Mark Twain Riverboat
- Water Rides
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Steam into the Past
Board an old-fashioned steam-powered vessel for a half-mile journey into the heart of the American frontier.
During the charming, 14-minute trip around Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island , spot delightful sights along the river’s edge, including:
- The north bank of the Columbia Gorge, complete with a beautiful waterfront and 5 sparkling waterfalls
- A rustic frontier cabin
- An idyllic Native American village
- A busy beaver at work chewing on the train trestle
- Mountain lions relaxing in the sun
- The Disneyland Railroad steaming into the wilderness
Along the way, hear lively narration about a time gone by.
Along the Mississippi
The Mark Twain is an authentic reproduction of the historic vessels that ferried people up and down the mighty Mississippi River. A working steam engine converts the water from the Rivers of America into steam that in turn powers the large paddle that propels the boat.
Featuring meticulously detailed wood craftsmanship, the 28-foot tall, 105-foot-long riverboat is comprised of 4 pristine decks:
- Pilothouse , also known as the top deck, features the wheelhouse and Captain’s Quarters
- Promenade Deck includes a salon and a collection of vintage photos and maps
- Texas (or Sun) Deck is the perfect place to enjoy the outdoors as you float down the river
- Main Deck includes the boiler and pistons that run the paddlewheel
Limited seating is available.
A Tribute to America’s Writer
Walt Disney named the Mark Twain after the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. The famed author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn —and Walt’s personal hero—Clemens was also a riverboat pilot as a young man.
That experience inspired his pen name: “mark twain” is a boating term that means a vessel is at a safe depth.
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Mark Twain Riverboat
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Mark Twain Riverboat is an attraction, located at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim , California , on which passengers embark on a scenic, 12-minute journey around the Rivers of America . Originally named Mark Twain Steamboat when the park opened in 1955, the stately, 5/8-scale Mississippi stern-wheeler was the first functional riverboat to be built in the United States for fifty years. Other Disney riverboat attractions now appear at Walt Disney World Resort , Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris .
- 1 Disneyland version
- 2 Former sights
- 4.1 Walt Disney World
- 4.2 Thunder Mesa riverboats (Disneyland Paris)
- 4.3 Tokyo Disneyland
- 5 Technical
- 6 References
Disneyland version [ ]
Passengers wait for the 150-ton, high, long riverboat, which departs every 25 minutes, inside a sheltered area located in the Frontierland section of the park. The waiting area is made to resemble a real riverboat loading area, with cargo deliveries sharing space on the dock. Historic United States flags are displayed at the attraction's entrance.
Upon boarding Mark Twain , passengers are free to move about her three levels. The lower deck's bow has chairs. The upper deck provides a vantage point for viewing landmarks throughout the voyage, there are also a couple bench seats on this level, some indoors and some outside.
The wheelhouse, where Mark Twain' s pilot is stationed, is also located on the upper deck. The lower level of the wheelhouse features a sleeping area and a sink to maintain the illusion of this being the captain's living quarters. At the pilot's discretion, a small number of passengers may be given permission to ride in the wheelhouse for the voyage, after which they are presented with souvenir Pilot Certificates.
The pilot signals the departure and arrival of Mark Twain using a whistle and bell system, along with various signals to other watercraft attractions. Because the riverboat travels along an I-beam guide rail throughout the ride, the pilot does not maneuver the ship. Instead, the pilot serves as lookout for other river traffic, such as Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes and the Rafts to Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island , and communicates his observations with the boiler engineer. The boiler engineer is stationed on the bottom deck towards the stern. This is where the throttle and reverser are located. From here, the boiler engineer controls the speed and direction of the riverboat. Steam from the boiler is used to power the paddle wheels and thus pushes the craft along its guide-way.
The voyage on the Rivers of America around Tom Sawyer Island features pre-recorded narration by a riverboat guide voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft , Mark Twain ( Peter Renaday ), who speaks of his days piloting a riverboat, and by the (not present) "captain" of the ship, voiced by Disney voice actor Stephen Stanton . The narration playback, operated by the pilot via a control panel in the pilot house, points out the following sights:
- Haunted Mansion
- Splash Mountain
- Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes landing
- Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
- Mike Fink 's Cabin
- Lakota Chief, raising hand in welcome
- A shaman telling a native folktale
- Lakota Village
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Sacred aboriginal burial ground
- Animals and abandoned mine cars
- Big Thunder Falls
On most days, Mark Twain begins operation as soon the park opens. On days when Fantasmic! is being performed, the riverboat, which plays a role in the show, will close a couple of hours before showtime. On other nights, Mark Twain will run through the evening, using a high intensity rooftop spotlight to point out sights, with the final trip beginning about thirty minutes before park closing. A sign at the loading area will list the day's last trip.
