Vintage Disneyland. Here's What Opening Day Looked Like in 1955
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Turn back the clock on a Southern California favorite and see what Disneyland actually looked like on opening day, July 17, 1955. The poodle skirts, the charm, the cameos by Ronald Reagan other stars of the era -- it's all gushing with classic vintage magic.
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The LIFE Picture Collection via
July 17, 1955: Visitors enjoying a popcorn stand in Disneyland Amusement Park, Anaheim, California. (Photo by Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)
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Allan Grant/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
View of children as they cross the drawbridge, over swans in a moat, on their way into the Fantasyland castle on the opening day of Disneyland, Anaheim, California July 17, 1955.
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Bettmann Archive
Hollywood celebrities and their children helped to make the huge opening day crowd at Disneyland. Here, a large group of them rush into Sleeping Beauty's castle.
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Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Actor Ronald Reagan attends the opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, CA on June 17, 1955.
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Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Actor Steve Rowland and actress Kathleen Case and Adelle August pose as they walk through the park during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955.
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Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Actress Adelle August poses during the opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955.
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Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Actress Kathleen Case poses on the train tracks on Autopia during the Opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955.
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Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Actor Steve Rowland and actress Kathleen Case and Adelle August pose as they play arcade games during the opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955.
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USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images
Full parking lot on the opening day of Disneyland.
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USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images
Walt Disney piloting the Disneyland steamboat on opening day.
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Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
July 17, 1955: Disneyland's 'Autopia' attraction, Anaheim, California.
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Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
July 17, 1955: Young girls riding the 'Mr. Toad Wild Ride' attraction, Disneyland, Anaheim, California.
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Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
July 17, 1955: 'Circus Train' ride, an exact replica of the 'Casey Jr.' train used in Disney's movie 'Dumbo', Anaheim, California.
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Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
July 17, 1955: Disneyland opening day parade, Anaheim, California.
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Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
July 17, 1955: The 'Mad Hatter's Tea Party' attraction in Fantasyland at Disneyland Amusement Park, Anaheim, California.
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The LIFE Picture Collection via
July 17, 1955: Visitors enjoying a popcorn stand in Disneyland Amusement Park, Anaheim, California.
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Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
July 17, 1955: Riders on mules in the 'Painted Desert' in Frontierland, Disneyland Amusement Park, Anaheim, California.
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Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
July 17, 1955: Disneyland's 'Jungle Cruise' featuring animatronic animals, Anaheim, California.
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USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images
California Governor Goodwin Knight and Walt Disney on the opening day of Disneyland.
