Hangar 51

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

**Hangar 51** is a location from *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981).

## Description

Hangar 51 is a U.S. government facility located in the deserts of Nevada. The facility posed as an airplane hangar while secretly serving as a cache for paranormal artifacts to be studied as super-weapons. The hangar also held experimental vehicles and weaponry which were studied and developed.

### Points of interest

* **Rocket chamber**: This was a chamber in the lower-levels of the building used to test experimental vehicles.
* **Warehouse**: This warehouse kept crates of various paranormal artifacts. Amongst the artifacts was the Ark of the Covenant, the remains of an interdimensional being recovered from the Roswell UFO crash, and the biblical Staff of Kings.

## History

### Background

Hangar 51 was established at some point prior to 1936. Following the July of 1936, the biblical Ark of the Covenant was stored away in the hangar after being recovered by Indiana Jones. In 1947, the remains of an interdimensional organism recovered from a crash-site in Roswell, New Mexico. In 1957, the base was broken into by agents of the Soviet Union with a kidnapped Indiana Jones to assist in robbing the Roswell remains. Amidst an ensuing fight, Jones escaped and much of the hangar was left in ruin.

### Development history

Hangar 51 first appeared as an unnamed government warehouse in *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981) but was identified as Hangar 51 in *Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull* (2008). The hangar is an analogue for *Area 51*, a real-world U.S. government aircraft facility which is often subject to conspiracy theories about being secretly used to hold aliens and U.F.O.s. The, "Hangar" part of the name likely also alludes to Hangar 18 of the *Wright-Patterson Air Force* which is likewise subject to these conspiracy-theories.

## Jungle Cruise appearances

### Jungle Cruise

The crate containing the ark appeared in Disneyland's Jungle Cruise during Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries. The crate appeared in the Congo basin, nearby the Congo Base Camp and next to the Kejo the Silverback. In the backstory for this overlay, Jones accidentally left the crate in the jungle while on one of his adventures.

### Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

There is a sack in Trader Sam's bar which reads, "*IF LOST ARK CONTACT: 2989*".

### Other connections

#### Great Movie Ride

The Ark appeared in the Raiders of the Lost Ark segment of this attraction, being taken by Sallah and Indiana Jones.

#### Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye

The ark is alluded to within the Temple of the Forbidden Eye by a crate labelled, "*9906753*". However, this crate likely does not contain the ark as the attraction takes place before the events of *Raiders of the Lost Ark*.

## Other appearances

### Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar

The area of Hangar 51 is referenced in this bar with Jock Lindsey having travelled to the Atomic Cafe, a diner outside of the hangar.

## References

1. ↑ http://disneylanddiva.blogspot.com/2008/09/indiana-jones-and-summer-of-hidden.html
2. ↑ https://i2.wp.com/www.tikicalifornia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/trader-sams\_010.jpg?ssl=1