Disneyland Transportation Cutbacks: Frontierland

Here begins a series on the transportation reduction at Disneyland, starting with the Frontierland area (dry land only for today!). This is not necessarily about attractions that have been cut, but rather modes of transportation that once took guests from point A to point B, OR those that gave guests a tour or glimpse of the Park. In 1956, gigantic maps were sprinkled throughout Disneyland, highlighting the attractions that could be found. This one was in Frontierland. Zooming in, you can see the various modes of transportation that could be found there.



The original entrance for the Stage Coaches/Wagons/Pack Mules, circa September 1955:



The below image shows the upgraded entrance and ticket window structure for the Rainbow Desert Stage Coaches:



Guests could buy tickets here for Conestoga (covered) Wagons, a Stage Coach (also referred in some Disney publications as “Concord Stagecoach”), and the Pack Mules.



Only 50¢? What a value! Or a ‘B’ ticket if you prefer!



Another view of the entrance area, from February 1959:



A 1956 brochure shows you could choose between buggy rides, buckboard rides, conestoga wagon rides, mule pack ride, stage coach ride, surrey ride, and yellowstone coach ride.



The 1958 guide book only listed Conestoga (Covered Wagon) Ride, Stagecoach Ride, Mine Train, and Mule Pack Rides.



Here are photos that show each of these vehicles in action, beginning with the Stage Coach (or Stagecoach, depending upon which publicity piece you read!):



This is a different style of Stagecoach that was also offered, numbered 4:



Number 5:



Number 6:



A buckboard:



A Conestoga Wagon:



The Yellowstone Coach photo is a pre-opening shot. Perhaps Walt intended these to take guests around Frontierland; instead, they joined the other wagons and coaches on the Nature's Wonderland trail.



A color shot from 1959 of the Yellowstone:



A lineup of the vehicles, July 27, 1955:



Guests could ride either shotgun (on top with the driver) or inside of the coach itself (and learn what a sardine feels like!). Both the Stagecoaches and Wagons shared the same route through Frontierland, which included Coyote Rock, Elephant Rock, Inscription Rock, Horse Thief Canyon, Dead Man’s Spring, Natural Bridge, and Indian Territory. A December 1955 newspaper ad for Frontierland stated:

You will ride the Conestoga Wagon in Frontierland—one of the most picturesque and vital vehicles in history. It was the Conestoga, not the Covered Wagon, that developed the West. The great wagons were first built in the Conestoga Valley of Pennsylvania, with water tight bottoms that permitted safe crossing of rivers. You will also ride authentic stage coaches, pack trains, and buckboards in this remarkable re-creation of the old West.

After new scenic landscaping was added, the Stagecoaches were renamed the Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches in 1956. Unfortunately, the Stagecoaches were prone to tipping over (which shook up the Pack Mules; talk about a chain reaction!).



Breakaway harnesses didn’t solve the problem; instead they caused guests to sometimes be stranded while the horses proceeded on the journey without them.

Although apparently intended for Frontierland, the Surreys were found on Main Street instead, as seen in this August 1955 image:



…and March 1956:



…and April 1963, below. Based on photos in my collection, it seems like they were removed from the rotation of Main Street vehicles after 1965.



They were on display at the Big Thunder Ranch, but of course disappeared when Star Wars took over that area. Hopefully they are being taken care of behind-the-scenes!



The Pack Mules were a popular attraction, lasting in Frontierland until October 1973. Note the weight limit of 195 pounds. Better skip that extra churro!





In this image, you can see the mules passing alongside a stagecoach:



Yes, the Mine Train was part of an attraction, Nature's Wonderland, but I would classify it as transportation. It provided guests a grand tour of the sites of Frontierland, as well as the Rivers of America.

And what’s left of all these amazing transportation modes today? Zip. Zilch. Zero. None of them operate in the Park on a regular basis anymore. At special events, some of the vehicles are trotted out for photo ops, but that’s about it. Big Thunder Mountain replaced Nature’s Wonderland in 1979. Functioning solely as a thrill ride, BTMRR lasts for a fraction of the time that its predecessor did.

Low guest capacity and high overhead were the reasons given for why all the coaches were eliminated. The last journey of the Stagecoach and the Conestoga Wagons is debatable; in the Nickel Tour book, two dates are given: September 13, 1959 and February 10, 1960. The Pack Mules were removed as the times changed, and having to rely on unpredictable animals was something the Disney Corporation did not want to have to deal with.

Frontierland lost its zip when all of these rides were removed, becoming a lot more predictable and bland.

See more Frontierland transportation photos at my main website.

The SD Half Results and Buckboards

The pictures are in, so now I can tell the rest of the story of this year's San Diego Half Marathon. The temperature was slightly cool when I arrived at the starting line at about 6:30am. The official start time for the race was 7:20am, and I was in Wave 2, which would begin approximately 1 minute and 45 seconds after that. I was nervous about 2 things; one was taken care of by a quick trip to the restroom inside of the Omni (note to self: never eat lasagna laden with mozzarella the night before a race) and the other was something I had no control over, which is the outdoor temperature. It was going to be a warm day, and I just wanted to start as soon as possible before the sun came out in full force. As you can see in the first photo, I was in a pretty good mood, excited to be doing a new race and excited to see how far all of my training would take me. I also had a number of coworkers who were running the race, too (thus the apparel).

