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Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort That Never Was
A fascinating look at Walt Disney's last, unfinished project and the controversy that surrounded it.
It was going to be Disneyland at the top of a mountain. A vacation destination where guests could ski, go ice skating, or be entertained by a Disney Imagineer-created band of Audio-Animatronic bears. In the summer, visitors could fish, camp, hike, or take a scenic chairlift ride to the top of a mountain. It was the Mineral King resort in Southern California, and it was Walt Disney's final passion project. But there was one major obstacle to Walt's dream: the growing environmentalist movement of the 1960s.
In Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort That Never Was, Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer provide an unprecedented look inside the Mineral King saga, from its origins at the 1960 Winter Olympics to the years-long environmental fight that eventually shut the development down. The fight, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, reshaped the environmental movement and helped to put in place long-reaching laws to protect nature. Although the court battle, coupled with Walt's death in 1966, meant the end for the Mineral King resort, the ideas and planning behind it have permeated throughout the Walt Disney company and the ski tourism industry in ways that are still seen today.
With firsthand interviews and behind-the-scenes details, Disneyland on the Mountain offers incredible access to a part of Disney history that hasn't been thoroughly explored before, including Walt's love of nature, how the company changed after Walt's death, and of course, the story of Mineral King. It's a tale of man versus nature, ambition versus mortality, and how a gang of scrappy environmentalists took on one of America's most beloved companies.
It was going to be Disneyland at the top of a mountain. A vacation destination where guests could ski, go ice skating, or be entertained by a Disney Imagineer-created band of Audio-Animatronic bears. In the summer, visitors could fish, camp, hike, or take a scenic chairlift ride to the top of a mountain. It was the Mineral King resort in Southern California, and it was Walt Disney's final passion project. But there was one major obstacle to Walt's dream: the growing environmentalist movement of the 1960s.
In Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort That Never Was, Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer provide an unprecedented look inside the Mineral King saga, from its origins at the 1960 Winter Olympics to the years-long environmental fight that eventually shut the development down. The fight, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, reshaped the environmental movement and helped to put in place long-reaching laws to protect nature. Although the court battle, coupled with Walt's death in 1966, meant the end for the Mineral King resort, the ideas and planning behind it have permeated throughout the Walt Disney company and the ski tourism industry in ways that are still seen today.
With firsthand interviews and behind-the-scenes details, Disneyland on the Mountain offers incredible access to a part of Disney history that hasn't been thoroughly explored before, including Walt's love of nature, how the company changed after Walt's death, and of course, the story of Mineral King. It's a tale of man versus nature, ambition versus mortality, and how a gang of scrappy environmentalists took on one of America's most beloved companies.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
224 pages, ebook
Published September 13, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 30, 2023
If you thought Disney didn't get stuck in political wrangling until the 2020s then do I have a story for you! Disneyland on the Mountain by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer tells the story of the Disney ski resort that you've never heard of because it never got made.
The story of why the resort died in the planning phase is not the thing of fairy tales. Literally the opposite as it was very much about court cases and grassroots activism. What makes the story so complex is there is no true villain here. Walt Disney was not trying to make some naked cash grab and destroy the natural environment. At the same time, you wouldn't necessarily fault the activists who believed a ski resort would mar the mountain. Glasgow and Mayer tell a fair story here although I'd recommend this mostly for nerds of Disney and/or environmentalism.
(This book was provided as a courtesy copy from Rowman & Littlefield.)
The story of why the resort died in the planning phase is not the thing of fairy tales. Literally the opposite as it was very much about court cases and grassroots activism. What makes the story so complex is there is no true villain here. Walt Disney was not trying to make some naked cash grab and destroy the natural environment. At the same time, you wouldn't necessarily fault the activists who believed a ski resort would mar the mountain. Glasgow and Mayer tell a fair story here although I'd recommend this mostly for nerds of Disney and/or environmentalism.
(This book was provided as a courtesy copy from Rowman & Littlefield.)
May 25, 2024
"Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort That Never Was" is a fascinating exploration of a lesser-known chapter in Disney history. This book delves into Walt Disney's ambitious but ultimately unfulfilled dream of building a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The authors' meticulous research and engaging storytelling bring to life the clash between innovative outdoor recreation and environmental preservation.
