Rainbow Ridge

**Rainbow Ridge** is a mining town and the setting of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland.

## Background

Rainbow Ridge was established in 1869. In 1879, the Big Thunder Mining Company moved into town to mine into the hills of Big Thunder Mountain. The town prospered and grew - at one point, the population had over 2000 people in a short period of time. Then the mines were plagued by out of the ordinary instances, which the superstitious blamed on a spirit called Big Thunder. Despite their best efforts, the people in the town began to look elsewhere, and the population shrunk to only a few dozen people. It neighbors the town of Frontierland, and a rivalry exists between the two settlements.

## Notable Locations

Rainbow Ridge is home to a small western town, with everything needed for mining.

* **Assay Office** - est. 1869. Chemical Analysis of every description made with accuracy of dispatch. Mining claims recorded, bought and sold.
* **Barber Shop** - Best clippings in town.
* **Big Thunder Epitaph**
* **The Big Thunder Saloon** - Poker, Billiards, Entertainment & Dancing.
* **El Dorado Hotel** - est. 1870.
* **General Mercantile** - Plain & Fancy Dry Goods. The post office is here.
* **Gold Nugget Dance Hall** - We Serve the Finest Corn Whiskey. A bartender and a piano player is wanted.
* **Ivory** - Jeremiah Colt. Blacksmith. This is where the extra trains are held.
* **Leather Goods** - Buckskins, Our Specialty.
* **Panhandle Hotel** - Telegraph service. A portrait of Barnabas T. Bullion can be seen from the window.

**Coyote Canon** is home to a family of coyotes, that stand on the side of a mountain as the trains pass. **Dinosaur Gap** features a large fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex that the trains travel past. **Spiral Butte**, **Busted Flats**, and **Nevermine** are in the area, as well.

## Appearances

### Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland

Rainbow Ridge was the setting of this defunct Disneyland attraction. The buildings from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad sat at the loading station and in an area where guests could ride horses in a small pen. Guests traveled on mine cars through the surrounding areas, like desert and the rainbow caverns.

### Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The town of Rainbow Ridge is seen at the very end of the attraction. Guests slow down and pass all of the buildings, before they come into the loading station. Signs in the queue point to different locations around the territory that are visited throughout the attraction.

### Disney Kingdoms

Rainbow Ridge is the home of the Big Thunder Mining Company, owned and operated by Barnabas T. Bullion. It’s home to prospectors, miners, and people trying to make a living. The town suffered from the goings-on in the mines, such as floods and cave-ins. The townsfolk are aided by the help of a bandit gang, led by Chandler.

### Legends of Frontierland: Gold Rush!

In this role-playing game, Rainbow Ridge and Frontierland fueded over control of the gold, thanks to the gold drying up in Big Thunder Mountain. The citizens of Rainbow Ridge gathered at the Trading Post and the Hideout.

### Other

Rainbow Ridge is referenced at the Magic Kingdom in the Butterfly Stage Line poster. Carriage rides between Rainbow Ridge and Thunder Mesa cost $10.

Rainbow Ridge is referenced in an advertisement in the Thunder Mesa Daily Messenger. It can be traveled to on a steamboat on the Rivers of the Far West.