Mark Twain, March 15, 1957
Well. Here we are again. A few months ago, I was talking to a friend who told me just how many photos of the Mark Twain had appeared on GDB over the years, and it was a lot - but not as many as I'd expected. I figured that the number would have been at least twice as big, if not more! He also had the numbers for Sleeping Beauty Castle and "it's a small world". Kind of amazing, really.
Anyhoo, we've got two additional scans to add to the data - fairly typical views, though they are early (Disneyland was not even two years old yet), so that's something. Here's the Twain coming home, with no Cascade Peak to serve as a picturesque backdrop. Just some crummy dirt and shrubs! I'll be complaining at City Hall soon enough, don't you worry about it. The Pilot is tooting the whistle tootily.
I know, I know, I should have posted this one first, since it shows the steamboat as it made its first turn on the River, but I didn't feel like it, OK? Nearly every passenger is on the top level, and you can't really blame them. A red canoe is moored at the raft dock; with a raft "parked" there as well, I have to wonder if Tom Sawyer Island was closed that day?
16 comments:
Major-
"A few months ago, I was talking to a friend who told me just how many photos of the Mark Twain had appeared on GDB over the years, and it was a lot - but not as many as I'd expected".
14,788 - that was my count - but I'm not very good with numbers. And besides... it's a wonderful riverboat - and the way things are going these times, well. Enough said-!
Thanks, Major.
Looking at these pictures, you wouldn't think there was a whole park with amazing and fun adventures just feet away from here! Just "crummy" dirt and sparse vegetation.
There are several AEDs in the second photo. They took one look at that sternwheeler loaded to the gills with people (aka, food) and are plotting their attack!
The Mark Twain, still pleasant to look at after all these years! Thanks, Major.
These images let you see the Mark Twain prior to all its deck reconfiguration . This was early when the rear stairways with farther away from the rear … and guests could look out the stern windows on the second deck and view the paddle wheel. I wonder what percentage of the current Mark Twain is original 1955 - or even 1950’s at all!! The percentage cannot be very high . The boiler has been rebuilt several times , the paddle wheel over a dozen times … all the railing and scrollwork … the decking I know of at least two times, the steering wheel , I know the stacks were redone ( at least the inner tubing … ) …maybe the hull superstructure? Some of the fittings like the bell , stacks …headlamp? But to me it’s still Walt’s Mark Twain and I worry about the day it is retired or removed from Disneyland.
Major, I just wish there was a way to count the number of interior shots you have posted, of the "Fashion & Fabrics Through The Ages" exhibit in Tomorrowland. Too bad there isn't a search box somewhere on your blog to help with that answer! ;-)
Thanks, MIKE COZART. That's some cool bit of information and history on the Mark Twain's deck reconfiguration. I had no idea about the rear stairway.
That is a lovely shot of the Mark Twain even without Cascade Peak. I love Disneyland in its infancy. Thanks, Major.
I imagine the engines (cylinders, pistons, valve gear) are mostly original.
However many MT photos are posted makes no difference to me, I’m still happy to see them.
Thank you Mike for the extensive refurbishment information! The stern wheel has been refitted 12 times!? That’s almost every five years! And I had no idea about the stairs moving either. Maybe next time they will add an escalator?
Major, that red canoe is making a dynamite delivery to TSI. Explosives were transported with only a single CM to reduce risk.
Thank you for these early pictures, Major!
JG
Yes … the paddle wheel has been rebuilt many many times … it wears out and rots. Originally the wheel was built from American Oak … like most real early paddle wheels were … but in the mid to late 80’s a Philippines wood which lasted longer with exposure to water began to be used. The Mark Twain’s of Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris have their paddle wheels painted ( at different periods ) brown, oxide red, or a bright red) in the 19th century red oxide was kinda weather proof and was plentiful as it was used to coat the hulls of many sailing ships … this led its use to schoolhouses , barns and paddle wheels!