The book offers a balanced perspective, detailing why this project was so significant to Walt Disney and his studio, as well as to the California ski committee who saw immense potential in it. On the flip side, it also gives a voice to the environmentalists who passionately opposed the development, concerned about the impact on the pristine natural landscape. The authors, Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer, masterfully unearth a treasure trove of details, presenting a compelling narrative that captures the high stakes and intense emotions involved.
"Disneyland on the Mountain" is a very enjoyable read that sheds light on a topic rarely covered in Disney lore. It is a must-read for Disney enthusiasts and anyone interested in environmental history, providing a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between development and conservation. Additionally, learn how the legacy and learnings of Mineral King still show up in various Disney projects to this day.
The book offers a balanced perspective, detailing why this project was so significant to Walt Disney and his studio, as well as to the California ski committee who saw immense potential in it. On the flip side, it also gives a voice to the environmentalists who passionately opposed the development, concerned about the impact on the pristine natural landscape. The authors, Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer, masterfully unearth a treasure trove of details, presenting a compelling narrative that captures the high stakes and intense emotions involved.
"Disneyland on the Mountain" is a very enjoyable read that sheds light on a topic rarely covered in Disney lore. It is a must-read for Disney enthusiasts and anyone interested in environmental history, providing a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between development and conservation. Additionally, learn how the legacy and learnings of Mineral King still show up in various Disney projects to this day.
February 5, 2024
From BetweenDisney.com
Mineral King is a project mentioned in every complete Walt Disney biography. It’s also one mentioned throughout books on the development of the Disney parks. But generally, these mentions are glancing, a paragraph or, a few pages. But now we have a complete look at the history of Disney’s failed outdoor recreation area. As one delves deeper, it becomes clear that this story is about more than Walt Disney and his hopes for the Mineral King Valley.
Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort that Never Was by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer provides a detailed history of the Walt Disney Company’s hopes and failed vision for the Mineral King Valley. In 1966, Walt Disney, after extensive research, announced his intention to develop Mineral King as a skiing and outdoor recreation area. Disney, inspired by European ski villages hoped to bring visitors to the valley’s natural beauty through a ski resort that would bring visitors all year long. But others saw his vision as destroying the valley's splendor by bringing in a cheap Disneyland aesthetic to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The book chronicles the regulatory, legal, and public relations challenges that kept the Walt Disney Company from moving forward on its ambitious plans. Immediately creating obstacles was Walt Disney’s death soon after the announcement, and leadership changes within the corporate structure. Mineral King would be added to the Sequoia National Park in the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978, ending any options for extensive land development and putting an end to a project that had fatigued many in the company. The book ends with a discussion of the legacy of the fight over Mineral King, both inside and outside of Disney's corporate history.
Disneyland on the Mountain feels complete and is super dense. This is a true serious well well-researched study of the park. The language used is formal and is more than a fan-written history. The 180 pages are misleading, as each page is packed with facts and reports of the action. Glasgow and Mayer also ensure that their writing goes beyond the perspectives of Walt Disney, Card Walker, and other Disney executives. Instead, they look at the issue from the perspective of Walt Disney employees, Sierra Club officials, Mineral King homeowners, a Supreme Court Justice, and many more. The story is made even more complex through all these perspectives making the tale one much more than a Disney story and infused with unexpected drama. For example, some parties in this tale, saw their opinions change as developments moved forward. The authors are fair to all involved voices, leaving room for readers to make their own conclusions about the benefits of the outcome.
This story does what I love about history, using one story to point out greater societal changes within history. Glasgow and Mayer use this incident to point out the growing voice of women in politics, as key members of the movement against Mineral King development were women who were freed by the standards of the day to not only add their voices but also use their voices in leading this movement. Also, it is a good case study, as the authors show, for the growth of the environmental movement. Mineral King serves as one incident in the growth of advocacy groups, lobbying, and legislation that increased environmental protections.
