Wallace’s latest masterpiece.

On August 1, Wallace made his first public appearance at Disneyland to announce the creation of a new work of art. A piece that reveals a project of Walt’s that never saw the light of day and celebrated other great minds that inspired him – Edison Square.

As far as most people know, Walt intended Edison Square to be another land, just off of Main Street, centering on the influence of electricity on America. Along with this seemingly pleasant American neighborhood, three depictions on Wallace’s piece call attention to three separate locations throughout Disneyland.

An illustration of the Mark Twain Riverboat in Disneyland has the following caption: CATCH THE VIEW FROM THE WHEELHOUSE.

An illustration of the PeopleMover track in Tomorrowland has the following caption: BEST ENJOYED FROM ABOVE.

And…

An illustration of a phonograph has the following caption: LOOK BEYOND THE LAMP.

Some of you who made it to Disneyland hopped onto the Mark Twain Riverboat and asked to ride in the wheelhouse. Upon completing the cruise, you then received a certificate, stamped with a specific time and date – 12:00PM SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1932 – the day Amelia Earhart completed her transatlantic flight.

Next, the shapes surrounding the image on the upper right corner of the page reminded a number of you of the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. For those who rode the Astro Orbiter and looked onto the track of the PeopleMover, you found three shapes painted onto the track of the People Mover – a large circle, a large diamond, and another large circle.

Last and certainly not least, most everyone who saw Wallace speak on August 1 were treated to a quick visit to Walt’s Apartment. Wallace depicted the phonograph inside the Main Street apartment on the lower right corner of his Edison Square piece. Once inside, some of you looked beyond just the lamp and noticed a wax phonograph cylinder package with the image of the Eiffel Tower.

Unfortunately, some of you fellow Optimists spent much of the day searching for more clues. Trying to figure out what any of your findings meant. And finding nothing more. Many of you left discouraged, frustrated, confused.

Then this arrived in some of your mailboxes.

A number of you discovered that the link Wallace included – disneycartography.com/es – leads to an animated depiction of Edison Square made by Wallace’s assistant. It’s kind of adorable, if you ask me. BUT… like many things Wallace, there’s more to this depiction of Edison Square than one might first notice.

Each circular frame on the Edison Square map has some sort of arrow that points to one of three specific buildings on the assistant’s depiction of Edison Square. And if you click on one of 3 specific symbols that are somewhat hidden on the corresponding buildings (An anchor, a ringed planet, and a phonograph), you unlock 3 puzzles. The only way to solve the puzzles is to use what some of you discovered in Disneyland – Amelia Earhart’s birthday on the gift certificate; the painted circle, diamond, and circle on the PeopleMover track; and the image of the Eiffel Tower on the wax cylinder package in Walt’s Apartment.

Solving the puzzles unlock animated scenes that reveal what seems to be previously unknown attractions meant for Edison Square. And they look to be inspired by possible society members!

There was one other recent event worth noting that I haven’t yet covered. Wallace hosted a live chat, where he attempted to answer many of your questions. And he confirmed a few things:

• Wallace is a recruiter whose “mission” is to find people “dedicated to building a better tomorrow.”
• A group of “artists, engineers, futurists” worked on and held special demonstrations of top secret technologies.
• He didn’t know my Grandpa but was aware of him.
• His favorite color is sky blue.

Then Wallace patched legendary Imagineer Bob Gurr into the conversation who confirmed the existence of the secret society! Then his connection was abruptly lost and Wallace left the chat.

Anyway, I know there’s a lot for you all to be proud of. AND a lot to look forward to. Especially with everything that many of you are about to experience down in Anaheim, CA. Thinking about those things are good for me. I welcome the distraction.

Since our last recap, Mom agreed to sit down for an interview with me.  It was so much fun! She talked about Grandpa being like a big kid in many ways, always dreaming, telling stories, not worrying one bit about responsibilities. Mom and I shared a moment when we realized that the same bedtime story Grandpa used to tell her as a kid was the same story he used to tell me! We enjoyed recalling some interesting details together about this dream world Grandpa dreamt up.

Then the following day, this happened:

Yeah. Wallace released his latest work of art – a map of Walt’s Haunts – and friends from around Southern California immediately set out to investigate. First stop: Chili John’s.

