BACKSTORY (1956–PRESENT): The Settler’s Burning Cabin has changed its “story” over the years. In the 1970’s, the settler lost his arrow and became the victim of evil river pirates. The cabin burned with the same artificial fire effect as used in Pirates of the Caribbean during the energy crisis of the 70’s. In the mid-1980s, the real fire returned and the settler became a moonshiner whose still had exploded, igniting the cabin. The moonshiner was sprawled out in front of the cabin, and was just passed out drunk, not dead. In the early 1990s, an eagle nest appeared atop a dead tree trunk right next to the cabin. The new story was that the careless settler had accidentally set his own cabin on fire, endangering the nearby nest. Eventually the fire was extinguished. One story is that the gas line needs replacement, but it would be too costly. Another story is that the flames are a victim of California’s strict emissions standards. As part of the Pirate’s Lair makeover of Tom Sawyer Island, the cabin was fixed up and looks cozy enough to live in; it doesn’t look good for the return of any burning shenanigans on TSI in the near future.
Thanks to fellow blogger Jason at Disneyland Nomenclature, we now have the behind-the-scenes story of The Dead Settler in front of the Burning Cabin. From The Disneyland Line comes this article titled Discovery in Detail:
If Ed Winger, Manager of Building, Grounds and Contstruction in the Maintenance Division, tells you he gave his all to Disneyland, you'd better believe him.
In 1957 the "Settler" (a scarecrow-like dummy in front of the burning cabin on Tom Sawyer Island) was torn apart and destroyed. At the time, Ed was a Plaster Tender in the Staff Shop and happened to be in the Shop office when a request for another "dummy" was made. Thus, he was volunteered to be the model for the new prototype.
The mold was made in two parts: the body from the neck down; and the face and ears. As he laid on a table, he was greased and covered with plaster on both sides. The plaster took 30 minutes to harden before it was lifted off. Not only did Ed learn to take short breaths as the plaster set, but had to contend with the heat that comes with hardening plaster.
During this period, Ed laid face-down with his head resting on a sponge. At that time, the Staff Shop was where the Administration Building is today. Cast Members used to drop by frequently on their way to work to see the latest creations.
A few stopped to talk to Staff Shop Cast Members standing next to Ed, completely unaware of him. He could only see their feet, and when he made a request to readjust his sponge, there were some startled reactions. "They took off like a shot," Ed recalls. "They didn't realize a live body was underneath all that plaster."
For the face and ears mold, straws were inserted in his nose to allow for breathing, and tissue dipped in cold cream was placed on his eyelids and eyebrows.
After the mold was made, a fiberglass figure was cast, then dressed and positioned on the island.
Thanks to former cast member David M. (Cavalry Trooper, Tom Sawyer Island, 1970-71) for sharing his memories:
I got out of the Army in 1970, but was not ready to start a career and decided to take a year off to do absolutely nothing gainful – and the best place for that was in Southern California. I called my fellow First Lieutenant roommate (Bob Romoser) with whom I had served in Germany, suggested that we go to Guaymas, Mexico and then drive PCH up California to the Bay Area, then return to Orange County where I “would get us jobs at Disneyland.” He was skeptical, but rising to the moment I called the personnel director at the Magic Kingdom (Chuck Shields) and told him that two ex-lieutenants wanted to work for him – and we’d do anything Disneyland wanted, to include “cleaning up after the Clydesdales on Main Street.” He sent us the applications and said to come see him when we arrived in Orange County. We got to the area, secured housing at the Huntington Capri Singles Apartments in Huntington Beach, drove up Harbor Blvd., met the personnel director and were hired. Bob ended up working in Tomorrowland in that funky uniform with white spats (see below), but I was assigned to Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland – and I have to say that working on The Island was fabulous – with a main job of keeping people from trying to cross the Pontoon Bridge the wrong way and possibly falling off, and keeping kids from smoking grass in Injun Joe’s Cave. I also was asked to pose with guests for their Instamatic photos. My favorite duty was to occasionally make a tour of the area around The Burning Cabin to ensure that kids had not managed to get through the fence to the back lot. While in the area, I also had some (quite unauthorized) fun. I would stand totally still in my cavalry officer’s costume as if I has just arrived on the scene of the massacre, and would await the passage of the Mark Twain or the Columbia which would always have kids hanging over the rails watching the Burning Cabin. I would wait until only one kid was watching and I would – just like a Disney Audio-Animatronic figure – turn, look right at him, waive and grin. The kid would always tug at a friend or his parent and say “Look at the cavalry guy!” But when that happened I would freeze until the friend or parent looked away, whereupon I would again have some fun by again acting the role. Of course, I had to be careful doing kind of thing or I would have been chewed out by a supervisor. But someplace out there, there are people that remember the cavalry trooper who grinned and waived at just them – and no one else.
David was also kind enough to share some memories about other areas of the Park. Here are his further “Tales from the Park”:
One time, my supervisor called me from my duties on Tom Sawyer Island to help supervise the Main Street Parade. He told me that my one duty was to keep people from climbing onto the raised flower beds near the entrance to Tomorrowland in order to get a better view of the parade. So, in my Cavalry Trooper uniform, I stood at my assigned station and soon, sure enough, a woman had climbed onto the flower bed and was trampling the petunias. I politely asked that she step down whereupon she replied that she couldn’t see the parade from street-level. I told her that nonetheless, she was killing our flowers and she had to step down. She replied, “You son of a bitch.” I said, “Yes, ma’am, that may well be, but you still have to get down from that flower bed.” She complied, and another guest who had watched the whole thing, said, “Buddy, well done – but I wouldn’t want your job.”
A few weeks later, my supervisor again called me off the Island with an unusual duty. It seems that someone in Entertainment thought it would be fun to have The Big Bad Wolf (who wore loud and intimidating cleats on his shoes) march the Three Little Pigs though the park. The Pigs would be in front with the Wolf following – and with a big club slung over his shoulder. The problem was that little kids hated the wolf and they would come up behind him and kick him in his tail and legs, which of course could be painful. My job was, in my Cavalry Trooper uniform, to follow closely behind the Wolf and protect him from the mean kids.
And speaking of the Three Little Pigs: girls in the know always stayed away from them. Why? Well, because the Pig costumes were made in such a way that the body and the head of the Pig’s ended at the shoulders of the actor inside, with the actor’s head above & inside the Pig’s hat with the hat made of a black gauze material so he could see out. The Pigs all had the job of merrily wandering the Park (at least when the Wolf was not herding them) and happily bouncing into guests. Well, few people knew that the Pig’s nose was as flexible and soft and the actor inside could put his hand inside, almost as if inside a glove and the nose thus became an appendage. This resulted in many a female guest’s being bumped into and providing the actor inside the Pig costume with the proverbial “free feel.”
I also heard from fellow staff who supervised Monsanto’s Ride Through Inner Space in Tomorrowland that when viewing the attraction through unseen slits in the set, that they would see some pretty heavy make-out sessions between the start and the end of the ride through the attraction.
Below are a number of non-Burning Cabin photos that David shared, such as the ones showing him doing Tomorrowland Duty (with the funky spats) to supervise the dance floor (The Sound Castle was the band). David also let me know that the New Orleans Square One Of A Kind shop was a favorite of his. When he told me that, I knew he was legit! Below, you can see a treasured print that David bought there of the famed dancer Nijinksy by George Barbier in 1913. He found it in The One of a Kind Shop in 1970, paid about $15 for it (less the employee 10% discount, of course), and it’s followed him around for 50 years.
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Thanks to former cast member Matt, aka Amazon Belle, we have access to some very cool background info on the Burning Cabin:
It says it on the plaque, "Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the HARD FACTS that have created America." Now, with that said, did the early settlers and the American Government break treaties with the Native Americans. Yes, they did, and when they did they were risking their life and the lives of many others. But I bet "some" of those early settlers knew when they were breaking a treaty... taking what did not rightfully belong to them. That has always been the tableau Walt was telling here. This settler moved beyond the protection of Fort Wilderness into hostile Indian country (not like the Friendly Indians on the other side of the river waving "hi" (good one fifthrider!) : )Nor like the band "The Friendly Indians" voted Orange County's most widely entertaining band). And it is for this reason, I say, "let it burn!" Now, some interesting side notes I wrote here one other time way back in 2000 something, was when I was asked to do an inspection of the river after a major rehab (1992 I think). I unlocked the gate by Fort Wilderness and was asked to ensure all the speakers and lighting were installed according to WDI's specifications. "I was a kid in a candy shop" I think I wrote. I was surprised to find out that the cabin was made out of metal not cement or fire proof logs (now I don't know if that is still true... but it was back then). That is also the rehab when they added the eagles outside of the "moonshiner's" cabin. There was a great sound effect of breaking glass and then a larger explosion of fire roaring out of the cabin. Really cool... but alas. No more.
