The Mississippi River is a river in North America.
Description[]
The Mississippi is the second largest river in North America, starting in the Gulf of Mexico and ending in the glacial-lake of Lake Itasca in Minnesota. The river's name comes from the Anishinaabe term, "Misi-ziibi" meaning, "Great River". Since at-least the fourth-millennium it was used by the indigenous peoples of the modern U.S.A. for agricultural practices and cultivation. During the 18th century, it was one of the primary systems used for the expansion of the United States of America's colonial expansion. Spanish settlers referred to the river as Río del Espíritu Santo ("River of the Holy Spirit") while later French colonists referred to it as the Colbert River.
Connections[]
The Disneyland version of the Haunted Mansion is set in the French quarters of New Orleans, Louisiana along the Mississippi River. The man-made Rivers of America adjacent to New Orleans Square is used to represent the Mississippi with ships such as the Sailing Ship Columbia and Mark Twain Riverboat sailing by the mansion, the Mark Twain even includes the Haunted Mansion as part of its narration. An unused concept intended to be used for New Orleans Square would have had catacombs passing underneath the Mississippi (Rivers of America) which would have connected the cemetery of the Haunted Mansion to Tom Sawyer Island (also found on the Mississippi) while being themed to Pirates of the Caribbean through historic pirate, privateer and smuggler Jean Lafitte.
Other Park Connections[]
- The aforementioned Tom Sawyer Island is set in the locale of Jackson Island along the Mississippi in Missouri.
- The Liberty Belle Riverboat in the Liberty Square of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom passes through the Mississippi.
- The Pirates of the Caribbean character Beacon Joe from the Blue Bayou makes an appearance in this attraction as a river-marker for the Mississippi.
- The unbuilt Western River Expedition of Frontierland would have been set on the Mississippi.
- This unbuilt attraction was a significant influence in developing Phantom Manor, Thunder Mesa and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.