A fascinating look at Walt Disneys 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 go skiing, ice skating, or unwind in one of several gourmet restaurants. In the summer, visitors could fish, camp, hike, or attend a wilderness lecture led by Donald Duck. It was the Mineral King resort in Southern California, and it was Walt Disneys passion project. But there was one major obstacle to Walts 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 it 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 Walts 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 first-hand interviews and behind-the-scenes details, Disneyland on the Mountain offers incredible access to a part of Disney history that hasnt been thoroughly explored before, including Walts love of nature, how the company changed after Walts death, and of course, the story of Mineral King. Its a tale of man versus nature, ambition versus mortality, and how a gang of scrappy environmentalists took on one of Americas most beloved companies.
Greg Glasgow is a longtime writer and journalist for numerous magazines and newspapers, including The Denver Post, 5280, and the Boulder Daily Camera, where he worked for ten years as arts and entertainment reporter and editor. He lives in Parker, Colorado, with his wife and co-author, Kathryn Mayer. Kathryn Mayer is a Denver-based writer and journalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications including Health, Observer, Business Insider, and PopSugar. She primarily writes about business and has appeared on radio, TV, and podcasts as an industry expert.
Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayers Disneyland on the Mountain is environmental history at its very best. The battle to save the sequoia groves in the High Sierras from a sprawling Disney resort ended as a victory for the conservation movement in the 1970s. The legal activist and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, as portrayed in these pages, wouldve made John Muir proud. Highly recommend!--Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of "Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening
"The authors bring to life the delectable crossover of Disney history and good ol American activism. We see an even-handed portrayal of Walt as both a conservationist and a showman, and how his plans inspired real change in our countrys policies. Underdog activists and Disney buffs be warned--you will love this book.--Jake S. Friedman, animation historian and author of "The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animations Golden Age
" A gripping, in-depth look at the people and forces that shaped the outcome at the Sierras Mineral King: the ski resort that wasnt built, the Supreme Court decision that opened the courts to causes, and the national park that became bigger--all this, with all sides being heard. What a story! Splendidly told.--Michael McCloskey, former Sierra Club Conservation Director and CEO
