Rivers of America (Disney)
The Rivers of America is the name of the artificial river found in the Frontierland areas of Magic Kingdom-style Disney theme parks around the world. The first river was built in Disneyland when the park opened in 1955. It surrounds Tom Sawyer Island, which can be reached by rafts traveling from the Frontierland mainland. Additionally, there are other water-based vehicles which are found on the river. The sights along the Rivers include a Native American tribe, a burning cabin (though the cabin at Disneyland hasn't been burning for years), and various audio-animatronic wildlife.
As other magic kingdom-style parks were built, similar versions were included.
Several steamboat and ship replicas sail the many Rivers.
At Disneyland Park in Anaheim, the river passes through Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Critter Country.
The Rivers of America existed since Disneyland opened in July 17, 1955, opening with the Mark Twain Riverboat. However, the island that the river surrounds was left almost completely bare. The Mike Fink Keel Boats opened in December of that year.
In 1956, the river saw the opening of the Indian War Canoes (now Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes), as well as the Tom Sawyer Island area on the center island, newly accessible by raft.
The Sailing Ship Columbia was introduced in 1958.
The nighttime show Fantasmic! began showing on the river May 13, 1992.
The Mike Fink Keel Boats closed in 1997.
In September 2015, Disneyland Resort announced that the Rivers of America and its attractions would temporarily close starting January 11, 2016, to prepare for a Star Wars-themed land. An official Disneyland Twitter account confirmed that the Rivers of America will have a new route when it reopens from construction. The Rivers of America and its attractions are scheduled to reopen in summer 2017.
The Rivers of America is home to many natural wildlife not intentionally put by Disney. Ducks flying in from local parks, nature reserves and wetlands have brought many freshwater living creatures via their eggs getting stuck on the bottom of their feet and dislodging during landing in the river. Currently the river has many aquatic inhabitants some of them being freshwater carp, Koi fish, occasionally freshwater salmon, catfish, and Red-Eared Slider turtles. Since the Rivers of America is not filtered or chlorinated in any way, Disney has placed mosquitofish in the waterways -which also connect to the Jungle Cruise, the Adventurland-Frontierland-Castle moat, Big Thunder Pond, Storybookland Canal, and the Fantasyland pond which formerly hosted the Fantasyland motorboat cruise- all to battle mosquito larvae from growing. A wildlife food chain had set itself up in the rivers, the mosquito fish eat algae and insect larvae, they are then preyed upon by other river fish and turtles, deceased fish are eaten by catfish, and the food chain continues.
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