SEVEN SEAS LAGOON: A PRODUCT OF IMAGINATIONSeven Seas Lagoon, located in front of the Magic Kingdom Park, is a sparkling blue lake that provides ample acreage for water recreation and picturesque lakeside views from several resorts.
And it's completely man-made.
Thirty years ago, there was no Seven Seas Lagoon - just a large, muck-filled marsh next to Bay Lake. According to original plans, the Magic Kingdom Park and resorts were to be built on top of it. The area was too low and too wet, making it unsuitable for any kind of construction. But it was just fine for a lake.
In fact, it would enhance the water recreation available at the resorts, and it would create the feel of a great journey, escaping the real world by boat or Monorail to a faraway land that would become the Magic Kingdom Park.
The lagoon took many months to create. First, pumps drained water from the area. Bay Lake, an actual lake just east of the marsh, also was drained and dredged of muck.
An army of dump trucks, bulldozers, and other construction vehicles descended on the area, digging up and hauling more than 7 million cubic yards of earth. Workers moved as much as 60,000 cubic yards in a 16-hour day - almost 2,000 truckloads. This earth actually was used just north the area as a foundation for the Magic Kingdom Park.
Once all the earth was removed, workers lined the bottom and shoreline with white sand that was underneath the muck.
The newly created Seven Seas Lagoon, along with Bay Lake, then was filled with water from the surrounding wetlands. Both lakes were restocked with more than 70,000 fish.
Because the average depth of Seven Seas Lagoon is 14 feet, workers built a unique water bridge, with a depth of 12 feet, to link the two bodies of water near Disney's Contemporary Resort and allow road vehicles to pass underneath.
For natural beauty, workers also created three islands in the lagoon - Beachcombers by Disney's Polynesian Resort, Castaway Cay (also the name of Disney's private island in the Bahamas to which Disney Cruise Line ships sail) by Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Blackbeards by the water bridge. The islands have been used to launch fireworks, and speakers hidden in the trees have piped music to the resorts on the shore.
WALT GOT HIS SHOW BUSINESS START AS A BOY
Walt mesmerized his first real audience back when he was a 10-year-old school boy in Kansas City. He surprised everyone in his fifth-grade class by coming to school dressed as Abraham Lincoln and reciting the Gettysburg Address in front of his fellow students. His teacher and principal were so impressed, they had him perform in every classroom. He even repeated the act the next year.
With the help of childhood friend Walt Pfeiffer, Walt put together a comedy act. The two Walts were heavily influenced by traveling vaudeville shows that passed through town, as well as by the popular silent films of Charlie Chaplin. They not only presented skits in class, they even participated in amateur contests in the city. However, Walt had to sneak out of his window at night because his father, Elias, considered that form of entertainment frivolous.
Walt's acting talents, combined with his love of magic tricks and practical jokes, also made him a crafty prankster. Once, he disguised himself so well that he fooled his own mother, Flora, into thinking he was a total stranger.
Walt's love for performing continued into his later years, when he frequently dressed up in colorful costumes for his "Disneyland" television series, for special events, and for friends and family.
WALT'S LOVE FOR TRAINSIt's a commonly known fact that Walt Disney loved trains. That's why he insisted on featuring them as major attractions and transportation in his theme parks and why he built his own miniature railroad, the Carolwood Pacific, in the back yard of his Hollywod home.
Part of this affection can be traced back to 1917 when, at 15, Walt got a summer job on the Santa Fe Railroad selling candy, fruit, and cold drinks.
He loved traveling to new places. His trips took him through hundreds of towns across half a dozen states. On all-day runs he would stay overnight in railroad hotels or boarding houses. Whenever the trains made lengthy stops, he spent the time exploring the multitude of communities and the surrounding countryside.
The traveling interested Walt more than his job, however, and sometimes he allowed his suppliers to sell him overripe fruit that attracted flies so badly the conductor would make him throw it off the speeding train. Once, when he went to the commuter cars to retrieve his stash of empty drink bottles, he was shocked to find that those cars had been detached from the train and sent to parts unknown.
His train job didn't last long, but it gave Walt a view of the country few people had the opportunity to see at the time. These impressions of people and places would eventually find their places in his future films, television shows, and Disneyland Park.
