Mineral King: Walt’s Lost Last Project -- Program Recap

While he did not live to see it completed, many Disney fans know that, at the time of his passing in 1966, Walt Disney was working on plans for what would later become Walt Disney World in Florida. What is not so well known is that he was concurrently planning a year round family resort in the Sierras known as Mineral King.

Photo by Joseph Titizian. ©The Walt Disney Family Museum.This past Saturday, in the Walt Disney Family Museum Theater, Sam Gennawey, author of Walt and the Promise of Progress City moderated a fast paced and highly informative presentation on the origins and plans for Walt Disney’s family oriented ski resort that, sadly, was never completed. He was joined by Ron Miller, past President and CEO of Walt Disney Productions and co-founder of the Walt Disney Family Museum and architect David Price, President of Leisure Group and son of Disney Legend Harrison “Buzz” Price.

Gennawey began by noting that Walt Disney, through the excellence of his product, had established the expectations we have today in the worlds of animation and amusement parks. Through his planned Mineral King project, he was about to establish a new set of expectations of how we would think about ski resorts and family vacation destinations. Gennawey went on to explain an underlying operating principle that Walt and his staff frequently employed when planning any new project…the “Yes if…” principle. The idea was that opportunities could be successfully realized if the team continuously asked themselves “Yes, this can happen if we first do this…” It was a positive method of goal orientation for anticipating and resolving issues before they impeded progress toward a goal. This is in contrast to how many individuals and organizations operate, which is the “No, because…” approach. This method can overwhelm a team by focusing on the roadblocks which obscure the intended goal and can lead to a loss of momentum. Walt and his team employed the “Yes if…” principle to the project that became known as Mineral King.

Walt Disney’s interest in winter sports, and skiing in particular, dates back to the 1930s when, on a skiing trip to Badger Pass, he be-friended Hannes Schroll. Schroll was a former Austrian skiing champion who ran the Yosemite Ski School. Scholl and others purchased land near Donner Summit, helped in part by a $2,500.00 investment by Walt Disney. The land was developed into the Sugar Bowl resort we know today. To acknowledge Walt’s investment and friendship, an 8,000 ft. peak at the resort was named Mt. Disney. Sugar Bowl went on to boast the first chairlift in California. It was known as the “Disney Chair”.

Interestingly, Hannes Scholl, a prolific yodeler, provided the famous Goofy Yell (aahh…ho…ho…hooey!) for the first of the Goofy “How to…” shorts, The Art of Skiing. The fact that skiing was subject matter of the first cartoon in this popular series is a likely indication of Walt’s enthusiasm for the sport and the Sugar Bowl resort. In fact, the short opens with a zoom in shot of the Sugar Bowl Lodge.

Walt’s exposure to, and involvement with, winter destinations continued in the mid 1950’s during the production of the live action film Third Man On The Mountain in the Swiss Alps.  Here Walt saw firsthand the majestic Matterhorn towering high above the charming village of Zermatt. The only way into the village, where motor vehicles are prohibited, is by cog train. The lack of roadway into the mountain location was a precursor to a major issue Disney would confront nearly a decade later on his Mineral King project. The director of the movie, Ken Annakin, commented that as a result of visiting the Alps, “Walt loved all things Switzerland”.

Photo by Joseph Titizian. ©The Walt Disney Family Museum.Inspired by the Matterhorn and wanting to expand the attractions in his new Disneyland theme park; Walt asked his Imagineers to create an attraction that would bring the excitement of a bobsled run into the park. Taking the concept of a rollercoaster to a totally new level, Walt and his team envisioned making this “new” thrill ride an actual trip down a mountainside. Of course, the mountain, upon whose slopes we would travel, would be the Matterhorn. Always the innovator, in addition to creating the first truly themed rollercoaster, Walt Disney and his Matterhorn gained the distinction of being the first tubular steel track coaster. It is the construction method used by most new rollercoasters to this day. When it opened in 1959, at 147 ft. tall, the Matterhorn was the tallest structure in Orange County.

In the late 1950s, Walt was approached by Prentice Hale, of the retail chain Carter Hawley Hale, to be the Chairman of Pageantry for the California Organizing Olympic Committee for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe. Walt would be responsible for creating new and visually pleasing Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the first ever televised Winter Games. Walt agreed and he and his staff created a new standard for all Olympic Games ceremonies that followed. His ceremonies included marching bands and choirs. Doves were released, there were fireworks as well as flags dropped by parachute and, of course balloons. These Disney inspired ceremonies provided the common elements that we take for granted to this day in televised sports ceremonies, including the Super Bowl halftime show.