Folks who ordered their chili with “a side of pinto beans to go” got a free can of chili. If they were hungry, it might’ve been a bit disappointing. But if they had an appetite for knowledge, I’m sure they walked away very satisfied, because inside the can was a message from the society – a note about “recruiting tactics.” And apparently there was more than one message, as by my count, people reported finding five different notes!  It sounds like this society was recruiting only the best and the brightest in many disciplines from around the globe.  I wonder: have these cans been there since the 60’s? (If so, probably a good thing there was no chili inside!)

The Carousel at Griffith Park in Los Angeles also appeared on the map.

Walt used to take his own daughters there before he started creating carousels of his own. The map of Walt’s Haunts also included a picture of a horse with a ribbon, and on that ribbon were the words: RIDE THE LAST DARK HORSE.  Our fellow optimists found a dark horse near the center of the carousel, which had a leather belt stamped with seemingly random letters. If you wrapped this belt around the pole, the letters on the belt lined up to spell out this message:

SOCIETY MEMBERS – WE EACH PLAY A ROLE IN BUILDING TOMORROW – REMEMBER OUR GOAL TO FORGE A BRIGHTER PATH FOR THE FUTURE & KEEP THE WORLD GOING ROUND

It seems to be a reminder for members of the society, to keep them on the right path, so to speak. I wonder if the Carousel was a place where they met regularly?  Maybe this was the real reason that Walt was on the bench that day?

Which takes us to our next stop on Wallace’s map: Le Grand Courtyard.  After being led into Club 33 (!!), some of you discovered glassware, each with its own set of initials.

Debra was the first to post whom the initials belong to:

AME = Amelia Mary Earhart
JGV = Jules Gabriel Verne
SLC = Samuel Leghorns Clemens (Mark Twain)
TAE = Thomas Alva Edison
AGE = August Gustav Eiffel
HGW = H.G. Wells
NT = Nicola Tesla
And last but not least, WED = Walter Elias Disney

Ricky first posted on the blog that he believed these were all members of the rumored secret society that we all have been discussing.  It looks like this society had some pretty illustrious roots!

The next destination on Walt’s Haunts brought many of you to Walt’s Barn at the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society.

Along with the “Red Barn” where Walt tinkered with model trains and came up with big ideas, many of you visited the “Combine Car” and found a poster of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. A note on Wallace’s map revealed a “flash photo opportunity inside.” And when you took a flash photo of the poster inside, “New Orleans Square” and a telegraph sign magically appeared on the poster.

Upon seeing that, a number of you trekked back to Disneyland to record the telegraph message at New Orleans Square, and Ricky deciphered it:

“Welcome society members of 1966 and our new inductee RDB.”

Is RDB referring to Ray Bradbury?  Was he part of this society as well?  Before this was all discovered, I didn’t even realize he knew Walt Disney!  Can you imagine hanging out with that group of brilliant minds?

And then yesterday!  The last stop on Wallace’s map – the Bench.

What an incredible journey from meeting Wallace (I’m so jealous!) to going into Walt’s apartment.  We are still tracking down what it all means, but I feel like we are getting closer to understanding that something very big was going on.   And it wasn’t just Walt and the Imagineers – it seems like they were part of some society that stretched across the globe.  For quite some time.  But how can we confirm that?  What was it they were all working on?  And how in the world did grandpa fit in?  It’s almost like we need to find someone who had an inside scoop.

This is so much fun to uncover with all of you, my fellow optimists.  I feel like we are on the verge of putting it all together.

I keep thinking of that as I’ve been watching all of you for the past week.  You all are amazing at working together.  And today was a perfect example.

As all of you know, we have been eagerly awaiting the final location on Wallace’s Walt’s Haunts map – the Bench!

The bench where it all began!

I was so excited to see where this iconic bench would lead today. I will let my fellow optimists share their journey.  I know Grandpa would be so proud of everything we are discovering – together.

I, for one, am doing cartwheels!

