 By: Brianna Gerard |
| "A lone tumbleweed is blowing across the deserted mine train track as black storm clouds billow above the mountain. Lightning flashes and a ghost train appears, racing at break-neck speed over the track. 'BIG THUNDER STRIKES! ONLY AT DISNEYLAND!'"
The wilderness of America is brought to Southern California in Disneyland’s Frontierland. There are countless "pioneer" stores, a Shootin’ Exposition, and the glistening Rivers of America in the middle of this rustic land. Yet nothing beats the appeal of a giant mountain hovering above Frontierland, where an old mine train races through dimly lit caverns and swoops around spiraling turns. 25 years ago, one of Disney's most memorable rides, and a favorite of mine, had its grand debut. Despite the trials and tribulations Big Thunder has endured in 2003-2004, that won’t stop me from hopping aboard the "wildest ride in the wilderness" once it reopens its train tracks. For the time being, here’s a little history on a big mountain… Before there ever was a Thunder Mountain, the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train (later named the Mine Train Thru Nature’s Wonderland) took guests on a much slower-paced train ride, recreating scenes from the old west. After operating for 16 years, the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland closed on January 2, 1977. For 6 years Disney Imagineers designed and constructed Disney's third roller coaster: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This attraction was the very first at Disneyland to be created with the help of a computer. After re-designing the ride 9 times, it finally opened in Frontierland on September 2, 1979. Many small touches were left behind for Big Thunder Mountain from the attractions it had replaced. At the end of the coaster, a sleepy village is nestled on the left-hand side of the tracks. The town, known as Rainbow Ridge, originated from the Pack Mules and Nature's Wonderland. Inside the initial cavern are rainbow pools and dripping stalagmites and stalactites, left as a tribute to the Rainbow Caverns segment of the Mine Train, along with the dinosaur bones. Next time you are in line for Big Thunder Mountain, make sure to take a look around at the mining artifacts decorating the ride; they are real mining vestiges that Imagineers had collected or bought from auctions. Next time you're careening down the wild mountain, try and notice the effects that set Disney thrill rides apart from the others. Don't miss the furry animatronics or the horseshoes placed at each mining shaft for good luck. And remember to "hang on to them hats and glasses". |
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