The Matterhorn opened with the Tomorrowland of 1959.  The ride revolutionized the way the steel roller coasters were built.  After seeing a failed attempt by W.E.D. engineers with flat iron Walt Disney saw Arrow Development’s presentation with a simple tubular steel ride and awarded them the contract.  The ride was built within a 147-foot tall man-made mountain, the coaster was 80-feet tall and reached a top speed of 18 m.p.h.  There were two different tracks, one on either side of the mountain.  One side ran 2,037 feet and the other was 2,134 feet long.  The ride ended with a splash down in a small lake; an idea that the men from Arrow pitched to the Disney people half-way through construction.  Except for the fact that two sleds now run in tandem, the Matterhorn operates much the way it did after it opened in 1959.