D23 Article: Queen of the Wild Frontier

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Wait, there's a five-acre ranch at Disneyland? You wouldn't know it but secretly nestled behind the Rivers of America, beyond the berm, is an entire horse-and-hay bona fide working ranch. And it's been in business even before Disneyland was. This animal oasis became the home and training grounds for all of Disneyland's four-legged furry friends when in 1954 the area was set up to begin training horses for Disneyland's Main Street carriages and in-park animals. It was known as the Pony Farm until renamed the Circle D Corral in 1980. Now, it's the backstage home to the animals at the Big Thunder Ranch and the horses that trot down Main Street, U.S.A. and carry the bridal parties for Disneyland's fairytale weddings. D23 recently spent a day with Maggie Gitchen, one of the ranch managers, who gave us the inside scoop on the history of this barnyard palace within the magic kingdom. A Disneyland cast member for more than 30 years, she was the perfect host for a tour around the ranch that sits in the middle of the happiest place on earth.

Taking a tour of the buildings there is like going back in time. It has some of the oldest structures on the Disneyland property. And all of them are still in use. "Our barn was a part of the original property, a part of the working ranch and orchard that the Dominguez family had," Maggie says. "We have kept it as original as possible, but we have refurbished the inside to make it more useable and friendly for the horses." Who is the Dominguez family, you might ask? Ron Dominguez was referred to as a "native Disneylander" since his family lived on 10 acres of the orange grove-covered property. Walt Disney purchased the property from his family to build Disneyland. In an earlier interview, Dominguez recalled, "Our house was located right about where the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean and Café Orleans are today." Ron, his mother and brother were all born on the Anaheim property, which they inherited from his grandfather, who had purchased 30 acres of land in the area in the late 1800s. Ron Dominguez went on to become the executive vice president of Walt Disney Attractions and a Disney Legend.

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