Legend City

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Legend City was an amusement park that existed on the border of Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona from its opening in 1963 to its closing and demolition in 1983.

[edit] History

Originally conceived as an Old West theme park in the mold of Disneyland by Phoenix artist and advertising agency owner Louis 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 very fondly and held in surprisingly 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 filed for bankruptcy in 1966. Crandall departed as president, and the first of several ownership changes then ensued. The property was eventually purchased in 1982 by the Salt River Project, 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, Penny Arcade, Gay ‘90s Miniature Golf, Log Jammer, and Iron Horse train ride. Local kid’s TV show hosts Wallace and Ladmo appeared at Legend City virtually every weekend for the entire run of the park. Vonda Kay Van Dyke, later Miss America 1965, performed a popular ventriloquism act in the early days at the park's Golden Palace Saloon.

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.