The Bottom of the River

What do you find when you drain a river in Disneyland for the first time in seven years?  All kinds of stuff:

Disneyland last drained its Rivers of America seven years ago, so workers found a lot of accumulated stuff when it drained the green-dyed waterway in January.

But the most unusual item by far was a computer tower, said Dan Chambers, a project manager at Disneyland. Workers are unsure how the plastic box for plugs and discs got in the water path around Tom Sawyer Island.

Here are some of the other items found:

Half of a canoe from Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoe ride.
Plastic swords.
Mardi Gras beads. The items were part of Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee, a show on the Mark Twain Riverboat on the rivers in the fall.
Hundreds of cellular phones and walkie-talkies.
Hundreds of baby pacifiers.
Mickey Hats.
Sunglasses.
Chambers said there was a rumor that a bowling ball was found, but that was false.

Workers also discovered a bunch of fish, including koi, which were relocated to the Bear Creek area, another body of water. Some of those fish have now made their way to the moat around Sleeping Beauty Castle. Oysters and clam shells also accumulate in the rivers.

The eggs are carried on ducks’ feet, so fish and other creatures end up growing in the rivers, said Kim Irvine, art director for Walt Disney Imagineering in Anaheim.

At least there were no drowned bodies this time.