Fort Wilderness
It's BIRTHDAY TIME again! This time, let's all send good wishes to our friend Andrew. Possibly the youngest Junior Gorilla? Or the youngest who comments, at any rate. Sue B. has provided a funny photo for the occasion - this extremely intense baby celebrating the completion of one trip around the Sun. Those feet look poised to destroy the cake, I hope it survived. Big Sis looks on adoringly, while Big Brother might be holding a wrapped gift.
Here's yet another selection of scans from the Mysterious Benefactor! They all feature Fort Wilderness on Tom Sawyer Island.
As the trees and shrubs continued to mature, the island got more and more beautiful. From some angles, the log fort might even be hard to see. I noticed that cable attached to the tree to the left, was the tree in danger of tipping over? When I worked at the Disney studio, many of the old trees had similar cables that supported some of the large branches that might potentially come crashing down.
I love this sun-drenched photo, and the spots of color provided by the guest's clothing inside the fort.
Moose antlers used to be the international symbol of welcome!
Inside the walls of the fort, guests would find a rustic, homey place for soldiers and officers, and the occasional pioneer in need of aid. The man to the right is happy to learn a little history! "Why didn't they just drive their Chevrolets across the prairie?". Meanwhile, enjoy those trashcans that look like cut logs.
Here's an unusual angle which I believe was behind the fort, you can just see the humble little graveyard, with guests paying their respects to those unfortunate souls who never reached their destination.
Hey, this one is flopped! Or was it flipped? But I'm leaving it as is. A Cavalry officer is probably telling exciting stories of his adventures on the plains. The guest at the bottom of the photo is wearing a deerstalker cap, just like Sherlock Holmes. Was it purchased at a souvenir hat stand?
The fort closed forever in 2003 after years of neglect, and it was torn down in 2007, replaced with a structure built for Fantasmic! performers. It looks pretty lame.
15 comments:
Happy Birthday Andrew-! If you can still easily place your feet on the dining room table as easily as this tot does, we need to see pictures-!
Major-
It's the sort of details seen here in all the images that make [or made] Disneyland such a special place - now lost to the ages.
Thanks to the M B for sharing these.
Happy Birthday, Andrew! (Haven't heard from you in a while. Are you working at Kennywood this summer?)
That cake actually looks tasty, ( but IIRC Major does not like coconut!). Well then, there will more cake for the rest of us! :-D Except... like Major prophesied, that cake probably went to cake heaven a few seconds after this photo was taken. "These (baby) boots are gonna walk right over you!" Thanks for the fun foto, Sue.
1) I'm sure that's what that cable is for, Major. It has an adjustable thingy (I can't remember the name) along the cable to tighten it up as need be.
2 & 3) Those aren't just antlers, Major. They're a pair of flying moose antlers! And they have alit on the Fort Wilderness sign. Even though they are large and look kind of scary, flying moose antlers are relatively harmless... Mynd you, flying møøse antler bites kan be pretty nasti! Like you mentioned, I also like the various shades of pink clothing seen through the gate.
4) I used to have a red and black rugby shirt like that guy sitting on the bench. The two ladies on the left are enjoying a feast. One appears to be cracking open oysters; probably gathered fresh from the ROA.
5) Piney... very piney.
6) I'm guessing that deerstalker cap was from a souvenir stand. I mean, would anyone wear an unusual hat like that in the real world?
Thank you, MB! And thank you too, Major.
The word you want is "turnbuckle," JB.
Great pictures today, Major. For Wilderness was always THE quintessential western fort in my mind.
I didn't know you worked at the Disney Studio? Details!
It looks like the benches inside the fort were made of split logs, placed on top of two large rocks (third to last photo). I don't think I ever noticed those before.
Happy birthday, Andrew! And thank you Major, Sue, and M.B.!
Thanks Major! It means a lot to me that you remember. JB, I wish I had the chance to comment more, but I still check GDB every day. I'm working a lot of hours at Kennywood, so I don't have a lot of free time. But I enjoy it so I'm okay with that. Love these pictures (especially the tree stump trash can), though they do make me miss the fort at Magic Kingdom given the recent news. Thanks Major!
