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00:09behind the gates of frontier land is the inspirational america of the past century
00:15here is the treasure of our native folklore the songs tales and legends of the big men
00:21who built the land
00:30we started construction on a hundred and five foot american riverboat the stern wheeler mark twain
00:41since the deck slopes from one end to the other each piece of wood had to be individually cut
00:47and fitted to make sure it was completely authentic we called in as supervisor a mississippi riverboat
00:54captain who had spent a lifetime running just such a boat
00:57constructing such a large boat inside a building 50 miles from water cost a lot of raised eyebrows
01:04but unlike the fellow who built a boat in his basement and couldn't get it out
01:08the mark twain's illustrious history began with the steel hall built in shipyards in nearby long beach
01:15meanwhile the wooden decks and ornate superstructure were constructed at disney studios in burbank
01:21trucked down to anaheim and then assembled inside the park the twin smokestack mark twain
01:26is an authentic looking replica of the larger stern wheelers that applied the mississippi in the
01:3219th century it is architecturally imperfect some parts were built proportionally to a smaller scale
01:38than other parts in accordance with the specific safety and maritime needs at disneyland disneyland
01:44publicity department claimed that this was the first paddle wheeler built in the united states in
01:4850 years the boat weighs 150 tons and designed to carry 390 passengers mark twain required a c ticket in 1955 a d ticket in 1956 to 1957 an e ticket in 1959
02:02built in 5 8 scale walt wanted the mark twain to be precise in its execution it was to be 105 feet long 28 feet high and it would end up weighing 150 tons
02:14when the upper decks were brought down from the studio and the hull was brought up from long beach
02:20the entire craft was constructed like a huge jigsaw puzzle in fowler's harbor after being lifted over the berms surrounding the park
02:28the gorgeous railings and filigreed woodwork were crafted in the mill inside the opera house
02:36nearly every description of the mark twain includes the words stately and majestic the graceful white ship certainly has both
02:42as the first large paddle wheeler built in america since the early 20th century it's also historic at 105 feet long and 150 tons
02:52it is disneyland's single most imposing watercraft walt disney wanted a resplendent riverboat in his park long before disneyland was built
03:00early concept drawings always included something that looked like the mark twain circling what appeared to be the rivers of america
03:06tellingly when the ship's landing was built it was placed in a highly visible location at the end of the main frontier land walkway
03:14so the guests would be able to see the dock and dazzling mark twain from the hub this tempting vision drew many a newcomer
03:22deep into the wild frontier the ship can hold over 350 passengers though when it debuted there was no official loading capacity
03:28thus there are old tales of cast members accidentally overloading the boat until it almost capsized when all the guests shifted to one side to view the riverbank
03:39on july 13th 1955 the mark twain made its prominent trial voyage at a party thrown by walt disney and his wife to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary
03:48four days later actress irene dunn christened the ship during televised opening day ceremonies
03:54from then on it has endured as one of disneyland's iconic attractions strangely in its first three decades
04:02the mark twain swung back and forth between a c d and even briefly an e ticket attraction
04:08the views have also changed dramatically over the decades but the lovely serene trip hasn't varied significantly
04:14powered by steam and propelled by its stern paddle wheel the ship travels on a submerged track around
04:20appropriately enough the island named after one of mark twain's greatest characters tom sawyer
04:26on his 12 to 14 minute journey the ship travels about half a mile and takes in panoramic views of island wilderness
04:32and attractions in frontier land new orleans square critter country auto animatronic animals and mike fink kill boats
04:40are among the additional sites naturally this mark twain has often been a star attraction for special events in its 50 plus years
04:48and 260 000 plus miles the ship has been specially decorated for holidays paraded jazz combos in front of the shoreline
04:56guests and been incorporated into phantasmic from wet disneyland addiction 1968 mark twain is the atmospheric paddle wheel steamboat
05:06that is patterned after the queens of the river which once supplied the mississippi a triple decker complete with plush captain's quarters