Many of you might remember when one of the support posts to paddle wheel on the Disneyland’s Mark Twain cracked and the whole wheel was slanted and one end dipped way down into the water making the riverboat unable to move! (This was in the early 1990’s) they ended up moving her regularly scheduled major rehab up by a few years - this was one of the longest times The Rivers of America was without the Mark Twain.
A very authentic looking Rivers of America. If people saw this, who weren't "us types" I'm not sure they would think this was a theme park. The land masses are especially nice. I like it bare, and I like it grown in. They both have their charm and character. The walkways over at Tom Sawyer Island are so much nicer without railings and such...and of course without a giant stage and backstage type "things" (term used loosely). If the Fasmastic thingy is the thing saving the island and the river, than so be it. I see progress reports about The Magic Kingdom and it's "deforestation project"....and it's so very sad...but the people will LOVE it and visit in droves, and I suppose that's the point....or is it? I somehow remember the red paddlewheel somewhere in my memory bank. Thinking about possible woods for longevity with the MT: I just got a block of a rare ironwood: Lignum Vitae. A very old piece as it's heavily protected and not really "available". This was the wood that they made ship propellers out of (way back when) and was used on the USS Nautilus as propeller shafts due to it's self lubricating properties. It's so heavy and solid that it sinks in water. It did have uses with paddle wheelers, but mostly in bearings and whatnot. After researching for a Disneyland use, or a possible "paddle" use...it would have been far too heavy, expensive, and unavailable. But it would have lasted for centuries. Maybe for a small model (?) That's another thing on the bucket list. Thanks Major!
Nanook, if I was to guess “off the top of my head”, I’d probably estimate somewhere around the same number as you! But I believe that the number is far less… I don’t have it in front of me, but I think it was 500. Which seems wrong!!
JB, it really is true, and when you think of how unique Disneyland was in the 1950s, I’d imagine that some guests must have been pretty stunned at how big and beautiful some areas of the park felt at that time. As for AEDs, you have to just hope they have fed recently and are too logy to do anything. This is why it is always wise to throw some popcorn into the river to distract them.
Mike Cozart, I’ve always wondered WHY they reconfigured the stairways on the Mark Twain. Did the original layout cause “traffic jams”? Or were there other problems? It just seems like a lot of effort to move the stairways, and I wonder if it ultimately made that much difference, particularly on a day when the steamboat was very crowded. Maybe they talked about this in the “E-Ticket” magazine, I wish I could digitize all of those so that I could have them handy on my computer at all times. Interesting thought about how much of the original Twain is still there!
TokyoMagic!, I have fewer than 20 interiors photos of “Fashion and Fabrics Through The Ages”!
K.Martinez, I didn’t know about the window in which guests could look out from the 2nd level and watch the paddle wheel turn. Now I need to compare old photos looking at the boat’s stern with later pix.
Steve DeGaetano, I think all of those pieces were replaced with parts from Harbor Freight!
JG, I know what you mean, and as I’ve said before, my lax attitude toward photos of attractions like the Jungle Cruise is no reflection on how I feel about the actual attraction. It just gets hard to say anything about yet another Mark Twain photo, as I’m sure you can imagine. I like that the stern wheel is still wood, but I wonder if they’ve ever considered a more-durable material? Resin impregnated with carbon fiber! Bulletproof, and it won’t rot. Thank you for the info about the red canoe, only an expert would know such details!
Mike Cozart, I have to admit, if the Mark Twain’s stern wheel was painted red-oxide (or even bright red!), it would take a little getting used to, but would also look kind of cool. In my opinion.
Mike Cozart, I am not sure I knew about the cracked paddle wheel support on the Mark Twain. Was this during the Pressler era, when maintenance was deferred to the point that people were harmed/killed? Ugh. Shameful. I wonder if there are photos of the Twain stuck, unable to move?
Major-
"I have to admit, if the Mark Twain’s stern wheel was painted red-oxide (or even bright red!), it would take a little getting used to, but would also look kind of cool".
