light-sensitive material on the front of a photograph ) all over the surface of his model and used a projector to expose an image of the plans onto the model . He then developed the surface with chemicals — just like developing a huge photo . From here , he could layer wood to create the exact dimensions of the elevation and slides . The result was a 3D model that fit the plans perfectly , far before the age of computer imaging .
In this article , Bill Cotter has been kind enough to share beautiful resorations of River Country photos from his Pana-Vue Film
Slide Viewer souvenir collection .
Pat Burke remembered , “ WDW VP Dick Nunis was our slide tester , and let us know which corners needed to be higher , so you didn ' t fly over the edge like I heard he did .”
C ’ MON OVER , Y ’ ALL Don ’ t worry , Nunis survived to see the traditional Cast Member preview party for River Country ( read about the Typhoon Lagoon cast preview on page 42 ). For a few days , Cast Members , including Imagineers , descended upon the park to test the slides and guest capacity . The park mascot , Goofy , attended the party — and showed up every day of park operation after that . When he wasn ’ t waterskiing with Pluto in Bay Lake , he was partying poolside at River Country .
With all the preparations in place , all 6.5 acres of River Country opened with great fanfare on June 20 , 1976 . About 700 reporters watched as President Gerald Ford ’ s daughter , Susan , dedicated the park and took the first official guest ride down one of the Whoop- ' N-Holler Hollow slides .
Entrance by the Water Wagon . PANA-VUE SLIDE RESTORATION BY BILL COTTER
But you didn ’ t have to be presidential progeny to enjoy this park . With a $ 4 adult ticket price ( which would be about $ 27 in 2021 ), it was one of the most
River Country advertisment circa 1977 . SCAN BY TOM SIMPSON affordable ways to spend a day at Disney World . Guests certainly agreed : The waterpark saw an average of 4,700 guests per day during the opening year .
IT ’ S A COOL PLACE TO BE The half-acre Bay Cove pool at River Country was a sand-bottom lake that was not heated , keeping in line with the natural swimmin ’ hole theme . It appeared to be part of Bay Lake but was actually set apart via a large air bladder . The bladder ’ s height prevented lake water from getting into the swimming area , yet allowed overflow back into the lake . The sandy shores of Bay Cove were littered with lounge chairs , begging guests to sit a ’ spell .
Whoop- ' N-Holler Hollow was a set of two waterslides , 260 feet and 160 feet in length , that sent riders winding around that Fred Joerger mountain to Bay Cove below . Now , this is a rustic atmosphere , and while the backstory doesn ’ t support a tale of Goofy building these slides , we have our suspicions , as many riders reported a fairly bumpy descent ( and then went back for more ).
White Water Rapids , on the other side of the mountain , was a deceptively not-solazy river that lulled riders into a sense of tranquility before ending in rollicking rapids that dumped riders into Bay Cove .
While the Whoop- ' N-Holler Hollow waterslides looked like what you may find at a contemporary waterpark , Slippery Slide Falls had a unique concept . Here , dual slides into the pools just … stopped after the rock cliff , letting guests freefall 7 feet into the 330,000-gallon kidneyshaped Upstream Plunge pool . Its crystalclear waters contrasted the sandy Bay Cove , as it was the only treated pool at the park .
Adding to the Huck Finn aesthetic was a tire swing , barrel bridges , rope swings , a