I find the construction of Walt Disney World captivating! It is incredible to see the land prior to Disney’s purchase and how it has been shaped into what we see today. Let’s take a look at some fascinating photos and facts!
When Disney began purchasing the property in 1963, the Seven Seas Lagoon (the lagoon where guests are ferried from the Transportation & Ticket Center to Magic Kingdom Park) did not even exist.
The soon to be site of the lagoon was just low wetlands, unsuitable for any structures. Imagineers excavated it to create the man-made lagoon.
The area was dredged and somewhat leveled. More than 7 million cubic yards of dirt was removed! Three islands were “created” and shaped from the wetlands. They are named Blackbeard Island, Castaway Cay (the middle island), and Beachcomber Island.
Fun Fact- Castaway Cay is often used to launch perimeter fireworks around Magic Kingdom Park.
The adjacent Bay Lake was drained, dredged, a cleaned up. The native lake was filthy with muck, silt, and debris. Cleaning it out was important not only for ascetics, but because both Bay Lake and the new lagoon would be used for boating, swimming, and other water sports.
Once the lake was cleaned, Imagineers were surprised to find more than a thousand tons of beautiful white sand at the bottom! The sand was removed, cleaned, and used to create four and a half miles of white sandy beaches around their newly made lagoon.
Fun Fact- Dirt dredged from Bay Lake and the wetland to create the Seven Seas Lagoon was then used to elevate the Magic Kingdom Park site by about 14 feet. This allowed Imagineers to create the Utilidors (utility corridor tunnels) underneath the park. This means when you are walking down Main Street, U.S.A., you are actually walking on the second “floor”!
To complete the project, water was pumped back into the lake and the new lagoon from adjoining wetlands.
Fun Fact- Did you know that there was a wave machine located on the island closest to The Grand Floridian? The intention was to give surfing demonstrations but the erosion of the beach and build up of silt & muck was negatively impacting the beach so Imagineers turned off the machine. Source: wavepoolmag.com
Bay Lake occupies about 640 acres, or 1 mile, and is an average of 35 feet deep; while the Seven Seas Lagoon covers 200 acres and is an average of 10 feet deep.
Ever wondered what it was like to live on the property while it was being built?! Click the picture to read an article about Phil Smith, the first Cast Member of the Walt Disney Resort!
Phil and his young family lived on the property for two years as Disney began its construction of the resort area.
