A Guided Dream: Walt Disney’s 1959 Official Disneyland Souvenir Booklet

Step Inside the Park Walt Built
There’s something magical about flipping through a vintage Disneyland guidebook—especially one personally overseen by Walt Disney himself. This 1959 edition of Walt Disney’s Guide to Disneyland isn’t just a souvenir. It’s a time machine. In these pages, you’ll discover early concept art, joyful families, and heartfelt prose that reads more like a letter from Walt than a marketing brochure.

Let’s explore this book, one land at a time.

Table of Contents
The guide is organized by themed lands and sprinkled with illustrations, photos, and “dreaming ahead” previews of what was yet to come. Each section carries Walt’s storytelling tone—optimistic, immersive, and deeply rooted in American ideals and childhood wonder.

The Lands of Disneyland (1959)
Main Street, U.S.A.

“Here is America at the turn of the century, at the crossroads of an era.”
Main Street was Walt’s nostalgic tribute to small-town life—complete with a horse-drawn fire engine, a working cinema, and friendly omnibus rides. The back cover lists charming details like:
Horseless carriages
Shooting galleries
“Grandpa’s surrey with the fringe on top”

Fantasyland
“The words of that melody, from our picture Pinocchio, inspired me to create a land where dreams could actually come true.” –Walt Disney

Guests rode through Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole, floated past Pinocchio’s village, and soared over London with Peter Pan. Dumbo flew, King Arthur’s Carousel spun with 72 white horses, and Sleeping Beauty Castle stood proudly in the center.

Tomorrowland
The Atomic Age was alive and well in Tomorrowland! New in 1959:
The Disneyland-Alweg Monorail
The Submarine Voyage
The Matterhorn Bobsleds

You could “blast off” on the Astro-Jets or tour the all-plastic House of the Future. Walt envisioned Tomorrowland as “a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements.”

Frontierland
Stagecoaches. Rafts. Steamers. Covered wagons. Guests weren’t just watching American history—they were stepping into it.

Highlights included:
Rainbow Caverns Mine Train
Tom Sawyer Island
The Mark Twain Riverboat
Pack Mules and Stagecoaches

The back cover even lists “Indian War Canoes” and “The Columbia,” a replica of a tall ship.

Adventureland
Only one attraction was listed, but what an attraction it was:
Jungle Cruise: Travel through tangled tropics, passing waterfalls, hippos, and “savage natives” (reflective of 1950s-era writing, which modern guests may view differently today).

Dreaming: Walt’s Plans for the Future
This page is a treasure trove of unbuilt ideas:
Liberty Street
Edison Square
Adventure in Science
The Haunted House (not yet open!)

Walt wrote: "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

This booklet proves it.

The Disneyland Hotel & Dining
Across the street stood the original Disneyland Hotel, managed by Jack Wrather. The guide boasts private patios, gourmet restaurants, orange groves, fashion shows, and a gleaming new swimming pool.

Back Cover – A Colorful Roll Call of Adventures
This beautifully illustrated back page reads like a checklist of dreams:
Astro-Jet
Motor Boat Cruise
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Skyway to Tomorrowland
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
The Columbia
Shooting Galleries
…and more!

It’s the perfect visual sendoff to a magical booklet.

Final Thoughts: A Thank You to Walt
This guide doesn’t just describe Disneyland—it captures a moment in time when Walt’s imagination still touched every corner of the park. The language is warm, hopeful, and filled with dreams not yet realized.

Dear Walt…
Thank you for building this world. For putting families first. For believing that joy, wonder, and imagination could be stitched together into a place that felt like home. You were right—it is the happiest place on Earth.

Due to copyright, I am unable to upload additional images from this booklet. However I've recreated several of the colorful images from inside and they are avaialble to both view and download on Patreon

Join the Memory Keeper tier here!