08/03/2026
HELP SAVE THIS IMPORTANT PIECE OF TUCSON HISTORY!! Old Tucson Studios is in danger of shutting down forever. Please check out Save Old Tucson on Facebook or their website: https://hollywoodofthedesert.com.
Old Tucson Studios was originally built in 1939 as a set for the movie Arizona, replicating a 1860s-era Tucson. The owner was Nick C. Hall, who, as of 2022, is still considered the honorary “mayor” of Old Tucson. After sitting vacant until 1945, the old western-themed town was turned into a busy movie set where more than 500 movies and television shows have been filmed, including Tombstone, Joe Kidd, Wi******er ‘73, the Little House on the Prairie television show, and Three Amigos. Famous western actor John Wayne starred in four movies filmed at Old Tucson, including Rio Bravo, Rio Lobo, McLintock!, and El Dorado. In 1960, Old Tucson was turned into a tourist attraction and theme park as well as a film studio. This allowed tours, rides, and shows to occur during the day, allowing visitors to get a glimpse at the movie lots while also immersing themselves in the Wild West! The park grew over time as sets were added for filming purposes. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Old Tucson was the second largest tourist attraction in the state, only beaten by the Grand Canyon.
In 1995, there was a fire at Old Tucson that destroyed numerous props, buildings, and memorabilia. Old Tucson reopened in 1997, but the sets that were lost were not recreated; instead, they elected to construct new buildings and widen the streets a bit. After shutting down from 2020-2022, Old Tucson came back with more of a focus on seasonal events such as Nightfall!
In the past (before COVID) TGC got to work with Old Tucson on several occasions.
We had heard about employees and visitors to Old Tucson have reported seeing full-body apparitions, feeling sudden rushes of cold air, and hearing children’s laughter when no body is around. We also had a ton of experiences ourselves with hearing disembodied voices, screams, footsteps, and so much more!
Tucsonghostcompany.com
Sources: https://oldtucson.com/old-tucson-filming/ #:~:text=Old%20Tucson%20is%20an%20active,%2C%20Three%20Amigos%2C%20and%20more.
https://www.kold.com/2020/09/22/origins-old-tucson-told-by-founders-wife/
