first picture, look to the left and you can see the 20,000 Leagues building. And if you look toward the back of the picture, you can see the monorail and steam train roundhouse.

In this next picture, look toward the center. You can see the monorail spur that runs to the roundhouse. Also notice the construction trailers. A lot of work was still underway in those early months. And the lack of landscaping was apparent everywhere.

This picture was taken from the steam train looking over vacant land. This land would one day be occupied by Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain.

This picture was also taken from the steam train, a little further down the tracks. Notice the “Cabin on Fire” on Tom Sawyer Island. Construction had not even begun on the guest portions of the island, but Disney made sure there was something to see while riding the Joe Fowler steamboat – not much, but something.

This final picture was taken from the Skyway in Fantasyland, looking across an unfinished Tom Sawyer Island. You can see the steam train in the background.

This is my last set of January, 1972 pictures. I do have others, but they are of things that have changed very little over the years, such as Main Street and portions of Fantasyland, and really aren’t of any historical interest. Enjoy!

This first picture is of the Haunted Mansion. The first interesting detail is the lack of trees. Although you can’t see it in this picture, in the early years, the building that actually houses the attraction was visible from inside the park. Also notice that the queue doesn’t have an awning over it. Remember, Walt Disney World was designed by people who lived in California. They hadn’t yet learned that the sun is brutal in Florida, as are the rainstorms.

This next picture was taken from the Skyway of the Mad Tea Party. Notice that the teacups do not yet have a roof overhead. Same California designers.

The third picture is of the “Pearly Band.” These entertainers were a regular fixture at Disneyland and then the Magic Kingdom after Mary Poppins debuted. If you remember, a “pearly band” played in the animated portion of the movie. I can’t remember the last time I saw this group. They are playing in front of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Fantasyland, the current home of the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction.

This fourth picture, also taken from the Skyway, is of Tomorrowland under construction. The Carousel of Progress would eventually be built here. Like Disneyland in 1955, when the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Tomorrowland was just a shell of what it would finally become.

I took this final picture of a popcorn vendor because of the costume he was wearing. I had never seen this outfit as the Disneyland vendors wore different apparel. Eventually, this look would find its way to California. Like the pearly band, this costume is now just a memory.

Also notice the spires that marked the entrance to Tomorrowland. The design called for columns of water to cascade from these towers. However, even a slight breeze would send droplets all over the walkway and they were often turned off to save giving the guests a shower.