Here's how it started: the first few minutes, I always wonder, "How the hell am I going to run 13 miles at this pace?" Then by about mile 1, I calm down and start to feel pretty good, as witnessed by this shot of me passing the Star of India Maritime Museum on Harbor Drive.



As the race wore on, the heat factor increased, and I began to wilt. By mile 8, I started seeing too many people pass me (never a good sign) and it really messed with my mind. I had a feeling that my goal time was slowly going down the drain.



After completing the worst hill of the course (and there were quite a few for this race), I saw the time at the 10 mile marker which showed I had been running for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Son of a bleeping bee-yotch. I realized that a personal best was impossible, and all I wanted to do was just stop and walk the last 3 miles. Fortunately, I trudged on and began to get my game back. Not enough to run 3 miles in 15 minutes, but enough to finish with a time of 1:56.12. I saw my assistant from work at the finish line; she had waited for me after completing the 5k. If you run, I am sure you understand how much it can help to see and hear somebody cheering you on. It definitely bolstered my spirits and helped me finish strong.



I was disappointed beyond belief not to achieve a personal best, but I was happy that despite the heat (which is my achilles heel when it comes to running), I came in respectably under 2 hours. And the worst part of the race? Having to climb a few flights of steps to pick up the after-race snacks and goody bag. Ouch, ouch, and double ouch.



Next up…maybe I'll do the SD Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. Stay tuned…

Thanks to David over at Gorillas Don't Blog, I was reminded that Life Magazine had a number of shots of the Buckboard Wagons from when Disneyland first opened. Hmmm…looks like fun; can't imagine why they didn't last!



Driving through Frontierland, with Native Americans along the way, it looks like lots of fun! I don't get it?!?



Oh…now I get it.



I can imagine that there were very few guests who were excited about getting wet in this vehicle that provided very little (if any) protection from the elements along the way.



Obviously, not much testing occurred with this attraction before it opened! NOW I know why the buckboards didn't last long in the park.



See more Daveland photos from my collection on my main website.

Frontierland Transportation

From 1955 until approximately 1960, Disneyland guests had a choice of three vehicles in which they could tour Frontierland. First up is the rarely seen Yellowstone Coach, of which I only have 3 shots of in my vintage collection, starting off with this 1955 image.

Image #2 from my Yellowstone collection:



And this black and white shot, taken before opening:



A 1959 image of a stagecoach:



Zooming in on the guests inside:



Here's a vintage August 1956 view of a Conestoga Wagon.



A closeup of the driver:



A December 1955 newspaper ad for Disneyland trumpeted:

“You will ride the Conestoga Wagon in Frontierland—one of the most picturesque and vital vehicles in history. It was the Conestoga, not the Covered Wagon, that developed the West. The great wagons were first built in the Conestoga Valley of Pennsylvania, with water tight bottoms that permitted safe crossing of rivers. You will also ride authentic stage coaches, pack trains, and buckboards in this remarkable re-creation of the old West.”

A Buckboard is the name for a four-wheeled wagon drawn by a horse. The "buckboard" itself is the front-most board on the wagon that could act as both a footrest for the driver and protection for the driver from the horse's rear hooves in case of a "buck."

Before somebody chimes in, "But Dave, the ad says they also had a Pack Train! That means there were four types of vehicles!" A Pack Train is just a fancy way of saying mules. Although not a mechanical vehicle, yes, they do deserve to have a photo in this post:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Frontierland transportation photos from my collection on my main website.

TPE: Stagecoaches & Wagons

Are Pack Mules too unpredictable for you? How about viewing Nature's Wonderland aboard a Stagecoach, Buckboard, or Conestoga Wagon? This was another option for you from 1956—1960.



Guests could ride either shotgun (on top with the driver) or inside of the coach itself (and learn what a sardine feels like!). Both the Stagecoaches and Wagons shared the same route through Frontierland, which included Coyote Rock, Elephant Rock, Inscription Rock, Horse Thief Canyon, Dead Man’s Spring, Natural Bridge, and Indian Territory. A December 1955 newspaper ad for Frontierland stated:

“You will ride the Conestoga Wagon in Frontierland—one of the most picturesque and vital vehicles in history. It was the Conestoga, not the Covered Wagon, that developed the West. The great wagons were first built in the Conestoga Valley of Pennsylvania, with water tight bottoms that permitted safe crossing of rivers. You will also ride authentic stage coaches, pack trains, and buckboards in this remarkable re-creation of the old West.”



