December 1955 – May 1997
LOCATION
Frontierland – Guests looking for a trip around the Rivers of America could board the Keel Boats from the dock on the far side of Frontierland, on the same dock as the rafts to Tom Sawyer Island. To reach the dock, guests followed the waterfront from central Frontierland until they reached the area in front of what is now the Haunted Mansion.
BACKGROUND
As Frontierland began to expand after Opening Day, Imagineers looked to incorporate more Disney television characters and themes into the park. So on Christmas day 1955, the Mike Fink Keel Boats made their debut. Based on the television show (and later film) Davy Crockett’s Keel Boat Race, the boats’ namesake was “King of the River” Mike Fink, Davy Crockett’s rival in the boat race. For over 40 years, the Keel Boats were a well-known and well-loved ride in Frontierland, becoming an icon of Frontierland’s early days of operation.
EXPERIENCE
Guests could ride one of two Keel Boats: the Bertha Mae or the Gullywhumper. Both boats took the same tour around Tom Sawyer Island, and each had the same two-level seating. Guests on the upper level had panoramic views of Frontierland and the waterfront, and guests on the lower level had a similar but shaded experience. The boats took a complete trip around the Rivers of America, before returning to the Frontierland dock.
CLOSURE
Before their official closure, the Keel Boats left the Rivers of America for almost two years, from 1994-1996. While no official reason was given for the closure, this temporary absence foreshadowed the boats’ permanent fate, which would come less than one year later.
In May 1997, one of the Keel Boats began rocking back and forth until it finally capsized, dumping the entire boatload of guests into the Rivers of America. The boats were immediately closed for inspection, but never reopened.
TRIVIA
Richard Kraft purchased the retired “Bertha Mae” Keel Boat for $15,000 at a Disney auction in 1998.
The “Gullywhumper” Keel Boat became a prop on Tom Sawyer Island, as the pioneer boat visible from the train or other boats. However, the boat eventually flooded and sank, so the current boat at the rear of the island was never part of the Mike Fink Keel Boats ride.
The Mike Fink Keel Boats take their name from “King of the River” Mike Fink, even though he loses the film’s keel boat race.
