Lost Boy
11-05-2003, 10:56 PM
While reading through the thread that was posted by Disneyfreak on the Indiana Jones Refurbeshment, I saw the post by Cadaverous Pallor and followed his link to the old Indiana Jones Secrets thread and started reading the posts that I had done on that ride just for fun. In reading one I noticed that I had promised at some point to post the back story of the new Adventureland Jungle Cruise Boat House. Well, I had forgotten all about that so I started going through all my files and I found it. So, here is that point in time that I promised. On July 1st, 1994, the Adventureland jungle cruise reopened after a six-month reconstruction project. In addition to some minor changes in the actual river cruise, a new que area and loading dock was completed. The new boat house has been built 15 feet closer to the jungle, to increase the walk way area in Adventureland. Tropical Imports and an entertainment stage for the Steel Drum Band have been included as part of the boathouse. Remember pleae, that the whole story is based on the fact that when you step into Adventureland you are transported back in time to 1935. That is the year the Imagineers chose for the "New Adventureland" that came into being with the new Boathouse and then the opening of the Indiana Jones attraction.
What follows is the official history of the World Famous Jungle Cruise and its Boathouse Que Area from its beginnings in 1911, to the current year of 1935:
In 1911, a Victorian house was built in a remote section of the jungle, as a Colonial Outpost. As the last outpost of civilization, it provided a welcome relief from the harsh and hostile jungle, offering weary travelers a hot cup of tea and a place to rest. It was here that Missionaries, Scientists and European travelers had one last opportunity to post or receive messages and supplies
It was in 1928, that the last Colonial Stationmaster became seriously ill with Malaria, which forced him to abandon his post. There were no volunteers to replace him, and the Foreign Office found no need to maintain the outpost. The house was offered for sale, but there were no quick takers... after all, who would want a place so deep in the jungle?
Then, after sitting empty for two years, in 1930, a loose knit group of enterprising expatriates bought the Victorian house, intending to make a quick buck. They started The Jungle Cruise Trading Co. and decided that this house would serve as the home-base for their new Jungle Transport and Trading Company. After the purchase of a few jungle launches, they began the business, even though none of them had any previous experience in their new enterprise. They managed to scrape-by through hard work and lots of sweat (after all, the jungle is very hot and humid).
By 1931, with a huge increase in the volume of business, they decided to add on to the existing house. They built a Skipper's Lounge, along with more storage space for cargo and supplies. The second level of the house provided additional storage areas as well as a high vantage point over the river; not only could they see up and down the river, but the roof was now high enough so that visitors on the river could see it clearly. An advertisement was painted on the roof to entice passersby.
Because of the number of vessels arriving and departing, an observation patio was added to the dock. The owners obtained a short-wave radio, which finally linked the company to the outside world. Business picked up even more, and trading was very good.
But then...
The Great Depression of 1932 hit, and the resulting worldwide effects finely reached the little trading company deep in the jungle. The business all but dried-up; shipping executives who had paid well for cargo transport could no longer afford to do business. The skippers of the Jungle Cruise Trading Co. kept busy by delivering freight, medicine and mail; but there was no money coming in, because no one was able to pay. Then, on top of everything else, a crewmember accidentally ignited a stove fire on the shipping dock. Fortunately the fire was quickly extinguished by using water from the river, but unable to afford proper repairs, the skippers left the fire-scarred roof as a constant reminder of the accident.
Though it was now just over 20 years old, the Victorian mansion was quickly deteriorating in the damp jungle air. Makeshift solutions using existing supplies were sought; railings from one section of the building were removed and added to other sections, which needed them more. The formerly grand house took on a rag-tag look as repairs were hastily and poorly made. As an example, late one night, after way too much trading and too little navigating, a young skipper crashed his launch directly into the dock by the residential annex. The annex, already weakened by slipshod construction, begin to collapse, leaning precariously toward the river.
The trading company staff removed the disabled launch, jammed a palm tree trunk under the collapsing roof, nailed some wooden slats in place, to hopefully hold it all together, even though the tree was about 5 inches too short, and left it that way.
By 1933, traffic on the river continued to decline, and the outlook was bleak for the Jungle Cruise Trading Company. Just as the skippers considered giving up, an American film director showed up and asked if anyone familiar with the rivers could take him to see the jungle wildlife. As a wad of bills flashed before their eyes, the owners of the trading company were inspired into a new line of business - Tourism!
They quickly performed a face-lift on the old buildings, and started a fancy ad campaign. They were in business again!
Success came quickly and word spread throughout the civilized world about the tours through the jungle. In fact, many new skippers traveled to the jungle, at their own expense, lured by the mystery and dangers of the jungle. Soon novelists, movie stars, politicians and Blue-Bloods followed.
