Bob Weaver Remembers Nature's Wonderland, Pt. 4

Today marks the publication of Part Four of Bob's Nature's Wonderland attraction memories; we’re actually on the train beginning our journey!

The Mine Train ride began with the train entering a tunnel between the buildings of Rainbow Ridge. There was the obligatory warning by the narrator to remain seated and keep your hands and arms inside at all times ("the animals get mighty hungry") and for some reason on this attraction there was also a no-smoking warning. At the time the narration was recorded, smoking was a lot more popular among Americans than it is now. I guess there was a possibility of a discarded cigarette starting a fire among the very real vegetation througout the journey. The narrator said we would be seeing a lot of wildlife, so we should "keep a real sharp hunter's eye." That statement confused me as a kid: was that some sort of tool we were supposed to have and why wasn't I given one?



On exiting the tunnel the train entered Beaver Valley, which had a little pond and there were beavers building a dam. I should mention that none of the animals seen on the attraction were real; they were all "audio-animatronic" or mostly just "animatronic" because they made no sounds. There were never any real animals unless they were wild and happened to take up residence there, such as the birds in the trees or whatever. In my opinion, the animals were actually pretty well-done and realistic looking - but nobody was ever fooled into thinking that they were live animals. The awkward, mechanical motions they made were the giveaways. Even little kids realized they were fake, but we all played along with it anyway. For me, the fake animals were never the real stars of the show, anyway. The real stars for me were the environments and water features. When we passed some marmots above the next tunnel, peeking up from rocks at the train, the narrator said they "must be a-whistlin' to all you pretty gals." This usually elicited an embarrassed giggle from any young women that happened to be on the train at that time.



Next the train meandered over to the Cascade Peak area, which was a beautiful mountain with huge waterfalls flowing down it. It was a very impressive achievement in and of itself. Kind of like the Matterhorn's "little brother" but with more waterfalls. The train went behind one large, wide waterfall and then in front of another waterfall that had multiple drops including the "twin sisters" as the nearest to the train. The walls of water were very close to the train, and sound of the water was thunderous. Massive amounts of water were constantly flowing, all day long. They must have turned it off at night to save on the electricity used by the pumps. Some adults could reach and just barely touch the water if they tried hard, but kids' arms weren't long enough. I guess the reaching for the water
wasn't enough of a violation of the "keep your hands and arms inside" rule to make the train come to a stop. The narrator called one of the falls "Twin Sisters, cause they're always babblin." That usually evoked a polite chuckle from the grandparents, while the kids were still mesmerized by the powerful sheets of water seemingly inches away from our reach.



As the train went around Cascade Peak, there was a fine view of one side of Tom Sawyer Island, across the Rivers of America. You might also see one of the many watercraft that went around the Rivers, such as the canoes, the keel boats, the Mark Twain or the Columbia; wave to the people on any of these and see if they wave back, or wave to the people on Tom Sawyer Island and see if any wave back. Behold Walt Disney's dream, fully realized, landscaped and populated with guests.



Awesome.



Then the train entered another tunnel and came out into the Bear River part of the attraction (this is sometimes referred to as "Bear Country" in some articles. Deepening the confusion, there was also a land in Disneyland called Bear Country, which is now called Critter Country). Immediately after coming out of the tunnel the train crossed a trestle built over a small lake. The trestle was designed to look rickety, with beams at odd angles, and to a kid it seemed really high above the water. It was probably only about 20 feet but it seemed like the water was a long way down. When you were on the trestle, if you were a kid, you couldn't see the track below you, just the green water. If you looked over the edge of the car you could see the track, but it was too scary to look over. In addition there were 2 small platforms on one side of the bridge, with large red barrels marked TNT or something. The narrator didn't mention those, but told us to sit real still, because "No tellin' how long she's gonna last." That was absolutely the last thing I wanted to hear at that moment, and it was always a profound relief when the train left the trestle and went onto solid ground again. In the river below the trestle were 3 sets of bears: one with a fish in its mouth, a group of 3 bears off to the side, and one scratching its back against a tree. There was also another bear over by itself standing up. Sometimes you would see fish jump out of the water (fake fish) but none of those mattered to me. All I wanted was for the train to get off that damned bridge. The bear pond was a pretty neat area, though, with the jumping fish and all that. By that point you were deep into the attraction; so deep in fact that you had forgotten all about the long drive to get there, the parking lot, the ticket books, the long walks, the waiting lines... all of that stuff was forgotten and you were totally immersed in the Disneyland experience.



The narrator made a joke about two elk who were in a conflict over a female elk, "Does gittin' two women-folk mean yer the winner or the loser?" to which women on the ride would usually go "Ohhh..." or "Boo!" and at that point it became clear the narrator was quite the misogynist. I don't think the script for this attraction would be the same if it were being written today.



Visitors to Disneyland today can still see a damaged portion of Bear River, along the walkway that connects Frontierland to Fantasyland. The opening of the tunnel is seen along with a remnant of the kid-terrifying trestle. The water is now a murky bright green, though, nothing like it was during the ride's heyday. It's either pond scum or they dumped some green coloring in it. Pretty ugly compared to the natural-looking state it was in during the attraction's lifetime. However the jumping fish are still seen sporadically.



