In 1876 one of the great American novels was published. A little over thirty years later, a young Walt Disney fell in love with the story and eventually decided to bring the story to life at Disneyland. The story? The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

With Walt's beloved Marceline only being about 90 miles away from Mark Twain's beloved Hannibal, it's not surprising that Walt felt a connection to the story of Tom Sawyer and his adventures along the Mississippi River. Walt would end up bringing Tom Sawyer Island to Disneyland a year after the park opened in 1956. Similarly, shortly after the Magic Kingdom opened, Tom Sawyer Island became a permanent resident in the middle of the Rivers of America on the East coast as well!

So where am I going with all of this? Within the caverns, barrel bridges, and hidden pathways of Tom Sawyer Island in the Magic Kingdom, guests can also explore a fort. The fort, which is named Fort Langhorn, connects us back to where our Fun Find began.

If you were to ask a random person who the author of Tom Sawyer is, several people will proudly answer Mark Twain. Very few people, however, will give you a different answer, which is just as correct. While Mark Twain is the author of Tom Sawyer, the name Mark Twain is actually his pen name. His real name? Samuel Langhorne Clemens! To pay homage to Mr. Clemens, Imagineers named the Fort after him in a very subtle way!