Introduction
Don has been a featured speaker at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2011 & 2013 and has spoken at numerous Disney events on the Disneyland Hotel’s rich history.
Donald W. Ballard first became interested in the Disneyland Hotel in the late 1970s. The Hotel was an adventure in itself to him aside from the joys of Disneyland the park. Don’s first book Disneyland Hotel the Early Years: 1954-1988 was published in 2005 and coincided with Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
After the publication of this book, Don started receiving letters, phone calls and numerous correspondences from many different people regarding the Disneyland Hotel. Soon, pictures, brochures, pamphlets and stories poured in with all sorts of new information regarding the Hotel’s history, some from very important people from the Hotel’s past. Many more pieces of the puzzle were now available to further chronicle the Hotel’s rich history. This, coupled with the incredible vault find in 2010 (over 700 newly discovered vintage photographs as well as 9 historical films), a new book was created Disneyland Hotel 1954-1959: The Little Motel in the Middle of the Orange Grove detailing the Disneyland Hotel in its very early, formative years. Don claims to possess the most complete collection of Disneyland Hotel ephemera and memorabilia in the world.
Don has been a featured speaker at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2011 & 2013 and has spoken at numerous Disney events on the Disneyland Hotel’s rich history. He is currently writing follow-up books on the history of the Disneyland Hotel which will utilize the extent of his collection and ephemera.