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Frontierland in Disneyland Anaheim celebrates American exploration in the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally one of Disneyland’s largest areas, it has undergone many changes over the years, adapting to politically correct concepts and handling the loss of interest in the Western era. The area features attractions such as the Mark Twain Steamship, Sailing Ship Columbia, and Tom Sawyer Island, as well as cowboy characters from Toy Story. Frontierland manages to combine the nostalgia of a bygone era with the demands of a modern amusement park.
If you’ve dreamed of being a cowboy or pioneer, put on your cowboy hat and ride your horse to Frontierland, the Wild West area of Disneyland in Anaheim. Originally one of Disneyland’s largest areas, Frontierland has undergone many changes over the years, adapting to politically correct concepts and handling the loss of interest in the Western era. Celebrating the 18th and 19th centuries of American exploration, this section of Disneyland allows visitors to meet Mark Twain, explore with Tom Sawyer, and hear some good old-fashioned cowboy humor.
When Disneyland opened in 1955, Frontierland was one of its main attractions. With the advent of television, interest in Wild West shows led to a desire for a true cowboy experience. The initial focus of the area was not on elaborate rides, but rather on creating a natural environment that could be traversed by Conestoga wagons, pack mules, and canoes. Visitors to the original area could travel through the Living Desert, an area filled with anthropomorphic cacti and bubbling pots of rainbow-colored mud, by riding a stagecoach or wagon or their own mule. Around Christmas 1955, border visitors could also cross the rivers of America aboard the Mike Fink Keel Boats.
After several years, the Living Desert area was expanded to create the Rainbow Mountains, home to the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, later called the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland. While featuring many of the same attractions as the original attraction, the expanded version contained dazzling caverns filled with waterfalls and luminous pools. At night, the train even stopped for guests to view the fireworks. In 1979, the area was upgraded again, replacing the slow-moving mine train with the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, billed as the “wildest ride in the desert!”
In the early years, Frontierland hosted an Indian village with cultural exhibits and guest-powered Indian war boats. Changing political views on the treatment of Native Americans in the Old West has led to a serious decline in popularity for these attractions, which some people have found offensive. Today, you can still canoe across the rivers of America, but it’s been redesigned as Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes.
The Rivers of America in Frontierland is also home to two large ships, offering guests different experiences of early American maritime culture. On the Mark Twain Steamship, guests embark on a narrated journey that introduces them to frontier sights and tales by the popular American author. Sailing Ship Columbia is a replica of the first American vessel to travel the entire globe and takes guests on a similar journey around the river.
Guests wishing to follow in the footsteps of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn can take a raft out to Tom Sawyer Island, recently renovated as a Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. The island retains the authenticity of the original Frontierland, giving explorers unlimited space and time to climb treehouses, sneak through dark caves, and search for treasure. The additional pirate theme was added to coincide with the 2007 release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and has mostly met with approval from park goers.
In recent years, the area has been revitalized with the introduction of cowboy characters from the hit films Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Woody and Jessie are often found in the area, attracting new young guests to the Old West lifestyle. Adults will also enjoy the live comedy shows held in front of the Golden Horseshoe restaurant, featuring old-fashioned slapstick humor that honors the style of early Wild West shows. Like much of Disneyland, Frontierland manages to combine the nostalgia of a bygone era with the demands of a modern amusement park.
