SUMMER
BBQ
2015
Photos by
Andrew Quiroz
Giant spinning teacups! Flying elephants! Speeding
bobsleds! What do they all have in common? Well,
almost anyone who grew up in California over the past
six decades can probably tell you they’re all popular
rides at Disneyland in Anaheim. But what many people
don’t know is that all of these iconic attractions were
engineered in Mountain View by pioneering amusement
park ride manufacturer Arrow Development.
To coincide with the 60th anniversary of Disneyland,
the Mountain View Historical Association (MVHA)
turned our annual summer barbeque into a celebration
of Arrow Development and the prominent role the
company played in the creation of Disneyland. Most
years, the highlight of the Association’s barbeque is its
nostalgia-flavored menu featuring a re-creation of the
beloved Parisian burger from Mountain View’s longlost Linda’s Drive-In. But this year, the biggest draw
was a very special appearance by legendary Disneyland
“imagineer” and ride vehicle designer Bob Gurr.
If you ever admired the sleek design of Disneyland’s
monorail, or if the first car you drove was one of the
park’s miniature “Autopia” vehicles, then you’ve
experienced first-hand Gurr’s remarkable work.There
wasn’t an empty seat in the historic Adobe Building
when he took the stage to share his memories of
working with Walt Disney and Arrow Development.
Gurr fondly recounted his trips to Arrow’s plant in
Mountain View, where he worked with the company on
the design of some of Disneyland’s most iconic rides.
Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr speaks about his time working
for Walt Disney on Disneyland and with Mountain View-based
Arrow Development on the park’s original ride vehicles.
Perhaps the most famous Disneyland attraction Gurr
worked on with Arrow was a bobsled-themed ride
housed within Disney’s manmade recreation of the
famous Matterhorn Mountain. Gurr shared the story of
the ride’s creation noting that the use of steel pipe for
the track led to the “accidental” invention of the world’s
first tubular steel track roller coaster.The success of the
Matterhorn ride system revolutionized roller coaster
design and helped turn Arrow into one of the industry’s
leading firms.
After Gurr’s talk, Robert Ingle, Nicholas Laschkewitsch
and Kris Rowberry, members of the American Coaster
Enthusiasts (ACE), introduced the trailer for The
Legacy of Arrow Development, a new feature-length
documentary set to debut later this year.The non-profit
organization focuses on the knowledge, enjoyment, and
preservation of roller coasters. Portions of Gurr’s talk at
the barbeque will likely be included in the film.
At the end of the event, MVHA Board Member Nick
Perry announced that the organization plans to install
a plaque on the sidewalk outside of Arrow’s original
location at 243 Moffett Boulevard. “Disney theme parks
are known for their ‘mountain’ roller coasters,” said
Nick. “We’re excited to commemorate how a place
named Mountain View helped create Disney’s first
mountain!”
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