]]> http://storyorbit.fans/it-all-started-with-a-bench/feed 79 http://storyorbit.fans/on-the-right-track http://storyorbit.fans/on-the-right-track#comments Wed, 31 Jul 2013 02:41:12 +0000 Amelia http://storyorbit.fans/?p=564 Continue reading →]]> I’ve mentioned Grandpa’s apartment above the family garage before. He spent a lot of time up there, his fingers clacking away on his typewriter. And it was more than just a living space for him. It was a sanctuary where he got to do what he loved most, writing stories.

Seeing Wallace’s latest map compelled me to do some research on Walt over the weekend. And I discovered he had a similar sanctuary of his own – Carolwood Barn. In that barn, he worked on miniature trains and his own personal miniature railroad – the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. He also hung out with friends and came up with new ideas for projects. Many even refer to Carolwood Barn as the birthplace of Walt Disney Imagineering. Pretty awesome, right?

great photo, @JeremiahDaws!

Which is probably why many of you quickly made plans to visit that historic “Red Barn” as well as an original Disneyland “Combine Car” at the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society. The first chance to visit came this past Sunday, when it opened for a few hours. And the tracks you found there led far from Carolwood Barn.

After reading up on Walt Disney over the weekend, it seems he had a similar appreciation for carousels. He also enjoyed taking his daughters to Griffith Park, out in Los Angeles, to ride the merry-go-round, which inspired him to create a theme park of his own. And we all know what happened after that.

As if that weren’t enough, many of you recently decided to check out this carousel after it showed up on Wallace’s map of Walt’s Haunts. Some of you discovered a special horse as well, with an intriguing clue. A clue that makes me question whether or not the carousel was used to do more than entertain and amuse. In your own words and pictures, here’s how all of you found it.

]]> http://storyorbit.fans/and-around-we-go/feed 56 http://storyorbit.fans/a-can-do-attitude http://storyorbit.fans/a-can-do-attitude#comments Tue, 30 Jul 2013 03:52:05 +0000 Amelia http://storyorbit.fans/?p=530 Continue reading →]]> So apparently Walt loved himself some chili. You know the way I kind of enjoy coffee milk? Yeah, like that. Over the weekend, I read some stuff about Walt enjoying chili and beans so much that he carried cans of it with him whenever he traveled. Can you imagine? Trying to stuff slacks and socks into a suitcase filled with canned beans and chili? I can, of course. I mean, I wouldn’t even think about stepping outside this state without a five-gallon jug of coffee syrup. No way. So, needless to say, I can relate.

Mmm…. chili.

Still, with the discovery you made at Chili John’s over the weekend – one of Walt’s Haunts on Wallace’s map – I can’t help but wonder: did Walt carry all those cans around simply because the chili and beans were so darned tasty? *Shrug.* Here’s a recap, in your words and pictures, of what Jeremiah and you other optimists found at Chili John’s.

]]> http://storyorbit.fans/a-can-do-attitude/feed 45 http://storyorbit.fans/welcome-to-the-club http://storyorbit.fans/welcome-to-the-club#comments Mon, 29 Jul 2013 02:18:00 +0000 Amelia http://storyorbit.fans/?p=490 Continue reading →]]> From what I’ve heard over the past few days or so, Club 33 is not exactly the easiest place to get into. Apparently it’s only the most exclusive club in all of Disneyland, that’s all. And yet, that’s exactly where some of you ended up. Invited inside to speak with Wallace the elusive mapmaker on the phone and search the area for clues.

Like many things recently, the leg of the journey that led to Club 33 began with one of Wallace’s latest pieces of art – a map of Walt’s Haunts that included Le Grand Courtyard in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. Writing in small print appeared on the archway above the courtyard entrance: 7/26 8:10-8:20am. This past Friday morning. Early. Which if it weren’t for class, I’d have my comforter pulled up to my nose with Nora and Sofia purring into each ear. But some of you made the trek. Powered by coffee and curiosity. (What more do you need?) And from the sound of it, you were rewarded with a unique surprise.

While taking an extended break to the computer lab, I sat in front of a corner computer with my eyes glued to the screen, watching your reports, pictures, and Hastin’s livestream. And honestly, there was so much that happened that I’m not really sure I’ve completely wrapped my brain around it. And a recap from me, 3000 miles away in little, old Rhode Island, doesn’t really do this part of the adventure justice. So maybe I should leave some of that to you.

