Apparently, the premise of the Frontierland coaster involves an angry Indigenous spirit protector who, like the mountain itself, is named “Big Thunder” – and who has punished the Western settlers of the gold mining town of Tumbleweed for their “desecration of the mountain.” The idea is that Big Thunder destroyed the mines “causing the residents to flee” (hence the deserted town you pass through at the end) and now, apparently, the mine is haunted, with the trains that you (and likely your entire family) are riding are mysteriously “possessed.” Yeah, pretty messed up for an activity that may have preceded sitting in a giant twirling pink teacup.
It somehow gets even grimmer; according to one account of the backstory, Big Thunder was extra-pissed at the miners for holding poker games and celebrating with “parlor girls” at the sacred site, which is also an Indigenous “Burial Ground.” Yup, this ride is secretly about colonization, genoicde and vengeful paranormal entities. Which seems like a pretty messed up, potentially wildly insensitive, starting point for a family blockbuster, unless it’s a kid-friendly remake of The Shining.
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Thumbnail: Wikimedia Commons/Harsh Light/deror_avi