GOOD OLD DAYS:Disneyland, first guests grown; childlike spirit remains

July 17, 1955 was a big day for Costa Mesa resident Carolynn McMahon, and one she remembers vividly.

Dressed in a new outfit, the then-13 year old made her way to Anaheim with her parents, her aunt and uncle, her brother and their three cousins for the much-anticipated opening day of Disneyland.

“It was like, ‘You’re not in Kansas anymore,’” she said. “We saw clips every week on the Disneyland show of the construction, but when you first walked in to see it in person after seeing it on television in black and white, it was just phenomenal, just totally overwhelming.”

McMahon was one of 28,154 guests at the park for the invitation-only premiere, though only 11,000 passes were sent out. Her father was well-acquainted with Walt Disney through the Live Steamers organization in Los Angeles, a group of men who spent Saturday afternoons talking about trains.

“The train was one of my favorite things there,” McMahon said. “I think we got to ride it about 5,000 times.”

The Main Street train station and some original trains are among the few attractions that remain from Day One, along with the Jungle Cruise, originally dubbed Jungle River Ride; Autopia and Mad Tea Party, also known as the Tea Cups.

“Not much from opening day is still there now, in terms of attractions,” said David Koenig, the author of “Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland,” who grew up in Costa Mesa. “The park was about 50 or 60 acres, and now it’s close to 90.”

With visitors lining up at the gates at 2 a.m., opening day attracted 1,000 members of the worldwide media and several celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Roy Rogers. They came to see that $17-million venture deemed by many the eighth wonder of the world.

Though he worked for CBS and NBC at the time, Art Linkletter hosted the official 90-minute opening broadcast for ABC, using 22 cameras and miles of TV cable in the largest live TV show up to that time.

McMahon recalls the Old Western feel of Main Street, the music at the Coca Cola Theater and, of course, meeting Mickey Mouse.

“Everybody was just so happy, though I do remember my dad saying something about how hamburgers were a quarter, which he said was highway robbery,” she said.

But high-priced food wasn’t the only problem opening day, Koenig said. Numerous rides broke down, the solitary drinking fountain could not satisfy the large crowds and a man was found sneaking people in, for $5 each, over a ladder he had set up in the back of the park.

McMahon still makes several annual trips with her daughters and grandchildren to enjoy the Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain, though she misses rides of old like the Skyway to Tomorrowland, the Carousel of Progress and the PeopleMover.

“I think my enthusiasm has passed on to my kids and their kids,” she said. “They wouldn’t dare say anything about it that was detrimental.”