Where We Be
We took a bumpy ride in this stagecoach -- thankfully only 15 minutes long!
Old Tucson Studios -- Tucson, Arizona
Talk about great movie lighting! And...action!
Old Tucson Studios is an Old West movie
location and theme park. Located adjacent to
the Tucson Mountains, it offers a dramatic
backdrop and has been used in more than 300
movies and TV productions. It was originally
built in 1939 by Columbia Pictures as a replica of
1860s Tucson for the movie
Arizona. After lying
dormant for a few years, it began being used as
a set for famous westerns such as
Gunfight at
the OK Corral, Rio Bravo,
and three other John
Wayne films. The television series
Little House
on the Prairie
was filmed here, although a fire in
1995 destroyed most of those buildings. More
recent movies filmed here include
Three
Amigos
, Young Guns II, and Tombstone.

Old Tucson Studios was opened to the public in
1960 and has become a popular site for
historical tours, western shootouts,  and stunt
shows. Listed as one of the top attractions in
the Tucson area per TripAdvisor, it is located in
western Tucson quite close to the Sonora
Desert Museum. If you visit, be sure not to miss
Reno the locomotive, known as the most
photographed locomotive in American history.
We arrived just in time for a shootout
It might be a long wait for that next train!
Set for the TV series "High Chaparral"
We drove over beautiful Gates Pass at sunset on our way back to town
This simple interior has been used in several Westerns
Gotta love the red PJ's and bloomers
Typical Western main street
Draw!
The twenty-minute reenactment followed the script of "The Quick and the Dead"
Every character drew on every other character at least once
Just look at the list of famous passengers who have boarded this train
View looking west from Gates Pass -- great way to finish the day!
Blacksmith shop near sunset
Buildings are built to a slightly smaller scale to better fit for the movies
The lighting here seems ready-made for a Western
...and stunts
Lots of fights...
The locomotive Reno has been used in nearly 100 movies and TV shows
Ready for her next trip out West
This mission backdrop has been used in numerous movies including "Three Amigos"
At the mission we watched a comedic Western called "The Secret of Santa Maria"
Photogenic backdrop
Main Street at the entrance to Old Tucson Studios
Text
Most visitors had already left by the time the lighting got really good
We happened to be there during the week of Arizona's centennial celebration
Arizona has seen a whole lot of change in 100 years
Mexican interior set
You're never too old to ride a carousel, right?
Photogenic freight depot
Everything is photogenic here. By late afternoon the light had turned movie-set spectacular.
Robin's sister Win and brother-in-law Alan happened to be in Tucson
the same time we were. We shared an extremely bumpy stagecoach ride!
The stagecoach enters town
The Reno is known as the most photographed locomotive in American history
Wanted dead or alive
Even the Wild West had product ads
We also took a spin on the small train that makes a loop around the premises
Rest in peace!
Photogenic donkey