by Jim Denney, author of Walt’s Disneyland
Featured image, above: The arrow points to the ancient dwarf Bolander Pine tree that has stood in Storybook Land since 1956. Image released into the public domain by its author, Jonnyboyca.
The trees of Disneyland are part of the show. They help tell the story and create the magic of Walt Disney’s Park. Ever since Disneyland opened in 1955, no guest has ever seen any of Walt’s landscapers at work. All the planting, pruning, and trimming miraculously takes place after the guests have gone home and Disneyland is quiet and empty.
Many of the more than 18,000 trees of Disneyland bloom in palettes of white, yellow, pink, or blue, recalling Walt’s words in Wisdom magazine, December 1959: “Disneyland will never be finished. It’s something I can keep developing and adding to. . . . I’ve always wanted to work on something alive, something that keeps growing. I’ve got that in Disneyland. Even the trees will grow and be more beautiful every year.”
Some of the trees of Disneyland have a special story to tell. Here are two of those stories.
The Dominguez Tree
The Dominguez Tree is a Canary Island date palm that was planted in 1896 and provided shade and beauty for three generations of the Dominguez family. The tree even witnessed the marriage of one family member. It’s the only living reminder of the hundreds of trees that once shaded the Anaheim farmland where Walt’s Disneyland stands today. It once grew on a plot of land where Disney California Adventure stands today.
When Walt bought the Dominguez family property as one of the parcels of land that became Disneyland, he promised the family he would spare the old palm tree from destruction. Walt’s chief landscaper, Bill Evans, carefully dug up the tree, balled the roots, and moved the ancient fifteen-ton tree to Adventureland. Today it towers next to a sign that reads “River Cargo Exporting,” near the Indiana Jones Adventure.
The Dominguez Tree was planted in the 19th century, and is still thriving in the 21st century. It’s the last remaining tree that was on the original property where Disneyland now stands. Yet, believe it or not, there is another living tree in the Park that is older still.
The Storybook Land Dwarf Bolander Pine
Board the Storybook Land Canal Boats in Fantasyland, sail through Monstro’s mouth, then as you emerge, look immediately to your right. There, standing guard over the miniature village of Pinocchio and Gepetto is a dwarf Bolander Pine (a subspecies of the Pinus contorta), standing only three feet high. Don’t let its small stature fool you. This little evergreen with its gnarled trunk is estimated to be more than 150 years old, making it the oldest living thing in Disneyland.
The dwarf Bolander Pine has been a part of Storybook Land since the attraction opened on June 16, 1956. The intrepid Disney landscapers discovered the tree growing near Van Damme State Park in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco. That coastal park is noted for its dwarf pine and cypress groves. While it’s illegal to remove trees from a state park, the Disney landscapers found this particular tree outside the boundaries of the park and removed it legally, planting it in Storybook Land in time for the attraction’s opening day in 1956.
(By the way, some sources misidentify the tree as a Mugo Pine or Stone Pine but Disneyland horticulturists say it is a Bolander Pine.)
Take time to notice and enjoy this piece of living California and Disneyland history during your next visit to Walt’s magical Park.
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Jim Denney is a writer with more than a 150 books to his credit, including the Timebenders science-fantasy series for young readers (Battle Before Time, Doorway to Doom, Invasion of the Time Troopers, and Lost in Cydonia), the highly regarded 2004 biography of Walt Disney, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life (written with Pat Williams, co-founder of the Orlando Magic), and Lead Like Walt: Discover Walt Disney’s Magical Approach to Building Successful Organizations (written with Pat Williams).
Jim Denney’s REVISED and UPDATED Walt’s Disneyland: It’s Still There If You Know Where to Look, is available on Amazon.com for just:
$15.99 paperback
$5.99 Kindle ebook
Walt's Disneyland 
This is another gem that is becoming harder to find these days with people so busy on their phones! I’ve been to Disneyland hundreds of times, pointed out the hidden Mickeys and taken tiny finger selfies at the golden spike center of DL. But to know the trees and the landscape is something else, something living and that will almost never change. Thank you so much for this article!
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Thanks, Renée! At Disneyland, the magic is in the details, and Walt lavished his personal attention on every detail of his Park, including the trees and plants. This site is for people like you, who appreciate those details. It’s great to hear from you. God bless.
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