A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: Big Thunder Mountain
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.
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN IN FRONTIERLAND
By Jim Korkis
The specific details of the back story to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad story varies from Disney park to Disney park–although the basic tale remains the same, of a mountain where gold mining disturbed the spirits who took control of the mine cars.
The California and Paris versions claim the great disaster that happened to the nearby town was the result of an earthquake while the Florida and Tokyo attractions depict massive flooding.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was the first major attraction designed by Imagineer Tony Baxter in 1973 but despite its approval, its construction was continually delayed.
When the design for Big Thunder Mesa by Imagineer Marc Davis for Walt Disney World was scrapped because it was too costly and time consuming to build, Baxter took elements from it and created a runaway mine train ride with his mentor Imagineer Claude Coats. It was the first ride to be built at Disneyland without direct input from Walt Disney.
The attraction opened at Disneyland in September 1979 followed by versions at Magic Kingdom Park in Florida in 1980, Tokyo Disneyland Park in 1987 and Disneyland Paris in 1992.
The Florida version is twenty-five percent larger than the Disneyland version, and unlike Disneyland’s mountain, the Walt Disney World façade is inspired by Utah and Arizona’s Monument Valley.
In 2012, as part of a Walt Disney World refurbishment and as a tribute to Baxter who was retiring, the attraction was re-themed with the queue featuring a portrait of Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.) member Barnabas T. Bullion, “the gold magnate who rules the Big Thunder Mining Company with a golden fist,” holding an elaborate wooden cane topped by a huge gold nugget.
The portrait bears an unmistakable resemblance to the popular Imagineer and the middle initial of “T” according to Imagineering stands for “Tony”.
From the updated Walt Disney Imagineering back story:
“During the height of the gold rush, men in the town of Tumbleweed began looking for gold in the nearby mountain, Big Thunder, which was also an Indian Burial Ground. Though the mountain ‘thundered’ when anyone inspected it, these men took ore trains deep down into the caverns. They removed the gold and celebrated with poker games and parlor girls.
“Acts of God struck back. Mysterious spirits took control of the trains and spun them out of control, a flash flood inundated the town, and an earthquake hit. Everything was lost…
“Barnabas T. Bullion is the founder and president of the Big Thunder Mining Company. The longtime mining magnate comes from a powerful East Coast family and considers gold to be his very birthright by virtue of his oddly appropriate name; in fact, he considers the ultimate gold strike to be his destiny. And that is why he is having so much trouble with Big Thunder Mountain.
“According to superstitious locals, Big Thunder Mountain is very protective of the gold it holds within, and the unfortunate soul who attempts to mine its riches is destined to fail. And so far that prophecy is coming to pass. The mine has been plagued by mysterious forces and natural disasters ever since. And yet the Big Thunder Mining Company is still in operation.
“In fact, Bullion is discovering new veins of gold and digging new shafts every day, offering a closer look at the Big Thunder mining operation than ever before. But a word to the wise for anyone attempting to visit the mountain: watch out for runaway trains.”
A portrait of another S.E.A. member, Harrison Hightower III at Tokyo Disneysea’s Tower of Terror, resembles Baxter’s fellow Imagineer Joe Rohde.
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Thanks, Jim! There’s more on the Society of Explorers and Adventurers here. And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!
In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Secret Stories of Disneyland, his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew
, which reprints much material first written for this site, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.
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