While this book’s beautiful cover features a picture of Walt Disney at Mineral King, due to his death his memory was more active than the man himself. Readers, much like the participants in the story, are often left asking what was Walt’s intent. So while Walt is not always present, you do ask yourself like those who lived the story, what would Walt do?
For Card Walker, leading Walt Disney Productions, he was left with a charge and moral obligation to honor Walt Disney’s hopes for Mineral King. As a reader, we find that Walker was very concerned with the impact of the struggle on the company’s public image which placed the company as the villain looking to destroy natural wonder. The incident strained the company's image with the state and federal government along with California citizens. And one wonders how the story will be reflected in more recent legal struggles with the state of Florida. I will say one lesson that I took from the story was that for the company this incident passed and is now very much today mostly locked away in the Disney Archives.
Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort that Never Was by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer expands the story that many Disney fans just see as a paragraph or rare failure in Disney history. However, the book goes beyond just telling the story of Mineral King by presenting a case study that demonstrates changing societal norms in American society.
Review Copy Provided by Rowan & Littlefield.
Mineral King is a project mentioned in every complete Walt Disney biography. It’s also one mentioned throughout books on the development of the Disney parks. But generally, these mentions are glancing, a paragraph or, a few pages. But now we have a complete look at the history of Disney’s failed outdoor recreation area. As one delves deeper, it becomes clear that this story is about more than Walt Disney and his hopes for the Mineral King Valley.
Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort that Never Was by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer provides a detailed history of the Walt Disney Company’s hopes and failed vision for the Mineral King Valley. In 1966, Walt Disney, after extensive research, announced his intention to develop Mineral King as a skiing and outdoor recreation area. Disney, inspired by European ski villages hoped to bring visitors to the valley’s natural beauty through a ski resort that would bring visitors all year long. But others saw his vision as destroying the valley's splendor by bringing in a cheap Disneyland aesthetic to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The book chronicles the regulatory, legal, and public relations challenges that kept the Walt Disney Company from moving forward on its ambitious plans. Immediately creating obstacles was Walt Disney’s death soon after the announcement, and leadership changes within the corporate structure. Mineral King would be added to the Sequoia National Park in the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978, ending any options for extensive land development and putting an end to a project that had fatigued many in the company. The book ends with a discussion of the legacy of the fight over Mineral King, both inside and outside of Disney's corporate history.
Disneyland on the Mountain feels complete and is super dense. This is a true serious well well-researched study of the park. The language used is formal and is more than a fan-written history. The 180 pages are misleading, as each page is packed with facts and reports of the action. Glasgow and Mayer also ensure that their writing goes beyond the perspectives of Walt Disney, Card Walker, and other Disney executives. Instead, they look at the issue from the perspective of Walt Disney employees, Sierra Club officials, Mineral King homeowners, a Supreme Court Justice, and many more. The story is made even more complex through all these perspectives making the tale one much more than a Disney story and infused with unexpected drama. For example, some parties in this tale, saw their opinions change as developments moved forward. The authors are fair to all involved voices, leaving room for readers to make their own conclusions about the benefits of the outcome.
This story does what I love about history, using one story to point out greater societal changes within history. Glasgow and Mayer use this incident to point out the growing voice of women in politics, as key members of the movement against Mineral King development were women who were freed by the standards of the day to not only add their voices but also use their voices in leading this movement. Also, it is a good case study, as the authors show, for the growth of the environmental movement. Mineral King serves as one incident in the growth of advocacy groups, lobbying, and legislation that increased environmental protections.
While this book’s beautiful cover features a picture of Walt Disney at Mineral King, due to his death his memory was more active than the man himself. Readers, much like the participants in the story, are often left asking what was Walt’s intent. So while Walt is not always present, you do ask yourself like those who lived the story, what would Walt do?
For Card Walker, leading Walt Disney Productions, he was left with a charge and moral obligation to honor Walt Disney’s hopes for Mineral King. As a reader, we find that Walker was very concerned with the impact of the struggle on the company’s public image which placed the company as the villain looking to destroy natural wonder. The incident strained the company's image with the state and federal government along with California citizens. And one wonders how the story will be reflected in more recent legal struggles with the state of Florida. I will say one lesson that I took from the story was that for the company this incident passed and is now very much today mostly locked away in the Disney Archives.
Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort that Never Was by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer expands the story that many Disney fans just see as a paragraph or rare failure in Disney history. However, the book goes beyond just telling the story of Mineral King by presenting a case study that demonstrates changing societal norms in American society.
Review Copy Provided by Rowan & Littlefield.
August 6, 2023
Who knew Disney planned a ski resort and it was Walt’s Pet Project after the Winter Olympics? I do think the publisher should send a copy to Bob Iger.
As a lifelong downhill skier and Disney fan, I would love to see this project through to completion maybe in Colorado or Utah and not California. Bob how about Powder Mountain Utah?
Many of the Intrawest resorts are nearly identical in how the base lodges are laid out and the family fun element of skiing is lost in favor of selling multimillion ski homes and condos that sit empty the majority of the time.
While I would not favor cutting down old growth Sequoia trees for a road I loved the idea of taking a monorail to the mountain.
The husband/wife author team does a great job of shaping the Sierra Club movement of the 1960’s and the Supreme Court involvement. I have purchased a hardcover also but thanks to NetGalley for an ARC!
As a lifelong downhill skier and Disney fan, I would love to see this project through to completion maybe in Colorado or Utah and not California. Bob how about Powder Mountain Utah?
Many of the Intrawest resorts are nearly identical in how the base lodges are laid out and the family fun element of skiing is lost in favor of selling multimillion ski homes and condos that sit empty the majority of the time.
While I would not favor cutting down old growth Sequoia trees for a road I loved the idea of taking a monorail to the mountain.
The husband/wife author team does a great job of shaping the Sierra Club movement of the 1960’s and the Supreme Court involvement. I have purchased a hardcover also but thanks to NetGalley for an ARC!
December 22, 2023
Does nature have standing? While the Sierra Club v. Morton case is about appropriate use and administrative policy it is, ultimately, about the challenge of how best to protect wild/undeveloped land. In a short but tight presentation of the case and the surrounding cultural moment, authors Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer provide a valuable history lesson. I particularly appreciated that Walt and Roy Disney are not presented by the authors as heartless nature devourers (despite being portrayed that way by the environmentalists on the other side of the argument) but as well intentioned although mistaken developers. Mistaken in that Disney failed to appreciate the growing strength of the environmental movement and the support it had in both political and Court circles. While Disney and the Department of Interior won in court, they lost on the ground. On a VERY fun side note, the authors also answer the questions – who thought of the Country Bear Jamboree and why!
All legal history should be this fun.
September 26, 2023
A terrific book: detailed, balanced, rich, and a well told story. The authors, both add to Disney historiography and produce an authoritative study on the subject at hand. A must have and a must read for anyone interested in Disney history, environmental history, and the Disney dream that never was.
September 23, 2023
Walt Disney was working on three big projects near the end of his life in 1966: The Florida Project (later renamed Walt Disney World); California Institute of Arts; and building a world-class ski-resort in Mineral King, attached to Sequoia national park in the Sierra Nevada mountains, equidistant from Los Angeles and San Francisco. He teamed up with German Olympic skier Willy Schaeffler. Walt served as chairman of pageantry at the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, where he had the insight that led to Disneyland: that most ski resorts weren’t family friendly. If you’ve ever read (or watched) a biography of Walt, you’ve heard of the Mineral King project. But this book also tells the story of the Sierra Club, and how it sued to block the development of the project. It was ultimately successful, during the Carter administration. This is author’s first book. We plan to have them on our radio show, The Soul of Enterprise, to discuss this well-researched, interesting story. Here's the link:
https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/t...
https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/t...
June 8, 2023
This well researched book about Walt Disney’s dream of a combined winter wonderland ski resort and summertime wilderness adventure playground was a great read. This project that never materialized gives insight into Walt’s unique imagination and love of immersion experiences for families that is his legacy.
Told alongside the story of the environmentalist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Walt’s vision is as clear as the mountain air in Southern California’s Mineral King. The history of his love of nature and how it came through in his animated films and live action nature documentaries helps the reader see why this mountain retreat for families was the obvious next step for Disney.
