May 28

“You know, Nature’s Wonderland is awful pretty, but sometimes she can be a mighty rugged place to live.”

On May 28, 1960, the Frontierland attraction Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland opened; it was formerly the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, which closed in 1959. The attraction took guests through the unexplored wilderness of the West, incorporating the Painted Desert and the Rainbow Caverns of the previous attraction. Over 200 audio-animatronic animals were used in the attraction, as well as tumbling rocks and various plant formations. Walt designed the attraction himself, as he was not pleased with what his designers came up with. The attraction was closed on January 2, 1977, to make room for the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; the latter has many pieces within the attraction that pay homage to its predecessor.