Legend City Map

If you have hung around here awhile, you already know I have a thing for old stuff.

I love history, and collecting a little piece of the past has always been a passion of mine. Like most collectors, the things you love to collect have some sort of special meaning to you. It can remind you of a loved one, or even connect you to a past memory from when you were young.

My dad is a bit of a collector himself, and is always bringing me treasures. I was not surprised when he brought me this cool map he was ready to hand down.

This is a park map sign from Legend City. It was a theme park in Arizona that opened in 1963, and closed in 1983. (It’s hard to tell by the picture, but the sign is about thirty inches wide and mounted on wood.)

What did surprise me about this map, was the story behind it. Turns out my grandfather had at one point in time been an owner of Legend City. After a few years he sold it and moved on to other things while the park was still running. This sign was one of the items he kept, and he hung it in his barn. (You can see the two nail holes in the map.) It lived there for over thirty years, and when my grandfather passed away, my dad brought it home and tucked it away in his garage.

My dad passed the sign on to me knowing I would enjoy it. I also agreed to photograph it, so other members of our family could have a copy if they wanted one.

I love looking at this map! I could spend hours just pouring over the illustrations.

The idea was for Legend City to be like Disneyland for kids in Arizona. Some of the rides are very similar, but the whole park overall had a very western vibe.

I’m not sure yet where I am going to hang this sign in my house. I just love it though, and was flattered my dad passed it on to me.

See… old stuff is so cool!

If you want to learn more about Legend City, there is a fabulous web site with lots of pictures at www.legend-city.com.