“C” Coupon

Take a seat on the Gullywhumper, the legendary keel boat of Mike Fink, King of the River.

Or, if you’re partial to Davy Crockett, you might prefer a seat on the Bertha Mae, the legendary keel boat of the King of the Wild Frontier.

Whether you saw the original broadcasts of “The Legends of Davy Crockett” on Walt Disney Presents (ABC) in 1954 and 1955, or later re-broadcasts on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (NBC), you’ll remember that Davy Crockett and Mike Fink raced their keel boats down the river to New Orleans.

Davy Crockett may have won the race, but Mike Fink has the honor of having his name on this attraction.

The Mike Fink Keel Boats premiered in Disneyland on December 25, 1955—the park’s first Christmas. Over the years, the Keel Boats usually operated on a seasonal basis, primarily during the summer, but sometimes also on busy weekends.

Disneyland guests had the opportunity to circle Tom Sawyer Island for a mere “C” ticket on the Mike Fink Keel Boats. In comparison, the Columbia Sailing Ship, the Mark Twain Steamboat, and Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes all required a “D” ticket.

In 1994, at the end of the summer, the Mike Fink Keel Boats closed for the season. All through 1995, the Keel Boats never reopened. Had they closed forever? No! The Keel Boats reappeared on the Rivers of America at the end of March 1996.

Then came... The Accident. At around 5:30 p.m. on May 17, 1997, the Gullywhumper began rocking from side to side while on a routine trip around the island. The Gullywhumper tipped over, dunking a boatload of guests into the Rivers of America. Several guests were treated for minor injuries at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. Following the accident, the Gullywhumper was removed from the water for inspection. Neither the Gullywhumper nor Bertha Mae operated for the rest of the 1997 season or during any of the following years.

The Bertha Mae reappeared in December 2001—not as a park ride, but as an item at eBay’s Disney Auctions site. The description said that the boat “is not actually a seaworthy craft. It is suitable for display and/or storage on solid ground only...” Disneyland pocketed $15 thousand, and half of the two-boat fleet was gone.

In Spring 2003, the Gullywhumper returned to the Rivers of America—not to transport guests, but just as a prop. The Gullywhumper is moored at Tom Sawyer Island, providing another thing to see from the Mark Twain, Columbia and Canoes.

Will there ever be new Keel Boats to transport guests and to add life to the Rivers of America? The attraction really appears to be closed forever. But perhaps, some day, the Keel Boat ride will “return from Yesterland” as it did in 1996.