Willie Schaelffler, a German American skiing champion had laid out the runs at Squaw Valley for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. Walt watched Willie and his staff groom the  ski runs and became inspired to look into perhaps creating a ski resort of his own. Walt asked Willie to help with the search for a location. He also engaged longtime advisor, Buzz Price, who had recommended the site for Disneyland in the 1950s; to begin the search for possible locations that could be developed into a ski resort. Sites that were considered included: San Gorgonio, Aspen, Mammoth and ultimately Mineral King.

Mineral King was selected for several reasons. It was roughly half way between Los Angeles (228 mi.) and San Francisco (271 mi.). It included 15,000 acres of land with mountain peaks at 12,400 ft. There was a valley at 7,200 ft. which was 2 miles in length and ¼ mile wide. The high peaks surrounding this valley protected it from wind, making topography and conditions ideal for skiers. Willie Schaelffler, a world class skier, commented: “Mineral King has the largest, finest skiing areas grouped in a compact region that I have ever seen. Nothing in America, Europe, or anywhere else in the world compare with it.” In addition to being a highly function location, the Mineral King site was exceptionally beautiful as well. In 1903, William Dudley wrote in the Sierra Club Bulletin: “There is nothing in the whole Sierra range more beautiful than the valley of Mineral King in June; nothing more like an upper valley in the Swiss Alps”.

Steps were put in place to acquire a lease for the Mineral King property area which was controlled by the US Department of Agriculture. Access would be an issue since Mineral King was surrounded on three sides by Sequoia National Park which was under the jurisdiction of the US Department of the Interior. It was a complex set of circumstances, but they were overcome on December 17, 1965 when Walt Disney Productions was awarded a preliminary permit giving the company three years to complete a satisfactory plan, which, if accepted would pave the way for a 30 year permit for development of the property.

Ron Miller recounted a helicopter ski trip to the summit of the Mineral King range. He said there were terrific bowls for skiing and at the time there was 18ft of snow on the summit. He was reminded by Diane Disney Miller, as the audience enjoyed family photos of the trip; that he fell down a lot making his ski run down the mountain. In a light moment of good natured family ribbing, Ron (a former NFL player) lovingly reminded Diane that the conditions were crusty and he had a tendency to sink into the crust while she had simply skied in Willie Schaelffler’s tracks to avoid a fall herself.

David Price shared his recollections of the beauty of valley in the summertime. In addition, he shared several of his sketches showing the mountains and cabins he experienced as a teenager visiting Mineral King with the Price family. He also provided an insight into his father’s relationship with Walt Disney that may have had financial implications that David still has some minor regrets about. As a trusted consultant and   advisor to Walt Disney, Buzz Price felt that it was important to maintain a totally independent and objective relationship with Walt. To that end, Buzz never purchased Disney stock. When he had the opportunity to buy a parcel of land adjacent to the Disneyland property, he declined. David Price admitted to having thoughts of “what might have been” each time he drives by that parcel of land today.

With the permit in place, development plans proceeded for a family oriented year round resort that would provide excellent skiing and accommodations in the wintertime and equally exciting activities in the summer months. The Country Bear Jamboree was initially conceived as an attraction for Mineral King. The goal was to develop a world class resort that minimized the infrastructure footprint and maximized the preservation of the natural beauty of the location. Guest rooms would be in low rise buildings, to allow for maximum unspoiled views of the mountains. All but one ski run would be hidden behind the trees so as to not spoil the experience of being in a natural wilderness setting.

Momentum was building and culminated in a press conference at Mineral King on September 19, 1966 to announce the plans for the upcoming resort. Governor Edmund G. Brown was on hand to lend support for the project and to announce that funding for a year round accessible roadway was in the works. All appeared to be in order when, on December 15, 1966, Walt Disney passed away.

