It might be hard to believe, but last July, Disneyland celebrated 60 years in existence. That’s 60 years of childhood dreams coming true — and 60 years of parents’ savings accounts going directly to making it happen (even in 1955, parents complained about how expensive the park was to visit). Still, the cost was worth it, because most children look back fondly at their first Disney experience. But what did the park look like when it first opened? In order to celebrate the park’s milestone, TIME shared some images of what Disneyland looked like during its opening celebrations, complete with the iconic Frontierland, Adventureland, and of course, Sleeping Beauty’s castle. There were also some major setbacks that we never knew about — until now. You can see the images from the 1955 park, and more of it’s opening day story, below.
