NEWS: Inventors of a Classic Disneyland Ride System Named to Hall of Fame

The people who work on Disney rides are some of the brightest and most innovative minds on the planet.

From Haunted Mansion to Pirates of the Caribbean to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Imagineers and others who work with them continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Now, two inventors who helped create one of Disneyland’s most ICONIC rides, the Matterhorn Bobsleds, are being inducted into the Inventor’s Hall of Fame.

Karl Bacon and Ed Morgan — two contractors who were hired by Disney to work with Imagineers on the Disneyland ride — are among the 2025 inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for their work on the Matterhorn.

If you’ve ever been on the Matterhorn, you might have noticed its tubular steel track, something you see on roller coasters all over the world. Well, at the time, no one had created a tubular track before — Bacon and Morgan were the first to create one for the Matterhorn Bobsleds.

Bacon and Morgan join Lanny Smoot, the first Disney Imagineer to be inducted in the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2024. This year’s class of inductees will be honored at “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation,” in Washington, D.C. Mo Rocca will serve as emcee for the event. On May 7th, the Illumination Ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia will see the inductees names illuminated in hexagons in the museum’s Gallery of Icons. On May 8th, the official 2025 National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

The Matterhorn Bobsleds are in Disneyland Park’s Fantasyland and is based on the Disney movie Third Man on the Mountain. The attraction opened on June 14th, 1959 and was the first thrill ride in Disneyland. It uses forced perspective to make itself seem taller (the trees on the mountain get smaller at the top to create part of the effect) and was made with wood and steel, as well as a plaster coating over a layer of metal mesh.

In 1978, an ice cavern, glowing ice crystals, and the Abominable Snowman were added to the ride, as well as a new ride system that increased capacity. However, the tubular steel track has remained the same — and that kind of track is still used often on roller coasters around the world.

You can also find a basketball half-court inside the Matterhorn near the top of the mountain. There’s also a Cast Member break room inside the mountain at the base.

So the next time you ride the Matterhorn, be sure to say thank you to Bacon and Morgan for creating what is essentially the modern roller coaster track.

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