(L to R): Sam Gennawey, Ron Miller, and David Price. Photo by Frank Teurlay. ©The Walt Disney Family Museum.After Walt’s passing, several events led to the demise of the Mineral King Project. The Sierra Club brought suit contesting the scope of the project and its impact on the natural surroundings. As the litigation continued, rising costs required reduction in the size of the planned resort. Alternatives to the roadway were explored, one of which included building a cog railway (as near Zermatt, Switzerland) to eliminate the need for cars to access the resort. But, momentum was waning. The continued legal challenges, reductions in funding and the lack of Walt Disney’s inspiring and influential presence; ultimately resulted in the project being dropped.

The project, whose stated goal was to preserve the natural beauty of Mineral King, was challenged by environmental groups as a potential detriment to the land. Ironically, Walt Disney was awarded The American Forestry Association Award for “outstanding service in the conservation of American Resources”. Even though the Mineral King ski resort never became a reality, Walt also received the Hans Georg Award for elevating the sport of skiing.

Gennawey summarized by pointing out that Walt Disney was constantly trying to build community through three dimensional design. We see the evidence back to the excellent state of the art design used at the new studio in Burbank in 1940. We see it in his Holmby Hills miniature railroad that inspired his next project, Disneyland.

At the time of his passing, Walt was envisioning even better community design for EPCOT and Mineral King and beyond. He wanted to show the world that a clean, efficient and enjoyable urban and suburban environment was within our grasp. He also wanted to continue to explore the possibilities for family oriented vacations and entertainment. While Walt Disney World’s EPCOT did not totally evolve as Walt had envisioned and Mineral King was never completed; we can still see Walt’s vision in the Disney Cruise Line and the new Aulani resort in Hawaii. Thanks for the vision and inspiration Walt!

Frank Teurlay

Volunteer at The Walt Disney Family Museum

Getting to Know Our Members: Pedro Cherem

Pedro on a recent visit to The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA.The inspiration of and appreciation for Walt Disney knows no boundaries. The Membership at The Walt Disney Family Museum certainly reflects this diversity. Each month, we introduce you to one of our Members, so you can see the varied and frequently fascinating people who have come together to learn and experience more about the life, work, philosophies, and ideals of Walt Disney. This month, we’d like you to meet one of our most far-away Members, Pedro Cherem.

Pedro Cherem lives in Florianopolis, capital of Santa Catarina State, a wonderful island situated in south of Brazil, where he has an Ad Agency named Mercado Propaganda. In the 80s, before Mercado, he had a cartoon studio called Grapht, in Brazil, where he created advertising films using cel animation. When the animation business changed to computers, Pedro changed his art to advertising, and stopped animating. But the passion for animation—and Walt Disney—that Pedro has had since childhood remained the same, and now he studies Walt’s life, work, and animation as a hobby. Recently, our WDFM Membership Coordinator Pam Spedus sat down and had a brief conversation with Pedro about Walt, the Museum, and Membership.

PAM: Why did you become a member of The Walt Disney Family Museum?

PEDRO: I had seen news about the Museum when it was under construction. Months after the opening, I was planning a trip to California with my family, so I became Member—and we had a very wonderful time!

What do you find the most enjoyable about your membership?

I love all things about Walt Disney, and taking part in the Disney organization is very important to me. All the content, the news, and the contact with the Museum is a very nice connection for me.

Pedro with Roy O. Disney's Opening Day ticket to Disneyland.What do you enjoy most about the Museum?

The building is wonderful. The architecture, the objects, the exhibits—there are fascinating things at the Museum.

How does Walt Disney inspire you?

Nowadays, the world is talking about innovation. Can you think how “up-to-date” Walt still is? He was the Innovation Man!

What was your first Disney inspiration or memory?

My father went to Disneyland in 1979, and sent to me a postcard with Walt and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. My father wrote: “See your idol, son?!” When he came back to Brazil, he brought me books, toys and a lot of nice pictures and Super 8 home movies, a camera and a projector (in those days we didn’t have video players). From that day, I saw Walt Disney with new bright eyes.

Anything else you would like to share about yourself?

Walt is alive in me. I have a statue of Walt and Mickey on my worktable, and he inspires me every day. I think it is very important to have someone who inspires you. Your life can be easier.

Membership in The Walt Disney Family Museum has many benefits, including admission, complimentary film tickets, a quarterly newsletter, and a membership card that grants a 10% discount in the Museum Store—as well as discounts on selected educational and public programs. In addition, several times a year, special events for Members only are held within the Museum itself. You can purchase immediate membership at the Reception and Member Services Desk at the Museum during regular operating hours (Wednesday through Monday, 10:00AM to 6:00PM), or online by clicking here.

