Disneyland Transportation Cutbacks: The Keel Boats

One last part to my Disneyland Transportation Cutbacks series; how could I leave out the Keel Boats? Appearing on the Rivers of America, the 38' Bertha Mae and Gullywhumper Keel Boats were based on two episodes of the Davy Crockett miniseries from the 1955 Disneyland TV show: "Davy Crockett's Keel Boat Race" (November 16, 1955) and "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" (December 14, 1955). The attraction was named after Mike Fink, the "King of the River" who lost the keel boat race. Once again, Walt showed his genius in reusing items already available to him by putting the props from the show into the Park. Over in Tomorrowland, it was the 20K Under the Seas exhibit. But I digress…below are Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen, who appeared in the Davy Crockett episodes as Davy and George “Georgie” Russell:



It would appear that the show also featured a third boat, the Monogahela Belle:



A close-up with Ebsen and Parker:



Some of my earliest shots of the Keel Boats at the Park are from August 1956, both featuring the Bertha Mae:





This October 1956 shows the Gullywhumper, which was much plainer in the decor department:



March 1957:



A June 1957 overhead shot taken from the Mark Twain (or the Columbia!) showing the Bertha Mae docked in Fowler’s Harbor:



This August 1958 image shows a Mike Fink popgun that was found on the deck of the Gullywhumper:



Undated 1950s:



LOVE those early Disneyland Paper Hats!



June 1965:



Some marvelous hairdos and glasses:



June 1967:



From July 17, 1977, the most recent shot in my collection of a Keel Boat still in action:



The Bertha Mae was removed in May 1997 after it capsized; shortly after that the entire attraction was 86'ed. The Bertha Mae was auctioned off on ebay for $15k and the Gullywhumper sat permanently docked in the Rivers of America. From December 2006:



May 2008:



By April 2010, the Gullywhumper got a bit of a reprieve. It was cleaned up, restored back to how it looked in the 1955 shows, and put in front of the former Burning Cabin, which was turned into Mike Fink’s home:



How it looked in May 2015:



Were they comfortable? Probably not. Did they have a high guest capacity? No. Did they add to the flavor and movement of Frontierland? DEFINITELY YES! Slowly but surely, the budget cuts have removed the energy and excitement of what Walt originally created.

See more Disneyland Keel Boat photos at my main website.

Disneyland Keel Boat Detail

New to me is the discovery that on the Bertha Mae Keel Boat at Disneyland the front of the watercraft had what appears to be a hand-painted detail. A closeup from the December 1958 image:

The Gullywhumper had a placard affixed instead of the painted name of its sister-boat, as seen in this June 1964 image:

And while we’re on Keel Boats, here’s one from the Fall of 1956:

See more vintage Disneyland Keel Boat photos at my main website.

Journey Back To 1956 Pt. 2

Welcome back to 1956. The paddlewheel of the mighty Mark Twain is churning round the green Rivers of America at Disneyland.

The more decoratively appointed Bertha Mae Keel Boat can be seen cruising the River.



A closer look:



From the dock side of the river we get an alternative view of the Bertha Mae:



as well as an Indian Canoe:



C'mon people, get the lead out! Start paddling harder!



There's a raft full of peeps ready to explore Tom Sawyer's Island.



A detailed view provides a look at Fowler's Harbor and the original tunnel for the Disneyland Railroad in Frontierland.



Our 1956 photographer sure loved the River!



I am guessing this shot of the Golden Horseshoe was taken from the treehouse (or thereabouts) on Tom Sawyer Island.



By this point in Disneyland history, the Indian Village had already been moved from its original location near Adventureland to its new spot in Frontierland.



Care to ride a canoe?



I love interior images of Fort Wilderness; if only it could be restored to its 1956 glory.



The final two shots in the collection show Knotts Berry Farm, starting with this image of panning for gold.





I have read that panning for gold is supposed to return to Knotts this year. Hooray!



More vintage (and current!) Disneyland images at my main website.

Keelboat Trio

Just because and for no other reason I am presenting a trio of Keel Boat images today. First up…October 1958. Dang, I wasn't even born yet! The Bertha Mae is definitely my favorite Keel Boat; I love the green shutters. I can't quite figure out the sleeveless shirt that the cast member steering the boat is wearing. Must have been a hot day!



Going back two years to October 27, 1956. The 27th; not the 28th or the 26th…these were clearly marked "27th."



This cast member looks like he wandered off the set of Ma & Pa Kettle. What a difference from the sleeveless one of 1958.



Last one is from June 1967. This lads smile is enough to put Mary Tyler Moore out of business. Note the Indian guide behind him; it appears that the Gullywhumper is docked near the Indian Village.



Still got a Kraving for Keel Boats? Kruise on over to my main website.

Keelboat Krazy!

Daveland is absolutely Ka-razy with Keel Boats today! Don't know what a Keelboat is? Let me educamacate you: A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. Thanks, Wikipedia! Can you believe Disneyland once had yachts? Well, not the type of yachts you might imagine, but still lots of fun. The first shot for today is from the 1950's and shows a Keelboat parked in Fowler's Harbor, ready to pick up another batch of guests, including a dad holding a baby on the right giving stink-eye to the photographer.



Image #2 is from 1955; doncha' love the feet dangling over the edge of the Mark Twain?



The first closeup shows the Chicken Plantation Restaurant; if it looks familiar to you then you've probably eaten at the Blue Bayou Restaurant.



Let me make the comparison easy for you:



Back to 1955, here's the closeup all you Keelboat nutz have been waiting for:



This somewhat faded 1950's shot shows a different loading area:



The paper hats definitely upstage the Bertha Mae in this 1950's image:



I wouldn't be surprised if one these ladies was named Bertha Mae.



This lad from June 1967 seems very excited about the prospect of riding on a keelboat; note the Native American cast member standing behind him.



One more keelboat shot for you, showing a March 1968 view:



Let's cut to the chase and zoom into the important part of this photo!



Hope you got enough keelboat shots to last you through the day!

See more Daveland Disneyland Keelboat photos at my main website.