Details complete the picture of Walt’s dedication to his life’s work, his brother Roy’s dedication to him, and the dedication of many Disney artists and imagineers who continued the Mineral King project for many years until it became an impossibility.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this title.
Told alongside the story of the environmentalist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Walt’s vision is as clear as the mountain air in Southern California’s Mineral King. The history of his love of nature and how it came through in his animated films and live action nature documentaries helps the reader see why this mountain retreat for families was the obvious next step for Disney.
Details complete the picture of Walt’s dedication to his life’s work, his brother Roy’s dedication to him, and the dedication of many Disney artists and imagineers who continued the Mineral King project for many years until it became an impossibility.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this title.
July 18, 2023
As a Disney fan I was curious to learn more about the Mineral King project. The beginning of the book does a nice job telling the story of Mineral King while also putting it into the context of what was happening with the company in general at the time. Many interesting characters come into play, and I found it fascinating to see how the story played out. My favorite part of the story was all of the projects inspired by this piece of Disney history from theme parks to hotels to the ski resort in Vail, Colorado, and beyond. This book illustrates how a "failure" can evolve into many other successes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC ... I really enjoyed this book!
August 24, 2023
3.5 stars
I’m a huge fan of Disneyland, Disney World, Disney movies, and their creator, Walt Disney. Walt Disney revolutionized animated films and theme parks. He truly was an American genius. (And I think he’d be appalled at some of the things being done in his name today.) When I saw a book was coming out about his attempts to build a Disney ski resort destination, I wanted to read it.
I’m afraid to say I did not find the entire book to be “fascinating,” no matter what the blurb says. Parts of the book I did indeed find fascinating, but I think this book could have been a great essay. The book appears to have been exhaustively researched. There are 18 pages of footnotes, a 2 page bibliography, and a 7 page index. There is no doubt that the authors did indeed find the subject fascinating.
The book opens just three months before Walt Disney’s death from lung cancer in December 1966. Right up until the end of his life, he was excited about goals he had for the Disney company. If he had managed to turn California’s Mineral King valley into a Disney resort, it would probably have been amazing. This book tells the story of the environmentalists who were determined to stop the resort from being built. (I got a definite sense that some of the people who already lived in the valley wanted to keep it pristine for themselves. It reminded me of a quote, attributed to Dennis Miller, that I heard my environmentalist brother-in-law repeat more than once: “A developer is someone who wants to build a house in the woods. An environmentalist is someone who already has a house in the woods.”)
I did find parts of the book interesting, and I learned things that I did not know. It’s only about 200 pages (not counting the footnotes and index). If you are attracted to all things Disney, you may want to read Disneyland on the Mountain. I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley.
I’m a huge fan of Disneyland, Disney World, Disney movies, and their creator, Walt Disney. Walt Disney revolutionized animated films and theme parks. He truly was an American genius. (And I think he’d be appalled at some of the things being done in his name today.) When I saw a book was coming out about his attempts to build a Disney ski resort destination, I wanted to read it.
I’m afraid to say I did not find the entire book to be “fascinating,” no matter what the blurb says. Parts of the book I did indeed find fascinating, but I think this book could have been a great essay. The book appears to have been exhaustively researched. There are 18 pages of footnotes, a 2 page bibliography, and a 7 page index. There is no doubt that the authors did indeed find the subject fascinating.
The book opens just three months before Walt Disney’s death from lung cancer in December 1966. Right up until the end of his life, he was excited about goals he had for the Disney company. If he had managed to turn California’s Mineral King valley into a Disney resort, it would probably have been amazing. This book tells the story of the environmentalists who were determined to stop the resort from being built. (I got a definite sense that some of the people who already lived in the valley wanted to keep it pristine for themselves. It reminded me of a quote, attributed to Dennis Miller, that I heard my environmentalist brother-in-law repeat more than once: “A developer is someone who wants to build a house in the woods. An environmentalist is someone who already has a house in the woods.”)
I did find parts of the book interesting, and I learned things that I did not know. It’s only about 200 pages (not counting the footnotes and index). If you are attracted to all things Disney, you may want to read Disneyland on the Mountain. I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley.