After new scenic landscaping, the Stagecoaches were renamed the Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches in 1956. Unfortunately, the Stagecoaches were prone to tipping over (which shook up the Pack Mules...talk about a chain reaction); breakaway harnesses didn’t solve the problem...instead it caused many a guest to be stranded while the horses proceeded on the journey. I can't believe this was actually captured on film:





Low guest capacity and high overhead were the reason the coaches were eliminated; the last journey of the Stagecoach and the Conestoga Wagons is debatable; in the Nickel Tour, two dates are given: September 13, 1959 and February 10, 1960.







Taint many who love the history of Walt Disney’s Disneyland as much as Wild Ol’ Dan Blasius. He’s just wandered into Daveland, unsaddled his horse, rolled out his bedroll, and sat down by the campfire to have a cup of coffee. Wild Ol’ Dan is also the author of the first Hopalong Cassidy novel to be published in well over 50 years: “HOPALONG CASSIDY RIDES AGAIN.” So as you might figure, I’ve asked him to put a few thoughts together on Frontierland at Disneyland. Well, turns out he has more than a few thoughts on that subject...Enjoy!



WHICH ONE OF YOU FELLERS WANTS TO RIDE SHOTGUN?

Howdy Pards, Well, I suppose it's kinda hard for the young whippersnappers around today to even imagine that there used to be a time when you could catch a real, honest to gosh stagecoach in Frontierland and head off into the backcountry. But there was...yur durned tootin' there was! Yessirreebob! From the get go, Ol' Walt Disney loved the idea of a Disneyland stagecoach ride...and a conestoga wagon ride…and even buggy and buckboard rides there in Frontierland. Walt loved horses. You fellers may not know this but Walt and some of the animators there at the Walt Disney Studios once had a Polo Team! Yessir, they surely did. And one of Walt's biggest movie stars, a feller named Goofy, once did a film on "How to ride a horse"...even Donald once did one about visitin' a Dude Ranch...and I hear tell that Mickey was mighty handy with a rope (remember...every week on the old Mickey Mouse Club? Talent Roundup Day it was...) Why, shucks, Walt even invited the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers, and the Smartest Horse in the Movies, Trigger, along with the famous Sons of the Pioneers, to tell the story of Pecos Bill for one of those movies of his...a thing called MELODY TIME as I recall. Yep, Walt Disney loved horses, and he wanted them to be a part of his new park in a big, big way.



Before Disneyland opened the fellers over in the studio carpentry shop (the fellers who put those coaches together for the park) fully outfitted one with a four horse hitch and brought the thing over to the Animation Building where Walt’s office was. Walt put on his cowboy boots and his big white cowboy hat and climbed up into the box and took the reins to get his picture took. I wanna tell ya that was a mighty special thing to Walt. All those dreams of his were comin' true...and taint nuthin' like lookin' at a four horse hitch from the driver's seat of a real, honest-to-gosh stagecoach...That thar can make a feller's imagination soar…especially a feller like Walt Disney. Well, naturally they were gonna need a mess of horses for the park...big ones, miniature ones, all kinds of horses...and some pack mules too. You betcha. Afterall, we're gonna call this thing Frontierland don't ya know? The stagecoachs started rollin' the very first day the park opened and folks could either ride up topside or inside the coach as they headed out...and what an adventure it musta’ been. Mark Twain once called the stagecoach a "cradle on wheels" and I reckon that's what it was until those horses started gettin' rambunctious. Nobody bothered to explain to those Disneyland horses that they would be hearin' train whistles and bells out thar in the backcountry and even the ol' Mark Twain Riverboat a bellowin' out thar on the river. Well, on occasion all these strange noises kinda spooked the horses some. Not a good thing for a top heavy stagecoach…but it sure gave the guests a taste of the authentic Old West. Yep, those coaches tipped over on occasion.



But, as ol' Dave says, the biggest problem was "ride capacity" and the expenses of keepin' all those horses fed and watered...keepin' the equipment safe...and all the other costs involved in runnin' a modern stage line...Sad to say the end of the trail came all too soon...yep sometime tween '59 and '60 the only way to get out thar into the back country was by Mule Train or Mine Train... the stagecoachs, conestoga wagons, buckboards, buggys and such began to vanish from the park. But you know fellers, you can still catch one of those horse drawn streetcars down Main Street U.S.A. till this very day. If you ain't done it...get'r done...there's nuthin' like hearin' the beat of one of those big ol' horse's hooves as they make their way towards the castle. And...with crowds growin' thicker and thicker all the time, there's no tellin' when they might vanish from the park too. Sure hope they never do though...



Yessir, buckaroos, there was somethin' downright magical to ridin' in one of those stagecoaches or conestoga wagons…somethin' that kinda connected ya to the pioneers and those rip-snortin' days of the Old West. Reckon that's why they called the place Frontierland to begin with...for a good many of us there sure are a lotta wonderful memories in those parts...thanks for ridin' along... Adios for now. Talk to ya on’ down the trail.

Wild Ol’ Dan

























See more vintage Disneyland Conestoga Wagon & Stagecoach attraction photos on my Wagon & Stagecoach web page.