July 8, 2016

Location: Frontierland, Magic Kingdom

Tom Sawyer's Island has always been one of my favorite places to explore in Walt Disney World. Typically while on the island I often forget that I'm in the middle of the largest tourist destination in the world. There are several nods to various characters found throughout the entire island. While most of these nods are to the main characters in the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn books, one of the tributes is made to someone that is often overlooked:

So who is the Harper in Harper's Mill? Joe Harper is Tom and Huck's friend that joins the two of them on Jacksons Island in the books. While Joe is joining the others on adventures, he begins to get homesick before the other boys once they arrive on the island. As the book continues, Joe Harper slowly drifts to the background.

In addition to a nod to Joe Harper, Harper's Mill plays a dual role as being a tribute to Harper Goff, the man who drew the original concept art for Disneyland. Harper Goff has several nods to him found throughout the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, but this is the only one that he shares with a fictional character!