Trail Dust Town
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2007) |
Trail Dust Town is a historical outdoor shopping center located in Tucson, Arizona.
Although Trail Dust Town operates as a for-profit shopping mall, on its grounds exists a great number of historical artifacts, including an
History
The shopping mall was built originally in 1961 and featured retail shopping. Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse was built in 1962 and quickly became a popular destination; it was featured on the Cooking Channel show Man v. Food in 2019. The area has often been rumored to have been a former movie set, but that has never been confirmed.
Playbox Theatre
From 1961 to 1982, Trail Dust Town was the site of one of Tucson's earliest community theater companies, Playbox Theatre. Playbox started several years earlier in a vacant church near the University of Arizona (later home to the Loft Theater, an early art film theater in Tucson) but it moved to Trail Dust Town in order to grow. The building (including the stage which still stands) is now called The Savoy Opera House and it is rented out for banquets and other events.
Museum of the Horse Soldier
Trail Dust Town was also home to a non-profit history museum; Museum of the Horse Soldier. The museum chronicled the history of U.S. mounted military service. It was notable for having one of the nation's largest public displays artifacts from the era of the military horse, including original period saddles, uniforms, weapons, firearms, and ephemera. The museum incorporated in Jan. 2013 and received recognition from around the world, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), History Channel, Discovery Channel, Arizona Highways, and multiple publications. Some of the museum's highlights included the only Civil War collection available to the public in the state of AZ and rare U.S. military saddles from the 1830s-present day. The Museum officially moved out of Trail Dust Town in June of 2019 and has yet to find a new home.
Constituent attractions
Trail Dust Town Railroad
The Trail Dust Town Railroad is a
Pistoleros Wild West Show
Performed twice per evening, Friday through Sunday, Trail Dust Town's stunt show is a