Walt Disney found much inspiration from his boyhood home of Marceline, Missouri, which was founded on this day in 1888. To learn more about the occasion, we turned to Kaye Malins, affectionately known as the Queen of Marceline, who currently resides in Walt’s boyhood house. Kaye told us, “In 1885, officials of the Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe Railway accepted a plan of action that would move the railroad aggressively into transcontinental commerce. As the route was being plotted, basically a line was drawn between Chicago and Kansas City, and, based on technological needs, towns sprung up at regular intervals so the steam locomotives could take on water, coal, and crew changes. In the spring of 1888, the city was mapped out by the Santa Fe Town and Land Company, and even before the lots were put on the market, businessmen and speculators staked out the properties they wanted. On January 28, 1888 the first lot was sold. By February 1888, five stores were built and other buildings and homes were under construction. Lot prices ranged from $50.00 to $500.00. ‘Businesses, houses, and residences arose like magic on the corn and wheat stubble of the year before,’ according to the 1913 town history. Founders named the town after Marcelina, the wife of a director on the Santa Fe Board. On March 6, 1888 the Linn County Court incorporated the City of Marceline and appointed A.D. Reynolds, Mayor.” The Santa Fe railroad not only played an integral role in the history of Marceline, but it also is was where Walt found his fascination with trains. So it seems appropriate that today, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum resides in Marceline’s Santa Fe depot.
