Dan, a Cast Member, Remembers…
I worked in Frontierland from 1967 to 1973. In summer of '68 I worked nights on the Mine Train. That was my favorite summer. Although we had a taped spiel, we all decided to do live spiels. I always joked that the old Mine Train was more of a thrill ride that Big Thunder.
In 1968, Disneyland supervision installed stop watches on each train to ensure that every trip was 12 minutes. The ride operators (being a bunch of kids) said, "Who can make the fastest trip?" and had contests to prove it!
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The Order of the Red Handkerchief
The Order of the Red Handkerchief was created in the late 50's or early 60's, long before I was hired. It was kind of a fraternity (or, it may have been an excuse to go drinking) of people who worked on the Mine Train. Walt Disney was an initial member, as were several “first day” people.
The group met every year. There was a big party put on for the members. However, you had to be nominated and you had to have worked the Mine Train. I remember getting off work one day, some time around 1970-71. I was told to be at the Presidential Suite at the Disneyland Hotel at 6pm. I asked why and was told, “Don’t question, just be there.”
When I showed up, I found that I was being inducted into the Order. There were VP’s there, Area Managers, food, drinks, WOW! Here I am, a kid, hanging out with the brass!
The Order of the Red Handkerchief still exists. Some senior members were at Disneyland on opening day. Sadly, some members have passed. There is still an annual meeting of the group.
I think that what makes the Mine Train special is that it is probably the most loved ride that was ever in Disneyland. If you were to ask Walt, or Ron Dominguez, or any of the old ride operators, they would say that they liked the Mine Train best. The Jungle Cruise is great and is one of the signature attractions of D-land, but, if you asked the old time D-landers what ride they loved, it would be the Mine Train.
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We had a joke that guests “checked their brains at the Main Gate.”
But, it wasn’t really like that. We really wanted to do a good job. We realized that people spent a lot of money to come to the park. I remember standing on the bow of the Mark Twain in the evening as the boat was beginning a trip. This must have been around 1970. I thought about how I was standing in one of the most famous places in the world and how lucky I was. We wanted to put on a good show and we had fun doing it.
One of the best memories I have is on the Mine Train. It was 1968 and I did a live spiel. As we came out of the caverns and back into the station, I heard a little boy say, “Wow, we're back in Disneyland.” I guess, for a few minutes, I had taken him into another world. Another time I had a man by the name of Van France on the train. Van France was an original member of the D-land group and very close to Walt. After Van France rode my train he said, “That was the best spiel I ever heard.” Wow!
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Our foreman on nights was a great guy named Dave Hall. Dave made things fun that summer. He would bring his twelve string guitar to work and play it while sitting next to the track in the Living Desert. Dave is now known as Robert David Hall. He plays the part of the pathologist on CSI. Dave had a great sense of humor and was always playing practical jokes.
One afternoon I was about to drive the train out of the station with a full load of guests when Dave walked up. He said, "You drive the train and let me do the live spiel." Of course, I agreed. Dave began the usual spiel, but quickly told the guests that he hated snakes. He told the people to tell him if they see any snakes while on the trip.
We pulled through Beaver Valley, moved along the river and then up into Bear Country. Dave kept giving the spiel and he reminded the passengers several times that he hated snakes.
We got to the top of the Living Desert and moved down hill past the geyser. Of course as we round the bend there must have been 25 snakes in different locations on the desert floor. People are yelling at Dave regarding the snakes.
Dave said to me, "Stop the train." We rarely stopped the trains, but Dave was the foreman so I stopped. Dave jumped off the train, ran about fifty feet into the desert, took a flying leap and landed on top of one of the snakes. He then "wrestled" the snake for about two minutes. First he would be on top of the snake and then he would roll over and the snake would be on top of him. It was a tough battle. Finally Dave held the snake by the tail end and slammed it several times on the ground. Dave, covered with dirt, calmly walked back to the train, got aboard and we resumed the trip. Dave did not mention anything about snakes the rest of the trip.
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It became difficult to work at the park as time went on. I needed to do something more important. Disneyland held special days where they brought handicapped kids to the park. It was great to help those kids, but it was emotionally draining on me. I was brought to tears by some of those kids. We would lift them onto rides. I remember having to shut down the Haunted Mansion because one young man panicked at the load area. It was awful for some of those kids.
So, it came time to leave. I love the park and I will never forget what D-land did for me. |
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Rainbow Ridge, About 1965)
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