And as long as we're accessorizing the Mark Twain - why stop with just 'oxide red' - what could be better than adding a rear spoiler-??!! I'm certain Bob Gurr has a sample from the 19th Century that would fit just perfectly-!
After perusing the article on the Mark Twain in The "E" Ticket magazine, I'm afraid that level of detail encompassing changes/remodels over time was not its intended goal, so it provided no answer to the 'stairways' question.
Major-
And speaking of 'oddities' on the Mark Twain - what's up with these "DECK CHAIRS"-?. There are other examples from 1955 of the riverboat with passengers, cruising around the RoA showing the same "chairs" on the 4th deck...
I may have photos of the cracked tension pole … but I think the paddle wheel had been removed already.
Major : yes there was testing in different manufactured material in the past - one was that plastic recycled lumber material that is often used for house decking and planked walkways and benches at state parks and beaches. I think while it can be dyed colors it was too soft or blended or something and not suited for “paddle wheel” work.
Yeah the Mark Twain has had many cosmetic changes … loosing its functioning gangplanks … ( seen here on GDB ) having its beverage service ( coffee & juleps ) discontinued and its bar room mostly removed … the dance floor removed , the staircases reconfigured, some of the cabin buildings moved about , and the stacks slightly lowered . Also dozens of minor changes .. the deck rails slightly raised , and gold ( brass) highlights left on after its 50th anniversary decor .
The Mark Twain is as original as George Washington’s famous cherry tree axe : but the blade wore out and had to be replaced …then the wooden handle cracked and had to be replaced … and at the same time the leather grip was replaced . But other than that it’s the EXACT same axe George Washington used to cut down the cherry tree!
Oh and the story of the cherry tree was made up!
But there is lots of photo evidence that the MARK TWAIN Riverboat of Disneyland is very very real!!
Mike, eventually Washington's axe became known as The Bladeless Axe Without a Handle. Fortunately, I have several of those.
JG
Bu, I agree with you, and in fact have seen other photos from Disneyland in which the person sharing them had no idea where they were from. I particularly remember seeing the elephant under the waterfall as an example of “animals at play”. Hmmmm. I guess I am a fan of the bare, scraggly hills just because we know that the scene is early in the park’s existence - a time I wish I’d seen, though I’d also need to be old enough (going back in time) to appreciate what I was seeing! I used to see amazing woods at a place out near Pasadena, I wish I could remember what it was called, but they had ironwood, and “purple heart”, and all kinds of other things. I remember hefting a plank of iron wood, and it was indeed HEAVY. I didn’t know that ironwood was used for propellers. Cool, except that now those trees are endangered. No good. Could they use fiberglass for the paddle wheel? I know, I know, but it could be painted to look like wood, and nobody would know.
Nanook, I’m not so much a fan of spoilers, but I did like the “sissy bar” on my old Schwinn bicycle. Plus the banana seat! Thanks for looking through your E-Ticket magazine, I’m kind of surprised that they did not address the changes to the boat.
Nanook, whoa, those deck chairs way up there, now THAT would be the place to be! For special guests??
Mike Cozart, I gotta admit, most places I see that recycled plastic lumber, it looks pretty bad. Locally, there are parks with fences made out of the stuff, I guess it’s pretty durable, weather-wise, but jerks (teenagers?) seem to enjoy trying to break it. You live here, dummies! Don’t you want it to look nice? I kind of understand some of the changes to the Mark Twain, such as the drink service. It would be nice, I guess, but shoot, the journey is only 10 minutes or so, just get something to drink afterwards if you’re so thirsty. I do get that it would be one of those extra little touches that separates Disneyland from other parks. Funny, I thought about that famous axe metaphor, or the even snootier “Ship of Theseus”.
JG, in the version that I heard, it was Abe Lincoln’s axe. Presidents needed axes back then!
Post a Comment