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A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: The Tri-Circle D Ranch



By Dave Shute

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE TRI-CIRCLE D RANCH AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT & CAMPGROUND

By Jim Korkis

Jim Korkis on the Tri-Circle D Ranch from yourfirstvisit.netOn Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom, on the side of the Car Barn is a window that honors “Owen Pope. Harness Maker”.

Pope and his wife Dolly lived at Disneyland where they trained and cared for the horses. Their house is still located in the park behind Big Thunder Ranch and will be moved before the building of Star Wars Land there.

It was in this house that Owen made the harnesses and riggings for the horses that would work at Walt Disney World. That’s why his window states “Harness Maker.”

The Popes relocated to Florida in January 1971, where they supervised the creation of the Tri-Circle D Ranch at Fort Wilderness. Tri-Circle refers to the three circles that make the famous Mickey Mouse head silhouette and, of course, “D” stands for “Disney.”

The Popes retired in 1975, but continued to visit at least once a year until their deaths. Owen died in 2000 at the age 96. Dolly died in 2003 at age 89.

The Tri-Circle-D Ranch has two sections that are located roughly a mile apart.

Trail Rides Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground from yourfirstvisit.net

Horseback riding takes place at the Trail Blaze Corral located just inside the main entrance of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground next to the Outpost area. Guests can take the reins for a 45-minute guided trail ride through the resort.

Pony Ride Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground from yourfirstvisit.net

The remaining Tri-Circle-D Ranch areas with the Draft Horse Barn, Blacksmith Shop, Carriage Rides and Pony Rides (the ponies are adults and weigh on average 500 pounds; pony riders have to weigh less than 80 pounds and be under 48 inches tall) are located at the Settlement area, next to Pioneer Hall at the rear of the Campground.

The Draft Horse Barn has a small one room museum named “Walt Disney Horses.” It is a tribute to Walt Disney’s love of horses. It is decorated with photos and memorabilia.

Across from it is the 1907 Dragon Calliope housed under protective glass. Besides being part of the short-lived Mickey Mouse Club Circus parade at Disneyland in 1955, the calliope went on to appear at Disneyland parades until the park’s 25th anniversary. It was then repainted silver and blue and relocated to Florida for the Walt Disney World Tencennial Celebration in 1981 where it remained.

Tacking Up Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground from yourfirstvisit.net

Generally, 80-90 horses are maintained at the ranch and roughly thirty of them are draft horses. The draft horses can get as large as 18 hands tall (72 inches). A hand is about four inches and was originally based on the breadth of a human hand as a measure. They weight approximately 2,000 pounds each.

The horses that pull the Main Street trolleys are fed and bathed in the morning. Around 8 a.m. they are loaded into a trailer and taken to the Magic Kingdom Car Barn where they are put in harness and hooked and ready to go by 9 a.m.

While the trolley is heavy, especially loaded with guests at about 4,000 pounds, it is so well balanced that once it gets moving, it takes only minimal effort to keep it moving. That’s one of the reasons that Disney has started to grease the track just outside the car barn to help it get started.

When Walt Disney World opened, there were four horse drawn trolleys and it cost a dime or an “A” ticket to go one way either up or down the street. Today only one trolley operates, and soon after the 1 p.m. trolley show, it is pulled off the street to avoid congestion because of the parades and crowds.

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Thanks, Jim. There’s much more on Fort Wilderness beginning here, and in particular more photos of the Tri-Circle D Ranch here.

Come back next Friday for even more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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