Which brings us to our current year of 1935. The Jungle Cruise has become a jungle staple, offering low-cost, one-of-a-kind tours. Tour guides provide and maintain their own boats; many of the skippers even live on their launches, taking on cargo or paying tourists whenever the opportunity arises. Although the Tour Company gets the better part of the ticket price, the skippers make handsome tips and are allowed to keep anything left on board. Local entrepreneurs are also drawn to the scene; setting up makeshift booths where they sell everything from live snakes and bugs to mosquito netting. The colorful awnings that shade the vendors are painted with bold advertisements extolling the virtues of their wares. With their newfound success, the little trading company in the jungle has given itself a new name and opened a Home Office in London, England. Now known as "The Jungle Navigation Company, Ltd.", they can offer their exciting tours to a wider audience.
Fortunately, the tours are getting a fashionable notoriety among the well-heeled, and more and more tourists are showing up every day. As you make your way through this wonderfully preserved Victorian Boathouse, while you await your Jungle Cruise launch, be sure to keep an eye out for the following:
On the second floor you will find an infirmary, a study and a dispatch office. The dispatch office even has the original short-wave radio, still working and receiving all kinds of interesting messages. Up in the rafters, you may spot an inquisitive King Cobra slithering among the luggage and cargo stored up there. As you approach the dispatch office, notice how the floor slants downward, toward the river. If you look over the railing, you can still see the Palm tree holding up the corner of the building.
On the first floor, you will find the ticket office and some interesting photographs of actual jungle cruise launches taken in the real Congo River area. In the storage area notice the unusual chess pieces sitting on the make-shift playing board. As you board your launch, look over at the annex for a different perspective of the Palm Tree Trunk and the support braces which are holding up the corner of the building. As a side note, up in the support beams over the stairway to the second floor, is a Toucan. This bird is the same Toucan that used to harass the crocodiles on the river. He has obviously found something more fun, and less dangerous, to harass; the tourists who pack into his new home.
Have fun on the Jungle Cruise, and we hope you return safe and sound from your excursion in the unknown! Your skippers know the rivers like the back of their hands, unfortunately most of them don’t get the chance to wash their hands very often, so they're all muddied up (just like the river). So, best of luck and we hope to see you soon - don’t forget to wave goodbye as you leave the dock.
I hope you enjoyed this story. I put it together from the script that a Jungle Cruise Skipper gave me just after the new Boathouse opened. Next time you look at the Boathouse notice that everything mentioned in the story is true. The mis-matched railings, the palm tree holding up the corner of the second floor (which can also be seen as your boat leaves on its cruise), and much more including the signs, can all be seen as you wander through the Boathouse. It's just too bad that now the second floor is only opened on the real busy days. But, it's all there for you to see and enjoy. Of course this story was written back in 1995 so I am not sure if the Toucan or Cobra are still working or still there, but they were at one time.
What follows is the official history of the World Famous Jungle Cruise and its Boathouse Que Area from its beginnings in 1911, to the current year of 1935:
In 1911, a Victorian house was built in a remote section of the jungle, as a Colonial Outpost. As the last outpost of civilization, it provided a welcome relief from the harsh and hostile jungle, offering weary travelers a hot cup of tea and a place to rest. It was here that Missionaries, Scientists and European travelers had one last opportunity to post or receive messages and supplies
It was in 1928, that the last Colonial Stationmaster became seriously ill with Malaria, which forced him to abandon his post. There were no volunteers to replace him, and the Foreign Office found no need to maintain the outpost. The house was offered for sale, but there were no quick takers... after all, who would want a place so deep in the jungle?
Then, after sitting empty for two years, in 1930, a loose knit group of enterprising expatriates bought the Victorian house, intending to make a quick buck. They started The Jungle Cruise Trading Co. and decided that this house would serve as the home-base for their new Jungle Transport and Trading Company. After the purchase of a few jungle launches, they began the business, even though none of them had any previous experience in their new enterprise. They managed to scrape-by through hard work and lots of sweat (after all, the jungle is very hot and humid).
By 1931, with a huge increase in the volume of business, they decided to add on to the existing house. They built a Skipper's Lounge, along with more storage space for cargo and supplies. The second level of the house provided additional storage areas as well as a high vantage point over the river; not only could they see up and down the river, but the roof was now high enough so that visitors on the river could see it clearly. An advertisement was painted on the roof to entice passersby.
Because of the number of vessels arriving and departing, an observation patio was added to the dock. The owners obtained a short-wave radio, which finally linked the company to the outside world. Business picked up even more, and trading was very good.
But then...
