Samuel Langhorne Clemens

**Samuel Langhorne Clemens** (1835-1910) better known under his pen-name of **Mark Twain** is a historic author affiliated with the Disney Park mythos.

## History

### Disney Parks

Sam Clemens was born in 1835 in Missouri and in his youth was friends with the older boys Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and Joe Harper. As a young boy in the 1840s, Clemens would play with the three on the old pirate's lair Jackson Island in the Mississippi River where he had fond memories of tormenting Harper.

Between 1857 and 1861, Clemens worked as a riverboat sailor aboard the *Liberty Belle Riverboat* under one Captain Horace Bixby. In his four years of service, Samuel became acquainted with the old riverboat marker Beacon Joe of New Orleans, encountered river-pirates off the shores of Jackson Island, became acquainted with a migrating Powhatan tribe from Virginia, and learned the history of Big Thunder Mountain in Arizona from the Indigenous peoples in the region while the mountain was owned by the Big Thunder Mining Company. During his time aboard the vessel, he took a liking to the pen-name of, "Mark Twain", being taken from a nautical term referring to safe waters.

In 1869, Clemens became a published author with his book, "The Innocents Abroad". In 1875, Clemens published his most famous book, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" which was seemingly based on his experiences with the cunning Tom Sawyer in his youth.

Due to his success, Clemens seemingly lended his name to the *Mark Twain Riverboat* of the *Western River Line* in Arizona and California. Clemens himself spent time aboard the vessel and also worked for the River Line, having served as an agent for them alongside one Margaret Tobin. While in Thunder Mesa, Samuel was known to perform under his Mark Twain alias as the Lucky Nugget Saloon though how he performed it unknown.

## Appearances and allusions

### Main Street, U.S.A.

Actors needing a, "Mark Twain costume" is listed in the Disneyland Casting Agency's post-up, being for a production run by Becky Thatcher's production company.

### Rivers of America

In several Disney Parks, Sam Clemens is the namesake for the Mark Twain Riverboat which sails on the Rivers of America and Rivers of the Far West.

#### Disneyland

In Disneyland, Sam has a voice-over segment on the Mark Twain Riverboat while passing by Tom Sawyer Island.

#### Walt Disney World

Sam is one of the hosts of the Liberty Belle Riverboat, set in the late-1850s around the end of Clemens' riverboat career. In the attraction he is under the authority of the historic Captain Horace Bixby.

### Tom Sawyer Island

Fort Langhorne and Fort Sam Clemens on the island are both named for the author in real-life. In lore there is no indication that this would be the case given that both forts predate Clemens' time of activity. During the narration of the Liberty Belle Riverboats, Sam mentions having played on Jackson Island (the island's official name) as a kid along with Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, here apparently real people that he knew.

### The American Adventure

Sam Clemens and Benjamin Franklin serve as the two hosts of this show in EPCOT.

### Skipper Canteen

Tom Sawyer is a book in the Skipper Canteen.

### Thunder Mesa Daily Messenger

Clemens is mentioned in this newspaper as an agent behind the Mark Twain Riverboat.

### Other

* **Tomorrowland (film)**: In this movie continuity, Sam was an early member of the group Plus Ultra which would go on to found Tomorrowland. This was largely due to Clemens' friendship with inventor Nikola Tesla.

## Connections

### Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

On the Liberty Belle, Sam explains part of the backstory of Big Thunder Mountain to guests such as how it got its name from the shoshone people comparing its rainfall to sounding like thunder.

### Haunted Mansion

In the Liberty Belle Riverboat, Sam makes comments about Gracey Manor's origins as it is passed by.

### Pirates of the Caribbean

On the Magic Kingdoms's Rivers of America, Sam shows an affiliation with the river-marker Beacon Joe and references his home in the Blue Bayou, a wetland outside New Orleans. Beacon Joe is a character from Pirates of the Caribbean and the Blue Bayou is the area which serves as the attraction's initial setting.

## Trivia

* The real-world, Ends of the Earth Club had Langhorne in their membership and is sometimes believed to be the real-world counterpart and/or influence behind the Adventurers Club.

## References

1. ↑ https://allears.net/2009/02/12/disneyland-paris-frontierland-part-1-thunder-mesa/
2. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2016/07/now-casting.html
3. ↑ https://jungleskipper.com/sea/attractions/skipper-canteen#&gid=1&pid=center-shelf-top-shelf-c10