The “Center of Disneyland” golden spike! Now for those of you who have not heard of this, it’s a small “golden spike” just under Sleeping Beauty Castle as you are walking through the castle.
For as long as I can remember I’ve heard this point represents “the center of Disneyland.” I never studied much geography, but looking at any arial view of Disneyland from 1955….
Courtesy of the Orange County Archives.
…Or Disneyland Resort 2015….
©Google Earth
…The “center of Disneyland” is no where near Sleeping Beauty Castle! After asking different Disneyland Cast Members and even going to some folks at WDI, I decided to turn to the one man who would know…Tony Baxter. In 1983, he was responsible for the complete renovation of Fantasyland so if he and his team left it there, it must be for some good reason!
At the 2015 San Diego Comic Con, I had a chance to talk to him briefly and, of course, the first question I had to ask is “when is the Peoplemover coming back?” Oh wait, no, I asked about the spike and what it represents, to which he gave the most basic and simple answer: “It’s a viewline marker to make sure no hotels or buildings could be built in sight of the park.” And there it is, a spot to make sure there is no visual intrusion into the most magical place on earth.
Well folks if you stuck with me through all 8 pages I hope you learned a thing or two about my favorite place on earth, Disneyland!
Before I wrap this up, I would like to take a moment to point out that no one person is ever born with the knowledge they bestow on others. This small list has been gathered over the years from books, blogs, and the fine villagers of Geeknerdia. Thank you all for sharing your time and words with me so these stories can be passed along to others.