Fabulous Legend City, Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona


I never saw Legend City. I lived in Phoenix in the late '70s and early '80s, but I hadn't even heard of it until I started collecting old photos of Phoenix a few years ago. So I'll tell you what I know, which isn't much. Mostly I'll show you the photos that I have. If you remember Legend City, maybe you can explain it to me.

Billboard for Legend City Amusement Park in the 1960s

Billboard for Legend City, A Wild West Adventure, in the 1960s

I did the collage at the top of this post based on images that I've found. And apparently Legend City was a Theme Park with a LOT of themes. Mostly, it was an Old West Theme Park, which advertised itself as a Wild West Adventure. It was, of course, an Amusement Park, with rides.

Flying over Legend City in the 1960s, between Washington (foreground) and Van Buren.

The address, 5555 E. Van Buren, I've seen described as Phoenix, and as Tempe. It was between Van Buren and Washington at about 55th Street, just south of the Phoenix Municipal Stadium, which is still there, so it sat on both Tempe and Phoenix land. Actually, it was mostly Tempe, but if you'd asked me how to promote it back then, I would have said that it was in Phoenix. If you're a tourist, you know where that is, and Tempe, while a familiar name to locals, would have been confusing to out-of-towners.

I wish I could tell you more, but like I say, I never saw Legend City. So here are some photos that I have that are pretty cool, and if you remember it, I'm sure will bring back good memories.




 






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Comments

  1. privacychooserJune 2, 2021 at 9:38 PM

    I have many fond memories of Legend City. It was truly a mini Disneyland including the Skyway, the lagoon, Autopia and the train around the whole park. Audacious.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 780February 25, 2022 at 1:56 PM

    What other phoenix vintage pics do you have

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brad HallFebruary 25, 2022 at 2:22 PM

      I have over 10,000 historic Phoenix images that I share on Patreon

      Delete

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