Gudrun Enger has a friend who works in Disneyland, and whenever she visits the park her friend comes along and acts as a tour guide, and usually shares a few secrets.  Here are some you might not know:

The drawbridge to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle really works.  It’s been raised only twice: once on opening day, and once in the l980s when Fantasyland reopened.

The crest above the drawbridge is the Disney family crest.

It took only 364 days to build Disneyland.

Main Street represents Walt’s home town, Marceline, Missouri, in 1901, the year he was born.

The organ that was in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea now lives in the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion.

In the early years of the park, the Rivers of America were stocked with catfish and visitors were allowed to fish off the docks of Tom Sawyer Island.

When Disneyland launched its original Submarine Voyage ride, it included Weeki Wachee-type mermaids swimming among the submarines.  Here’s a video of them.

Photo of Tom Sawyer Island by Gudrun Enger

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More posts about Disney on Neatorama:

- 10 Cool Secrets About Disneyland

- Happy Birthday, Walt!: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Walt Disney

- 6 Attractions You’ll Never See Again at Disneyland

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.