Westernland: Attractions (Part 2}

 12 - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Take a ride on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness!

BACKSTORY:

When settlers first came to Thunder Mesa, they found a mountain in the center of a valley. Gold was discovered there and so a company was established. Founded by Bartemius W. Bullion, one of the settlers of the town, the Big Thunder Mountain Mining Company started to mine into the mountain, looking for more gold.

However, this was a sacred spot to the Native Americans in the area. They warned the miners not to dig too deep into the mountain, claiming that it would anger the guardian spirits within. But Bullion, being a stubborn and stiff-necked man, didn't listen to these warnings and kept digging into the flesh of the mountain.

Then, one night, a terrible event happened. The feared outlaw, Black-Eye Bill, tried to shut down the mining company by caving in all the mines. This was done as an act of vengeance on Henry Ravenwood, one of the men who had grown wealthy from the gold. He brought dynamite to the mountain and hid it all over. Just as Henry showed up to settle things with him, a bomb exploded, causing a major cave-in on the mountain.

It was believed that the spirits were enraged by this, and to punish those who had attacked their sacred mountain, they put a curse on it in the form in a flash flood. The area around the mountain was flooded and Bill and Henry were drowned in the river. Bullion, who was near the mountain at the time, mysteriously disappeared. Shortly after the disaster, someone went to inspect the site, and to their surprise, trains were moving around the mountain without drivers. It was concluded then that the place had been cursed, so they abandoned the mines and Thunder Mesa fell into decline.

Thirty years have now passed since the incident. The curse has become a myth and a new set of miners have come, looking for gold. They've revived the mining company and are once again sending miners into the mountain, even though they have promised the natives not to go any deeper. They have discovered an underground tunnel that will take them underneath the river. However, the guests to this place may soon discover that some legends are true.

QUEUE:

Near the Thunder Mesa Mountain Range is a small train station (not counting the Westernland station nearby,) where a sign for the attraction is. Guests go through this sign and begin to make their way through it.

Around a desert, guests see several abandoned mining equipment. Crates of TNT are near a windmill, a few empty mine carts are on a track, and there is a broken water mill by the side of the water. As they move around, they can also see cow skulls and cart wheels in the sand.

Unlike the well-maintained Westernland station for the Disneyland Railroad, this station is supposed to look rugged and neglected. The paint is peeling on the walls, the metal roofs are rusty, and the windows are a little dirty. The station is designed to look like mining stations of the 1850s.

Guests go around the building, looking at old photographs and newspapers that tell the backstory of the ride. Soon enough, they descend into the basement, where they get on one of two trains. This is like the Magic Kingdom version of the ride, where they go to one side or another to board the vehicle. After getting in, they lower their lap bars and wait for the ride to begin.

RIDE EXPERIENCE:

The trains start by going down into a tunnel. There, they go beneath stalactites while bats fly on the sides. A puff of air is given to make them feel like one of them has flown over them. The train then passes through an abandoned mine shaft, which creeks as they go underneath a bridge.

Soon, they begin to ascend a hill. Looking around, guests find themselves in a cave with underground pools of water. They go between two waterfalls and enter the light. When they turn out of the cave, guests find themselves on the island. They move past a pair of trees with possums in them before dipping down into a track. It moves over the water and then goes on land. After a full turn, they go under a bridge and into another cave.

After going back outside, the trains ascend another lift, seeing muskrats, an armadillo, rattlesnakes, vultures, and a ram before dropping again. They move around a curve, where they can see Phantom Manor in the distance. They pass through the flooded remains of a mining town and then pass through a dinosaur skeleton.

Soon, they ascend a third lift, which is inside. This one is loaded with dynamite, which "explodes" as they move up. Once they reach the top, the train goes down and passes by a goat that is chewing on a piece of dynamite. The train drops into a cave, where explosions happen all around. Water comes in from the right, but they get to a higher shaft before they can be soaked. From there, they ascend another lift and find themselves back on dry land and approaching the station, where the ride ends.

