Tom Sawyer fort

[RenMan]

I know a little about DL history, but not enough. Can y'all give me the rundown on the closure of the fort on Tom Sawyer Island? Why and when did it close in the first place, and why is its re-opening so unlikely? Seems like an awful waste of space, even if they are using it for storage.

[Giant Panda]

Too many things for the lawyers to complain about


That and wood rot from a lack of maintenance

[erick13]

The answer comes in 2 words: Paul Pressler

[ManaByte]

Last time I was on the island I asked the CM there about it and he said the wood is pretty much completely eaten by termites.

It'd pretty much take a total rebuild of the fort for it to ever reopen.

[Gemini Cricket]

Then I think they should completely rebuild the fort. Make it PC, make it uber-safe... whatever just make it accessible to guests. Silly suits...

[Dustysage]

It is so sad to see the Fort just rotting away. The only reason that it is still there at all is because they still use it for Fantasmic costume changes.

At one point, a plan was floated to make it into a playground style fort (a'la Redwood Creek Challenge Trail). I'd still like to see them rebuild it as it was along with the burning cabin a little further up the island.

[Gemini Cricket]

Yep, they should bring back the burning cabin. That rocked. Wasn't that taken out with the Pressler crew also?
Bleh.

[Dustysage]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Yep, they should bring back the burning cabin. That rocked. Wasn't that taken out with the Pressler crew also?
Bleh.

The gas line rusted and they didn't want to pay to fix it. Cheap cheap cheap (do I hear a bird chirping)

[EmilyStrange]

They should rebuild it. I go over there and people are sitting out by it, talking about how much they loved it as children. I have talked to a few older people about it and they really miss it. I would love love love to see it reopened! I have complained at CIty Hall.

[EagleWings]

I never got to go on it

[DLandFansAZ]

Originally Posted by ManaByte

Last time I was on the island I asked the CM there about it and he said the wood is pretty much completely eaten by termites.

Which is sad and scary. The Disney lawyers should be concerned that if it is that rotted from termites, then it's only a matter of time until collapses. Hopefully they will do something, like rebuild it or something comparable, oh and while they're at it, fix the damn cabin.

[RenMan]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. That clears up a lot, but I'm still wondering how long it's been closed.

I don't see why it can't be rebuilt in some sort of safe manner. A rebuilt fort with some fun things to do (C-ticket, say) would turn TSI into a real draw.

I didn't know the wood was rotted, but that stands to reason. I don't remember the burning cabin at all. What was that about?

[erick13]

Originally Posted by edtsch

Thanks for the responses, everyone. That clears up a lot, but I'm still wondering how long it's been closed.

I don't see why it can't be rebuilt in some sort of safe manner. A rebuilt fort with some fun things to do (C-ticket, say) would turn TSI into a real draw.

I didn't know the wood was rotted, but that stands to reason. I don't remember the burning cabin at all. What was that about?

I don't remember exactly when it closed, but it was a few years ago. IMO it could be rebuilt and hopefully it will in the future. If it does get rebuilt it better come back with guns too. The burning cabin was something you could see from any of the boats that went around the island and the train. I believe it was on fire due to either an Indian attack or the guy's still blew up.

[JoeCool]

Tom's Saywer's Island needs major refurbishment. It is a very nice place in DL to relax in. If DL was smart, the fort could be opened up again as a small restaurant.

[BigThunder]

Ah, many fond memories of the ol' fort on TSI. Fort Wilderness it was, the last outpost of civilization before Injun country.

As a kid, my friends and I would climb the upper ramparts of the fort and fire off the guns in the towers at just about any passing watercraft on the Rivers of America. The guns didn't really fire, of course, but they did make a nice, satisfying "bang" when you pulled the trigger.

Our favorite target was the Columbia Sailing Ship, which we pretended was a pirate ship coming upriver to attack the fort. The very best was when they would fire off Columbia's cannon as it sailed past.

Downstairs in the Fort you could peer into the officers' quarters and see Davy Crockett himself reporting in to the Fort's commander. There was also a small mess hall (snack bar) where you could get a hotdog, a bag of Fritos and a Coke for under $1.00.

But the best part of the Fort was the "Secret Escape Passage" to be used, as the sign said, in case of Indian attack. It was a tunnel that went below the Fort and came out on the East side of the Island near the pontoon and suspension bridges. Every little boy's dream come true.

The burning cabin was not visible or visitable on the Island itself. It was away up North beyond the fence in Injun country. You could only see it from the River in those days, but now I think it can be seen (at least what's left of it) from the furthermost deck of the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Bear... er, sorry... Critter Country.

It is a sad state of affairs that the Fort has been closed and fallen into decay. The layout and design of TSI was drawn by Walt Disney himself and he knew exactly what he was doing. Its loss is an eloquent commentary on the wrong-headedness of recent Park managemnet.

If Matt really wants to be a hero, he should bring back the Fort in some form or another. Little boys everywhere will thank him.