March 31, 2024
Thorough Insightful, Informative and Compelling
"Disneyland on the Mountain" informs in two important ways.
The first tells the factual story of the evolution of a creative genius's vision as it faces increasingly strong societal crosswinds from the environmental movement that threaten to derail it.
The second way speaks to the broader universal capacities that individuals and organizations possess to mobilize using democratic, grassroots methods to successfully challenge seemingly unassailable corporate and governmental special interests. Although Disney, as the title tells us, was not successful in building a large ski resort in the remote, rugged Mineral King montane area, the company was ultimately better for its travails as is evidenced by their later endeavors. The environmental movement also benefitted from its decades-long activism against the Mountain King project because it acquired streamlined organizational capabilities, secured political offices for their candidates and gained the acceptance of mainstream society of their aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices. Glasgow and Mayer deftly report on a story of conflict that resolves in the betterment all the participants involved. More importantly, that struggle and its resolution greatly contributed to the general welfare of the country's citizenry and ecological systems.
"Disneyland on the Mountain" informs in two important ways.
The first tells the factual story of the evolution of a creative genius's vision as it faces increasingly strong societal crosswinds from the environmental movement that threaten to derail it.
The second way speaks to the broader universal capacities that individuals and organizations possess to mobilize using democratic, grassroots methods to successfully challenge seemingly unassailable corporate and governmental special interests. Although Disney, as the title tells us, was not successful in building a large ski resort in the remote, rugged Mineral King montane area, the company was ultimately better for its travails as is evidenced by their later endeavors. The environmental movement also benefitted from its decades-long activism against the Mountain King project because it acquired streamlined organizational capabilities, secured political offices for their candidates and gained the acceptance of mainstream society of their aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices. Glasgow and Mayer deftly report on a story of conflict that resolves in the betterment all the participants involved. More importantly, that struggle and its resolution greatly contributed to the general welfare of the country's citizenry and ecological systems.
November 13, 2023
Disneyland on the Mountain is a fantastic read! Not only does it chronicle a fascinating, untold story of the history of the Disney company, but it also tells the story of a pivotal time in the history of the Sierra Club. Greg and Kathryn’s engaging writing style captures the characters and first-hand accounts of the Supreme Court case that may very well be touted as the birth of the modern environmental movement. Through their expert storytelling, we learn about the movers and shakers at the local, state and federal levels whose innovations and public policy still influence the way environmental impact and public opinion shape development in the 21st Century. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in sustainability, history or politics. I hope this is just the first of many books written by Greg and Kathryn – they are phenomenal!
February 15, 2024
Like the start of many great stories, the authors pull on the thread of a singular event – Walt Disney's presser to announce his plans to build a ski area in Calif.'s Mineral King valley – and keep tugging until a Matterhorn-sized story is revealed. This tale about a classic American clash between an entertainment empire and a fledgling environmental group is told through a richly detailed and even-handed narrative. The authors briskly guide the reader through the twists and turns of this David vs. Goliath saga, which extends across the latter 20th century. The book brings the key players to life, deftly explaining their backstories, motivations and passions – from the business titans and politicians who hold power and influence to the feisty academics and mountain residents who are just discovering their voices.
May 8, 2024
I read this book as the May 2024 selection for my podcast, Book of the Mouse Club (a book club podcast dedicated to Disney themed books). You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to episode. #102
What I enjoyed most about this book was that it focuses on a niche piece of Disney history that normally only gets a couple paragraphs at most in books (or at least in the several I’ve read). This history will also enlighten listeners to how the court case between the Sierra Club and the National Forest Service (and Disney) led to modern environmental policies for building and recreation. Also, Mineral King brought us the Country Bear Jamboree.
What I enjoyed most about this book was that it focuses on a niche piece of Disney history that normally only gets a couple paragraphs at most in books (or at least in the several I’ve read). This history will also enlighten listeners to how the court case between the Sierra Club and the National Forest Service (and Disney) led to modern environmental policies for building and recreation. Also, Mineral King brought us the Country Bear Jamboree.
August 22, 2023
I’m actually an all things Disney book collector so when I saw this was coming out I got quite excited! Any Disney history is beyond fascinating and I really enjoyed this slim book!
