Fort Langhorn is a dream for adventurous children. This rustic settlement on the edges of the American frontier includes a watch tower to keep the settlement safe, a blacksmith shop to meet the metallurgic needs of the inhabitants, stables to keep the horses fed and rested, and an escape tunnel just in case one is needed. It is stocked with rifles that you can fire (safely, of course) at the passing Liberty Square riverboat and the adjacent Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
MORE MAGICAL SECRETS OF TOM SAWYER ISLAND
Pay close attention to the map labeled “Tom Sawyer Island Explorer Map” that is posted on Tom’s Landing. The sign provides background information on Mark Twain, as well as an interesting note about all of the names found on the Island:Mark Twain was born Samuel Clemens in 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He grew up not too far away in the small town of Hannibal. From there he would raft over to islands in the Mississippi and watch as majestic steamboats paddled by. As a young man he became a riverboat pilot listening for the leadsman to sing out “mark twain” which indicated the river measured two fathoms deep, making it safe to proceed. As a writer, his two most famous creations, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, sprang from his boyish memories of life on the Mississippi. All the names on the island can be found in the literary classic Huckleberry Finn.
The Tom Sawyer Scavage Fort is a small play area constructed of barrels and old wood planks. If you look closely, you will notice that the fort’s roof is actually a small rowboat that has been turned upside down.
In the past, cast members would hide several paintbrushes on Tom Sawyer Island. The lucky guests who found those paintbrushes and returned them to a cast member were rewarded with a prize, usually a FastPass to one of the Frontierland attractions. Unfortunately, this fun tradition no longer takes place.
A crate sitting on a dock is addressed to “S.L. Clemens, 208 Hill St., Hannibal Missouri,” in tribute to Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
The women’s restroom at Fort Langhorn is labeled as the “Powder Room.”
Tom Sawyer Island was formerly home to a quick-service dining location known as Aunt Polly’s Dockside Inn. Although the restaurant is now closed, the building is still present, including a dining area that overlooks the Rivers of America.
One of the most picturesque structures on Tom Sawyer Island is Potter’s Mill. You can enter the charming mill and, after climbing a staircase that circles the drive shaft, get picturesque views of the Magic Kingdom. The mill is named after Muff Potter, a good friend of both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Tom Sawyer Island includes two fun bridges for guests to explore. One bridge is composed of a series of barrels latched together by ropes, and offers a very fun walk as guests bob up and down across the bridge. The second bridge, known as Superstition Bridge, connects the large island to the small island.
In addition to Walt Disney World, versions of Tom Sawyer Island also exist in Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.
The original version of Tom Sawyer Island opened at Disneyland in 1956. According to the Disney company, the attraction was designed by Walt Disney himself:Sharing a strong affinity for the world Mark Twain created in his novels, Walt found himself unsatisfied with the island’s original design. Days before construction was set to begin, he took the plans home and re-imagined the landscape design, creating the inlets, coves and overall shape that the island is known for today.
The Magic Kingdom’s version of Tom Sawyer Island opened on May 20, 1973, and has undergone very few changes in the last forty-plus years.
Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade
The Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade is a classic arcade-style game that is housed in a rustic log cabin. The attraction allows guests to fire authentic .54-caliber Hawkins buffalo rifles (refitted, of course) at nearly one hundred interactive targets. The background for this Frontierland shootout is the famed “Boot Hill” cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona.
The rifles don’t fire actual bullets or pellets. Instead, the attraction uses infrared technology to simulate “hits” upon numerous targets, including a bank, a hotel, a jail, several covered wagons, a mine, and a cemetery. The targets in the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade light up, make sounds, and reveal several interactive elements when they are shot, for example:
A skeleton jumps out of a grave.
An ore cart rolls from a mine.
A hotel lights up to reveal showgirls dancing inside.
Birds poke their heads out of a nest.
Prairie dogs raise their heads out of holes in the ground.
Tombstones rise, sink, and shake after being hit. Some even change their epithets.
A ghost rider begins to gallop when accurate shooters hit a cloud.
The cemetery in particular includes numerous humorous epithets on a variety of different tombstones:
“Rest in peace Henry Baker. He has gone to meet his maker.”
“He loved to dance, he drank his fill. He lives no more; he dances still.”
“A. Carpenter. Trapped when in his coffin he napped.”
“Ol’ Tom Hubbard died with a frown, but a grave can’t keep a good man down.”
“Butch was nervous, his hand did shake, he drew on Luke, his last mistake.”
“One last drink was his demand, died a reaching, Red Eye Dan.”
“To follow you, I’m not content, til I know, which way you went.”
The rifles in the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade originally fired real lead pellets. As an attorney, the potential litigation risk associated with that decision makes my head spin. From Disney’s perspective, the time and cost required to re-paint the targets in the game every night, as well as the liability concerns, understandably led to the guns being redesigned to use infrared technology.
Don’t forget to look up when approaching the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade. Numerous antlers sit atop the roof of the attraction, no doubt a result of decades of good shootin’ by guests. A large set of antlers hangs from the second story of the building façade.
The Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade is one of the few Walt Disney World attractions that requires money from guests in addition to their theme park admission tickets. For one dollar, cowboys and cowgirls of all ages will get approximately thirty shots.
A community bulletin board that sits to the left of the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade displays several fun posters, including one for P.A. Mosey’s “SCHOOL OF SHARPSHOOTING” claims that the school has been “TEACHING STUDENTS OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER SINCE 1860.” Get it…caliber? Another sign offers to help cowboys with their horses, noting: “WE TACK ’EM, YOU PACK ’EM.” A partially hidden sign advertises the “DIAMOND HORSESHOE REVUE,” a long since closed theatrical performance that took place in the Diamond Horseshoe. The sign includes the restaurant’s signature horseshoe and diamond insignia.
When first entering Frontierland, most guests do not notice the signage for the Frontier Trading Post that reads: “Texas” John Slaughter Trail Boss. Who is this so-called “Trail Boss” of Frontierland? The answer dates back to a Western-themed television series called Texas John Slaughter. The show aired from 1958 to 1961 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, and starred actor Tom Tryon in the title role. Tryon’s acting résumé also included roles in the classic war films The Longest Day (1962) and In Harm’s Way (1965), both of which featured John Wayne in starring roles. In the show, Texas John Slaughter fights a variety of criminals and wrongdoers. The title character was based upon a real historical figure, John Horton Slaughter, a Civil War veteran, lawman, cowboy, and rancher.
Another advertisement on the bulletin board is for Texas John Slaughter’s “ACADEMY OF ETIQUETTE.” The ad proclaims that Slaughter “will make ’em do what they oughta,” which is a reference to the theme song for the television series.
Frontierland Train Station
The Frontierland train station sits at the entrance to Splash Mountain. Given the significant role played by railroads in the westward expansion of the United States and Walt Disney’s ow
n love of railroads, it only made sense for the Walt Disney World Railroad to make a stop in Frontierland.
The Frontierland station is themed much differently than its Main Street, U.S.A. counterpart. Rough-hewn wood plank construction, weathered shingles, and old lanterns have replaced the smooth brick construction, delicately painted wood, and wrought-iron accessories of the Main Street station. Notwithstanding this rustic appearance, the Frontierland station is filled with many fun details, such as a chalk departure board that lists trains to / from Tucson, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Red Bluff, and Big Thunder as “ON TIME.” Big Thunder is an obvious reference to the adjacent Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
One of the most fun hidden details in any Walt Disney World attraction could formerly be found in the Frontierland train station on a shelf hanging above a lost-and-found window. A wooden leg labeled “Smith” formerly sat on top of that shelf. This was a tribute to the classic 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins, where a wooden leg named Smith is referenced in a joke between Bert and Uncle Albert. I keep my fingers crossed that this fun tribute will one day find its way back.
Pay close attention to the ticketing area in the Frontierland Train Station, as numerous “wanted” posters for a variety of western criminals adorn the walls:
The “Younger Brothers” are wanted “Dead or Alive” for “Murder and Robbery.” The poster promises a $15,000 reward.
A $300 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest of “Curly” McKay, who is wanted dead or alive “for armed stage coach robbery.”
Another wanted poster offers a $6,500 reward for Harry Longbaugh, better known as “The Sundance Kid.” The poster describes him as between 35-40 years old, with a slim build, a long nose, and a dark complexion, even going so far as to note that he “looks like quarter breed Indian.”
“B.H. Stevens” is wanted for “Stagecoach Holdup.” A $1,000 reward is offered.
Another $1,000 reward is offered for “Quantrill,” who is wanted “Dead or Alive.”
The wanted posters all include vintage sketches of the particular outlaw referenced in the poster.
More Frontierland Magical Secrets
Two separate guard towers to the left and right of the main walkway mark the entrance to Frontierland from Liberty Square. The guard tower to the left sits on the second story of a Disney Vacation Club sales area. Look closely and you will see a rifle sticking through one of the windows. On the right side of the walkway, a standalone guard tower includes a lantern, a horn, and a rifle.
Look down at the sidewalks in Frontierland. Many of the sidewalks are composed of wood plank construction and are raised above the adjacent streets of the town. This was a deliberate thematic design element included by the Imagineers so that the mud and muck that would have been found in the streets of this era would not dirty the boots and dresses of the Frontierland inhabitants.
Don’t overlook the foliage in Frontierland. It is less well kept than that of most other areas of the Magic Kingdom (save for Adventureland). This is a intentional design technique used to convey the rustic nature of the land.
A cigar-store Indian, much like the one seen on Main Street, U.S.A. in front of Crystal Arts, sits in front of the Frontier Trading Post.
A sign hanging on the exterior of the Frontier Mercantile warns the good residents of Frontierland that an “indecent” element is moving into town:
PUBLIC OUTRAGE:
DAWSONS
BARBARY COAST SALOON
OPENS MAY FIFTH
Bohemian Actors & Flamboyant Actresses
PERFORMING
UNINHIBITED THEATRICALS
IN AUDIENCE’S MIDST!
PATRONS SERVED BY
UNREPENTENT SINGERS!