Happy Chinese New Year (of the Dragon)!

Maleficent as dragon, graphite on paper concept art. © Disney.

Although animator and Imagineer Marc Davis is famed for his design influence and animation performance of Maleficent in Walt Disney's 1959 animated feature Sleeping Beauty, less well-known is that the majestic and powerful dragon was the work of Ken Anderson (also remembered for another dragon, Pete's Dragon in 1977) under the direction of Woolie Reitherman. Marc said, "I had nothing to do with the dragon, but it was based on Maleficent…there was a consistentcy. This wasn't just a dragon she turned into, this was her own particular dragon."

Legendary animator and director Burny Mattinson also recalls that the dragon fight sequence was the first application of Ub Iwerks's adaptation of the Xerox™ technology for transfer of animation drawings to cels. "I think they went back over the Xerox line with ink and paint," Burny recalls, "but he did use the process as an experiment for enlarging and reducing her in the frame. That was actually the start of Disney using Xerox in animation. It was a very crude process. We used an Omega 8×10 enlarger as our camera and had these old aluminum inking boards coated with the Xerox material. It was very crude, but by the next picture, 101 Dalmatians, we had a first class Xerography operation."

CalArtsSF Alumni's Family Fun Day

On Saturday, January 28^th 2012 at The Walt Disney Family Museum, the San Francisco chapter of the CalArts Alumni Association—in conjunction with The Walt Disney Family Museum—is presenting a special day of FREE film screenings, educational animation activities, a daytime performance event, and an evening concert.

CalArtians, or Alumni of California Institute of the Arts, (CalArts), will perform John Cage’s MUSICIRCUS and will feature Cal Arts Alumni, performing along with many well known Bay Area favorites. The Walt Disney Family Museum provides an extraordinary setting to bring together multiple creative communities for an afternoon of new experiences.

First performed in 1967, John Cage's MUSICIRCUS is simply an invitation for performers to assemble and play together—a "happening" where multiple performances occur simultaneously to create new and unusual configurations. 

The stellar line-up of performers include: David Rosenboom, Dean of the Music School at CalArts; Fred Frith, Chris Brown, Steve Horowitz, Michael Jon Fink, Dan Becker, Alexis Lane Jensen, Scott Looney and Henry Kaiser Duo, Wiley Evans Tuba, Stupid Man Suit, The Mills College Percussion Ensemble, Maria Q and Rory Cloud, Dan Plonsey's New Monsters, Steve Adams, Bradley Hughes & Tiger Club, and B Boogie Dance—to name just a few!

We will be screening the 2012 Character Animation Showcase, and have educational animation experimentation drop-in activities.

This family-friendly performance marathon is free to the general public and designed to be kid-friendly, with various workshops and hands on fun during the day.

Here's a snippet of the types of activities that we will have throughout the day:

1:30 pm – 5:30 pm: You can create and experience art with your family. 

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm: The event culminates in a festive gala concert from in the evening for adults who register. Space is limited. Please email resqueda@wdfmuseum.org for more info. 

This event will occur in the public areas of the Museum, and is free to the public. This event does not include Museum Gallery Admission.

New Heights: A Matterhorn in the Anaheim Alps

Our Film of the Month for January has been called “the best Disney live-action feature that you’ve never seen” by film writer Karl Holzheimer. Although acclaimed as of the finest adventure dramas of its era, Third Man on the Mountain has never reached the status in the Disney legacy that it richly deserves. Disney historian and writer Jim Korkis illuminates on of the more permanent—and well-known—influences of this unjustly-neglected film. 

Walt in 1955 atop "Holiday Hill," the future site of the Disneyland Matterhorn © DisneyWhen Disneyland opened, there was not enough time nor money to do everything that Walt Disney wanted. In an area between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland was a large pile of dirt that had been named “Holiday Hill.” (Amorous couples quickly discovered that this out-of-the-way location was an ideal location for a possible “E Ticket” activity, which resulted in Disneyland memos to increase security patrols around the area.)

When the Disneyland Skyway opened on June 23, 1956, the hill became the home to a large steel tower, used to support the “buckets” that traveled from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland and back. That summer, Walt sat on the hill with Admiral Joe Fowler and talked about the possibility of transforming the hill into a toboggan ride with real snow. The good Admiral was aghast at the logistics of trying to get a working snowmaking machine to generate enough snow to accommodate Walt’s vision, and he steered Walt away from the idea by talking about all the other things needed in Disneyland at the time. 