The Great Depression of 1932 hit, and the resulting worldwide effects finely reached the little trading company deep in the jungle. The business all but dried-up; shipping executives who had paid well for cargo transport could no longer afford to do business. The skippers of the Jungle Cruise Trading Co. kept busy by delivering freight, medicine and mail; but there was no money coming in, because no one was able to pay. Then, on top of everything else, a crewmember accidentally ignited a stove fire on the shipping dock. Fortunately the fire was quickly extinguished by using water from the river, but unable to afford proper repairs, the skippers left the fire-scarred roof as a constant reminder of the accident.
Though it was now just over 20 years old, the Victorian mansion was quickly deteriorating in the damp jungle air. Makeshift solutions using existing supplies were sought; railings from one section of the building were removed and added to other sections, which needed them more. The formerly grand house took on a rag-tag look as repairs were hastily and poorly made. As an example, late one night, after way too much trading and too little navigating, a young skipper crashed his launch directly into the dock by the residential annex. The annex, already weakened by slipshod construction, begin to collapse, leaning precariously toward the river.
The trading company staff removed the disabled launch, jammed a palm tree trunk under the collapsing roof, nailed some wooden slats in place, to hopefully hold it all together, even though the tree was about 5 inches too short, and left it that way.
By 1933, traffic on the river continued to decline, and the outlook was bleak for the Jungle Cruise Trading Company. Just as the skippers considered giving up, an American film director showed up and asked if anyone familiar with the rivers could take him to see the jungle wildlife. As a wad of bills flashed before their eyes, the owners of the trading company were inspired into a new line of business - Tourism!
They quickly performed a face-lift on the old buildings, and started a fancy ad campaign. They were in business again!
Success came quickly and word spread throughout the civilized world about the tours through the jungle. In fact, many new skippers traveled to the jungle, at their own expense, lured by the mystery and dangers of the jungle. Soon novelists, movie stars, politicians and Blue-Bloods followed.
Which brings us to our current year of 1935. The Jungle Cruise has become a jungle staple, offering low-cost, one-of-a-kind tours. Tour guides provide and maintain their own boats; many of the skippers even live on their launches, taking on cargo or paying tourists whenever the opportunity arises. Although the Tour Company gets the better part of the ticket price, the skippers make handsome tips and are allowed to keep anything left on board. Local entrepreneurs are also drawn to the scene; setting up makeshift booths where they sell everything from live snakes and bugs to mosquito netting. The colorful awnings that shade the vendors are painted with bold advertisements extolling the virtues of their wares. With their newfound success, the little trading company in the jungle has given itself a new name and opened a Home Office in London, England. Now known as "The Jungle Navigation Company, Ltd.", they can offer their exciting tours to a wider audience.
Fortunately, the tours are getting a fashionable notoriety among the well-heeled, and more and more tourists are showing up every day. As you make your way through this wonderfully preserved Victorian Boathouse, while you await your Jungle Cruise launch, be sure to keep an eye out for the following:
On the second floor you will find an infirmary, a study and a dispatch office. The dispatch office even has the original short-wave radio, still working and receiving all kinds of interesting messages. Up in the rafters, you may spot an inquisitive King Cobra slithering among the luggage and cargo stored up there. As you approach the dispatch office, notice how the floor slants downward, toward the river. If you look over the railing, you can still see the Palm tree holding up the corner of the building.
On the first floor, you will find the ticket office and some interesting photographs of actual jungle cruise launches taken in the real Congo River area. In the storage area notice the unusual chess pieces sitting on the make-shift playing board. As you board your launch, look over at the annex for a different perspective of the Palm Tree Trunk and the support braces which are holding up the corner of the building. As a side note, up in the support beams over the stairway to the second floor, is a Toucan. This bird is the same Toucan that used to harass the crocodiles on the river. He has obviously found something more fun, and less dangerous, to harass; the tourists who pack into his new home.
Have fun on the Jungle Cruise, and we hope you return safe and sound from your excursion in the unknown! Your skippers know the rivers like the back of their hands, unfortunately most of them don’t get the chance to wash their hands very often, so they're all muddied up (just like the river). So, best of luck and we hope to see you soon - don’t forget to wave goodbye as you leave the dock.
I hope you enjoyed this story. I put it together from the script that a Jungle Cruise Skipper gave me just after the new Boathouse opened. Next time you look at the Boathouse notice that everything mentioned in the story is true. The mis-matched railings, the palm tree holding up the corner of the second floor (which can also be seen as your boat leaves on its cruise), and much more including the signs, can all be seen as you wander through the Boathouse. It's just too bad that now the second floor is only opened on the real busy days. But, it's all there for you to see and enjoy. Of course this story was written back in 1995 so I am not sure if the Toucan or Cobra are still working or still there, but they were at one time.