Golden Gulch: Attractions

 

18 - Mysterious Manor

Located in the back of the land near the border with the Enchanted Forest is a mysterious Victorian-era mansion. Here, guests travel through the house, encountering spooky spirits and learning of a mystery surrounding the place. While this is a haunted house-type attraction, this is a family park, so there's nothing too scary in there and no gore.

BACKSTORY:

Harry J. Black (born 1819) was an American settler who traveled West to seek his fortune. Upon arriving in California, he discovered a place where gold was common. Here, they built the town of Golden Gulch, where he was its first mayor. With the money he gained from the Golden Mountain Mining Company, he built a mansion in the woods, overlooking the rivers.

However, Black had some inner troubles of his own. Just as his time as mayor came to an end, the workers of the company went on strike. They claimed that dusty coyotes were seen in the mountain and refused to work with these creatures. Black didn't believe in this, and so he ordered the company to try to get their workers in the mines again.

To make matters worse, he learned that his daughter, Melinda (born 1842), had fallen in love with a mysterious young man named Edgar Copper. Black didn't approve of this man, mainly because of his background. And if that wasn't bad enough, he learned that Edgar was a member of the Broker Gang. Furious at this, Black refused to let them marry.

Then, in 1860, just as things were at their worst, something mysterious happened. An earthquake struck the town, but only buildings that Black had a role in building were damaged. This included the mountain's mining facilities and his manor. That night, Black mysteriously disappeared, and he has not been seen since.

As for Melinda, it was said that she and Edgar were also never seen again. What happened to the three of them remains a mystery, even two years after the incident. The year is now 1962, and the current mayor, Gilbert Golde, Jr., wants to find out what happened, so he's sending some guests to go into the manor and find out where Black, his daughter, and her forbidden love went those many years ago.

QUEUE:

Guests enter the queue of the ride through some iron gates. They weave their way through a neglected, overgrown garden and then through a cemetery, where the tombstone of Maria Black, Harry's wife, is seen. They then enter into the foyer, where they pass by a broken statue of Harry J. Black as well as see some old family portraits of Black and his daughter. From time to time, however, both of them disappear from the portraits, leaving nothing but shadows behind them. Broken staircases lead to the second floor, but they are unaccessable (like I said, broken.)

PRE-SHOW:

Soon, guests enter into one of two rooms: Black's office or the library. The office has a desk and several handwritten letters to the Golden Mountain Mining Company while the library has books. Both areas are dimly-lit with only a fireplace giving them light. Also in the room are five portraits. One of them is of Black sitting on a chair, reading a book, and it is in the center. This is the largest of the five portraits. On the left are smaller portraits of an old man on a rowboat and a young, bearded man with a hiking stick. On the right are portraits of a black-haired woman in a purple dress and a young man dressed like a soldier, standing in front of an older version of the American flag.

Once the room has filled up, the doors will close behind them. Then, a mysterious, disembodied voice will come from overhead:

Black: "I know why you're here. You want to know what happened to me. Well, I didn't know that this place was cursed land. I just thought it was a good place to mine. And you wonder what happened to Melinda and that Edgar boy? Well, that story is a difficult one to tell."

Suddenly, the portraits begin to zoom out, revealing more than originally shown. As they go, a light appears on each one as Black's voice speaks of it. It starts with the old man at sea.

Black: "My grandfather was a captain, who went out to the ocean blue. Don't know why he did this, but it's what he decided to do. However, there was a rock that he failed to see before he hit, and then he was devoured by the most feared of all fish."

As that portrait zooms out, it is revealed that a ship is sinking in the distance. Circling the rowboat are shark fins. Black then goes on to talk about the man with the walking stick.

Black: "My brother was a mountain man, who liked to hike a lot. He liked to be outdoors because adventure is what he sought. But then as he was trekking through the Rockies, there was quite a rush. A boulder came tumbling down and my brother was crushed."

As that portrait zooms out, it is revealed that a boulder is tumbling down the mountain, heading right towards the man. Black then talks about the woman.

Black: "My aunt is an interesting one, some say she was berserk-us. When she was seventeen, she ran off to join the circus. She was an acrobat jumping through flaming hoops as fast as a wisp, but one day, things went wrong, and she was burnt to a crisp."

As that portrait zooms out, it is revealed that the woman is in a ring. Nearby is a giant hoop on fire, which is touching the rope on her ring. Finally, Black goes to the soldier.

