46 OCTOBER 2018 “In the end, the real estate on which Legend City stood had become quite valuable, while the park itself had become old and dilapidated. SRP coveted the land for their new corporate headquarters,” Bueker said. Bueker, who visited Legend City when he was a boy, still holds fond memories to this day. He became fascinated with the history of the park, so much so that he wrote a book and developed a website dedicated to Legend City’s memory. In 2013, the Arizona Historical Society in Tempe held a 50-year anniversary to mark the grand opening of the park. The event was sold out; in attendance was Louis Crandall and his family, as well as Wallace, Vonda Kay, and Sandy Gibbons. The Tempe History Museum also held an exhibit about the park in 2016. Crandall passed away that same year, but the memories of the park live on in the hearts and minds of all who visited Arizona’s very own Disneyland. Guns, Girls and Games billboard, circa 1970. Legend City closed its doors for the last time on September 4, 1983. The following spring, nearly everything in the park went to public auction. What wasn’t sold was razed and the property was re-developed. Salt River Project’s corporate offices now occupy most of the original space. Legend City opening brochure. The Iron Horse train was a replica of an 1860s steam locomotive, with a tender, two coaches and caboose. The track ran along the boundary of the entire park. Legend City closed its doors for the last time on September 4, 1983. The following

(below) Wallace and Ladmo (and Gerald) are part of the foundation of Legend City. As the hosts of the longest-running TV show in American history (in its category). Wallace and Ladmo (and Pat McMahon and his many characters) were a Phoenix hometown favorite from 1954-1989. The creative and eclectic crew put on weekend shows at the Lagoon Amphitheater and would sometimes visit different spots in the park, where cameras were ready to cover their antics. The all-female staff of the Shootin’ Gallery in front of their attraction during the first season of Legend City. The gallery was located on the cusp of the Boom Town and Ghost Town sections and drew a steady stream of aspiring marksmen. The Dutchman’s Shack “Tilt House” was across from the Dutchman Mine in the Ghost Town section of the park. The bizarre illusionary effects were a crowd favorite and the house was one of Crandall’s first features that he insisted to be included in the park. (left) Future Miss America Vonda Kay Van Dyke and her friend Kurley-Q on stage in 1963. Van Dyke was featured at the Golden Palace Saloon as both a singer and a ventriloquist, talents she would perform when she won the Miss America Pageant in 1965. YOUR FOOTBALL ______ ______ Headquarters YOUR FOOTBALL Breakfast NOW OPEN AT 9AM FOR Weekends MENU ITEMS Game changing TRY OUR NEW coldbeers.com #WeLoveColdBeers 7th Street | Arcadia | Chandler | Gilbert | Glendale | Paradise Valley | Old Town | N Scottsdale | Shea | San Diego