Did you know?

[Elias1901]

5) That there were, at one time, not just one, but two riverboats on the Rivers of America in Florida's Magic Kingdom? The Richard F. Irvine and the Joe Fowler plowed the river for the first 25 years of the park's existence. In the mid 1990's, the Fowler was sent to drydock for an extensive refurbishment, but, the deck was too far gone. The Irvine was refurbished into the lone boat that guests now know as the "Liberty Belle".

Oh wow! I was never aware of this! Very cool information, Jim. Do you know if both ships were identical paddle-wheelers? Or were they different? I don't suppose one of them was a sailing ship like at Disneyland! So, that's why I assume they are similar in style. Kinda like... Mark Twain "Lite" -- clones?

[Main Street Jim]

Oh wow! I was never aware of this! Very cool information, Jim. Do you know if both ships were identical paddle-wheelers? Or were they different? I don't suppose one of them was a sailing ship like at Disneyland! So, that's why I assume they are similar in style. Kinda like... Mark Twain "Lite" -- clones?

They were, in fact, both paddlewheelers, but very different deck, cabin, and boiler/steam designs. Do a Google photo search on both boats.

Legend has it that the Fowler actually sank *in* Seven Seas lagoon on its way *TO* the drydock (just north of the Contemporary Resort). When they tried to crane it out of the water, the deck literally broke in two, damaging the boat beyond repair.

The Fowler had twin stacks, while the Irvine had a single stack.

[Elias1901]

The Fowler had twin stacks, while the Irvine had a single stack.

Very interesting! I do like the twin stack design better than the single. Did the Fowler look more like the Mark Twain did? I guess I can just do a Google image search now.

Isn't there another Fowler as the name of one of the TTC - MK ferryboats?

[Main Street Jim]

Very interesting! I do like the twin stack design better than the single. Did the Fowler look more like the Mark Twain did? I guess I can just do a Google image search now.

Isn't there another Fowler as the name of one of the TTC - MK ferryboats?

Yes.

The original names of the ferry boats (TTC) were "Kingdom Queen" I, II, and III. They were renamed "General Joe Potter", "Richard F. Irvine", and "Admiral Joe Fowler".

[Elias1901]

Yes.

The original names of the ferry boats (TTC) were "Kingdom Queen" I, II, and III. They were renamed "General Joe Potter", "Richard F. Irvine", and "Admiral Joe Fowler".

Any story behind the names? People at Disney? Or something else?

[Main Street Jim]

Any story behind the names? People at Disney? Or something else?

Yep

Richard Irvine: In the early 1950s Walt Disney asked Irvine to help construct Disneyland. He moved from 20th Century Fox to the Walt Disney Studio in 1952 and became a senior figure at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI). Until his retirement in 1973, he headed design and planning for all Disneyland attractions including the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Irvine became executive vice president and chief operations officer at WDI in 1967.

Irvine's daughter Maggie followed in her father's footsteps and also joined WDI. His son married Kim Thomas (now Kim Irvine, who currently is an art director at WDI), who is Imagineering colleague Leota Toombs's daughter.

Irvine died in 1976 in Los Angeles, California after suffering an illness that prevented him from visiting the complete Walt Disney World Resort, which opened in 1971. In his honor, one of the original Walt Disney World riverboats was named after him.

Admiral Joe Fowler: a retired Naval Admiral who played an important part in the building of Walt Disney World. Admiral Fowler had run the San Francisco naval shipyard during WW II, when Walt Disney was looking for a naval expert to help with the building of the Mark Twain Steamship in 1954 for the then under-construction Disneyland. He found the retired Admiral supervising the construction of tract homes in the San Francisco region, and hired him as the construction boss for the whole Disneyland project. After Disneyland was completed, Fowler stayed on as General Manager of the park for its first 10 years, and assisted with the construction of Walt Disney World. He retired from the Disney organization in 1978, though he continued as a consultant.

General Joe Potter: Potter masterminded much of the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the theme park running, such as canals and underground utilities that were considered revolutionary in the '60s and '70s. Dick Nunis, president of Walt Disney Attractions, said Walt Disney World would not exist were it not for Potter's ingenuity and dedication.

''He was a man Walt Disney was very fond of,'' Nunis said. ''Without a Joe Potter there would be no Walt Disney World today.''

Before joining Disney, Potter was a veteran of major construction projects. He had served 38 years with the Army Corps of Engineers and was second in charge of construction at the New York World's Fair in 1964. He also was governor of the Panama Canal Zone and president of the Panama Canal Co. in the 1950s.

An engineer, Potter was determined to build an infrastructure for Disney World, including underground sewer, power and water treatment plants, which many civic leaders termed impractical and ''futuristic.'' His dedication to the Disney project helped him prevail against strikes and other setbacks that threatened the park's opening on Oct. 1, 1971. In 1968, facing a strike by equipment operators seeking to unionize, Potter said, ''Only the weather can keep us from getting back on schedule at this time.''

Walt Disney and Potter met at the New York World's Fair and are said to have had a congenial rapport.

''It didn't take you long to realize that Walt was a beginner of things, not a finisher,'' Potter said.

[Elias1901]

Thanks again Jim! I can always count on you for my fill of Disney know-how!