Legend City was an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

that existed on the border of

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

and Tempe,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, from its opening on June 29, 1963 to its closing and demolition in 1983.

History

Originally conceived as an Old West

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

in the mold of

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

by Phoenix artist and advertising agency owner Louis E. Crandall, Legend City endured a series of closings, bankruptcies and ownership changes throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and was never a significant financial success. Nevertheless, Legend City is still remembered fondly and held in high regard by locals who knew and frequented the park in its heyday. Legend City opened to much public fanfare on June 29, 1963, but rapidly fell into financial difficulty and fell into bankruptcy after only six months. Crandall departed as president, and the first of several ownership changes then ensued. The property was purchased by Sam Shoen of U-Haul and opened as a theme park. U-Haul's private advertising agency, A&M Associates, handled the 'rebirth' to a theme park for children. This was probably the park's most successful period. Mr Shoen lost interest in the park and it was eventually sold to the

Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan's largest trading company (sogo shosha) and a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu. As of 2022, Mitsubishi Corporation employs over 80,000 people and has ten business segments, including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemicals, an ...

out of Japan as a show park where the company's amusement rides could be featured to prospective buyers. The park was deserted by the Japanese owners and left to ruin. The Capell family, who had been in the carnival business for many years, then bought the property but were unable to restore Legend City to its former glory. The land was eventually purchased in 1982 by the

Salt River Project The Salt River Project (SRP) is the umbrella name for two separate entities: the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, an agency of the state of Arizona that serves as an electrical utility for the Phoenix metropolitan a ...

, which closed the park permanently after the 1983 season. Legend City was then dismantled and razed to the ground to make way for new corporate offices for SRP. Legend City featured a number of popular and memorable attractions such as the Lost Dutchman Mine ride, Cochise’s Stronghold river ride,

Sky Ride The Sky Ride was an attraction built for the Century of Progress 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois. It was a transporter bridge (with a design similar to an aerial tramway or gondola lift) designed by the bridge engineering firm Robins ...

Penny Arcade ''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establish ...

, Miniature Golf, Log Jammer, and Iron Horse on the

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

Legend City Railroad. Local kids' TV show hosts Wallace and Ladmo appeared at Legend City virtually every weekend for the entire run of the park.

Vonda Kay Van Dyke Vonda Kay Van Dyke (born May 19, 1943) was crowned the 1965 Miss America on September 13, 1964. Earlier in the year, she had taken a break as a 21-year-old junior at Arizona State College at Flagstaff (as of 1966, "Northern Arizona University" ...

, later

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

1965, performed a popular ventriloquism act in the early days at the park's Golden Palace Saloon. It was also home to the 1000 ft long 'Pipeline', an early form of skateboarding skatepark with a gently inclined and twisting track, added in 1965.SkateBoarder magazine, v.1 n.4 (October 1965) p. 7 Perhaps the ultimate legacy of Legend City is that Metro Phoenix, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, still remains devoid of a major amusement park, with the current largest amusement park in the metro being Castles N' Coasters.

References

External links

*
MySpace.com: Legend City
* {{Authority control Amusement parks in Arizona Defunct amusement parks in the United States Demolished buildings and structures in Arizona History of Phoenix, Arizona 1963 establishments in Arizona 1983 disestablishments in Arizona Amusement parks opened in 1963 Amusement parks closed in 1983

History

See also

References

External links