POST-SHOW:

After getting off of their trains, guests follow a passage out to a shack near the edge of the desert. There, they can see photos of them taken on the ride. They can also find themed merchandise at the Miner Mercantile gift shop.

13 - Western River Expedition

Go on a river adventure to find the lost treasure of Black-Eye Bill. Do note that this is not a Splash Mountain-style ride, but more like Maelstrom/Frozen Ever after.

BACKSTORY:

A long time ago, there was an outlaw named Black-Eye Bill. He was a German immigrant expelled from Bavaria for taking part in the 1848 German Revolution. When he came to America, he quickly made a name for himself as a fierce robber, taking gold from western settlers.

Prior to his death in 1853, it was said that he had hidden all of his treasure in the Thunder Mesa Mountain Range. It is unknown where he hid it, but legend has it that it was the biggest collection of gold in the United States. Whoever found it would be rich.

The town of Thunder Mesa has been wanting to restore itself to its former glory. In order to do this, the mayor of the town has arranged an expedition to find Bill's treasure. Guests take the role of people in that expedition, and along the way, they will see some interesting things.

QUEUE:

Guests approach the Thunder Mesa Mountain Range by going under the Westernland station. The mountains are designed to resemble Arches and Zion National Parks in Utah, both of which are famous hiking spots for Germans visiting America. Similar to the outsides of Big Thunder Mountain, guests will go past several rusty equipment, desert plants, and other Western things.

Eventually, they will go behind a waterfall and into a cave. On the walls of it are several signs, which explain the backstory of the ride. Guests will also pass by the mayor (an Audio-Animatronic figure of a bald man,) who will give further explanations. From there, they will descend into a dock in the underground river, where they will board their boats. They are fashioned after wooden canoes that western settlers would explore in.

RIDE EXPERIENCE:

The ride starts out with them going through the cave. As they go, they move past Native American cave paintings, some of which come to life as they pass by. They pass by a prospector holding a lantern, who claims that the treasure of Black-Eye Bill is further up in the mountains. It is only then when the boats ascend a lift and got to the second floor of the ride.

The boats move through a nighttime canyon setting, where they see many wildlife. This includes lizards, a bobcat, an armadillo, and even an American badger. They go under an arch and see a spot where settlers have come. This features a man in a covered wagon, playing the banjo (a reference to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland Resort) while three other men are sitting around a campfire, telling stories of their travels. The boats keep going and see a skeleton lying on the ground with a bullet in its chest (one of the four suitors of Melanie Ravenwood.)

Soon enough, the boats enter a forest. Here, they pass more wildlife, including a moose, beavers, otters, and a raccoon. Then, they move right towards a bear, growling furiously at them. Before it can do anything, the boat begins to change course and move backwards. As it moves away from the bear, the boats go down a small hill. They land in a lower section of the forest, where they are cornered by bandits. A shootout begins, with splashes in the water and shooting noises creating this illusion. Luckily, before any of the guests can be shot, the boat moves forward again and goes down a second small drop, this one into a cave.

Unlike the cavern from earlier, this cave has a darker feel to it. The walls are bare and an eerie sound echoes through it. Soon, guests see bobbing barrels of dynamite, which the boats uneasily move past. Then, they are surrounded by gold, stored away in boxes. They have finally found the treasure. However, before they can do anything, Bill's ghost appears (taking the same look he did earlier in Phantom Manor.) He agrees to give them his gold, but warns them not to "go down the same path I did in life." In a way, he is telling them not to use the gold out of greed. He then opens up a vortex and the boats travel back to the cave from earlier. There, the mayor is delightful over the acquisition of the gold. He thanks guests for their help and makes plans to use the gold to bring Thunder Mesa back to its former glory.

From there, the boats return to the loading station. The guests disembark and follow a passageway back to Westernland.