Another major piece of original Magic Kingdom history is officially disappearing.
Demolition is now underway on the former Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing near Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom as Walt Disney World continues preparing the area for the upcoming Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land expansion projects.
During a recent visit to Magic Kingdom, visible demolition work could be seen taking place behind construction walls surrounding the longtime Liberty Square structure. According to current concept art for the upcoming expansion projects, the area is expected to eventually become a major guest walkway connecting Frontierland to both Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land.
The Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing has remained standing for decades despite the actual Mike Fink Keel Boats attraction permanently closing in 2001. Originally opening with Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971, the attraction featured free-floating keel boats traveling around the Rivers of America near Tom Sawyer Island.
Even after the ride closed, the dock structure itself survived as one of the last remaining physical pieces of the original attraction and was later repurposed as overflow queue space for Haunted Mansion during busy park days.
Earlier this year, Walt Disney Imagineering filed a permit for “general construction” at the Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing site using contractor MLC Theming, a company known for scenic fabrication and themed construction work. At the time, many Disney fans speculated the structure might be re-themed instead of demolished entirely because Imagineering permits often indicate scenic additions rather than full removal.
However, active demolition is now clearly visible.
According to reports, roughly half of the dock area has already been removed, including large sections that once extended directly over the Rivers of America. Portions of the structure closest to the Haunted Mansion entrance still remain standing for now, along with part of the tower section nearer to the former Liberty Square Riverboat dock.
Photos from the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue and the porch area outside Memento Mori currently provide some of the clearest public views of the demolition work taking place.
The removal is part of Disney’s much larger transformation of the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom, where the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island are being replaced with the Cars-themed Piston Peak National Park expansion alongside the new Villains Land project.
Interestingly, the former Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing structure does not appear in any currently released concept art or fun maps for Piston Peak National Park, further suggesting the structure may be removed entirely. Meanwhile, the nearby Liberty Square Riverboat landing still appears in Disney’s concept art and is currently expected to remain as part of the finished expansion area.
For longtime Walt Disney World fans, the demolition marks another emotional milestone in the gradual disappearance of several opening-day and classic Frontierland-era elements from Magic Kingdom.
We’ll continue following the latest Magic Kingdom construction updates, Villains Land development, Piston Peak National Park progress, Frontierland changes, and Walt Disney World news, so be sure to check back soon for even more updates.
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