Former sights [ ]
There are a few former sights that the boat passed along the river. The Burning Settler's Cabin which used propane to simulate burning was one. The pipe that fed propane to the burner failed in the early 2000s and has not been relit. There were plans in 2007 to replace the failed feed and again have the cabin burn. However, the Pirate's Lair at Tom Sawyer Island modifications affected these plans. As of now, the burn marks have been removed, the holes patched and the area cleaned up. The front lawn area now has a table, picnic-like decorations and clothes on a clothes line. What makes this odd is while the rest of Tom Sawyer Island appears as if it has been invaded by pirates, this part of the island is the only thing not pirate themed.
Along with the Cabin, the Gullywhumper, one of Disneyland's extinct Keel Boats is now scenery along the river's bank. A mine train from the old Nature's Wonderland attraction was also used as scenery. The Mine Train is on its original track and used to border Cascade Peak, a man-made fiberglass hill complete with waterfall which was bulldozed in 1998. The train was removed in June 2010 for restoration. Also, one of the rafts to Tom Sawyer's Island was marooned just in front of the no longer burning cabin and is now scenery.
History [ ]
A Mississippi steamboat was included in the plans for the first Disney amusement park that was to be built across the street from his Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Although this park was abandoned in favor of the much larger Disneyland , the plan for having a riverboat attraction was retained.
Because Mark Twain was the first functional paddlewheeler built in the United States in fifty years, the WED designers conducted extensive research to build it like riverboats were built in the heyday of steam powered ships. The decks were assembled at the Disney Studios at Burbank, while the 105-foot hull was constructed at Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California (where portions of Columbia were built years later). [1]
Joe Fowler , Disneyland's construction supervisor and a former navy admiral, insisted on creating a drydock for the ship along what was to be the Rivers of America. Walt Disney , dismayed at how much land was taken up by the massive excavation, referred to the drydock first as "Joe's Ditch", and then later, "Fowler's Harbor", the name by which it goes by today. However, Disney remained a supporter of the riverboat itself, funding its construction out of his own pocket when corporate funds fell short. On the first "fill-the-river" day, the water that was pumped into the Rivers of America soaked through the riverbed. Fowler quickly found a supply of clay to replace the soil stabilizer used to line the river, and the second "fill-the-river" day was successful.
Mark Twain had her maiden voyage on July 13, 1955, four days before the park officially opened, for a private party celebrating Walt and Lillian Disney 's 30th wedding anniversary. Before the party, as Fowler was checking to make sure everything would be ready for the 300 invited guests, he found Lillian sweeping the decks of debris and joined in to help her.
Disneyland's opening day brought further problems for Mark Twain . Actress Irene Dunne, star of the movie Showboat , had trouble breaking a bottle of water (from many major American rivers) across the vessel's bow for her christening on Dateline Disney . During the riverboat's first official voyage, when the crowd moved to one side of the boat to view a passing scene of an Indian encampment or other sight, the boat would list from the side and water poured over the deck, as no one had determined Mark Twain' s maximum safe passenger capacity.
This oversight caused Mark Twain to almost capsize on a voyage a few days later when ride operators continued to wave more than 500 guests on board until the deck neared the water line. As the ship traversed the sparsely vegetated river route, it came loose from its track and got stuck in the muddy banks. Immediately, the park established a maximum capacity of 300 passengers, which remains in effect today.
After a rough start, Mark Twain has had a successful 69-year-career as a theme park attraction. During its first few years of operation, passengers could buy a non-alcoholic mint julep aboard or listen to card and checker players re-enact dialogue of that era. Occasionally the Disneyland band would play music on the lower deck bow to entertain both the passengers and the theme park visitors on the river banks. [2]
Mark Twain underwent a major refurbishment during the Spring of 1995, during which all the decks and the boiler were replaced. September 24, 1995 saw the first and only Disney Fantasyland Wedding, to this day, to be held on an attraction, in theme clothing. A local Orange County couple, Kevin and Patricia Sullivan exchanged vows on the bow of the boat as she circled the Rivers of America. The groom's father Ed Sullivan, a 50-year Disney veteran, donned the classic Mark Twain costume for the once in a lifetime ceremony. The couple sealed their vows by pulling the ships steam whistle together. From atop the upper most deck, the couple let loose ropes, unfurling a ship sized JUST MARRIED banner across the stern.
When the Rivers of America was drained in 2002, the boat was noted to have considerable hull damage. It underwent a refurbishment in 2004 to repair the hull, which included replacing the keel. [3] For the park's 50th Anniversary celebration in 2005, a new, more colorful paint job was applied to the durable riverboat.
On January 11, 2016, the Mark Twain Riverboat, along with the other attractions and shows along the Rivers of America, would close temporarily for the construction of a Star Wars -themed land . These attractions reopened on July 29, 2017. [4] [5] [6]
Other Disney theme park riverboats [ ]
Walt disney world [ ].
The Magic Kingdom theme park in Bay Lake, Florida at one time featured two riverboats: Admiral Joe Fowler , a sternwheeler named for Disneyland's construction supervisor, and Richard F. Irvine , a sternwheeler named for a WED executive. There is now one riverboat: the Liberty Belle .
Admiral Joe Fowler served from October 2, 1971, one day after park opening, until the Fall of 1980, when it was retired after less than ten years of operation and it got accidentally destroyed after falling from a crane onto its drydock. [7]
Richard F. Irvine came into service on May 20, 1973 but was renamed The Liberty Belle in 1996 after everything except for the hull, boiler, and engines was stripped off, and an all-new superstructure was constructed from aluminum and vinyl.
In August 2024, it was announced that the Magic Kingdom version of Rivers of America would would be closed to make way for a Frontierland expansion, based on the Cars franchise. As such, the Liberty Belle was planned to stop operating as well. [8] [9]
Thunder Mesa riverboats (Disneyland Paris) [ ]
The Grim Reaper tows the Mark Twain. c. 2003
The Frontierland area of Disneyland Park has the unique distinction of featuring two riverboats, Mark Twain and Molly Brown . Each riverboat features a recorded conversation between the Captain and Mark Twain or Molly Brown. Since the storyline takes place in the fictional town of Thunder Mesa, most of the spiel deals with the sights of Big Thunder Mountain , Phantom Manor , Wilderness Island, Smuggler's Cove, an old snoring fisherman, and a geyser field containing dinosaur remains.
- Mark Twain is based on the Anaheim Park's original riverboat, a sternwheeler.
- Molly Brown , named for Titanic -survivor Molly Brown, is the only sidewheeler in a Disney Park.
On May 16, 2005, Molly Brown' s engine overheated as the boat rounded the corner at the back of the Rivers of the Far West. Although there was no visible fire, smoke damaged the ship and her engines, rendering her immobile. Guests were ferried ashore by the River Rogue Keelboats. The engine system was badly damaged and Molly Brown remained out of operation for many months, while Mark Twains ongoing refurbishment at the dry dock was finished. In September 2005, Molly Brown was moved to the dry dock, and in March 2006, Mark Twain finally resumed operation from Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing. However, it was not until September that Molly Brown' s long refurbishment finally began, and was completed in late April 2007. [10]
Yet, in 2010, Molly Brown had to be rebuilt from scratch. On March 25, 2011, she was back in business, with a new recording of Molly Brown's speech in English, which used to be in French. The Mark Twain hasn’t operated since 2011, and has spent most of that time sitting in dry dock. [11] In 2014, MiceAge reported that the Mark Twain was falling apart due to lack of maintenance, and is in danger of scrapping.
For years, it was a regular Halloween tradition to have a giant Grim Reaper barge tow the Mark Twain along the river route, as part of a seasonal retheme of Frontierland to "Halloweenland".
Tokyo Disneyland [ ]
Tokyo Disneyland 's Mark Twain riverboat is so large that it is required by law to be registered. Its home port is listed as Urayasu. From the time of its opening until September 2006 its sponsor was Nippon Suisan Kaisha.
Technical [ ]
Mark Twain riverboat burns biodiesel fuel to heat its boiler, continuously heating water into steam, which is then routed to two pistons that turn the paddlewheel. Spent exhaust is then routed back to the boiler.
The riverboat is guided through the Rivers of America via an I-beam track, which is hidden under the green and brown dyed river water.
The boat draws only in of water, for the river is relatively shallow. At its deepest point it is no more than 8 feet near the switch at Fowler's Harbor, where it resides when not in operation.
The boat uses clean, fresh water from a tank on board to prevent contaminants from the water in the Rivers of America from fouling the boiler.
