Disneyland in Kansas City (Part 1)
ELECTRIC PARK: THE REAL INSPIRATION
Please excuse this completely non-legal article in our newsletter. Disney is a particular interest of mine. It is not that I love Micky and Goofy, though Woody and Buzz are awesome. Really what I love is the Disney business model. They make movies, sure (and amusement parks — something my family is going to experience next year, and boy is there excitement from my four-year-old), but they are so much more as a business. As a father, I am constantly amazed at Disney’s ability to work their way into every aspect of my life. Frozen pull-ups, Monsters Inc. yogurt, Micky Mouse baby wipes, clothes… It is everywhere.
We all know Disney got his start in Kansas City (if you don’t, give me a call). What many people don’t know is that Walt Disney got his inspiration (or at least a lot of it) from an entertainment venue that opened up in Kansas City in 1907. On May 2, 1907, Electric Park opened to the public. It was 29 acres at East 46th Street and The Paseo. The Heim Brothers opened the park (the Heim Brothers owned a massive brewery in town). When it opened it was a trolley park served by the Troost Avenue, Woodland Avenue, and Rockhill trolly lines. The goal, of course, was to sell beer and they called it a leisure park. It turned into something brand-new in the United States. Enter the Walt Disney model for the Disney amusement parks.
The park itself sounds amazing, if not a bit scandalous. This was not a park for small children. At first there was a pipe that ran beer directly from the brewery straight into the park, leisure pools, manicured (French style) gardens, fountains, and of course rides. There was a roller coaster, alligator farm run, a shooting gallery, a small steam train, a lagoon with beach, boat rentals, a natatorium, a ballroom, theater, and novelty and ice cream stores and knick-knack shops.
If that description does not sound enough like Disney World, what if I said the park did a daily living statuary show that involved costumed dancers and a large fountain in the middle of the park, concluding each night with massive fireworks show?
Eventually, the city of Kansas City said no more beer pipe, but that did not slow them down. During the park’s heyday, it had a million visitors a year and was called Coney Island of Kansas City. Walt Disney visited the park often. He loved it! Walt Disney said on numerous occasions said that Electric Park was his primary inspiration for the design of Disneyland. Even today you can see homage to Electric Park inside Disneyland. The front gates are the most obvious; the white gates as you enter Disneyworld are a complete knockoff of Electric Park.
Long story short, because this is a law firm newsletter and not just random ramblings of Joseph, Electric Park met a rather unfortunate end. Fire destroyed the entire park in 1925. But even the end of Electric Park is packed with history. Walter Cronkite, when he was still a beat reporter, happened to be in Kansas City when it burned and had this to say in his report: “Our hill overlooked, a half dozen blocks away, Electric Park...One night after closing it burned in a spectacular fire. The Ferris wheel seemed to turn as the flames climbed up its sides. The grease caught fire on the two parallel tracks of the Greyhound Racer roller coaster, and twin blazes raced up and down with the speed of the cars that once toured the Disorderly conduct tumultuous circuit...”
There isn’t a lot of information about Electric Park, and even fewer photos. I’d love to publish a more substantive article with lots of photos. If you or anybody you know has photos, stories, or additional information about the park, I would love to connect with you/them.