This attraction is probably one of the top ones on the missing list. If it had been replaced with something better, that would be one thing, but in my opinion, Big Thunder Mountain is just another glorified roller coaster. Back to the photos...the first three are from an undated batch, probably 1957/1958, and number four is from September, 1959.
The last three photos are from May, 1958 (little girl, are you supposed to have that lollipop on this attraction?).
See more vintage Disneyland Nature’s Wonderland photos at my main website.
Amazing color!!!
ReplyDeleteYou must have bought those last 3 slides from Dug Miller - because I have copies of them in my files!
Really, really nice shots...
In the third photo, is that one of the Hopi pueblo buildings on top of a "tumbling" rock?? Yikes!
ReplyDeleteIn the lollipop photo, it looks like they are getting a live spiel instead of the prerecorded version.
I don't know that I agree that Big Thunder isn't a good replacement for Nature's Wonderland. And I say this as a lover of NW!
ReplyDeleteNW is the attraction I miss most at every visit to the Park. I always look for its remnants with a real sense of loss. As a little kid, NW seemed like a real trip to the big wilderness. And even when I was a typically-jaded teen, I rode it at every visit.
But I have to tell you: NW was slow, unchanging and a bit of a bore after you'd ridden it a few times. Ultimately, it was the nostalgia of the ride that made it special.
Compared to other coasters, Big Thunder is merely average. What sets it apart is its extravagant theming and historic connection to NW. I think it's a worthy successor to NW.
Granted, I wish we had both BT and NW (and the mules too). Then we'd have the best of both worlds.