References [ ]
- ↑ " Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation, Los Angeles Division. Long-Range Facilities Plan. Contract MA-8O-SAC-O1O29 " (31 July 1981).
- ↑ Wadley, Carma (October 21, 2005). " Man who sank the Mark Twain ", Deseret Morning News . Retrieved on 16 October 2006 .
- ↑ Mark Twain Riverboat . RideRefurbs.com (February 4, 2004). Archived from the original on 2006-09-19. Retrieved on 2006-10-18.
- ↑ " Season of the Force Begins November 16 at Disneyland Park in Southern California ".
- ↑ Glover, Erin (July 28, 2016). " Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America Attractions to Reopen Summer 2017 at Disneyland Park ". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved on July 28, 2016.
- ↑ " Disneyland Railroad, Rivers of America Attractions Set to Reopen Saturday After Yearlong Closure ".
- ↑ " Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat ". Walt Dated World. Retrieved on 2006-10-17.
- ↑ Bevil, Dewayne (2024-08-12). " Disney: New ‘Cars’ rides will go on Tom Sawyer Island ".
- ↑ Zizo, Christie (August 12, 2024). " Newest expansion at Disney’s Magic Kingdom means Tom Sawyer’s Island is going away ".
- ↑ " Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing ". Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
- ↑ " 10 Abandoned Disney Attractions that are "Standing but not Operating" ". themeparktourist.com . Theme Park Tourist. Retrieved on 21 October 2014.
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Walt Disney surveyed the Rivers of America one Sunday in the fall of 1957. The Mark Twain was just leaving the dock, two Mike Fink keelboats were negotiating around each other, two Tom Sawyer Island rafts were crossing in front of the gleaming white riverboat, and three Indian War Canoes were being paddled ahead of the big boat.
The Disney riverboats are paddle steamer watercraft attraction ride vehicles operating on a track on a series of attractions located at Disney theme parks around the world.. The first was the Mark Twain Riverboat, located at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, on which passengers embark on a scenic, 12-minute journey around the Rivers of America.
Walt Disney named the Mark Twain after the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. The famed author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—and Walt's personal hero—Clemens was also a riverboat pilot as a young man.. That experience inspired his pen name: "mark twain" is a boating term that means a vessel is at a safe depth.
Mark Twain Riverboat is an attraction, located at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, on which passengers embark on a scenic, 12-minute journey around the Rivers of America. Originally named Mark Twain Steamboat when the park opened in 1955, the stately, 5/8-scale Mississippi stern-wheeler was the first functional riverboat to be built in the United States for fifty years. Other ...
The Mark Twain Riverboat in Frontierland at Disneyland has been running since July 17, 1955, going around the Rivers of America. The ship captures the look, ambiance, refinement and design of a 19th century steamboat. Mark Twain Riverboat in this Disney publicity photo. Here are five fun facts about the ship: 1. The Mark Twain …
Mark Twain Riverboat Frontierland attraction at Disneyland; opened on July 17, 1955. The Disneyland Publicity Department originally trumpeted the fact that this was the first paddle wheeler built in the United States in 50 years. Its 105-foot-long hull was built at the Todd Shipyards in San Pedro, California, but the superstructure was ...
Mark Twain. BACKSTORY (July 17, 1955—Present): Required WED designers to conduct extensive research to recreate a steam powered riverboat from 50 years before. Decks assembled at the Burbank Studios while the 105' hull was constructed at Todd Shipyards in San Pedro, CA (where the Sailing Ship Columbia's hull was also built).
Mark Twain Riverboat and Disneyland Fireworks from Rivers of America. Carlos/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0. Built in 1955, this was the first paddle wheeler built since shortly after 1900. It was built at the Disney Studios, except for the hull which was constructed at a shipyard in San Pedro. But don't let that fool you.
The Mark Twain Riverboat, located in Disneyland's Frontierland, is a simple 12-minute leisurely ride aboard a Mississippi-style steamboat along the scenic Rivers of America. The Mark Twain Riverboat, also known as the Mark Twain Steamboat, was one of the original 1955 opening day attractions at Disneyland.
The Paddlewheel on Mark Twain Riverboat. A side view of the Paddlewheel. Details on Mark Twain Riverboat. Mark Twain Riverboat is 108 feet long and 28 feet tall. It has beautiful woodworking throughout the boat. The weight of this Riverboat is 150 tons! There are four decks on Mark Twain. Main Deck; Texas (Sun) Deck; Promenade Deck; Pilothouse