Dear Tony Baxter,
It must have been frustrating to be so young
wanting to be heard but wondering if you had a right to do more than listen
trying to find your place at 22 in the shadow of Walt’s legacy
cobbling together a new idea from pieces of older ones
fragments from the original dream-builders
of the park that you loved.
It must have been heartbreaking to watch your detailed models go into storage
becoming another antiquated Western story gathering dust
as the space race took center stage
and the future became trendier than the past.
It must have been exciting the day you dusted off that same miniature mountain
even if it had to change its location, father west
as you searched National Geographics for charming hoodoos
making adjustments to fit a new space
as you must have to step into a new role.
It must have been terrifying to know you had the power to mess up Walt’s park
to remove beavers and bears and blacklights
to dismantle childhood memories
and beloved rainbow caverns
yet have faith that it would all be worth it.
It must have been surreal
to step into a train birthed from your imagination
zipping past nods to the legends before you
and watching your own dream become a reality
amidst howling coyotes and water splashes.
It was brave
building a mountain that Walt had never dreamed of
taking a risk that could have failed, but didn’t
trusting that inner child
creating moments of hope that we, too, can be daring
as millions overcome fear and danger on a runaway train
for generations to come.
Dear Tony Baxter,
You were brave
so that we can be courageous, bold, and fearless,
both on and off the ride that simultaneously grew us up
and let us be kids again.
Thank you for giving us Big Thunder Mountain.
An excerpt from A Glimmer of Pixie Dust: Finding Our Hope in the Disney Story
If you’re not familiar with the history of Big Thunder Mountain, it began as one ride in a trio of attractions destined for the Thunder Mesa complex in Walt Disney World’s Frontierland. When the Western River Expedition concept developed by Marc Davis became too costly an endeavor and the entire project was almost canceled, Tony Baxter suggested they take the runaway train portion and build it first so that the whole concept wouldn’t be scrapped. You can even see in the model that I show in the video above that the Western River Expedition was meant to be next door, eventually.
When the Space Race was in vogue, the Imagineers decided to put this project on the shelf and focus on developing Space Mountain in Tomorrowland, a ride Walt had been involved with creating before he passed. But a few years later, Mine Train through Nature‘s Wonderland in Disneyland was showing its age.
In order to add more thrill rides to the park, the Imagineers decided to take the runaway mine train concept that Tony had developed for Walt Disney World and put it in Disneyland instead. Tony adapted his original idea, mirroring the track layout to make it fit the limited space in Disneyland. He also changed the rockwork to mimic the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon to fit into the “charming” style of Disneyland, an idea he got from a National Geographic magazine that suggested that Hoodoos were so magical they could have been found in Walt Disney’s wonderland.
Big Thunder Mountain was later added to Walt Disney World, and a few more versions followed, including the best one at Euro Disneyland as a grand finale.
For a deeper dive into the history of Big Thunder Mountain, we cover a lot more about the history of this attraction in our 20-episode series on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad on our podcast Distory with Kate & Kirk!
Watch the podcast on my DisneyCicerone YouTube channel.
If you’re in a season of change or loss and need a little bit more hope to get you through, my book A Glimmer of Pixie Dust: Finding Our Hope in the Disney Story has a few words that might help. <3 (Available at disneycicerone.com)
