That's right folks! Contrary to popular folklore, this gold dot under the back side of Sleeping Beauty's Castle does not represent the very center of Disneyland. There are a lot of stories regarding this and various debates, but it appears that this little gold dot is merely a spot for
surveyors. It does line up directly down the center line of Main Street and up to the Train Station, but unfortunately is not the very center of Disneyland.
This aerial photo shows Disneyland back in the 1950's with the central hub as the center as noted by the intersecting red lines. The blue line at the back is approximately where the golden spike is located, making it obvious that the spike is not the center, but rather on the central line allowing surveyors to estimate elevation and such.
photo from smd4
With the addition of Toon Town, the center has moved farther North, but the spike still isn't the center. And since it was there before Toon Town, it can't be surmised that it was placed there to represent the very center of Disneyland.
This becomes a heated topic for some, which I find rather entertaining! If you would like to read a few of these discussions, here are a few sites that discuss this little golden spot.
Mousepad Discussion
Visions Fantastic
Finding Mickey
Enjoy!
1 comment:
way cool that there is a benchmark in disneyland!
and you are correct that it was used by surveyors to marak elevation and such information. Geocachers will love this! Thanks for the photo of it!
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