PAUL LOUIS ESBRANDT
  • Contents
  • Los Angeles, 1990's and 2000's
  • San Francisco 90's
  • Chasen's Restaurant
  • Florida '87 to '88
  • Baltimore 1980's
  • Vietnam '69 to '70
  • Kings Contrivance, MD. 1970's
  • Places
  • Wesley
  • Bicycling Mag Article, Breaking Away
  • Disneyland 1956
    • Contact
  • Contents

DisneyLand 1956

My Dad was a Laundryman, kind of like a Milkman but only with laundry. I remember at a very young age that he was fascinated with what Walt Disney was doing in Southern California with his theme park, Disneyland. I remember there was two page spread in the Baltimore newspaper and he had it spread out on the table, showing me what Walt Disney was doing.
I remember him saying that Walt was going around trying to borrow money to build his theme park. At this time I would have been 7 years old.
My dad as a Laundryman wasn't a wealthy man, but he did okay for himself. He got it in his mind that he wanted to visit Disneyland. I think he used me as an excuse to visit the magical kingdom.
With his job he got a lot of change (coin), and he decided he was going to save all his dimes for a year and come visit Disneyland. When it came time to go I remember he said he had a thousand dollars.
I was about 8 years old at this time. Here's what I remember, it was in the fall of the year, so it must of been 1956 because that is the date on the sign. I remember he had to get permission to take me out of school to take me to California. At this point Disneyland would have been about 14 months old, they opened July, 1955.
This was my first plane ride, and I just seen a movie called "The High and Mighty" about a near fatal plane trip, so I was nervous. We flew TWA.
I remember the Stewardess liked me and she took me up in the cockpit and it was really cool 
​ seeing what the pilots were seeing at 8 years old.
Back then they had a helicopter to take you from LAX to Disneyland. They discontinued the helicopter trips after two fatal crashes in 1968.


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Blackbart and me. My dad took this photo!
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Now the most important thing about this photo is not that Blackbart and I are in the photo, but the 1956 prices. I have Google searched and haven't been able to find the prices from back then.
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This is how we were transported from the Disneyland Hotel to the Park.
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Here I am being arrested by the Sheriff and the Marshall.
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I remember being a bit scared on the rope bridge!
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  • Contents
  • Los Angeles, 1990's and 2000's
  • San Francisco 90's
  • Chasen's Restaurant
  • Florida '87 to '88
  • Baltimore 1980's
  • Vietnam '69 to '70
  • Kings Contrivance, MD. 1970's
  • Places
  • Wesley
  • Bicycling Mag Article, Breaking Away
  • Disneyland 1956
    • Contact
  • Contents