Disneyland Central Gold Spike: Fact or Fiction?

Located just inside of the entrance tunnel to Disneyland's Fantasyland is a gold spike. This central gold spike is believed to be the absolute center of Disneyland.

I shared a photo of the golden spike on our Facebook page and all of you were very interested in what the Disneyland gold spike really is.

The central Disneyland gold spike has long been a myth that has circulated online in various forms.

Some believe that the night before Disneyland opened, Walt Disney some friends went into the park and drove a spike into the ground at the center of the park and that it marks the absolute center of Disneyland.

But, is it true?

No. It's not true.

There is truth behind this rumor, but the overall statement that it is the exact center of the park is poppycock.

The spike was planted in the ground on what was the central line of the park. Above I drew a line from the train station at the entrance of the park all the way to the back of the park, splitting the property exactly in two. This aerial shot is from 1955 from right around the time that the park opened. For detailed charts and information about the central gold spike, click here.

The spike was placed to ensure that Main Street was centered on Sleeping Beauty Castle's drawbridge,

Who caused the Disneyland golden spike rumor?

For years now Disneyland fans, the Travel Channel, and the regularly factual Disneyland VIP Tour Guides have kept this rumor alive. Most recently I heard a Disneyland PhotoPass photographer “educating” someone who had just posed for a photo about the amazing hidden gold spike.

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