Book Review: Disneyland on the Mountain – Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort

Disneyland on the Mountain – Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort that Never Was by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer takes you back to the 1960s and introduces you to the people and events surrounding the Mineral King project.  The book traces the inception of the idea through the eventual abandonment of the project.  It details the politics and personalities that were intertwined with the quest to develop this resort.    Along the way several Disney historical moments and events are highlighted too and their impact on the project discussed.

I think most disneygeeks have a general idea of the history of the Mineral King project.    This was Disney’s plan to build a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains adjacent to Sequoia National Park.   The project was met with resistance from various groups as well as bureaucratic challenges.   Ultimately the project was abandoned and Mineral King became part of the national park.  One aspect of this project that lived on in Disney parks is the Country Bear Jamboree which had its roots as entertainment in the Mineral King plans.

I enjoyed taking this deep dive into the Mineral King project and learning more about the sequence of events and the people behind the project and those who were opposed to it.   The authors highlight many of the people and go into their history and in some cases evolution on the project.   Some of these names I had heard before in passing but many  I was not that familiar with which was interesting to me.

The timeline for the Mineral King project spans the early 60s through mid-70s and it runs parallel to a number of Disney milestones including the continued growth of Disneyland, the New York World’s Fair, Walt Disney World project and the transition of the company after Walt’s passing.

The resort complex itself is described in what I would consider moderate detail.   They do exam some of the inspiration and planned inclusions, but I would have liked to have seen a more detailed description.  More on exactly what the Disney team was considering with the various proposals that evolved.

If you are a Disney history fan and want to learn more about the Mineral King project Disneyland on the Mountain – Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort that Never Was  will be a great addition to your library or an interesting read. It is a comprehensive resource that is well research and documented.   If you are a casual Disney Fan hoping to get a high level look/history of a Disney Project you may find this book a little too much.

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** A review copy of this book was provided to us