Tom Sawyer Island
Page 2 of 3

The Island is surrounded by gently flowing green waters. Its shoreline defines TSI as an getaway even within the boundaries of the Magic Kingdom, a place which is an escapist realm unto itself. Here, clear blue sky and sunlight are filtered through many layers of dense vegetation. The sights and sounds of a bustling Frontierland lie distant and often imperceptible through the thick woods. Pebbly and uneven paths make the exploration of this place easy, though figuring out where you’re going or where you’ve been requires some attention. Far off the howl of a wolf can be heard haunting the mansion across the river. All kinds of birds and woodland creatures scramble through the leaf litter on the forest floor and surrounding you are the sounds of crickets, ducks, frogs, and gently rustling leaves. The rickety tracks of nearby Big Thunder Mountain Railroad shudder and creak as a train thunders around a riverside bend sending its passengers into an uproar.

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On the ground, the leaf and branch shadows fade in and out, changing constantly with the wind and sun. Bordering on the frontier is an old fort, whose simple attractions include a guardhouse (complete with sleeping guard) a blacksmith’s shop crowded with domestic animals, the rifle roost, from which pioneers once shot at invaders, and an escape tunnel, for those times when victory seems impossible and surrender unthinkable.

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Beyond the crumbling rock entrance to Injun Joe’s Cave lies a world of cool, eerie darkness. Occasional lanterns light a dim path through musty caverns. Uncanny phosphorescent lights illuminate what almost look like skulls formed by stalactites. The windy passage is inhabited by bats which lurk just out of sight in the farthest crevices of the cave. Near the cave’s exit is a bridge over a seemingly bottomless pit (you must supply your own echo).

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