The gold rush at Thunder Mesa brought an elegant riverboat landing and two majestic riverboats, Mark Twain and Molly Brown, who ply the Rivers of the Far West.

As you circle Big Thunder Mountain and Wilderness Island, look out for cascading waterfalls, beautiful wildlife, smuggler's caves and erupting geysers! Wave a quick hello to old Joe as he fishes, before your grand old-timer steams past Phantom Manor and back to the riverboat landing.

Fun Facts

Both boats were built specifically for Disneyland Park. Mark Twain was based on Disneyland's original Mark Twain riverboat, whilst Molly Brown was a new Imagineering design - the only side-wheeler riverboat to be found at a Disney Theme Park.

History

On Monday, 16th May 2005, an incident occured which would put the Molly Brown riverboat out of service for almost two years. As the boat rounded the corner at the back of the Rivers of the Far West, its engine overheated, causing considerable smoke damage to the boat's decor and its motors and rendering it immobile, with guests having to be ferried to shore by the River Rogue Keelboats.  Visible damage to the boat was very minimal, but the engine systems were badly damaged and the boat remained out of operation for many months, whilst the Mark Twain's ongoing refurbishment at the dry dock was finished.

In September 2005, the Molly Brown was moved to the dry dock, with Mark Twain finally resuming service in March 2006 from Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing.  It was not until September 2006, however, that Molly Brown's long refurbishment finally began, with the grand dame now brighter, cleaner and more unsinkable than ever before.