Fun Find Friday
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!
Return to Fun
Find Friday