Marceline – why is this small town so important to Disney?

Let’s start at the beginning to find the connection Disney has to Marceline, or Marceline has to Disney.

Marceline was incorporated on March 6, 1888, located in north central Missouri. Marceline was established simply out of need by the railroad. The small town was one of several stops for the trains on the new rail line between Chicago and Kansas City, Kansas so trains could re-fuel and change crew.¹

Marceline, MO 1888 – photo from https://d23.com/this-day/the-town-of-marceline-missouri-is-incorporated/

The small town grew as the railway grew and eventually became the Missouri headquarters for the railway in 1903. Today Marceline has a population of just over 2,000 people², and is about a 2.5-hour drive NE of Kansas City, or 3.25 hours NW of St. Louis. What does this small town have to do with Disney you ask?

Towards the end of 1905 Elias and Flora Disney, Walt and Roy’s parents, were being persuaded by Robert Disney, Elias’ brother, to move down to Marceline from Chicago.³ Robert and his family were already living there. Robert was a business man and land speculator,⁴ who told Elias and Flora about a 40-acre farm just outside of Marceline. By the beginning of 1906 Elias and Flora made the decision to purchase the farm and move.

In April 1906, Flora, Roy (12), Walt (4), and their younger sister Ruth (2) arrived in Marceline by the Santa Fe train, while Elias, and Walt’s two oldest brothers, Herbert (17) and Raymond (15), arrived via boxcar with their belongings.⁵ The 40-acre family farm was located just outside of town and had chickens, pigs, a few cows and horses, along with an apple, peach and plum orchards.⁶ There was also a large cottonwood tree later dubbed the Dreaming Tree.

Walt and Roy visit The Dreaming Tree, 1956. Photo from Walt Disney Hometown Museum, Marceline.

Since Walt was too young to help with the farm work, he was often found out exploring the farm, drawing, or coming up with stories under the large cottonwood tree, hence the Dreaming Tree. One time Walt and Ruth found a barrel of tar and began ‘painting’ the side of the house. Ruth drew zig-zags while Walt was said to have drawn a city scape. It has been said Walt’s first paid drawing was of a horse owned by a retired doctor who was a neighbor. Years later, Roy said it was “the highlight of Walt’s life.”⁷

During the four and a half years Walt lived in Marceline, he “experienced all of his childhood firsts.” Walt “attended his first school, saw his first motion picture, caught his first fish, and saw “Peter Pan,” his first live stage performance.”⁸ He even started his own circus. “Walt discovered a bunch of old burlap bags in the barn, cut them up and sewed them together to make a tent. A couple of baffled farm cats were herded inside and the first Disney circus was ready to perform. He charged ten cents admission.”⁹ When it was not successful, Flora made Walt refund everyone.

Walt’s love for trains goes back to his time spent in Marceline, and grew through the years. Walt was able to see and hear them first hand over the almost five years the family lived in Marceline. His “Uncle Mike was an engineer on the Santa Fe’s accommodation train that ran between Marceline and Fort Madison.”¹⁰ Having an uncle working for Santa Fe, just helped grow his love for trains. When Elias Disney sold the farm and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, they left by train through the same station they arrived.

Marceline Train Depot, 1888. Photo from Walt Disney Hometown Museum, Marceline.

Experiencing all these firsts, and the time to just be a kid on the farm in Marceline left a lasting impression on Walt. Walt “wrote to The Marceline News in 1938, ‘More things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened since – or are likely to in the future.’”¹¹

Marceline’s lasting impressions on Walt can be seen in several ways. You can walk down Main Street USA at Disneyland, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom or any of the other parks and see some of the connection to Marceline through the buildings. For example, the store Uptown Jewelers, is named for Uptown Theatre in Marceline. In Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, the Refreshment Corner is modeled after the Zurcher Building in downtown Marceline, which featured an old Coca-Cola advertising mural.¹²

The movie “So Dear to My Heart” was inspired by Walt’s life living on the farm in Marceline, MO. You can also see influences in “Lady and the Tramp” through the town the movie is set in.

He continually drew from his time in Marceline throughout his lifetime, and these are just a few of the examples of how the short four and a half years Walt spent in Marceline, made an impression on Walt. Just as Marceline impressed Walt, Walt impressed Marceline. “The city and people of Marceline are proud that Walt Disney called Marceline his hometown, and to show their gratitude many important locations bear Walt’s name.”¹³ Both Walt and Roy returned to Marceline a few times to visit and attend the dedication of the Walt Disney Swimming Pool, Park, and Walt Disney Elementary School.

When you visit Marceline today, ensure you spend time at the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, which is located inside the former Santa Fe train depot, where the Disney family arrived and departed Marceline. You can also visit the Disney Family Farm. The land the farm is on, is privately owned, however guests are welcome to visit during the day. When you arrive you will see where the Dreaming Tree once stood, the Son of the Dreaming Tree, and can go inside the Family Barn and sign your name (make sure to bring your own sharpie).

This is the Son of Dreaming Tree. The Dreaming Tree stood until 2008 when it was struck by lighting, and then the remains of the tree were blown over during a windstorm on May 28, 2015.
Walt’s Barn – The barn was built in 2001 to celebrate Walt’s 100th birthday. It was constructed using the blueprints Walt had commissioned for his own Holmby Hills workshop.
When you visit the barn you can leave a message on the inside. Bring your own pen or sharpie.
The Disney Family Museum in Marceline, is the old train depot. Doesn’t it look like something familiar from an animated movie?
Uptown Theater in Marceline. This is where Uptown Jewelers in the parks gets it name.