Keelboats, 1950's
Huzzah for the plucky little Keelboats that used to ply the Rivers of America. They scooted past canoes, steamboats, and ducks - just because they could. I've always liked the decorative painting on these boats, they look like an authentic 18th century piece of folk art. I'm noticing that there is not brass gun mounted at the bow at this point. But there's a bell to ring. Ding ding!
This is that early Frontierland that I like so much, with those slightly-scraggly hills and lack of rides and structures.
This one still features a Keelboat, but it's not so great. Look at all the people crowded on top! Maybe I'd ride it twice, once on top for the view, and again inside just for the solitude (as I wept silently to myself).
18 comments:
Major-
The Keel Boats were just what the doctor ordered to keep the RoA looking authentic and 'ship shape', if you will.
I do believe that when you venture down inside the cabin to "weep silently", you'll be greeted with a fainting couch to properly shed your tears-! (Those Imagineers thought of everything back then-!)
Thanks, Major.
If memory serves, there were two basic keelboat designs in the original Davy Crockett episodes: A plain, weathered "freight" model, that being Mike Fink's choice, and and a decorative one -- as shown in your photo -- that catered to passenger trade. I think Crockett and Russell found the latter abandoned, the victim of the river pirates. Pretty sure Disneyland had both designs on the water. Same actual boats?
I like the decorative railing in the second pic. I wonder if any part of it was saved after it's removal? I'd like to have a section of it. I'm just not sure where I'd put it.
Not exactly sure what it is, but I just love the keelboats. I think that would be my number 1 thing to do if i could go back in time. Besides getting lots of pictures to give to the Major to post. “ note to self - “no Mark Twain pictures”
I always wonder at the rafts though. They look to be so close to sinking with people on them. I’m sure they aren’t, but they look like it.
Thanks for keeping us From being keelhauled Major!
These pictures make me realize that the keelboats were larger than I remember them being....or people were smaller. The only keelboat that I have seen in years is the one outside of the cave-Inn on WDW ROA. You can't get close to it, of course, since jumping off the Liberty Belle is frowned upon. I don't know if that Keelboat is a reused attraction piece, or if they built a new one. Hmmmmmm. Great mysteries...
In the 1950’s and into the late 1960’s , the Disneyland Keel Boats were the original film used props. Altered for park use, but nonetheless the original film boats.
For Walt Disney World Fiberglas hulls and superstructures were made and a duplicate set was fabricated for Disneyland as well. Around 1972 the NEW keel boats began service at Disneyland and were the same ones till the end. This was also true with the Indian War canoes .... in the 1950’s were the actual canoes used in the Davey Crockett series. The canoes were replaced with Fiberglas in the 1960’s and were made for Disneyland and later Walt Disney World by a very famous canoe company who’s name has totally escaped me this morning.
The Keel boats, the raft and the canoes were always a big hit with my family back then. Dad particularly loved the canoes. I think he imagined himself an Italian Indian chief.
I wonder if this ever happened. Young lad buys a rubber snake in the Adventureland Bazaar. Same lad goes on the Raft ride and surreptitiously drops the rubber snake and yells SNAKE!
Maybe that's why all those people are on the upper deck of the Keelboat.
Tokyo, I think you could even hang that section of railing on the wall and it would look good.
Thanks M.
I also think there was something more convincing about the early scraggly Frontierland, utility poles and all. Is that a portion of the Stagecoach trail in the background of the first pic, along the edge of the river?
I like these versions of the keel boats. For some reason their masts seem much more prominent than what I recall with the latter. It's extremely cool that Disney originally used the boats from the movie.
That IS a nice railing, TokyoMagic. The medallion inserts make me think of thistles.
I agree with everyone, the Keel Boats added to the illusion of a busy river in the 19th century. As a kid I liked the tie in to Mike Fink. I guess nobody knows who that is anymore. I can see Major now, lying on his fainting couch and proclaiming I Vant to be alone. Thanks Major.
I sure miss the keelboats. My Dad loved them and the canoes also. Mom would not ride either one.
Daveland posted some of my photos and comments on his blog here >>
https://www.davelandweb.com/riversofamerica/keelboats.html
I don't recall the prominent masts, but they are there in my Daveland photo. In today's pics, it looks like there are bench seats in the front on either side of the mast. That would be a great view for sure.
Outside on top is the best ride, of course, but being inside has it's benefits. Closer to the bar, ice machine, and leather upholstery to boot.
Thanks to Mike Cozart for filling in the version history. Now that the River has changed again, is there still a keelboat moored by the settlers cabin? I did think that was a nice touch, that Davy and Mike were inside playing cards.
Thanks for the early River pics, Major. Much appreciated.
JG
Nanook, much like the reuse of the 20,000 Leagues sets and props, I think it was ingenious to use the actual film-used Keelboats as an additional ride! If I lay down on one of those cushions, they’ll probably have to wake me up to get me out of the boat.
DBenson, the two Keelboats were definitely different. It’s a little confusing because they did replace the boats at some point, and they were also repainted to be more colorful (in an antique “folk art” manner) later. It would make sense that Mike Fink’s boat would be more grungy and simple. I haven’t seen any of the Davy Crockett shows since I was a small child and I’ve forgotten most of what goes on. But I have Disney+ now!
TokyoMagic!, my guess is that all that railing went to the scrap heap. It’s too bad, because you could use it to surround your 2-acre vegetable patch.
