The Town of Thunder Mesa

Within the protective boundaries of Fort Comstock lies the town of Thunder Mesa, a community which owes its very existence to the discovery of a vein of gold in nearby Big Thunder Mountain back in 1849. The town grew up around the mine, and although the mine was abandoned after the great quake of 1860, the citizens of Thunder Mesa continue to thrive.

A stroll along the "dirt" roads and wooden sidewalks of the town reveals a healthy variety of business enterprises, from a general store and frontier outfitter to a "modern" portrait studio promising "likenesses twice as natural as life."

The Land Agents office would be the place to go to see about available farmland for sale or to negotiate the mineral rights for a piece of property, especially if you're lucky enough to find gold, silver or copper on your land, as many folks have here in Thunder Mesa.

Of course, along with wealth and prosperity, Thunder Mesa has also attracted its share of hucksters and snake oil salesmen. A billboard for the Thunder Mesa Apothecary promotes a "miraculous" hair renewer, while across town a medicine man has pulled up his wagon. Doc Wassell seems to guarantee "miracle cures for all ailments." About the only true guarantee, though, is that he'll be long gone once you realize you've been swindled.

Doc Wassell certainly knows where the money is. After all, he's parked his wagon in the wealthiest stretch of town, right outside the Silver Spur Steakhouse. The Silver Spur is one of the largest establishments in Thunder Mesa, featuring a handsomely appointed dining room decorated with genuine, limited-edition western sculptures by Frederic Remington.

Nearby and no less prominent is the Lucky Nugget Saloon. Patterned on the Golden Horseshoe Saloon at Disneyland, but with a more warmly-colored interior, the Lucky Nugget gets its name from the saloon in Disney's 1967 movie, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, a story set during the California Gold Rush.

According to the story of Thunder Mesa, a lady by the name of Diamond Lil charmed her way into a tour of the Big Thunder mine, during which she happened upon an enormous nugget of solid gold. Today, Lil is the proprietor of the Lucky Nugget Saloon, and the lucky gold nugget itself is proudly displayed just inside the entrance.

Not everyone who struck it rich in Thunder Mesa has been quite as lucky as Diamond Lil, particularly the town's founding family. Industrialist Henry Ravenswood, who started the Thunder Mesa Mining Co. which essentially built the town, poured his riches into a stately Victorian mansion on a hill at the bend in the river. The mansion and its grounds were a gift to his wife, Martha, and their lovely daughter, Melanie. None of the Ravenswoods have been seen, however, since the 1860 earthquake, and residents of the town have taken to calling the now-dilapidated house on the hill Phantom Manor... but that's a story for another day.

A brief postscript: Several names are used throughout Main Street and Frontierland at Disneyland Paris, the sources of which have mostly been lost to time. Examples in this article alone include Doc Wassell, James Collins and Ulman & Snerly. Very likely, they refer to real people - either Imagineers or historical figures - but we may never know. Of course, if anyone reading this does happen to know, I invite you to share with the rest of us by leaving a comment below.

Favorite Things: Attraction Toys

For those of you who are celebrating Christmas today, I hope Santa was good to you. Maybe you even got some new Disney toys under the tree. The collection of Disney attraction toys on display in my study at home is rather extensive (and harder each year to keep out of reach of my 5-year-olds).

Some of my favorites are toys from attractions that are no longer in the parks. In the grouping pictured above, you can see a couple of toys sold during the early years at Disney California Adventure. That's a working model of the California Screamin' roller coaster (with original Mickey ears icon) and a spinning toy of the Orange Stinger swing ride (since replaced by Silly Symphony Swings).

A closer look reveals that the toy even sports the bumblebee seats that were on the real ride at opening, but didn't survive long (they kept cracking into each other).

This grouping also includes Mickey and Grrr plush from the Golden State area of the park, a Block Party Bash ball (acquired when the parade was still in California), an Autopia car promo piece from Chevron and a Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Vinylmation figure.

There's even a boot-shaped mug I picked up at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon on my very first trip to Disneyland back in 1991. I'm not sure if they still offer these mugs or not, but every time I look at it, I can still taste the root beer I had in mine.

Hello, Everybody! We're Mighty Glad to Meet Ya!

The pinnacle of class and civilization in Frontierland is the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, offering the "best food & best shows in the territory." Promotional material outside the venue remarks about the "elegant surroundings" and "decorative appointments... brought at great expense by treacherous voyages around the horn."

Also promised are a "galaxy of gorgeous girls" performing the "shocking new French can-can dance." Of course, ladies are welcome and fellas are warned that there's "no spitting, gun fighting, cussing, gambling or animals allowed... when the gentle sex is present."

The Golden Horseshoe opened with Disneyland in July 1955. In fact, the first performance was held here the evening of July 13, in honor of Walt and Lillian Disney's 30th wedding anniversary. Walt came back to see the Golden Horseshoe Revue many times over the years, taking in the performance from his private booth (the one upstairs on the left). That original show ran through October 1986, becoming one of the longest-running shows in theater history.

Several different shows have been featured at the Golden Horseshoe over the years. Today, Billy Hill & the Hillbillies take to the stage each day. While the entertainment has changed, the venue itself has remained pretty much the same for the past 55 years.

There's even a bit of Hidden Disney here. When you "belly up to the bar," take note of the somewhat scandalous painting hanging against the back mirror. It's actually a prop from the 1963 Disney film Summer Magic, one of the paintings Hayley Mills' character suggested to represent Mr. Hamilton's mother.

More nods to Disney history can be found in the etched glass just inside the entrance to the saloon. Originally, this was Slue Foot Sue's Golden Horseshoe. The character of Sue, portrayed in the show by Disney Legend Betty Taylor (among others), came from an animated segment in the 1948 Disney package feature Melody Time. Sue was the sassy gal who caught the eye of none other than Pecos Bill.

Take a look, and you'll see images here of Pecos Bill on his trusty horse, Widowmaker, as well as Slue Foot Sue riding a giant catfish as she did in the film.