Black: "My father was a soldier who fought in 1812. He survived the war but stayed in the army to expand the country well. He was a serious man who thought he was toughest in the room, but then one day during a battle, he was taken out with a BOOM!"

As that portrait zooms out, it is revealed that another soldier has accidentally knocked down a cannon, which is pointing at the man. Last but not least, Black talks about himself.

Black: "So my family is ill-fortuned, but I thought I'd be an odd one out. I struck gold and became rich and then I built this mighty house, but my fate was sealed the moment I came, for better and for worse. The natives warned me, but I didn't listen......this land is cursed!"

At that moment, guests see Black's portrait expand to show something appearing around him. Several dusty coyotes are there, swirling him like ghosts.

Following a flash of lightning, the lights go out. Guests look out a window and see those very coyotes, lurking in the shadows. They growl and then walk away, the lights returning as they exit.

Black: "And what happened to my dear Melinda, the joy of my existence? Well, she and that boy she loved, I gave quite the resistance. They suffered the same fate I did and they walk around no more, but even though we're all gone, we haunt this place forevermore."

After this pre-show, another door opens up. Guests follow it out and into a living room. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, swaying back and forth. Nearby are some chairs surrounding a piano, which seems to be playing itself. This is also where guests board four-person hearses, pulled by invisible horses. These are vehicles that turn around so that guests are focused on certain stuff, even though it is not an omnimover vehicle. Guests climb into the vehicle and sit down.

RIDE EXPERIENCE:

The hearses leave the living room and go down a hallway filled with art. Here, guests see the subjects of several portraits looking at them, their eyes moving back and forth. Water is spilling out of a portrait of a stormy sea. A painting of spring turns into one of winter. Then, a portrait of Black is there, his human form turning into a ghostly form. After that, guests pass by Black's ghost, who tells them "there is no turning back now."

From there, the vehicles proceed into a room filled with mirrors, but when guests look at their reflection, they realize that they are looking at empty hearses with nobody onboard. They also look out a window and see the coyotes again, howling in the night. They proceed past a kitchen, where the furnace makes creepy noises and the food appears to be making itself. They then enter a dining room, where the china is moving around. Sitting in several chairs are ghosts, who are talking about something.

Guests then enter a room with a spiral staircase. There, the ghosts of Melinda and Edgar are there, hiding underneath it and talking about how nice it would be if Melinda's father let them wed. The vehicles then go through a ruined wall and go through a balcony. As they look into the forest, guests can see ghostly cowboys running around, shooting and hollering. The coyotes are seen a third time before guests look down at a cemetery. There, ghosts are seen floating around and disappearing before the guests eyes. They also see a skeletal hand sticking out of a grave, trying to dig its way out.

The hearses then enter a room caught up in a battle. Here, some Mexican and American soldiers are having a shootout, and the guests are moving right between them. However, these soldiers are all but ghosts. As they exits this room, they enter into a ballroom, where a dance is being held. An organ is playing itself as ghosts waltz. Some beheaded French aristocrats are also at the scene, commenting about the party. One woman declares: Let them eat cake! feeding the cake to some pale-looking men and women (possibly vampires.) In the meantime, Melinda and Edgar are dancing too, unaware that a depressed-looking Black is watching them from behind a curtain.

Guests then enter into a theater, where a ghostly ballet is taking place up on the stage. Guests turn the corner and encounter a masked ghost in a black cape (a nod to the Phantom of the Opera) who sings an original song to the ride. As guests travel backstage, they see several relics, including a chest where someone is demanding to be let out, Knight armor that opens its helmet to reveal yellow eyes inside, and some shrunken heads hanging from a tree, providing backup to this opera song. Guests also pass by Black, who is looking at a grandfather's clock. He seems terrified.

Black: "It's almost midnight! We have to get you out of here!"

The hearses then descend into the basement, which is filled with barrels. Here, a skeleton is drinking some sort of drink, but it is going right through him. Nearby, two other skeletons are playing chess. The hearses, however, go past this and into a secret passageway. They proceed through a hidden mine, where eerie noises fill the space, such as mine carts moving, people screaming, evil laughing, and heavy breathing.