Nanook, my specialty is “putting my feet on the table”, as you probably remember from that time we had dinner together! I remember when TSI was closed for a long time due to “Galaxy’s Edge” construction, and for some reason I stupidly hoped that they might restore Fort Wilderness. Like I said, stupid.
JB, somebody in our group told me that Andrew is actually overseas, now that he’s in college. So he is forgiven for having better things to do than comment on GDB! Yes, coconut is no bueno, though I understand that this is my own weirdness. The adjustable thingy is known as a “tightener-upper”. Flying moose antlers?! ANOTHER THING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT. For multiple reasons, if there’s a moose overhead, what might come down?? I’ve never owned a rugby shirt because I don’t want to go to jail (having never played the sport, isn’t it illegal to wear a shirt from a sport that you’ve never played?). I like deerstalker caps because you can put one on backwards, and nobody will even know.
Steve DeGaetano, well, you have your term (“turnbuckle”), and I have mine (“tightener-upper”)! Maybe I’ll email you re: the Disney Studio when I have some time later.
TokyoMagic!, I doubt I would have even looked at those benches if you hadn’t pointed them out! They probably spent millions on finding *just* the right rocks. The logs are animatronic, of course.
Andrew, hey, it’s you! Was I mistaken about you being in Yurp?? I guess you could have gone and come back, I’m smart like that. It’s OK being busy (especially at Kennywood), you are at that time in your life when so much is happening. Glad you checked in, and happy birthday!
Happy Birthday Andrew! Many happy returns of the day! Good to hear from you! Working at Kenneywood must be a dream job for you, please keep in touch.
I don’t blame that baby for getting excited, that cake looks so good.
I’m glad to see that WDI risked a bit of bad show to save that tree. Eisner probably cut it down later to make a coffee table and Pressler burned the prunings in the churro oven. No, I’m not bitter at all.
The Fort was so cool, I would never have imagined it being destroyed, much less replaced with the Lincoln log monstrosity that is there now. I bet Mike Cozart has a tree stump trash can, easily the fanciest of fancy cans.
Major, your memory is correct, the graveyard is/was behind the fort, lots of hard facts buried there.
That Cavalry officer drawing all the girls… must have been a coveted job.
Thanks Major and MB, old TSI was a great place.
JG
Happy Birthday Andrew! The baby birthday party looks like fun, until that girl staring at the baby starts eating the baby instead of the cake...something is up: her mouth is closed to hide the fangs. That being said: a Very Merry Fort Wilderness! A nice place to use the facilities, hang out...check out some "dioramas"...which I would love to see photos of...have popcorn and a juice bar. The girl in the Mondrian inspired sweater: we'll call her "miss Partridge"....seems to be enamored by the security guard. ALL the girls were enamored with guys in this costume. I think I mentioned that a few weeks ago in an MB post. It was a well tailored costume. I'm not sure they are asking for "where is injun Joes cave?". Moving on...I've seen photos of "Fort Wilderness" today. They didn't put roofs on the towers, and basically it looks like something derelict that should never be in Disneyland. Basically the sign on the gate says "go away" or something like that. I'm happy to report however, that despite any large crowds in the park, Tom Sawyer Island is still a quiet break. Too bad you can't get popcorn or something, and it seems like they would want to capitalize on real estate...however, I don't want to see one of those new "RV" campsite Outdoor Vending Facilities. Even when they are themed, they are large, out of scale, and have no semblance of design. Even practical design. When I was in WDW the vendor was kind of short and I couldn't see her...but even if you were tall...it was still enormous! "HELLO?!" I said...then she peeked around the corner. I took a photo, she took it all in stride and happily posed for a Kodak moment. Tree cabling ...yes...it's very much a thing...almost all my (giant) trees are cabled...and more need to be. Don't worry: it doesn't hurt the tree. In the NE we do it so that with strong winds the branches "move as one". and if some break off...they stay with the tree, rather than squishing your house...or YOU! We call them "widow makers" here... a bit morbid...but branches fall down unexpectedly, and you don't hear it until it's too late. I have been "almost squished" a few times. Lesson: don't go out during thunderstorms....or shortly thereafter. Check your limbs daily. (sounded weird). Thanks Major, and Happy Birthday again Andrew.