]]> http://storyorbit.fans/welcome-to-the-club/feed 75 http://storyorbit.fans/the-way-to-walts-haunts http://storyorbit.fans/the-way-to-walts-haunts#comments Fri, 26 Jul 2013 23:08:42 +0000 Amelia http://storyorbit.fans/?p=451 Continue reading →]]> Wallace has a new piece of art on his site called “Walt’s Haunts,” and even a modern-day young woman in Rhode Island can figure out these are places in California that Walt Disney – and maybe Grandpa? – used to frequent. (Thank you, Internet!) But this girl wonders, “What are these places?”  And, “Could she want to be in California any more right now?”  And, “Why am I referring to myself in the third person?

Wallace’s latest creation!

I can already see my new friends – through whom, let’s be honest, I’m kind of living vicariously – driving along Interstate 5 to investigate these California destinations, excited about possible discoveries to be made. If I squint real hard, I can see myself there with them – with you. If I squint even harder, my eyes are practically shut and I can’t see a thing. Yeah, I sometimes do that when I’m scared. And the mere idea of leaving my tiny state gives me the willies.

But now I’m opening my eyes and peeking between my fingers. And isn’t that what life’s about? Little peeks at the great big world? For as long as I can remember, Mom taught me to focus on school, work, and home, school, work, and home. Don’t get me wrong, those are all important, but I feel like there’s an ingredient missing. I mean, she’s provided me with a perfectly healthy, nourishing chili, but sometimes you need a little extra spice.

Hmm, wonder why I have chili on the brain?

Above and Beyond. That’s where you’ve gone. And thinking about all the amazing things you all are finding and figuring out, I have that feeling I get while watching a parade. With fireworks. And confetti. And silly string, the kind that doesn’t get stuck in your hair.

It’s probably because I went so long thinking I had to do everything on my own. Yes, Grandpa believed in the power of optimistic people teaming up and joining forces. But Mom? Well, let’s just say she’s been looking out for me. She’s tough, independent, and she raised me to be the same. But I personally love the idea of merging both those worlds. Grandpa AND Mom’s.

This isn’t about me, though. This is about making sense of the last week or so, giving credit where credit is due.

First, I came across a nuclear fusion brochure in Grandpa’s apartment, and Stephen figured out that the message on it was written in shorthand. Chad’s grandmother and Reid’s mother translated the message, discovering a possible schedule for meetings with Wernher (Von Braun?), (Ray?) Bradbury, and Howard (Hughes?).

Who knew Grandpa knew shorthand!

Then we discussed Wallace from disneycartography.com, who posted his own map of the refreshed Tomorrowland in 1959. There appears to be three locations on Wallace’s map that seemed to be designated as points of particular interest – Submarine Voyage, Tomorrowland Monorail Station, and Tomorrowland Autopia.  Kalani found a secret code at the Midget Autopia statue. And Hastin found two more codes at Submarine Voyage and Tomorrowland Monorail Station.  Amber then pointed out those codes are U.S. patent numbers.  But what do they mean?

Then – remember those World’s Fair records I mailed out last week?

I mailed the records out to a bunch of you to thank you for all your help and hard work. After receiving one of the records, Elizabeth discovered that they were multi-grooved, with an extra track containing alternative narration for certain World’s Fair attractions – the Carousel of Progress and the Primeval World diorama.*  The audio for Side A can be found here and Side B can be found here.

James figured out that the alternative audio narration on the record was intended for special VIP guests. I believe each alternative narration was meant to be listened to at specific points in their corresponding attractions! The extra track audio hints at advancements in technology that didn’t come about until well after 1964.

A while back, we found out from Lott’s email footer that we can access protected pages on his website by adding a slash after the Lott Family Construction URL, followed by the codename of the project requested. After I posted a note about Grandpa that hinted at his involvement in something referred to as “eticket59”, Stephen entered “/eticket59” at the end of the Lott Family Construction URL and unlocked access to blueprints for the original Tomorrowland.

From the ‘client area’ on the Lott Family Construction website.

Within the original Tomorrowland blueprints, Jody and Stephen discovered secret keys to those patents, and the secret meanings of the patent diagrams were revealed. Shining light on top-secret tech. Finally illuminating what “Signal Flag,” Auto Apparatus,” and “Mark 0” were code names for!

