The Uncomfortable Truth About Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom

Disney World is full of history. From its inception to construction to modification, Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company put a lot of time, effort, money, and genius into this theme park resort.

Along with that history, there are many myths and some uncomfortable truths mixed in. Some of these conspiracy theories, myths, and facts are well known (for instance, is Walt really cryogenically frozen?), but a few, the more uncomfortable ones, aren’t. Speaking of which, did you know that there is a GIANT myth surrounding the design and creation of Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom? We’re here to set the record straight!

If we were to ask you what Walt’s inspiration was for the design of Main Street, U.S.A., what would you say? We bet many Disney buffs would immediately answer Marceline, MO, Walt Disney’s hometown. However, that “fact” would actually be a myth!

Harper Goff was one of the people who helped Walt Disney design Disneyland, Main Street, U.S.A. specifically. He and Walt worked together on the very first area that guests would come in contact with when they entered the park. Mr. Goff and Mr. Disney certainly took some inspiration from Marcelin, MO, but since Walt only lived there for a very short time, they didn’t take all their ideas from there.

Instead, Harper Goff made a trip back to his hometown of Fort Collins, CO, and had photographs taken of the town. He used the bank, city hall, and more as inspiration for the famous Main Street.

In an interview for “The ‘E’ Ticket: Collecting Theme Park Memories,” Harper stated, “Yeah, I was born in that little town…Fort Collins, Colorado. My dad owned a newspaper there, the “Fort Collins Express Courier”, and I grew up there. It was a very prosperous town. We had banks that looked like banks, you know, and there was a Victorian city hall. I was born in 1911, and these buildings were around when I was a kid. When I started working on Main Street, I had photographs of Fort Collins taken. I showed them to Walt, and he liked them very much. Disneyland’s City Hall was copied from Fort Collins…so was the Bank building and some of the others.”

Of course, Harper and Walt worked together on Disneyland, but the initial design of Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland heavily influenced the design in Magic Kingdom. The street on the East Coast is VERY similar to the street on the West Coast, with only subtle differences, meaning that the Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom is not only designed after Marceline, MO, but even more so after Fort Collins, CO. The design was also heavily based on the Greenfield Village museum created by Henry Ford.

This story might not be what you’ve always believed, but it’s true, which makes it even better! We love all the weird Disney World history. It might be a little uncomfortable at times, but it is all part of what makes the theme parks what they are today!

For even more random Disney World history, keep following AllEars!