This is a spin off from another topic that was being talked about on here.
For anyone wondering what the area we know as Magic Kingdom looked like prior to construction here is a nice view of it, and yes a road where Reams road is existed a long long time before Mickey moved in.
I decided to start a new topic because many might not have found it otherwise.
I obtained these Aerial pictures after searching through the University Of Florida Image archives.
The above image is comprised of a Aerial Photograph taken in 1954 with a side image of the same area taken from google maps. Below is another Aerial Photograph taken March 17, 1947 which clearly shows a road where reams road is located today.
Below is a image from 1954 zoomed in showing what we now call Discovery Island, quite clearly you can see what appears to be a dock on the island, what appears to be a small building surrounded by quite a lot of open space, possibly vegetation?
The next photo below covers a wide area in 1954. Towards the top of the picture you can clearly see Reams Rd, to the right side Bay Lake and Discovery Island, its not hard to see what was going to become Seven Seas Lagoon, the now site of the Contemporary and the area that is now the Magic Kingdom parking lot and Speedway (Bottom Right)
Below is another picture also from 1944, It shows the area that is now known as DAK (Animal Kingdom). The key marker for me was the odd shape lake towards the bottom of the page. If you look on the google map for Black Lake Road you can see the lake below it has not changed much in almost 70 years, it also becomes easy to see other points based off the two maps.
The next picture below is of the area that now includes Downtown Disney. You can clearly see Lake Buena Vista (not sure what it was called back then), 535 to the right of the lake and interestingly enough, no I4. This picture was taken in 1954 about 3 years before I4 was built.
The next image below was taken in 1980, You can clearly see the construction from Epcot, just below it is there area now known as Hollywood Studios. Just to the left of Hollywood Studios and over World Drive is a nice open piece of land that would become Coronado Springs and off to the very far left is the area that will become Disney's Animal Kingdom (look for the lake in one of my earlier pictures).
And just to keep it fair, here is a picture taken in 1954 of the area that would become Universal Studios and Islands Of Adventure. Lake Cain is a good starting point, right below it you can see where Turkey Lake Rd and Vineland Rd intersect.
Below is a picture taken in 1944 of what we know as Sherberth Rd, Old Lake Wilson and 192. From the looks of things, Sherberth Road and Nth Old Lake Wilson Rd intersected at what is now called Funie Steed Rd. Was the road that is now 192 called 192? Was Funie Steed Rd longer back in 1944? What about Sherberth Rd? was it a part of Old Lake Wilson Rd? Ahhh more questions to which I must find the answer
By 1959 things seem to be changing, Black Lake Road appears and the intersection of Possibly 192, Sherberth and Old Lake Wilson starts to resemble what it does today. I drive through there everyday and it always seemed old roads moved, now I see it actually was.
Below shows the area we now know as Busch Gardens, check out the river and how much wider it has become over the years.
Sorry about the quality on these three pictures
For anyone wondering what the area we know as Magic Kingdom looked like prior to construction here is a nice view of it, and yes a road where Reams road is existed a long long time before Mickey moved in.
I decided to start a new topic because many might not have found it otherwise.
I obtained these Aerial pictures after searching through the University Of Florida Image archives.
The above image is comprised of a Aerial Photograph taken in 1954 with a side image of the same area taken from google maps. Below is another Aerial Photograph taken March 17, 1947 which clearly shows a road where reams road is located today.
Below is a image from 1954 zoomed in showing what we now call Discovery Island, quite clearly you can see what appears to be a dock on the island, what appears to be a small building surrounded by quite a lot of open space, possibly vegetation?
The next photo below covers a wide area in 1954. Towards the top of the picture you can clearly see Reams Rd, to the right side Bay Lake and Discovery Island, its not hard to see what was going to become Seven Seas Lagoon, the now site of the Contemporary and the area that is now the Magic Kingdom parking lot and Speedway (Bottom Right)
Below is another picture also from 1944, It shows the area that is now known as DAK (Animal Kingdom). The key marker for me was the odd shape lake towards the bottom of the page. If you look on the google map for Black Lake Road you can see the lake below it has not changed much in almost 70 years, it also becomes easy to see other points based off the two maps.
The next picture below is of the area that now includes Downtown Disney. You can clearly see Lake Buena Vista (not sure what it was called back then), 535 to the right of the lake and interestingly enough, no I4. This picture was taken in 1954 about 3 years before I4 was built.
The next image below was taken in 1980, You can clearly see the construction from Epcot, just below it is there area now known as Hollywood Studios. Just to the left of Hollywood Studios and over World Drive is a nice open piece of land that would become Coronado Springs and off to the very far left is the area that will become Disney's Animal Kingdom (look for the lake in one of my earlier pictures).
And just to keep it fair, here is a picture taken in 1954 of the area that would become Universal Studios and Islands Of Adventure. Lake Cain is a good starting point, right below it you can see where Turkey Lake Rd and Vineland Rd intersect.
Below is a picture taken in 1944 of what we know as Sherberth Rd, Old Lake Wilson and 192. From the looks of things, Sherberth Road and Nth Old Lake Wilson Rd intersected at what is now called Funie Steed Rd. Was the road that is now 192 called 192? Was Funie Steed Rd longer back in 1944? What about Sherberth Rd? was it a part of Old Lake Wilson Rd? Ahhh more questions to which I must find the answer
By 1959 things seem to be changing, Black Lake Road appears and the intersection of Possibly 192, Sherberth and Old Lake Wilson starts to resemble what it does today. I drive through there everyday and it always seemed old roads moved, now I see it actually was.
Below shows the area we now know as Busch Gardens, check out the river and how much wider it has become over the years.
Sorry about the quality on these three pictures