Either way, all of the work you did and discoveries you found continually inspire me to continue on. To forge ahead. Undaunted. Overall, awesome progress this week. Looking forward to tomorrow. Always.

*Update:  Oops!  In my sleepy haze last night I posted the wrong name.  Silly me.  After listening to it, I think Stephen is right and the track is referencing Primeval World.

Now I’m*really* late to lab – gotta run!

Anyway, while Vivian was crafting me a tin foil fedora, we talked about this Wallace guy. You all seem to know him.  First of all, I’ve always admired people who dedicate their lives to doing what they love. And the man behind http://disneycartography.com seems to be doing just that. On the surface, he seems to be a talented illustrator who focuses on creating Disney fan art. But looking closer, as many of you have pointed out, there seems to be more to him and his creations than meets the eye.

Wallace’s awesome artwork!

Vivian and I could not stop talking about Wallace’s ridiculously awesome Tomorrowland map you all found. On its own, the map is SO cool! And then seeing what it led to: Kalani finding the U.S. patent number at the Midget Autopia statue. And Hastin finding two more patent numbers at Submarine Voyage and Tomorrowland Monorail Station.  Incredible!  Does anyone have more pics to share?  I couldn’t really see the submarine flags. And still don’t really understand what happened at the Tomorrowland station.  Hastin, did you have to do anything special at all? Or was the patent number just printed on the sign? I’d love to hear more! (I’m also wishing I lived closer!)

This is all totally mind-blowing to see. Vivian and I were trying to wrap our heads around what all of this means. And all of your theories and ideas. And how awesome it was to have people go out to Disneyland and take pictures in the first place. Especially for those of us who live on the other side of the country. Or who have never even been to Disneyland before!

Which ultimately brings us back to Wallace. All of this action and all of these questions are because of that map. I don’t’ know about you all, but I’m not sure what the deal with that guy is and whether or not he’s connected to Grandpa’s work. But he sure seems to know more than he’s letting on.

PS – Pretty please send more pictures!  I really wish I could go to Disneyland and see for myself.

PPS – I’m so excited you’ve started getting the records.  It makes me happy to think of all of you spread around the country with a little bit of optimism in your hands.

Grandpa sold his work to Disney and worked with them on some kind of Special Projects Team. That team was up to something at the ’64 World’s Fair. More than just building mechanical presidents and magical skyways, anyway. Along with building the attractions, they were, apparently, building lots of other stuff we (the general public) were never meant to see. Christina and Kalani figured out the secret conference code and heard a fifty-year-old recording that gave us more questions than answers. If you call (213) 438-9463 and enter the month and day for the date you call (like today would be 0712), you can hear it yourself. Buuut… What was the World’s Fair Special Projects Team really up to? How did Grandpa fit into all of this? What’s the deal with the secret patents that they didn’t want released?

Thanks to James (@baseballmickey) and Nick, who did a little email detective work prodding Mr. Lott, we know that Michael Lott at Lott Family Construction worked on some super-secret stuff that was shown to VIPs during the fair. Here’s the memo to prove it:

Thanks to James and Nick’s detective work, we have this memo from Mr. Lott.

Kimberly discovered that if you adjust the levels and contrast on the memo, you can make out some of the redacted materials.

Thanks to Kimberly, Michael, and James (on Twitter) we think the redactions are (in order): “The City, Florida Project, The City, _________ Signal Flag, Auto Apparatus, and Mark 0 Project.

Amber and Kalani were one of the groups that went to the Tam O’Shanter and posted photos of the markings on the table where Walt Disney and his Imagineers used to eat. They found dinosaurs, more codes, and noticed this T/U symbol that’s cropped up on both the table and on a poster celebrating Imagineers at the Tam, by someone named Wallace. Kira also went to the Tam and discovered the soufflé was chocolaty molten deliciousness (so craving some right now).

Poster found at the Tam O’Shanter – the small text at the bottom says it was made by a fellow named ‘Wallace’ of disneycartography.com

While poking around on Wallace’s site, disneycartography.com, Stephen noticed some strange details on some of the posters. Who is this Wallace who made the poster at the Tam? What’s his connection to all this? We don’t know.

Yet.

I’ll say it again. You are awesome.