June 20th 1976 Susan Ford, the daughter of President Gerald Ford, took the first plunge down Whoop N’ Holler Hollow at Disney’s Newest Attraction. Some say it was the first water park anywhere, others say it was the first totally themed water park, either way it was Disney’s first water park, and it was a hit. River County USA brought all the thrills of old fashioned lake front summer to Bay Lake and the guests of the new vacation kingdom. Built to appear as part of Bay Lake, using the same water in fact, and attached to the popular Fort Wilderness Campground, the park was a place for the young and young at heart to enjoy splashing in the warm lake waters and soak up the Florida sun on their vacation. Boasting 14 attractions including boat rentals, nature trails, and pony rides, the park was a must do for guest for many years. So why did Disney close the park you may ask.
Some suggest it was due to the story of an 11 year old boy from New York dying from an ameba contracted while swimming there in the early 1980s. Although this is a true story, it was not the reason for the closing of the attractions. River County remained open for another 20 years after the incident. It was ruled that Disney had done nothing to cause the growth of the ameba as it could grow in any warm fresh water environment. After the incident however, Disney took precautions to prevent it from happening again. Already in place was a wall that separated the Bay Lake from the cove where River Country resided. Disney increased the water level in the cove to be higher than the water in the lake so water could go out from the cove but not back in. Also the large pumps that pulled water from Bay Lake to the feed the slides and other attractions were fitted with filters so what flowed into the lake was controlled. This made it easier for Disney to monitor the water for things that shouldn’t be there.
Although the ruling was that Disney did not cause the incident, it was clear they had done everything in their power to prevent it from happening again. Others question the closing of the attractions stating changes in Florida law that mandated any water park use water from a municipal system. Florida laws reads, “Department: Department of Health Division: Division of Environmental Health Chapter: Public Swimming Pools And Bathing Places 64E-9.004 Operational Requirements. (1) Water Quality – The water sup¬ply for all pools shall be an approved potable water system or shall meet the requirements for potable water systems by the submission from the operator of bacteriological and chemical laboratory reports to the county health department. Salt water sources are exempt from the potable water chemical standards except for iron and color requirements.” Basically water must be safe to drink when being used in water parks. There is no requirement the water start from a municipal source verse a fresh water source. These rules also did not go into effect until 2004 so had River County still been open, Disney could have made the needed changes to comply. So if the laws were not the rea¬son and it was not because of a tragic incident, then why would Disney close such a popular area of their Florida destination.
Over the years as Disney World grew, 2 new water parks, more central located to the rest of the resort came into existence. In 1989 Typhoon Lagoon delighted visitors with its tropical theme and over sized wave pool where guest could even get surfing lessons. In 1995 the weather got a little cool and the unthinkable happened. A “blizzard” hit Florida and covered a special area in Walt Disney World with “snow”. But this new ski resort began to loose its attractions as the snow melted in the warm Florida sun, as this happened the snow and slopes became some of the tall¬est, fastest, and most fun water attractions in the world. Blizzard Beach became an instant hit with families and thrill seekers alike. With 2 new water parks both boasting newer attractions, better locations, and more con¬vent bus service, River Country began to lose attendance.
After closing for the season on August 31st, 2001 most every¬one expected the gates to open once again when the weather warmed back up. What no one did expect was the tragedy of September 11th and lasting effects it would have on the county. Disney executives took immediate actions to reduce operating costs across the board. All salary Cast Members were asked to volunteer 20% of their work for a 20% cut in pay, full time cast member’s hours were reduced, the Disney Institute closed all 528 of its rooms and canceled all classes until further notice, the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot was scaled back, even entire resorts were closed to increase occupancy rates at others, and of course, when the weather warmed back up, River County’s gates stayed closed. No maintenance was completed, the pumps were never re¬started, and the pools were never cleaned. Some thought once tourism picked back up, the annual maintenance would oc¬cur and the gates would reopen, but this was not the case.
For 13 years now the gates have remained closed and to even more of a surprise, Disney has taken down little to nothing of the remnants of the park. Take a stroll through Fort Wilderness and you can find areas to peek through the green fence separating the remnants of River Country from the pavilion that is used for Mickey’s Backyard BBQ. Some of the unkempt attractions can be seen as well as dilapidated structures, rusted lamp poles, over grown picnic tables, and any other amount of neglected refuse of what was once part of a beloved Disney destination. Though no one will ever again brave the White Water Rapids, dare to cross the barrel bridge, or face Up Steam Plunge, many will have fond memories of summer fun splashing about at the Ol’ Watering Hole, River County USA.
