The Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland was a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge railroad attraction in Frontierland in Disneyland, that featured Audio-Animatronic animals in natural desert- and woods-themed environments. It opened on June 12, 1960 as an extension of Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, which opened on July 2, 1956. The set-pieces were also used for Pack Mules Through Nature's Wonderland as well as Rainbow Mountain Stagecoach and the Conestoga Wagons.
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History[]
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Tributes[]
Several remnants of this attraction remain throughout Frontierland.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: Many elements of Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland were repurposed and replicated for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad such as the animals, the T-Rex skeleton, and the very town of Rainbow Ridge in Disneyland Park. The name of Big Thunder Mountain comes from the waterfalls Big & Little Thunder which appeared in Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. The safety spiel for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is performed by Dallas McKennon using the same voice he used for the prospector in Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad also features its own cavern scene as a variation of the Rainbow Caverns. In the queue for the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction, the Natural Arch Bridge of the Living Desert is shown in a mural of the Big Thunder Mountain Range while Rainbow Caverns are identified on a map of Big Thunder Mountain. The proprietor of the Gold Dust Saloon is "Mother Lode", the same name used for the proprietress of Pack Mules through Nature's Wonderland. Disneyland Paris' Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has a quote from Big Thunder Mining Company founder, Henry Ravenswood, saying " From the first nugget discovered in its heart, to the booming economy that Big Thunder Mountain ensures for the town of Thunder Mesa, we, at Big Thunder Mining Co., are forever grateful for Nature's Wonders".
- Big Thunder Trail: An old tunnel used by Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland is visible.[1]
- Bonanza Outfitters: There is a window for "Texas Glenn's Honey Bee Farm", run by one Glenn Hicks, tributing Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland cast-member Glenn "Slippery" Hicks.[2]
- Disneyland Railroad: While passing through Frontierland, the narration references that of Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. The train also passes over a bridge constructed by the township of Rainbow Ridge.
- Main Street Cinema: A posting from the Disneyland Casting Agency reads "Stagecoach & Wagon Drivers: Seeking experienced drivers to carry passengers through Nature’s Wonderland and the Painted Desert. Apply Rainbow Ridge.". This tribute does confuse the fictional Living Desert with Arizona's real-world Painted Desert.
- Rivers of America: Cascade Peak remained along the Rivers of America until 1998 due to water damage. One of the mine trains used to appear as scenery, before being removed in the June of 2010 for restoration and was placed in the Walt's Barn area at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Museum. In 2017, new scenes and features were added to the Rivers of America with inspiration from Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. Big Thunder Falls is a feature of the Rivers of America in Disneyland, inspired by Big Thunder and Little Thunder in Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. On the Liberty Belle Riverboat of Walt Disney World's Rivers of America, Sam Clemens mentions how Big Thunder Mountain received its name from the sound that the waterfalls would make after a rainfall, indirectly referencing the waterfalls "Big Thunder" and "Little Thunder".
- Walt Disney World Railroad: In the Main Street Station of the Walt Disney World Railroad, there is a chalk-board mentioning the coming southbound arrival of the "Rainbow Cavern Line".[3]
Trivia[]
- Bear Country shared its name with the section of Disneyland which was later replaced by Critter Country.
- Near the entrance was a building identified as belonging to Willard P. Bounds, a historic US Marshall who was Walt Disney's real-life father-in-law.
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