Main Street Station

Back in 1955, Main Street Station was the first thing you saw when entering Disneyland. Today you might spot the Matterhorn or Space Mountain first. And of course, after walking through one of the tunnels that go beneath the train tracks, you are immersed in the world of yesterday. The sounds make a huge impression, from the train's whistle and bell, to the clip-clop of horse hooves, to the music playing throughout Main Street.

In this first photo (from September 1955), we see a bunch of vintage automobiles lined up in front of the train station. This became a regular event for many years (somewhere I have a metal badge frome the mid-60's)...the owners of these old cars would often show up in old-fashioned costumes, and presumably there would be a parade as well.


Next up is a photo from around 1957. If this wasn't so familiar to us as a Disneyland scene, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine it as a picture of a small town in the midwest (pre-World War I). I wonder if the folks sitting on the bench to our left grew up in a town similar to this one? Even today, if you drive through the midwest you might see the remains of Main Streets like the ones our grandparents grew up with.