Budblade, the Keelboats are unusual, maybe that’s what is part of the appeal. Other parks had canoes, and even steamboats, but I can’t think of any others that had Keelboats. Plus there’s that connection to the Davy Crockett program. I’ve always wondered what the rafts were actually made of, since it is unlikely that they are just big logs lashed together. Fiberglass filled with expanded foam? You won’t be keelhauled, but you might have to walk the plank! Luckily the river isn’t very deep.
stu29573, now that you mention it, there really are a lot of people on board. I think people might actually have been a little smaller, but that’s just a guess. Is the Keelboat on the river at WDW similar to the one at Disneyland? I think the one at Disneyland looks so plain and fake now, my assumption is that it is a new prop.
Mike Cozart, ah, that explains why the Disneyland Keelboats were “new and improved”… I thought it might have happened in the late 60s, but 1972 is close enough. When I saw the canoe at the Richard Kraft auction I was amazed at how large it was!
DrGoat, I sure wish I’d done the canoes back before the river was so drastically altered. The 50s and 60s would have been the best, but I was probably too little in those days. Ha ha, if your dad was an Italian Indian Chief, he was probably in good company, a lot of those old Westerns used Italians (or Sicilians, anyway) as Indians. Your snake scenario is awfully detailed, are you SURE you never did that prank yourself?!
Omnispace, in a way the scraggly shores of early Frontierland look like a place that has been cleared (or overcleared), the way they did things back then. They would need all those trees for saloons! And yes, I do believe that we are seeing part of the Stagecoach (and Conestoga Wagon) trail, good eye! I thought maybe the medallion in the fence was supposed to show a cotton boll, but I’m sure it is something more generic than that.
Jonathan, I’m sure there are MANY people who have no memories of the Davy Crockett shows, and they don’t know anything about Mike Fink either. Darn kids! Why don’t they get haircuts?
JG, I must have seen that keelboat shot on Daveland, but I’d forgotten it. It’s a great photo! The masts somehow lend an extra bit of authenticity. Suddenly you can imagine the pilot using the breeze to help move the boat, instead of pushing the darn thing with a pole, which must have been exhausting. Topside would have definitely been the way to go, but it would kind of be fun to have the whole lower compartment to one’s self. I think there is still a Keelboat near the cabin, but I haven’t been to the park for so long, I can’t say for certain.
Major, 'That was not my snake' he said in a Peter Lorre voice.
I plead the 5th.
I watched a couple of episodes of Davy Crockett a while back. It resonated in my kid brain pretty strongly. A bit dated of course but I can see what I loved about it back then. The sound they put in for the flintlock rifle fire was unique and very different. I can still hear it. I think we had just gotten a color TV when it first aired. Or maybe soon after.
Thanks M.
DrGroat: Davy Crockett was shot in color, but when it first aired on ABC color television hadn't even begun. So ...
-- You're remembering a 1960s rerun on World of Color.
-- You saw it On The Big Screen (Disney edited the shows together and released it to theaters, where the novelty of color made it a hit).
-- You saw it in B&W but your youthful imagination or adult memory filled in the colors.
I was going to ask if these were the keelboats in Disneyland or Disney World, but then I saw 1950s, and I knew it was Disneyland. Disney World wasn't created until the 1970s.
I was about to say that the railing in the second picture almost looks like the railing in front of the Haunted Mansion in WDW, and that this was probably a picture taken before an awning was placed over the queue. The layout almost looks similar.
Speaking of old Disney World, I have a new post about an old WDW special from the 1970s. Not only has the special been uploaded to Disney Plus, but they actually have the original commercials that ran in-between. I can hardly believe it myself!
DB, I think option #1 must be it. Our whole family watched World of Color religiously. Maybe a bit of #3 too. Lately I've noticed some of my memories are becoming more like I think they should be. There goes that imagination again.
Thanks!
DrGoat, I have taught you well, grasshopper. Deny, deny, deny! Gosh, my family didn’t get a color TV until sometime in the early 70s. I still remember going over to my friend Ronnie’s house to watch Saturday morning cartoons and being blown away that they were in COLOR!
DBenson, ah, good point. I do remember seeing a part of “Davy Crockett” in color, and being amazed. It would be the equivalent of seeing a classic “Twilight Zone” episode, suddenly in vivid color.
The Magic Ears Dudebro, yes, these are definitely Disneyland! I have a few photos of the WDW Haunted Mansion, I’ll have to look to see if they have a railing that looks like the one in photo#2, because I sure have no idea. I’ll check out your new post - I’m sorry I haven’t been as reliable as I’d like… GDB keeps me pretty busy, and then there’s the rest of life too! But I like that you are still blogging, thank you.
DrGoat, I also have the phenomenon of remembering all episodes of a TV show in color, even if they started out in black and white (like “Gilligan’s Island” or “I Dream of Jeannie”). Or maybe those early seasons were colorized later? So confusing!
DrGoat, you are right. That railing would look good, just hanging on a wall!
Omnispace, as in "Sister Susie sitting on a....?" ;-)
Major, I wish I had 2 acres. I wish I had a vegetable patch....especially now. Then I wouldn't have to go to the grocery store and be around "people."
Major, from the google aerial view, there is a moored keelboat near the (relocated) settlers cabin. That whole area is new since they "shortened" the island at that end.
I can't get the street view to show me anything more, all the routes into Wookie World are still closed.
JG
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