Across the river from Frontierland and New Orleans Square is the Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. The original Tom Sawyer Island attraction opened at Disneyland in 1956. More than fifty years later, in 2007, elements from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series were added to the island, providing an extra layer of storytelling and interest.
Many of the classic pleasures of Tom Sawyer Island, from the walking paths and caves to the barrel bridge and Tom and Huck's treehouse, can still be found here. Explorers can also now discover hidden pirate strongholds, elusive chests of treasure and other signs of the island's checkered past.
Direct references to the Pirates films and characters can also be found. Look for the diary of Elizabeth Swann in the caves of Dead Man's Grotto and the name William Turner, attributed to the blacksmith's workshop where swords are being forged.
From time to time, guests here have claimed to spot a pirate or two still lurking about... even the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow himself!
Some have been heard to question, however, what all this pirate business has to do with Tom Sawyer Island. Well, it's perhaps not too far fetched that pirates seeking refuge from the Caribbean could have found their way up river a bit to Tom Sawyer's Mississippi. After all, piracy frequently figured into the childhood fantasies of Sawyer and his pals.
For evidence, dig into the works of Mark Twain... or simply look no further than the news clipping from the St. Petersburg Journal, posted alongside the fliers and advertisements on the River Notices board at the shoreline.
It recounts the tale (straight from the book) of the boys from town who were lost and presumed dead, only to show up at their own funeral with tales of their pirate adventures on a nearby island known to be frequented by smugglers and other such rabble.
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