The Submarine Voyage was added to the park for the 1959 season.  The boarding area for the monorail is the raised platform in the background and people got ion the submarines under it.  The subs ran on a track that was, in essence, a large circle that ended in a large waterfall area before riders disembarked.  The yellow shape just to the left of the submarine is a mermaid.  Young women stayed out on the rocks all day and waved at visitors as they walked through Tomorrowland.

When the Autopia opened it was more like a modern-day go-kart system than a set of cars on tracks.  After having immense problems with the cars injuring operators and running all over the course the Disney company hired Arrow Development to install their guide-limited ride system.  Walt first saw it working at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  The New York Times said, "Tomorrowland's major attractions...an 'autorama' where children can drive miniature cars both on test tracks and futuristic 'freeways.'"

The Matterhorn opened with the Tomorrowland of 1959.  The ride revolutionized the way the steel roller coasters were built.  After seeing a failed attempt by W.E.D. engineers with flat iron Walt Disney saw Arrow Development's presentation with a simple tubular steel ride and awarded them the contract.  The ride was built within a 147-foot tall man-made mountain, the coaster was 80-feet tall and reached a top speed of 18 m.p.h.  There were two different tracks, one on either side of the mountain.  One side ran 2,037 feet and the other was 2,134 feet long.  The ride ended with a splash down in a small lake; an idea that the men from Arrow pitched to the Disney people half-way through construction.  Except for the fact that two sleds now run in tandem, the Matterhorn operates much the way it did after it opened in 1959.

The Jungle Cruise is the home of the worst jokes in California and a must-do for die-hard fans of traditional Disneyland.  Walt wanted the attraction to be a boat ride by live animals, but complications (the largest being the fact that most animals nap during the day) prevented this from happening.  Instead Disney turned to the Disney studio's  special effects artists, most notably Robert Mattey.  A 1957 Popular Mechanics article read, "Each hippo has a water motor to wiggle its ears.  Seven jets in this motor shoot streams of water against a small turbine.  The shaft from the turbine connects to rods running to the moveable's cars much the same as an auto crankshaft connects to rods running to pistons."  The photo on the left shows the boat passing the hippo, the middle postcard is a "guide" and some locals who have gotten themselves in a bad situation and the final photo shows the animatronic elephants saying hello.  One description of the time read, "Far from civilization, in the remote jungles of Asia, an explorer's boat cruises past Indian elephants at play in their scared bathing pool - one of the many thrills that await jungle travelers in the wonder world of Adventureland."  

It's a Small World ran at the 1964 Worlds Fair and was moved to the park for the 1966 season.  Disney had an impressive presence at the fair, one New York paper had the headline, "Walt Disney- GIANT at the Fair."  The ride featured boatloads of passengers that were taken "around the world" and visited children of all backgrounds coming together.  

This is the Dutch area of the ride, complete with wooden shoes.  The card read, "The beauty of Holland and the crisp Dutch costumes of its people are admired by guests cruising the seven seaways of 'It's a Small World' at Disneyland."

"Dead Men Tell No Tales."  The Pirates of the Caribbean was a wonderful float-through attraction that gave guests a passengers-eye view of the life under the skull and crossbones.  The attraction was one of the last large rides Walt Disney personally supervised.  Many who were children during the 1960's remember watching Walt on TV looking at different aspects of the ride through a viewer and letting the audience enjoy the scene.   On one show he said,  "This is a Caribbean town of the period and if you get down here and look through that little ring you'll get the view that the audience gets."  The scene above depicts a "Wench Auction" where pirates took a wife.  One pirate can be heard saying, "Strike your colors you brazen wench, no need to expose your superstructure!"  These are just some of the fifty-plus animatronic characters that can be found throughout the ride.    "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."

Dumbo the Flying Elephant was one of several rides built by Arrow Development for Disneyland's opening in 1955.  The ride opened with problems in the lift mechanisms and during the first few days of operation Arrow had a man who stood in the hub and changed the oil between each flight.  The ride was replaced in the mid-90's by a new ride from Zamperla of Italy.  For a picture of the new version click here.

"A Very Merry Unbirthday to You!"  The Mad Tea Party was another ride from Arrow Development that opened in 1955.  It was ride that consisted of large turntable with three independent turntables within it and each teacup spun on its own axis.  In a unique twist the ride debuted the same year as a similar ride, the Eli Bridge Scrambler.