Beacon Joe

**Beacon Joe** also known as **Old Joe** and **Catfish Joe** is a character in the Disney Parks mythos.

## History

### Background

Prior to 1849, Beacon Joe would spend time in the Big Thunder region of Arizona and held affiliations with the indigenous Shoshone peoples and initial pioneers. He was there when pioneer Henry Ravenswood found the first nugget of gold in Big Thunder Mountain and went on to establish the mining-town of Thunder Mesa and Big Thunder Mining Company. Joe himself did not partake in the colonial affairs and rather took up residence along the rivers of the far west on Discovery Island, just west of Big Thunder Island.

By the late 1850s/early 1860s, Beacon Joe had established himself as a river-marker and fisherman. By this time he had established a home for himself in the serene Blue Bayou of New Orleans. Around the late 1850s/early 1860s he had a shack along the Mississippi River in an alligator swamp where he sold bait with his dog Moonshine. He would be known as a capable but boasting man who assisted the *Liberty Belle Riverboat* on a few occasions.

By the 1880s, Joe would take up go back to taking up residence in the Big Thunder region of Arizona, most notably being seen with a shack on Wilderness Island that he and Moonshine lived in along the Rivers of the Far West. When the rivers dried up, Joe was forced to live with a couple in Cottonwood Creek though he was deeply unhappy with the lack of fish they had to eat. It is unknown but likely that he would return to living in the Blue Bayou.

### Development History

Beacon Joe is a character originating from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction of Disneyland, appearing in the Blue Bayou sequence. His figure had a copy which would be sent over to Walt Disney World however he would be placed along the Rivers of America, likely due to space limitations from the Magic Kingdom's pirates attraction.

## Appearances

### Pirates of the Caribbean

Joe appears in the Blue Bayou sequence of this attraction, smoking a pipe on his patio before guests enter the golden age of piracy. Banjo music comes from within his shack as guests pass by him, inferring him to be living with someone who can play the instrument.

### Rivers of America

Beacon Joe is seen on the Magic Kingdom's Rivers of America with Moonshine in a gator swamp with Sam Clemens and Bixby making comments on him while passing by. In Tokyo Disneyland he is seen along the docks of a Big Thunder Mining Company outpost.

#### Rivers of the Far West

Beacon Joe and Moonshine can be seen living in a shack on Wilderness Island, the island westward of Big Thunder Island in the Thunder Mesa region. He is seen and identified on the Mark Twain Riverboat passing by the isle.

### Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

In Tokyo Disneyland, Beacon Joe can be seen from the exterior of the attraction along the docks of Big Thunder, fishing.

### Thunder Mesa Daily Messenger

An article on Joe was featured in an edition of this newspaper in a story dedicated to the drying up of the Rivers of the Far West.

## Trivia

* A common fan-theory is that Beacon Joe was a pirate himself and that his appearance indicates him reminiscing on his life of piracy before guests enter the 18th century.
	+ In this theory it is most common for him to be proposed as a former crew-mate of the Wicked Wench or Jack Sparrow however given the timeline of Joe's story this is unlikely as it would indicate he is over 100 years old. It would be more likely that if he were a pirate that he served under early 19th century New Orleans smuggler/pirate/privateer Jean Lafitte who is subject to a mega-theme in New Orleans Square.