Artist rendering – proposed
Disney Imagineers drawing Member Lounge inspiration from Mile Houses of the American West
Walt Disney World Resort: With construction well underway on a new Disney Vacation Club Member Lounge* projected to open by summer 2025 in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom Park, Disney Files Magazine can share the space’s official name, along with a few nuggets about its creative inspirations.
A close look at the rustic retreat’s distinctive name, Disney Vacation Club McKim’s Mile House – A Member Lounge, reveals Disney Imagineers’ two sources of inspiration: Disney Legend Sam McKim and Mile Houses of the American West.
Let’s start with McKim, an influential artist who began his entertainment career as a child actor, appearing in a series of Westerns starring everyone from John Wayne (famously nicknamed “The Duke”) and Gene Autry (affectionately known as “the singing cowboy”). After serving in both World War II and the Korean War (earning the Distinguished Service Cross during the latter), McKim completed his art education in Los Angeles and, in 1953, landed a job sketching story art for 20th Century Fox. Then, in 1954, McKim moved to the Walt Disney Studios (joining a company that would acquire 20th Century Fox decades later), where he created concept art for Disneyland Park, with the Golden Horseshoe Revue in Frontierland among his first scenic sketches. McKim’s subsequent works of art would influence every land in “The Happiest Place on Earth,” including such iconic attractions as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, and he’d go on to play an equally influential role in shaping designs for Walt Disney World Resort. McKim, who passed away in 2004, was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1996.
As for “Mile House?” It’s a naming convention used for boarding houses that dotted the American West during the Gold Rush, back when the roughly 50-mile trek from San Francisco to San Jose – a trip that takes an hour or two by car today (depending on traffic), would’ve taken nearly 10 times that long by stagecoach. Much like today’s Member Lounges, Mile Houses offered tired travelers a respite of rest and refreshment.
According to Disney Imagineers, Members’ new “Mile House” is owned and operated by a (fictional) McKim family, hospitality pioneers who’ve accommodated everyone from a Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree singer to the president of the Big Thunder Mining Company.
When complete, the space will become the third in-park Member Lounge, joining Disney Vacation Club ImaginAtrium – A Member Lounge at EPCOT and Disney Vacation Club Star View Station – A Member Lounge at Disneyland Park. Look for more details about Disney Vacation Club McKim’s Mile House – A Member Lounge at Magic Kingdom Park, in an upcoming edition of Disney Files Magazine.
*See important eligibility information at the bottom of page 1.
