Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort That Never Was

Journalists Glasgow and Mayer debut with an illuminating history of a little-known chapter of Walt Disney’s career that was also a victory in the early years of the environmental movement. In 1965, Disney and his company came to an agreement with the federal government regarding the development of a stretch of Sequoia National Forest called Mineral King. The mogul envisioned the space as a ski resort made in the image of Disneyland, his California theme park. Over the next four years, Disney, who died in 1966, and his successors created a plan for the resort that was approved by the U.S. Forest Service. A cluster of conservationists, including Sierra Club executive Mike McCloskey and attorney Leland Selna, fought back in court for years to keep the project from coming to fruition. By the mid-1970s, the Walt Disney Company gave up on the project, and in 1978 Congress added Mineral King to a list of protected natural areas to prevent its future development. Drawing on firsthand interviews, the authors provide an enticing combination of behind-the-scenes reporting on the Disney company and environmental movement history, including the ramifications of this episode on both the company’s future developments and on environmental law. It’s a rewarding deep dive. (Sept.)