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The Liberty Belle Riverboat is an attraction located in [[Liberty Square]].
==Attraction History==
The Liberty Square Riverboat is one of the few attractions that can trace its history back to before Walt Disney even created Disneyland. In fact, Walt Disney initially came up with an idea for a "Mississippi Steamboat" attraction to be housed at the Disney Studio in Burbank, California <ref name="Jack1"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/03/liberty_belle_riverboat_part_1_1.html</ref>. Although it was soon apparent that the Burbank Studio did not have the land necessarily to build the attraction, the idea was carried over to Disneyland. In order to create the riverboat attraction (which was soon called the Mark Twain Riverboat) Disney had to construct the first American made, working steamboat in 50 years <ref name="Jack1" />. With funds coming directly from Walt himself, Admiral Joe Fowler oversaw the construction of both the attraction's riverboat and dry dock (located in the Rivers of America). The Mark Twain itself was built in two separate pieces, with the hull being constructed in San Pedro, California and deck being built at the Disney Studios in Burbank. Finally, the ship was put together in Disneyland (with the pieces fitting together perfectly) and The Mark Twin Riverboat was up and running on July 17, 1955 (the opening day of Disneyland) <ref name=Jack1 /> <ref> http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide/308/Disneyland-Resort/Disneyland-Park/Frontierland/Mark-Twain-Riverboat </ref>.[[Image:AdmrilJoeFowler.jpg|thumb|400px|The Admiral Joe Fowler sailed on the Rivers of America from 1971 until 1980]]
Like many other Disneyland attractions, the Mark Twain Riverboat was selected to be duplicated for Walt Disney World. The East Coast version of the attraction was renamed the Admiral Joe Fowler in tribute to the man who had helped to create Disneyland and Walt Disney World (as well as the Riverboat attractions) <ref name="FowlerDatedWorld"> httphttps://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id141.html</ref>. Although not quite ready for opening day, the Joe Fowler Riverboat opened one day after the park, on October 2, 1971. After the Joe Fowler Riverboat opened, live entertainment could often be found on the ship’s deck (due to the fact that there were not that many sights for guests to see on the Rivers of America) <ref name=FowlerDatedWorld/>.
Since Walt Disney World did not yet have enough attractions to meet demand, in 1973 a second steamboat was built. Known as the Richard F. Irvine, the new steamboat was named after Richard Irvine who oversaw the planning and construction of Walt Disney World. Besides their names, the only difference between the two steamboats was that Admiral Joe Fowler had two smokestacks, while the Richard F. Irvine only had one <ref name= Jack1/>. When they ran together, Liberty Square's riverboats were staggered in their departure times, so that when one boat was circling Tom Sawyer Island the other boat would be unloading and loading new guests.
==Attraction Plot==
[[Image:BeaconJOe.jpg|thumb|360px|Beacon Joe as seen from the Liberty Square Riverboat. Photo by Lauren Javier| alt= Beacon Joe Magic Kingdom]]
The Liberty Square Riverboat begins with the boats captain, Horace Bixby, making sure that everyone is aboard, before telling the crew to put the boat in motion. His leadsman then sounds off (to get a depth reading), before the engine room puts the boat in motion. Horace then addresses guests, saying:
Turning guest's attention port side, Sam next points out [[Big Thunder Mountain]], before giving guests a little bit of history behind the attraction. Sam explains that the water gets so hot over by the attraction that geysers erupt. Indians used to the think that the geysers were spirits and they named the mountain “Big Thunder Mountain” because of the rain that would come from it. Later, when prospectors and settlers came to the area, the name stuck. Sam goes on to warn guests however, that there has not been blasting in the mountain in some time. Instead, all he hears now are ghost stories about spirits and runaway mine trains.
As the boat continues its journey, the next sight that guests can see is Beacon Joe and his dog Rufus in front of his bait shop. Sam informs guests that Beacon Joe has been marking the river for as long as he can remember. Further down the bank, Powhatan Indians are gathering, and Captain Bixby explains that although he has seen various Indian tribes, (including the Seminole, Black Feet, and Crow tribes) Powhatan Indians are not usually found this far west. Sam suggests that since there are so many animals in the area, they are simply following the food. [[Image:IndianVillage.jpg|thumb|380px|The Indian village as seen from the Liberty Square Riverboat. Photo by Daryl Mitchell| Indian Village Liberty Square Riverboat]]Sam suggests that since there are so many animals in the area, they are simply following the food.
Continuing on, the boat passes an unidentified Indian village. The captain informs guest that the Indians were not sure what to make of the steamboat originally, and they called the ship a "fire canoe" and “comet of sun”. Scenes in the village include Indians cooking, trading, washing, and also two kids working on canoes. Past the village, guests see the Indian burial ground where the captain explains that the Indians lay their dead warriors on a "Bed of Death" and mourn them after nightfall.
==Changes in the Script==
[[Image:Burningcabin.jpg|thumb|400px|The original burning cabin scene featuring he Indian attack.| Liberty Square Burning Cabin Indian attack]]
The narration aboard the Liberty Belle has grown and changed with the expansion of Frontierland. References to [[Tom Sawyer Island]], [[Splash Mountain]], and [[Big Thunder Mountain Railroad]] have all been added to the script since Riverboats opened.
*The Liberty Belle Riverboat's landing building is one of the few buildings in the Magic Kingdom that does not use forced perspective. This may have been done to hide the riverboat itself from guests in Liberty Square (where a steam powered riverboat would not fit the land's theming). <ref> http://www.wdwradio.com/2014/10/show-382-rivers-america-virtual-trip-history-details-recorded-live-walt-disney-world/ </ref>
* Inside the Liberty Belle's Salon, you can find a copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by the attraction's narrator Samuel Clemens.
==Watch the Attraction!==
