Marceline, Missouri - Walt Disney's Childhood Home

"To tell the truth, more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened since - or are likely to in the future" - Walt Disney

I agree with Walt Disney. My family comes from this area of Missouri, so I spent many summers in Marceline getting into (and out of) heaps of trouble. Even before my grandmother left neighboring Bucklin to buy a house in Marceline, she used to drop me off at the Walt Disney Public Pool for the day. Ahhh those were the days, indeed.

Now, before anyone starts crying 'He was not born in Marceline!' let me state that he spent 5 years here during his childhood. Yep. That's it. Five mere years. But as the opening quote states, this is where his plans were formed in that little boy head of his. In fact, he sold his first drawing here. It was of a Morgan Horse and he made a full 5 cents. Marceline so imprinted on him that Main Street USA at Disneyland is modeled after Marceline's main street. Funny thing is, I had been to Disneyland with my youngest daughter and thought Main Street looked familiar, later I learned why. It is a small world, after all...

Most of what I relate here is common knowledge to anyone who has anything at all to do with Marceline, but this one I had not known and just learned while doing a bit of research to make sure my memory was not faulty. According to disneydreamer.com "In 1960, Disney visited... for the dedication of Walt Disney Elementary School. Not only did Disney cancel an overseas trip in order to attend, he also had his studio create one-of-a-kind murals which adorn the school's lobby and gym to this day." Now I wish I had at least stopped in to this elementary school on my latest trip back home.

I recall the first time I knew of any connection between Marceline and Walt Disney. I guess I was bout 7, maybe 8 years old at the time. My cousin Brenda and I were playing over in Disney Park and I asked about a small train that was looking very neglected. Apparently Walt had it put there after it was retired from Disneyland. Yep, that was the Autopia kiddie-car ride. Unfortunately, Walt died a year after that was installed. Still, how cool is that? I never did get to ride on that train, or even see the ride running. Sad bit, that.

Marceline is the kind of town where everybody knows everybody else... as well as their business. You know the place. There were spans of years and years in between my returns after adulthood, and the gal behind the counter of the 5 & dime would be all 'Ain't you Evaseen's granddaughter?' Sadly, that business is no more. Neither will you find today the little soda fountain where we would go to eat a grilled tuna sandwich and drink a chocolate coke. You can get those now at the Corner Diner, but it just isn't the same. Speaking of the Corner Diner though, I did get a pretty durn good Reuben Sandwich there recently.

My cousin Cindy & her husband own the small Chevrolet Dealership still, but the furniture store owned by my aunt & her ex is no longer around. See, this used to be a big stop for the Railroad. That railroad station can be seen in many of Walt Disney's cartoons. Modern technology has all but killed that today, along with the local businesses.

Honestly, there is not a lot to do around Marceline except get drunk, have barbecues, and watch the horses mate (something my cousin & I did for entertainment many a time) so the town is trying to market the Disney angle now to get a bit of business injected back into this quaint little community. The Walt Disney Museum is small, but cute as hell. If you are at all a Disneyphile, then you absolutely have to put Marceline on your vacation plans. Walt considered this his most important location, the place without which you would have no Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, or even Epcot Center. (The place without which I myself would have no sanity today.)

So yeah. Stop in. Hang out a spell. Spend some money catching a movie at the Uptown Theater, where the premier of "The Great Locomotive Chase" was held in 1956, with Walt Disney in attendance. Visit the museum. Pick up some sandwiches at the diner and have a picnic over at Walt Disney Park. Let the kids romp in the pool a bit. Sometimes you need a nice relaxing destination. Marceline is it... and if you have an emergency requiring paramedics, say hi to my cousin Mikey when he arrives.