Born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, Legend City was a big part of my childhood. I used to watch Wallace and Ladmo every day, and was a Ladmo Bag winner on the air in the 70's. Great memories! ( )

I have a test I administer to anyone who claims to think they are a true Arizonan/Phoenician. It is based on what I believe to be the cultural heart of Phoenix in the 60s and 70s. "Do you know these three things: Wallace and Ladmo, the Cine Capri, and Legend City?"

Pencils down; here's the answers. Wallace and Ladmo was a children's television show which aired from the 50s to the 80s and to understand how little that says about the show (how adult-friendly it was) ask anyone who watched the original show. The Cine Capri was the ultimate moviegoing experience for anyone in the Phoenix area; where Star Wars premiered among many others. (This is the original one on 24th Street and Camelback, not the homage that Harkins built in the northeast Valley.)

And Legend City? Well, in the 1960s everyone wanted their own Disneyland; Legend City was Phoenix's attempt. That is the subject of this book.

Legend City is one of those cultural things where the memory does not match the reality. Those of us who visited the park have great memories because it was our youth and because it was our city trying to be right in there with the big boys and because it was an event when it opened and when it closed and when it reopened and when it reclosed and (repeat numerous times.) It was not as good as we wanted it to be, but our memories have filled in what was missing.

Eventually, Legend City met its final demise and this book provides a little bit about why. But, as with so many of the books in the Images of America series, it only touches the subject superficially. As with others in the series, it is a story told through chosen images. And that means a book about chosen memories.

So, instead of the story of Legend City, this is a remembrance of what we all hoped it would be and falsely remember it to be. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a labor of love by someone who wants to help us all remember and keep the memory alive into the future. (This devotion is evidenced by the fact that the author has had an associated web site going for a number of years – one I have visited often.) But, because of the restriction inherent in the approach, it is a tale only half-told.

The pictures reinforce that we remember something much greater than what existed. Even in its heyday (if it ever had a heyday) the rides and entertainment were only so good (in spite of the effusive comments by the authors about how wonderful they were; again, memory trumping reality – even for the author.) The book lovingly documents two rides - the Lost Dutchman Mine and The River of Legends/Cochise's Stronghold. But that documentation shows these were poor Disneyland imitations and of a quality that was only barely above top carnival attractions.

I have the feeling that, buried in the history of Legend City, there is an interesting story to tell. A line at the end of one caption of one photo is incredibly revealing. "Unfortunately, [Louis Crandall] was a trusting, kind-hearted individual who assumed everyone else was as honest and dedicated as he was." This is a sentence that warrants its own chapter, if not an entire section. But, for now, we will have to settle for a somewhat skewed selection of photos.

I worked at Legend City for a couple of summers; my first job. And I know how bad it could really be. And yet, I still remember it being great. This book helped me remember the good and the bad. I just hope that someday someone can put together a complete book on the subject. ( )