05:12wheelhouse and lounges it is powered by steam authentic dixieland music is played on our decks
05:20during moonlight cruises around tom sawyer island in the rivers of america during the summer months guests can enjoy
05:26sternwheeler mint juleps from steve birnbaum brings you the best of disneyland 1982 one of the original disneyland
05:34attractions and the first paddle wheeler built in the united states in a half a century this 150 ton 105
05:41foot long 5 8 scale vessel with its 9 ton paddle wheel circumnavigates tom sawyer island it passes by
05:49river barrel terrace the royal street veranda the docks for the mike fink keelboats and the tom sawyer island
05:57rafts piney bear country and takes in a waterfall and an abandoned railroad track which old disneyland hands
06:04will remember as part of the mine train through nature's wonderland attraction lately superseded by
06:09big thunder mountain plus moose elk indians the burning cabin of a slain settler and the lovely
06:16dense woods full of the alders cottonwoods maples and willows that might have been found along the
06:21missouri frontier more than a century ago wild european iris and southern rose mallows some with blooms
06:29eight inches across line the shores and ducks can be seen preening themselves and chasing each other
06:34through the water along the way all in all the ride is more pleasant than thrilling but it does provide a
06:40respite from the crowds on a busy day especially when the jazz miners are aboard to liven things up with
06:46their peppy brand of dixieland jazz and if you manage to get one of the few chairs on the bow the mark twain
06:54offers a golden opportunity to put your feet up the ducks are real the other animals come to disneyland
06:59thanks in part to the efforts of bob batty who also helped design the creatures that haunt the jungle
07:05river in adventureland the flag that flies atop the stern of the mark twain has 34 stars and 13 stripes
07:12a design that dates from the mid 19th century flags on the mark twain dock it's always fun to pick out the
07:18eight flags that fly above this frontier land landing the john cabot flag the first flown over the
07:24american mainland as the constant flag brought settlers to jamestown in 1607 and the mayflower
07:31transported the pilgrims to plymouth 13 years later there is the red cross of saint george on a white
07:37field the king's colors flag the one that flew over the colonies for over a century superimposes england's
07:44red cross of saint george on scotland's white cross of saint andrew on a blue background the
07:50continental flag carried at the battle of bunker hill is red with a green pine tree on a white field
07:56in the upper corner the pine tree flag carried by the american navy when it amounted to a mere six
08:02ships bears a green pine tree in the words an appeal to heaven in black on a white field the grand union
08:09flag which general washington raised at cambridge in 1776 has 13 stripes and in the upper corner the red
08:17cross of saint george and the white cross of saint andrew on a blue field the betsy ross flag adopted by
08:24the continental congress in 1777 has the same 13 red and white stripes but in the upper corner representing
08:31the new constellation of states rising in the sky a circle of 13 stars shines on a blue field the star
08:37spangled banner the flag that suggests the words of the national anthem to francis scott key at fort mchenry
08:45in 1814 has 15 stars and 15 stripes and finally there's old glory with its 13 red and white stripes and 24
08:53stars adopted in 1818 it was named in 1831 by
09:08all passengers aboard secure all cargo engine room stand by
09:32cast off bowline
09:37engine room full steam
09:39steam ahead
09:52greetings folks this is your pilot speaking from the wheelhouse
09:57welcome aboard the mark twain queen of the riverboats still our most important means of
10:04transportation here on the frontier we are now beginning a steam powered journey
10:12down the rivers of america for a first-hand look at our country's growth westward
10:18from the shores of the mississippi
10:22to the starboard tom sawyer's island where tom and huck explore engine joe's secret cave
10:29visit the old grist mill and climb to their lofty tree house up on indian hill
10:36attention deck watch new orleans square dead ahead stand by for possible heavy water traffic
10:46ahead is the paris of the western frontier a grand old city in new orleans
10:52along her winding street you can hear the sounds of dixieland jazz
10:59specs capacity 1560 per hour capacity per load 390 cycle time 15 minutes one second load time three
11:03minutes one second unload time three minutes one second trip time 13 minutes 23 seconds dispatch
11:07interval 15 minutes one second trips per hour four distance travel 2300 feet speed 2.2 miles per hour
