The success of Disneyland, which opened in 1955, prompted Disney to set his sights on another potential project: a ski resort in Mineral King Valley, near California’s Sequoia National Park.
The initial plans involved creating a vacation spot centered on a Swiss-style village with six ski areas and the capacity to house 20,000 people, 14 ski lifts, 10 restaurants, two hotels, and more, SF Gate reported.
The project almost came to fruition, with Disney even gaining approval from the Forest Service and creating a deal with the then-governor of California, Ronald Reagan.
However, after Disney’s sudden death in 1966, the company chose to focus on Disney World, which had just opened and cost much more than budgeted.
Not all of Mineral King Ski Resort was lost, though. The Country Bear Jamboree, an attraction planned for one of the resort’s restaurants, was given a new home in Disney World.
