Nature's Wonderland - then vs now

[NWRREngineer]

Here's a grainy aerial shot of Nature's Wonderland in 1960, overlaid with outlines showing where Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, part of the Festival of Fools arena and the updated DLRR tracks placement.

Shows where Big Thunder Mountain is (the red circles and lines are the peaks and tracks), how big thunder trail cuts right through the living desert (the dark blue lines curving around Big Thunder Mountain), and how the mesas that are now part of the entrance to big thunder ranch are basically in the same place they were back then.

[MarenBoBarren]

Re: Nature's Wonderland - then vs now

woa...,.thats soooo cool....

[fo'c's'le swab]

Re: Nature's Wonderland - then vs now

This thread had a very interesting start, but no real point other than to showcase an aerial photo. Is there a discussion topic the OP intended? Love the subject matter and would like to see a discussion thread about it, if the OP would care to establish a framework for this thread.

[NWRREngineer]

Re: Nature's Wonderland - then vs now

Does there need to be a point? The comparison / contrast of the years was my point.

But if you insist: Since there's so much room in that abysmal Festival of Fools arena, would it not be more fitting to theme of Frontierland to turn it back into desert of some sort?

[fo'c's'le swab]

Re: Nature's Wonderland - then vs now

Does there need to be a point? The comparison / contrast of the years was my point.

Wasn't expressing a 'need' for a point, just my desire for one, so a discussion could be engaged in on a subject I find interesting.

[NWRREngineer]

Re: Nature's Wonderland - then vs now

No worries.

My interest in this stems from the fact that that whole desert was removed and replaced with what's there now.

I think the height of the whole thing changed.

The original mine train went around Cascade Peak, then up past the battling elk, then through the natural arch bridge, and then down into the desert.

Based upon the picture above, the slope down into the desert is just about where the new trail heads into Fantasyland, at the western tip of Big Thunder Mountain.

Anyone else know about whether the area was regraded severely? Does anyone else walk along the trail and wonder about where things were, and what the desert would have looked like from that vantage point?

[fo'c's'le swab]

Re: Nature's Wonderland - then vs now

Big Fan of the Nature's Wonderland and the True Life Adventures that inspired it. The BT Ranch and Petting Zoo are unforgivable wastes of space when one considers Frontierland's scant, tenuous hold on the average DL guest's imagination in its current incarnation. The loss of TSI, and the only seasonal use of the ROA at night are huge blows to Frontierland's identity. I would be thrilled to see a return to a Nature's Wonderland area (even a walk-through)--it would be a great thematic enhancement, as well as a practical one--giving people another excuse to spend time (and money) in Frontierland besides BTMRR and the 'Billies.