June 1956 – May 1963
LOCATION
Frontierland – Guests could find Mineral Hall by keeping to the right of the main path from Main Street USA to Frontierland. Mineral Hall sat adjacent to the Mine Train track, roughly where Rancho del Zocalo sits now.
BACKGROUND
Mineral Hall was a walkthrough exhibit that gave guests the chance to explore the world of minerals. A cross between a gift shop and a science exhibit, Mineral Hall opened in 1956 as part of Frontierland’s interactive old-western town square. The exhibit sat right at the heart of Frontierland, between the Mine Train’s Rainbow Caverns and the shooting gallery.
EXPERIENCE
The exterior of Mineral Hall mimicked the adobe-style construction of early American western towns. The porch had a number of rustic chairs for guests to relax in, with a sweeping view of the Rivers of America. Inside the Hall, guests could check out a number of mineral displays. After walking through the exhibit, Mineral Hall explorers could purchase mineral samples from “Disney’s Mineral Land”, which ranged from 10-50 cents.
CLOSURE
As the other lands in the park upgraded with new and more exciting rides and attractions in the early 60’s, Frontierland quickly fell behind the curve. Though many guests appreciated the slower-paced experience of Frontierland, the other lands in the park drew massive crowds, leaving the western part of Disneyland more of a ghost town than a cowboy destination. By 1963, Disney closed a number of small exploratory or educational attractions across the park, and in an effort to keep up with park wide transformations, Mineral Hall was one of the first to go in Frontierland.
TRIVIA
Though Mineral Hall was not connected to the Mine Train, the building was considered to be part of the train’s setting: Rainbow Ridge.
One of the windows in Rancho del Zocalo still has the original “Mineral Hall” display from 1956. Here’s a hint: look at the second floor windows on the facades along the front patio!
What a cool pictures of old building. Thanks sharing this!