Happy Birthday, Andrew. Must be fun working at Kennywood.
I vaguely remember a tunnel out of the fort. Am I mistaken?
Thanks, Major, M B and Sue for the coconut cake.
Zach
Zach
The antlers on the roofs of the various buildings in the Fort (you can see some on the roof of the Trading Post) always stood out for me. It was an odd detail that somehow seemed "correct," but I'm not really sure why. Was this a common practice and if so, what was the purpose?
Surely Sherlock has a big calabash he’s puffing; the swellelegant sweater, the slacks, the stance. It’s a look.
Forget Tomorrowland, we knew They would Ruin Everything when they gave up the ghost glories of Tom Sawyer Island, one at a time peeling away the treasures once found there.
Happy Birthday Andrew, thanks to Sue and Major for the party favors.
MS
JG, I imagine that Andrew is learning so much about what goes on operating a successful amusement park - I’m sure it’s hard work, but hopefully rewarding too. It looks like “Eisner’s tree” was a bit off the main path, which is why it must have escaped the landscaper’s chainsaw. For a while, anyway. I’d always heard that the Fort was damaged by termites, but admit that I instinctively doubt any “official” story these days. That being said, I guess they wouldn’t have gone to the expense of tearing it down and building a new structure if they could have saved some money. The Cavalry officer learned that women love a man in a uniform!
Bu, I can’t help thinking that the baby kicked that cake after the photo was taken. They have no hand-eye-foot coordination, plus they are spazzes, so I hope the cake survived. There were dioramas in the fort?? I know about the tableau with Andrew Jackson, Davy and Georgie. But were there others? Imagine getting a job at Disneyland that brings flocks of women! THE DREAM, ha ha. Years ago I remember looking across the river at the island and seeing folks in their costumes marching somewhere (into the Fort?), they were not super obvious, so it was kind of surreal. Mike Cozart has hinted that our TSI is possibly up for the chopping block. Does that mean our river is in danger too? God what a nightmare if that is the case. I always wonder, “At what point would I be driven to never go to the park again?”, and that might be it. Not that they would miss me, there are plenty of folks who will cheerfully applaud anything new, no matter how devastating. The trees at the WD studio are all eucalyptus trees, and those are notorious widow-makers. I remember my grandfather paid for a neighbor’s tree removal because the thing was leaning toward his house. He was smart!
zach, old TSI maps show a “secret escape from fort”, I wish I had photos of that!!
Steve DeGaetano, I’ve wondered the same thing. What’s the deal with the antlers on buildings?? If it is an old tradition, I’ve never heard WHY.
MS, I have not been on Tom Sawyer Island since it became “Pirate’s Lair”… I’ve seen photos of some features in the caves that I might like to see in person, but I will always want the original version that Walt created.
Happy birthday, Andrew!
Major, I thought mousse antlers were the international symbol of chocolate desserts.
Steve, Ah yes, "turnbuckle". Such a common word. I'm sure everyone uses it at least 3 or 4 times a day! ;-)
Andrew, thanks for confirming your Kennywood summer job; I figured that was the case, and was also the the reason why you haven't been posting much lately. Have a great time at Kennywood!
Major, “tightener-upper” works too. In fact, I'm sure most people know it by that name than by "turnbuckle". Rugby shirts were a fashion thing in the '70s, for a while. They weren't 'official' rugby shirts, sanctioned by ORSO (Official Rugby Shirt Organization), so no one got arrested.
Dean Finder, yum, now I want mousse antlers. To eat, not on my head.
JB, there is something about the word “turnbuckle” that is very pleasing. We need to bring it back! I refused to ever wear a rugby shirt, since I am a huge proponent of curling, that exciting sport where you slide a big rock on ice. Someday it will be bigger than American football!
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