See more Disneyland Nature's Wonderland photos at >my website.

Bob Weaver Remembers Nature's Wonderland, Pt. 2

Today marks the publication of Part Two of Bob's fantastic memory of the Nature's Wonderland attraction:

The attraction was located in the northern section of Frontierland and was one of the two "must-see" attractions in Frontierland for our family (the other being Tom Sawyer Island). Walking towards the loading area, you saw the town of Rainbow Ridge, an old-West style frontier town. Above the town on a hill with trees was the actual Rainbow Ridge, which looked very inviting. You couldn’t see any of the attraction itself other than the section of the track where you got on and the trains that came out of one tunnel, stopped to unload and reload, then disappeared into another tunnel. There was really no preview of the wonders to come. Thus, there was no excitement of anticipation either, like you would get from the Matterhorn or the Autopia, after seeing a glimpse of what the attraction was going to be like.



The wait was never very long, though when I was 6 years old even 15 minutes seemed like a long time! The line moved in bunches rather than a steady flow. As each train entered the loading area, the passengers who just finished their journey would get off the train, and a whole group of new passengers would be let in to get on the train. So the line would move a lot, then it would sit still until the next train arrived, then move again. When we got near the front of the line we wondered with excitement, "Will we get on the next train or not?" And we wanted to pick which car to get into, although when the boarding actually happened you forgot about that and just went to the nearest car. In later years as the attraction's popularity apparently dwindled, there was very little or no line at all; in fact, I remember walking over there and getting right on it one evening. However, even if you had to wait a few minutes, there was plenty to see while you were waiting. The façade of false-front "stores" and businesses, including the "Rainbow Ridge Clarion" and many others, was interesting to study while you were standing there, and with the trees on the ridge above it, the whole frontier town setting was vividly created before you even started the attraction.



Hidden in the trees at the top of the hill was what looked like the machinery of a mine, but the attraction never ventured close to that area. The mine machinery was removed when the track was reconfigured for Nature’s Wonderland. Some buildings were also moved and others added to expand Rainbow Ridge. From 1955 to 1973 there was a Pack Mules attraction, and part of the path the mules took passed right in front of these storefronts, but sadly for me I never got to go on those. There were also two other attraction that used this same general area, The Conestoga Wagons of 1955-1959 and The Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches of 1956-1959. Both were drawn by live horses.



Some of the Rainbow Ridge storefronts looked like complete buildings that you could possibly enter, but park visitors were not allowed to actually go in any of them. It gave you something interesting to look at as you stood waiting for the next train to arrive from a tunnel opening at the right. One of these businesses represented was a dentist's office. Another was a hotel, and often emanating from it would be a pre-recorded sound of a man snoring (presumably a man, though it could have been a lady with a big nose!). Most park guests giggled a little at the snoring sound. There were also sounds for the saloon with piano and occasional gun shots. The church bell rang on occasion and the clanking from the blacksmith could also be heard. All of this kept you entertained as you waited to get on the attraction, so that kept it from ever getting boring. It was not likely that you would hear all of the sound effects on a single visit to the attraction, but very likely that you would hear at least one. The one that I remember most clearly was the snoring, and again I am indebted to James Keeline for reminding me of the others.



I have seen old films of fake gunfights that were sometimes performed in front of the storefront façades for the entertainment of the guests waiting, but sadly I never saw one of those in person either. You couldn't see any of the actual attraction area while you were waiting. This gave the ride a true sense of adventure because you really had no idea what you were about to see. The wait was usually just a few minutes, while the attraction itself had a generous duration (approximately nine minutes); quite the opposite of Disneyland today, with hour-long waits for 3-minute attractions.



See more Disneyland Nature's Wonderland photos at my website.

Rainbow Caverns Mine Train Quartet, 1958

Here’s a set of four shots from a beloved lost attraction in Frontierland. Inspired by the Disney True-Life Adventure nature films, guests originally road aboard The Rainbow Caverns Mine Train and explored the wonders of the desert. The name on this attraction changed a few times over the years; in the 1956 brochure, it is listed as “Rainbow Caverns Mine Ride”; in 1961 it has changed to “Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland”; 1968 (2 years after a major overhaul) shows it as Nature’s Wonderland Mine Train; and a 1970 lists it simply as “Mine Train Ride.” Whatever you call it, I enjoyed it; its slow, leisurely pace gave you plenty of time to check out the scenery and the rocks that loomed menacingly over your mine car.





I dig the sun blazing through this rock formation:



On another note...I just watched “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” for the first time. I think Disney did it a terrible disservice by creating a trailer focused around a corny Busby Berkeley-style musical number that had little to do with the picture. I avoided this one like the plague when it came to theaters, but gave it a shot on home video. I was actually pleasantly surprised. Very cute flick and the dogs give amazing performances, thanks to a little help from special effects of course.



See more Disneyland Nature’s Wonderland photos at my website.