As we enter this season of gift-giving, I thought it might be fun today to look at a very unique gift that has a home inside Disneyland Park.
If you’ve walked through Frontierland on your way to New Orleans Square, you’ve passed the oldest thing in Disneyland. But have you ever noticed it, or taken a close look at it?
This petrified tree stump is one of those fascinating Disneyland legends where there are conflicting stories, each probably having pieces of what really happened. The stories all agree that it was a gift from Walt Disney to his wife Lillian for their wedding anniversary in 1956. The original tree, estimated to have been 200′ tall, came from the Pike Petrified Forest in
Now, here’s where the stories diverge. The one that is most commonly told says that Walt had the tree delivered to his family home in Holmby Hills, CA. It stayed there for a year, until Lillian “generously” donated it to Disneyland, because there wasn’t enough room in her garden (or on her mantle, depending on who you talk to) for it.
That may be what happened. However, Dave DeCarro has on his site a letter from Walt dated July 19, 1956 (about a week after he purchased it) to Jack Baker, owner of the Pike Forest Fossil Beds. In it, Walt instructs Jack to have the stump delivered directly to Disneyland within 30 days, confirming a previous phone conversation.
In that case, the “anniversary gift” story is just that, a story. Does it really matter, though, whether it’s absolutely 100% factual? Perhaps to some people, but I don’t think so. Walt was a storyteller, and sometimes that means not letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
Most families have stories like that. They start out fun, and over time, they become even more fun as the details get forgotten, embellished, and played with to make the telling more entertaining. Would we expect less of a master storyteller like Walt Disney?
For you to discover: Lillian gave some other pieces from their home to be displayed at Disneyland, but even though it’s technically inside an attraction, most people never see them. Where are they?
You can read more from Randy on his blog, Faith and the Magic Kingdom and listen to his unofficial Disney podcast, Stories of the Magic. Find him on Twitter (@Belgarion42) and on Facebook. Randy is also an independent Travel Consultant affiliated with CruisingCo.com and MouseEarVacations.com and would love to help you with any of your travel needs, for Disney destinations and beyond!