In October 1957, Jack Sayers read an article in Funspot magazine about a “wild mouse” coaster that could make quick turns and sharp drops, and he passed the article along to Walt, who passed it along to Dick Irvine. By May 15, 1958, Bill Cottrell was talking at a meeting about converting Holiday Hill with “a pair of wild mouse bobsleds” with a little bit of artificial snow.

Walt and the scale models of the Matterhorn and Sleeping Beauty Castle, December 1958. © DisneyOnce the concept was presented, it took another six months for the name of the mountain to be finalized. Possible names included “Mount Disneyland,” “Disneyland Mountain,” “Fantasy Mountain,” “Echo Mountain,” “Sorcerer’s Mountain” (after the mountain in Fantasia) and even “Magic Mountain” (“Magic Mountain” later became the name of another famous Southern California amusement park). As a joke, it was even suggested to call the mountain “Mt. Valterhorn” (to parody Walt’s name in a Bavarian accent).

In production at the time was the Disney live action film, Third Man on the Mountain, based on a true story of a famous mountain climber and a determined young boy attempting to climb the mighty Matterhorn. The author of the book (Banner in the Sky), James Ramsey Ullman, does a quick walk-on that most audiences miss, while clever Disney fans often notice an amusing cameo of a tourist asking for directions played by Helen Hayes, the mother of James MacArthur who plays the young boy in the movie. Walt went to the location for the filming. 

“At this time,” remembered director Ken Annakin, “Walt had taken a shine to Switzerland and everything Swiss. He used to go there on his summer holidays every year, and adored it, and this story; he felt would be the thing for all young people. No effort was spared to make it as entertaining as the holiday which Walt was taking in Switzerland proved to be for him.” 

Unknown artist's concept painting for the Matterhorn and Alpine Village, c. 1957. © DisneyHarriet Burns even remembers Walt sending postcards of the Matterhorn back to them at WED with the implication of “build this thing at Disneyland.”

So in another great example of synergy, the new attraction at Disneyland became the Matterhorn (approximately 147 feet high compared to the actual 14,700 feet of the real thing), but it unfortunately did little to improve the box office performance of the film. It did, however, successfully hide the steel support tower for the Skyway that now went through Disney’s first theme park mountain. 

When asked why there were holes in the Matterhorn, Walt would smile and reply, “Because it is a Swiss mountain” (just as Swiss cheese has holes, so would a Swiss mountain).

The “Second Opening of Disneyland” in June 1959 introduced the very first “E Ticket” attractions: The Monorail, the Submarine Voyage and, of course, the Matterhorn Bobsleds. The Matterhorn Bobsleds are recognized as the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world, and was built by coaster builder Arrow Dynamics (who also suggested that the bobsleds hit the water at the bottom of the ride to slow the speed) and WED Imagineering. The two tracks have subtle differences that have been debated by Disney fans ever since the ride opened over 40 years ago.

The majestic Matterhorn still towers over Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom today. © DisneyIn the beginning, it was never quite clear where the Matterhorn was actually located. Originally, it was considered part of the new attractions in Tomorrowland, yet the 1959 Guide to Disneyland lists it in one location as a Tomorrowland attraction, and in another says the attraction is located in Fantasyland.

Geographically, either location is accurate. Philosophically, it is a majestic and towering tribute to the fantasy of Walt Disney, and his ability to make those dreams become real. 

© Jim Korkis, all rights reserved. Published with permission.

JIM KORKIS is an internationally-respected Disney Historian who has written hundreds of article and done hundreds of presentations on all things Disney for more than thirty years. He is the author of the acclaimed new book The Vault of Walt. His extensive expertise and knowledge, particularly in previously-unexplored areas of Disney history, has been utilized by many other researchers as well as The Walt Disney Company.

THE VAULT OF WALT is a highly-praised recently-published book featuring more than 450 pages of previously untold stories about Walt Disney, the Disney theme parks, the Disney films as well as many out-of-the-ordinary and forgotten stories of Disney history.

Third Man on the Mountain screens daily through January at 1:00pm and 4:00pm (except Tuesdays, and January 21 and 29). Tickets are available at the Reception and Member Service Desk at the Museum, or online by clicking here.