25 Vintage Photos of Disneyland That Will Give You Some Good Old-Timey Magic

Nearly 30 years after Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse first debuted, Disneyland opened its doors. On July 17, 1955, the theme park officially welcomed people to a magical place where they can have fun and let their imagination roam free and run wild.

The Disneyland we see today may be far more developed than it was years ago. But of course, it was as magical then as it is now. These 25 vintage photographs of "the happiest place on earth" will show you just how magical.

 
Relive the magic!

Disneyland

The construction of Disneyland's Matterhorn attraction.

Vintage Everyday

Walt Disney at the Disneyland Opening Ceremony rehearsal, 1955.

Vintage Everyday

It’s A Small World in its early years. 

Gorillas Don't Blog

The Nixon family attending the Disneyland parade, 1959.

Disney and More

Dancers put on a show in front of the Matterhorn, 1959.

Vintage Everyday

Disneyland’s Main Street, 1960.

Gorillas Don't Blog

Disneyland’s Monorail soars over the Submarine Lagoon.

Gorillas Don't Blog

Gorillas Don't Blog

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, 1960.

Viewliner Ltd.

Vesey Walker conducts the Disneyland Band.

Gorillas Don't Blog

Toy soldiers put on a holiday show, 1961.

Gorillas Don't Blog

Visitors crowd on the raft to Tom Sawyer Island.

Wikipedia

People queue up to enter Disneyland, 1963.

Gorillas Don't Blog

An aerial view of Disneyland Park, 1963.

Wikipedia

Mermaids were once a fixture at Disneyland’s Submarine Lagoon.

Dreaming of Disney

Boys posing in front of the Mickey Mouse flower arrangement, 1965.

Gorillas Don't Blog

An aerial shot of Fantasyland at Disneyland’s tencennial celebration in 1965.

Stuff From the Park

Walt Disney cuts the 10th anniversary Disneyland cake with help from Mickey Mouse and Julie Reihm.

The Walt Disney Family Museum

This vintage Disneyland brochure from 1970 explains the various park attractions.

Stuff From the Park

Crowds flock to Fantasyland.

Shorpy

A Disneyland guest in 1957.

Gorillas Don't Blog

Storybook Canal and the Disneyland Skyway.

Hellcat Vintage

A small girl clings to Pluto in 1977.

Disney Parks Blog

A parade in Disneyland in the 1970s.

Vintage Disneyland Tickets