Jackson Island

Jackson Island or Jackson's Island is the setting for Tom Sawyer Island in the Disney Parks. It is based on the real-life Jackson's Island, Missouri near the boy-hood home of author Sam Clemens, having inspired him to integrate a fictionalized version of the island into his Tom Sawyer books near the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri
== Background ==
=== History ===
The island which would become Jackson Island started out as home to Indigenous American peoples. During the 18th century, the island became a hot-spot for piracy and served as a pirate's lair. Of the pirates who made their bases on Jackson Island were Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner, the latter of whom established a blacksmith establishment on the isle by the year 1750. The waters surrounding the island were also known to be inhabited by the kraken which attacked a ship passing by the island which was later haunted.
By around the early 19th century, the subterranean Dead Man's Grotto held a vast collection of treasure and supernatural artifacts such as a pirate genie, cursed disappearing gold, a miniature portrait of Elizabeth Swann, a chest of treasure supposedly belonging to Blackbeard, and the Dead Man's Chest haunted by Davy Jones. Also within the grotto was a cursed undead pirate who had supposedly broken the Pirate's Code leading to his imprisonment by Joshamee Gibbs. The pirate's curse resembled that of the Aztec gold which plagued the crew of the Black Pearl with two of said crew's mates, Pintel and Ragetti, having also inhabited the grotto in undead forms where they hoarded treasure.
The Island became used by the U.S. government as a military base during the Creek War (1813–1814) during which time it was ruled by its later namesake, General Andrew Jackson. During this time, the island hosted the likes of Davy Crockett, his sidekick George "Georgie" Russell, and New Orleans privateer Jean Lafitte. Crockett and Jackson later left the island while Lafitte established a tavern on the island. Keelboater Mike Fink also made his cabin on the island which lead to Crockett and Russell returning to the island to meet up with him.
In 1835, three boys named Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry "Huck" Finn and Jim Harper fled to the island from St. Petersburg, Missouri after having been presumed dead. The three boys played pirate on the island with Tom assuming the moniker of, "The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main" and renaming the island after himself. The boys made a treehouse for themselves on the island which became their headquarters until they were recovered from the island the November 30 of 1835, correlating with the return of Halley's Comet.
In the future, the boys returned to the island with them retaining their self-proclaimed ownership. A boy named Sam Clemens who was born in 1835 would play with the older boys on Jackson Island. At some point between around 1861, an adult Clemens passed the island aboard the Liberty Belle Riverboat under one Captain Horace Bixby with Sawyer apparently having still been active on the island at the time.
=== Notable features ===
It is unknown if or how Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom's different depictions of the island intersect.
==== Disneyland ====
* Castle Rock:
* Dead Man's Grotto:
* Pirate Den:
* Pirate Point:
** Lafitte's Tavern:
** W. Turner Blacksmith:
* Smuggler's Cove:
* Tom & Huck's Treehouse:
==== Magic Kingdom ====
* Harper's Mill
* Fort Langhorn
* Old Scratch's Mystery Mine
* Superstition Bridge
* Wilson's Cave Inn:
== Appearances ==
=== Adventure Trading Company ===
One of the missions in this attraction took guests to Jackson Island. The players were directed to Smuggler's Cove where a sign on one of the skeletons directed them to Will Turner's blacksmith establishment.
=== Club 33 ===
In one of the Club 33 booths is a portrait of Tom and Huck on Jackson Island, overlooking the Mark Twain Riverboat.
=== Rivers of America ===
==== Liberty Belle Riverboats ====
==== Mark Twain Riverboat ====
==== Sailing Ship Columbia ====
=== Tom Sawyer Island ===
Jackson Island is the setting of this classic Disney Parks attraction.
==== Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island ====
This attraction in Disneyland is themed to being on Jackson Island albeit with a more piratical theming.
== Other Appearances ==
=== Printed-materials ===
==== Ghost Gallery ====
The island is mentioned in this non-canonical backstory for the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion. It is stated in this backstory that the dog in Fort Langhorne was descended from Isla Tesoro's Prison Dog and the ancestor of Master Gracey's Hellhound, the Caretaker's dog, and John's dog Rover in the Carousel of Progress. It is also inferred that pirates who drink and sing Yo Ho with Little Leota came from the Wilson's Cave Inn.
=== Video-games ===
==== The Chase on Tom Sawyer Island ====
== Trivia ==
* An unused feature for New Orleans Square would have connected Tom Sawyer Island to the outside of the Haunted Mansion which would have held a crypt for Jean Lafitte leading to catacombs under the rivers of America. A remnant of this proposal is a walled up crypt in New Orleans Square with the year, "1764" on it.
* Several objects from Andrew Jackson's chamber in the fortress were relocated to Constance Hatchaway's collection in the attic of the Haunted Mansion.
== Gallery ==
Category:Pirates of the Caribbean locations
Category:Theme park locations
Category:Islands
Category:Tom Sawyer