Ten Things You May Not Know About Frontierland
1. Frontierland is the only Magic Kingdom land not directly accessible from the central hub (While it was still around, Mickey’s Toontown Fair was similarly cut-off, so technically you could add Storybook Circus to that list if you want!). To get to Frontierland you need to pass through Liberty Square or Adventureland. All of the other lands in the Magic Kingdom have their own “spoke” off the central hub.
2. As you walk through Frontierland (and Liberty Square), you may notice that the buildings have address numbers on them. These numbers are actually years, and correspond to the approximate time when that style of building would have been constructed. For instance, The Hall of Presidents bears the street number 1787 (the year the Constitution was ratified), while the Town Hall in Frontierland is 1867.
3. Frontierland also follows a geographic pattern. The eastern United States is represented by the transition from Liberty Square and the Hall of Presidents. Continuing on you’ll find the early-1800 St. Louis-style architecture of the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon. From this point on your trek takes you further out into the pioneer-era west, culminating with the untamed ruggedness of Big Thunder Mountain.
4. Speaking of geography, you may notice a metal strip slicing across the walkway halfway through Frontierland. This is the “Little Mississippi”, symbolically dividing Frontierland into the east and the west. This symbolism is not only figurative but literal-beneath the metal plate is a channel that carries water to the Rivers of America.
5. The landscaping in Frontierland is purposely left a bit on the wild side to give a more natural appearance, reinforcing the overall theme of an untamed wilderness.
6. If you’re a fan of the film Mary Poppins, you may remember this exchange between Bert and Uncle Albert: Bert: “Speaking of names, I know a man with a wooden leg named Smith.” Uncle Albert: “What’s the name of his other leg? (Get it?) If you do remember it, (or even if you don’t!), be sure to visit the Frontierland Train Station and look for a wooden leg among the props. It has a label on it that says, you guessed it, Smith!
7. Speaking of the train station, in November 1990, in order to make room for Splash Mountain, the original Frontierland train station was entirely demolished. Frontierland’s new station, which was built as part of Splash Mountain, opened in December 1991.
8. “Texas” John Slaughter is the name of the Frontierland Trail Boss, as seen on the sign hanging over the entrance to the store. If that name sounds familiar, you might recall that “Texas John Slaughter” was the name of a classic TV Western series produced by Disney in the 50’s and 60’s starring Tom Tryon as the lead.
9. One of Frontierland’s original attractions was Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes. Guests could paddle their own 35- foot long canoe down the Rivers of America.
10. When the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade first opened, real lead pellets were fired from the rifles at the targets. Other than the obvious safety concerns, the rifles soon had to be refitted to no longer shoot these projectiles. The real reason they were modified was paint. Paint? Yup! Because the pellets chipped the paint off the props in the attraction, it was necessary to repaint them every night. Over the course of a year, that amounted to over 2000 gallons of paint!
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