People think of Walt Disney as the man who came up with everything in Disneyland, but he had a lot of help. In 1953, Walt hired engineer Harrison "Buzz" Price, then of the Stanford Research Institute, to determine the best location for the park. Price asked Disney if he had any preference for where to locate the park, and Price said Walt told him, "Absolutely not," and directed him: "You tell me where the best location is."
The Los Angeles Times describes what happened next: "The engineer analyzed population trends, land prices, accessibility and climate—and zeroed in on a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim." Price declared later: "We hit it right on the nose, dead center," and that the location "was the perfect place for it." In later years, Price stayed a trusted Disney adviser and would pick Orlando, Florida, for Disney's East Coast location, as well as run feasibility studies for theme parks like SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Six Flags.
Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood was also from Stanford Research Institute and became the very first Disneyland employee. He oversaw the park's construction, getting it completed in a year. Then Walt reportedly dumped him shortly thereafter. "There was room for only one showman," Price speculated in his 2004 book Walt's Revolution! By the Numbers. "Their clash of egos was oil and water and Walt was the boss." Some say Wood's contribution to Disneyland has been "written out" of the company's history.
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