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Arizona Contractor and Community MagazineUnique and nostalgic publication that highlights the construction industry and its history in Arizona. Arizona Railway MuseumInteresting and comprehensive museum dedicated to the railways of Arizona and the Southwest. Brad Zinn’s Tribute to Great ComediansOutstanding comedic performer, magician and old friend of Legend City. Dolan EllisArizona’s official state balladeer and legendary […]

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Closing Days

Legend City closed its doors for the last time on Sunday, September 4, 1983. The following spring, the remaining rides, signs, buildings and fixtures went up for auction and the park was then razed to the ground. Before it disappeared forever, Jim Madden documented the park’s final days in an extraordinary series of images. Photos […]

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Beginnings

Legend City under construction, circa 1962-63. These intriguing photos reveal the park at several different stages in the building process. Also featured here is a portrait of the original Legend City security force and a pair of developmental drawings that were executed for the benefit of potential investors in the new business. Lastly, an early […]

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Introduction

Legend City was originally conceived in the late 1950s by Louis E. Crandall as Arizona’s answer to Disneyland. For kids living in the Phoenix area in the ’60s and ’70s, it was an entertainment mecca, a unique and fun place for a magical afternoon or evening out. Opened in 1963 and closed forever in 1983, […]

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50th Anniversary Event

Fans, friends, family and former employees of Legend City gathered together at the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe on June 22, 2013 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the park’s grand opening. Click on the “Video Player” tab to view the video presentations and show-and-tell videos from the event.

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