I had very little knowledge about Walt’s hopes to open a Ski resort just a bit of info from other biographies. The authors did a great job laying all the history out for this dream project that didn’t come to fruition.
I recommend this one to any Disney fan! The books also has great images of locations and people!
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced ecopy
I had very little knowledge about Walt’s hopes to open a Ski resort just a bit of info from other biographies. The authors did a great job laying all the history out for this dream project that didn’t come to fruition.
I recommend this one to any Disney fan! The books also has great images of locations and people!
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced ecopy
September 16, 2023
I really enjoyed reading Disneyland on the Mountain.
I never heard about the Mineral King story so I found the research and story fascinating!
I learned more about Walt Disney and his love for nature!
I was amazed about the politics involved with this story!
In my opinion, Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer did an excellent job on their first book!
This book is a MASTERPIECE!
I encourage people to read it!
Betsy Wurzel, Host of Chatting with Betsy.
I never heard about the Mineral King story so I found the research and story fascinating!
I learned more about Walt Disney and his love for nature!
I was amazed about the politics involved with this story!
In my opinion, Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer did an excellent job on their first book!
This book is a MASTERPIECE!
I encourage people to read it!
Betsy Wurzel, Host of Chatting with Betsy.
February 4, 2024
This was a well-written book about a fascinating subject. It is a must read for fans of Disney resorts and those interested in the business of skiing. With that said, I would have liked to see more primary research and source material. I’d also be curious to learn more about Disney’s internal debates as to the project.
February 12, 2024
An interesting story with the parts put in place well. The prose is a bit bland and I wanted more description of what makes Mineral King so special. When I saw that the authors are journalists and this is their first book, the writing quality made more sense. It was like a long news article, more straightforward reporting than creative nonfiction.
September 15, 2023
This is an amazing story. It was so well told, well researched, and had many great moments. I interviewed the authors about their wonderful book, which is available here: https://notold-better.com/the-dream-t...
January 25, 2024
This is an interesting story, that would’ve benefited from some tighter editing. It can be a little redundant in the first few chapters, but stick with it. The book gets better, and it’s really quite interesting.
April 3, 2024
A legal drama featuring environmentalists and Disney…the target audience is so incredibly niche that it might literally just be me.
Read
May 7, 2024Book of the Mouse Club Podcast May Selection. Subscribe/follow wherever you listen to podcasts to find our author interview with Greg and Kathryn!
June 23, 2024
Well researched and well written.
September 29, 2023
This book was extremely well-researched and a fascinating read. The authors were able to capture the history of events surrounding this untold controversy from both perspectives, while telling the story in a beautiful narrative.
December 2, 2023
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This is a very timely book considering the current situation of Florida's governor fighting Walt Disney World. Along with failed Disney's America and California DisneySea, the Mineral King resort was a foiled attempt by Disney to build another theme park/resort. All three projects were protested by environmentalists and eventually abandoned. In this book, we get the complete story: from the beginnings at the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley in the 1960s to the eventually court hearings and environmental legislation that ended the endeavor. Most interesting is that this was one of Walt's last big dreams and he died in the middle of trying to make it become a reality.The writing is well done - nicely researched, good historical analysis, and a tone that neither lionizes nor demonizes any of the characters. Walt Disney died fairly early into the endeavor and it is a shame that someone so committed to the environment (as can be seen at Disney World and in his films and nature documentaries) was never able to bring the plan to fruition because of environmental impact concerns. Stories about Imagineers creating a ski resort for families, with year round entertainment for children and parents, sound like this could have been a big winner for Disney and for the public.
In all, very good points are made for both sides of the argument in the book. This is a very interesting side of Walt Disney that doesn't often come up and especially the Mineral King project is rarely discussed - or even known. Yet it had huge impact on environmental legislations thereafter. The book includes black and white images of the locations and players. So while we only get a glimpse of what it could have been through the Country Bear Jamboree attraction and Critter Country land at Disneyland (the bears were the original mascots created for the Mineral King Resort and then repurposed for Disney World and Disneyland), it is still interesting to read what might have been. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
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