Then, guests enter into a spooky old western town where ghostly activity is everywhere. A sheriff and a robber have a gunfight. A moose head and an elk head make noises in a broken saloon, while the bartender tells them to quiet down. Several ghosts close their windows as wind fills the room. Suddenly, the coyotes are seen for a fourth time, snarling at the guests. As the guests travel through the desert, the coyotes stalk them at every corner. Then, as they approach a shack of dynamite, Melinda and Edgar set it on fire. Guests get out of the scene through a tunnel, the sounds of explosions echoing around them.

In the final scene, guests go into the manor gardens, where Edgar and Melinda are getting married by the ghost of a priest. As the vehicles exit the scene, Black smiles from afar, realizing that Edgar wasn't so bad after all. The vehicles then pass through a photo parlor, where black-and-white photos are displayed of the guests (a photo was taken sometime during the ride.) After that, guests enter an unload station and take a passageway back to Golden Gulch.

19 - Golden Mountain Mine Train

(Height: 42 in.)

This thrilling coaster travels forwards and backwards through the Golden Mountain, with two launches and several surprises along the way.

QUEUE:

Guests enter a mining station for the Golden Mountain Mining Company. Here, they go past several working machines. There are also notes on the wall talking about a curse, but the company takes it for granted. Guests also pass by billboards instructing them to go into the mine and find some gold for them.

From there, guests enter the load station. They board a black train with three wooden carts. Each one has three rows and can fit six people each. Here, guests store their belongings in a pouch and pull their lap bars down.

RIDE EXPERIENCE:

The ride begins by heading up a lift and then turning onto a bridge, which heads over to the island that Golden Mountain is on. At first, things look normal, but then the miners order "Full steam ahead!" At that point, the train launches and heads forward into the mountain. It goes up a hill and careens through a tunnel, where mining was said to take place. However, the train is stopped when they come across a caved-in area. Suddenly, the snarls of coyotes fill the room and a lever mysteriously pulls itself down. This makes guests go out of the mountain and down a hill, moving through a forest and into a dynamite shack.

If that wasn't bad enough, a dusty coyote is seen overhead, snarling at the guests. The TNT in the shack suddenly starts, and then, the trains are launched forward, going through an arch and around the mountain. They go down a hill and through another tunnel before exiting out into a saw mill. They go through the mill, dodging the saws as they go through, and then drop down and go through a cave.

Just when the guests think they are safe, they see the coyotes again. They howl at the guests and force them downwards, going under the river. They pass by explosions all around before coming out of the river and back to the loading station. Here, they get off and exit through the company's building, where they can see ride photos taken of them.

20 - Golden River Explorer Canoes

Guests climb aboard some canoes and travel around the Golden River. As they go, they will see different views of Mysterious Manor, Golden Mountain, and Smuggler's Rapids. Aside from this, they will see the following:

• Pioneer wagons
• animals such as elk, beavers, bears, birds, deer, and a moose
• An abandoned mine
• A derailed mine train from Golden Mountain.
• A Civil War fort

21 - Smuggler's Rapids

(Height: 40 in.)

Search for the den of the infamous Broker Gang on this rapids adventure.

QUEUE:

At the edge of Golden Gulch near the train station is where guests can find the attraction. Here, they will go through a boathouse where several notes and photographs explain the backstory. Sheriff John Sampson wants to find the hideout of the Broker Gang, so he is sending several groups to find it. Guests soon go outside, where they will find the giant spinning wheel and board eight-person rafts.

RIDE EXPERIENCE:

The rafts leave the station and head through the forest. Here, they see animals such a as woodpeckers, deer, a moose, and some raccoons. Then, as they head towards a mountain, they go up a lift. When they reach the top, the river goes down, heading into the cave. Here, they come across a bunch of plundered gold, as well as a man in black, who asks what the guests are doing there. Soon, guests enter another part of the cave, where the bandits start firing their guns at them. Luckily, the rafts escape and go further down the river.

Unfortunately, the Broker Gang comes after them. As they go through the forest, the outlaws fire at them. Even as they go past geysers and under a waterfall, they follow them. Then, after going through a short cave, they find out that the bandits have cut down a tree, moving them towards a waterfall. guests hold on as the raft goes down, and then further through the rapids. Luckily, they see the outlaws cornered by several soldiers, who thank the guests for their help as they go back to the loading area. However, some people might squirt at them from above if they are unlucky.

POST-RIDE:

Guests enter into the Settler's Supply gift shop, which sells souvenirs. Also here is a photo taken of them during the drop.