A RELENTLESS DISPLAY
OF COMESTIBLES & POTABLES
INDECENT HOURS:
TUES. THUR. SAT. 7-2 AM
An advertisement hanging on the exterior façade of the Frontier Mercantile reads:
A.C. DIETZ CO
Importers of
COAL OIL LAMPS
HARDWARE HARNESS
A NEW COMPLETE LINE OF SADDLES
A similar sign advertising Dietz’s goods hangs on the wall of the Prairie Outpost and Supply.
An advertisement by “S.S. Bedard” offers “a full stock of light carriages!” It implores potential customers to “please call and price my stock before deciding to purchase elsewhere.”
An advertisement by “W.M. Kane, Auctioneer,” on behalf of “Kane Auction Yard,” is posted on the exterior façade of the Frontier Trading Post. It reads:
AUCTION
HORSES
35 Head of Choice Stock
Sold to the Highest Bidder
SATURDAY—9 A.M
Real History
The story of Walt Disney World’s Frontierland begins with the original version in Disneyland. It was one of the five original lands in Disneyland, and opened with that park on July 17, 1955. Two primary factors led to the inclusion of Frontierland in Disney’s original park. First, Walt loved America generally and the pioneer spirit represented by the nation’s westward expansion specifically. Second, and perhaps even more importantly, the genre of Western novels, comics, films, and television films was extremely popular during the 1950s and was one of the most prevalent themes in American pop culture at that time. Given those two factors, the inclusion of a Western-themed land in Disney’s revolutionary new theme park made perfect sense. Although Disneyland’s Frontierland was initially sparse from an attraction perspective (as was Walt Disney World’s version), over the course of more than fifty years of growth and expansion, Disneyland’s Frontierland has grown into one of the most popular lands in that park.
Walt Disney World’s Frontierland opened with the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971, and looked much different than the Frontierland that guests enjoy today. It was a sparsely populated land with few attractions and experiences to entertain guests. On opening day, Frontierland included only three attractions: the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade and the Country Bear Jamboree, both of which guests can still experience today, and the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes which ceased operation in 1994. Although Country Bear Jamboree was extremely popular with guests on opening day, the land lacked a clear headliner attraction. Noticeably absent were Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain.
Most guests are unaware that neither Big Thunder Mountain Railroad nor Splash Mountain was even on the drawing board for Walt Disney World in 1971. Instead, the Imagineers had plans for the greatest attraction experience ever created by the Disney company: Thunder Mesa. In chapter 10, as part of the discussion of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I will provide a more thorough description of the Thunder Mesa project and why that project never came to be. But, in short, Thunder Mesa would have been almost a sub-land for Frontierland that would have been home to numerous attractions and experiences, all housed within a massive show building themed as a Monument Valley mountain range. The most prominent of these attractions would have been the Western River Expedition, a Wild West version of the Disneyland masterpiece, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Due to the substantial cost associated with the Thunder Mesa project, it was not included in the Magic Kingdom on opening day. Instead, Disney planned on implementing it during “Phase 1,” within the first five years of the Magic Kingdom opening. For various reasons, Thunder Mesa never made it off of the drawing board and into the Magic Kingdom. Fortunately for guests, however, Frontierland did receive substantial attention and additions in the years that followed:
In 1972, the original Frontierland train station opened.
In 1973, Tom Sawyer Island opened on Rivers of America.
On November 15, 1980, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a direct thematic descendant of the Thunder Mesa project, opened to give Frontierland a much-needed headliner attraction.
Over a decade later, in 1992, Splash Mountain opened. As a part of the Splash Mountain construction project, the original Fantasyland tra
in station was demolished in the early 1990s and rebuilt in a different location.
chapter nine
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café
Here’s a tall tale straight from the chuck wagon, just the way the old-timers used to tell it. According to them, Pecos Bill was the roughest, toughest, rootin’est, tootin’est, shootin’est cowpoke that ever lived. Well, any story about old Pecos is bound to be right strong medicine, so maybe it’s best to sashay into it kinda gentle-like.
—Narrator, Melody Time (1948)
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe is a quick-service restaurant located in the Frontierland section of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The restaurant is popular with park guests and offers a variety of Tex-Mex food options that include fajitas, burritos, beef nachos, and burgers.
Despite the long lines at lunch and dinner time, most guests don’t realize that the café is one of the most well-themed restaurants in all of Disney World, complete with an intricate backstory, a funny slogan, a code of conduct, and numerous hidden treasures scattered throughout the establishment that pay homage to a variety of historical and fictional folk heroes, many of whom have their own specific connection to Disney.
Backstory
Pecos Bill, Melody Time, and “Tall Tale”
Pecos Bill is a fictional hero, the toughest, rootin’est, tootin’est cowboy in the entire West. The origins of the character are somewhat uncertain. While some believe that the legend of Pecos began with the exploits of a real cowboy, the general consensus is that it is more “fakelore” than actual “folklore.” In other words, the character most likely did not arise from the “oral tradition” of tall tales told around the campfire where the adventures of real cowboys grew over time into fantastic proportions. Historian Brent Ashabranner stated in 1952 that:
The Backstories and Magical Secrets of Walt Disney World Page 17