Special thanks to Paula Asinas, who originally posted this photograph. I repost it here because of its unique assemblage of Disneyland's famous tour guides, in full red-vested, plaid-skirted, red-stockinged regalia on Main Street before Park opening. The street and sidewalks are still wet from Custodial's high-pressure hosedown in the early morning hours.And further thanks to Sandi Miller, who first posted this shot of the Mark Twain and the recently-drained Rivers of America during the 1984 rehab. There was a bit of a stink in Frontierland/New Orleans Square when the mucky waters receded, literally and figuratively.
Oh, and yes, Virginia, the Mark Twain is on a track. Somehow Walt and Company weren't willing to trust a ride operator to navigate the Rivers of America on their own from the wheelhouse.
And no, Viriginia, you do NOT want to dive headfirst off the bow into the River. It's a tad shallow. That's why we dye the heck out of it. Love that murky, Jungle green!
To close out today's post, I offer you another slighltly sinking Raft to Tom Sawyer's Island photograph, courtesy of George Herold---this is from 1975. The ride operator and helmsman, Bill Jacobson, seems to be all smiles, as his guests try to keep their feet dry. Dig those 70s tube socks! 
4 comments:
That photograph of the raft has to be one of the greatest things I have seen in a long while! Thanks!
I'll second that. Disneyland cast members in the 1970s and 1980s still worked for a family company, for the most part. Disney had not yet become mega-corporate-Eisnerized, so you had a dedicated crew of cast members---many of them "lifers," who knew the Park and understood its magic. They knew how to have fun---without killing people. Gunning the engine on a slightly overloaded raft would send a nice wave over the deck and get your fellow cast member scrambling for higher ground!
This is a great picture and I can't thank George Herold enough for sharing it originally!
--Mike
I agree with you, my aunt worked in security for WDW for over twenty years. She talked about how things had changed over time, but how there was still a dedicated group of friends, more like family, that she had been with for almost the entire time she was there. The stories she could tell...
I remember when the Rivers of America was drained. It was so funny seeing the Mark Twain and the Colombia on tracks. If I remember correctly, the Colombia had twin propellers exposed.
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