Hoss, Little Joe and the Three Amigos

Monday we visited Old Tucson, where over 300 Old West movies and TV series have been made, including “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” “Three Amigos,”   “Tombstone,” “Rio Bravo” and “Bonanza.”

Old Tucson is about 15 minutes west of downtown Tucson.  Besides the buildings -- most of which look vaguely familiar to me because I'm sure I've seen them in TV shows -- Old Tucson has a small amusement-type area with trail, stagecoach and train rides, some restaurants and shopping.  It also has living history presentations where, for example, a dance hall girl will tell you about the first frontier saloons, a sheriff will tell you what it was like to keep the peace, and you can learn about early Arizona history. 


Plus, they have performances.  We saw a shootout scene from the 1995 film “The Quick and the Dead" in which  “a ruthless land owner and gunslinger hold a quick draw competition to see who is the fastest in the territory.”  The good guy (actually gal) won.

The view as you enter Old Tucson.

High Chaparral chronicled a families struggles as cattle ranchers in early Arizona.

I’m thinking the cattle are regularly fed by visitors, because as soon as this cow saw us she ambled over. 

Another cow photo because I thought she was really pretty and I wanted to get her horns in the shot.  Her coat looks like our dog Cooper’s.

“The Reno”  locomotive was built in 1872, and was originally used in Nevada before appearing in over 100 films including Twilight Zone, Rawhide and Wild, Wild West.    It’s said to be the most photographed locomotive in the world.  How would anyone know that?