Since both Adventureland and Frontierland were supposed to represent the untamed jungle and the Wild West, one might have thought they'd be the easiest lands to build. Due to the sandy soil and a color blind bulldozer operator, however, both lands proved to be a challenge. When contractors began filling both the jungle river and the Rivers of America, the water seeped into the sandy soil. A clay lining had to be laid down in both river beds. The color blind bulldozer operator couldn't tell the difference between trees marked for removal and trees marked to stay, which led to the park having to "reforest" its jungle and frontier woods.
The animatronic creatures that populated the jungles of the Magic Kingdom often proved to be persnickety, missing their marks once they entered their Anaheim home.
Mr. Disney eventually had to settle for partially operable animals, though the very nature of DISNEYLAND's operations allowed him to keep working on the animals to get them working as planned.
Frontierland was to be a home for the biggest star at Disney Studios- Davy Crockett. Mr. Disney personally oversaw construction over Frontierland, taking architectural plans home to pore over them and make his own changes.
Wooden stockades and riverboats hadn't been built in years, so age-old artisanry had to be revived to complete Frontierland.
As opening day drew near and the riverside took shape, this former orange grove really was beginning to look like the old west.
