Old Tucson Studios

Above, a bit weathered is the Old Tucson sign near the entrance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Following the clampout in Tombstone, Arizona, I headed west to Tucson to pay a visit to Old Tucson Studios. This was my first visit there.

Above, yours truly during the visit at Old Tucson.

It started as a western movie studio and is now a theme park as well as a movie and television studio. One movie was wrapped a week ago and another is set to begin filming there within the next two weeks. Some areas were blocked as they were being readied for filming.

Some set buildings were destroyed by a fire at Old Tucson on April 24, 1995. Some were rebuilt or new buildings were built in their place. Some of the classic sets were not rebuilt.

The Southern Pacific station building was donated to Old Tucson by the railroad some years ago.

I was able to watch a shootout show but missed by minutes a can-can show.

According to Wikipedia:

Old Tucson is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park.

Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona (1940), it has been used for the filming location of many movies and television westerns since then, such as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rio Bravo (1959), El Dorado (1966), Little House on the Prairie TV series of the 1970s–1980s, the film Three Amigos! (1986) and the popular film Tombstone (1993). It was opened to the public in 1960 as a theme park with historical tours offered about the movies filmed there, along with live cast entertainment featuring stunt shows, shootouts, can-can shows...as well as themed events. It is still a popular filming location used by Hollywood. It was closed permanently during Covid-19 but has recently re-opened under new management in early 2023.

The new management company operating Old Tucson, American Heritage Railways, is the same one that manages the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado.

The mountain peak in some photos is Golden Gate Mountain and was clearly seen in some movies and television shows.

Some photos: