History

Trail Dust Town

  • Trail Dust Town Postcard
  • Features of Trail Dust Town

Trail Dust Town’s History

Trail Dust Town was built in 1961 and quickly became a favorite place for Tucson and its guests to spend time and enjoy a trip back in time. Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse opened in 1962 and gave the various cowboys and ranchhands in the area a great place to get a steak, belly up to the bar, and let their horses drive them home. The “Town” was rocked by a devastating fire that struck Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse in 1971. The fire brought multiple firetrucks out as no one wanted to lose the iconic steakhouse. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of Tucson Fire and even a passing landscaping truck, Pinnacle Peak burnt to the ground.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Pinnacle Peak emerged in its current location in 1972 and returned to the business of serving the best steaks in Tucson. As the popularity of the steakhouse continued to grow, so did Trail Dust Town. Buildings were added to house retail shops, the dusty trails were paved with red brick, and the parking lot expanded.  Then in the mid 1990’s the town began shifting from being a collection of shops and restaurants to becoming an entertainment destination with the addition of the amusement rides.

The C.P. Huntington Railroad was built closely followed by an antique carousel. Then the Pistoleros began performing live Wild West stunt shows on Dragoon St. to larger and larger crowds. Trail Dust Town continued on with small changes and improvements until the next evolution. In the early 2010’s, PollyAnna Park was built to give an open grassy area for families to enjoy. At the same time, a Ferris wheel was added and the carousel relocated. The creation of PollyAnna Park marked Trail Dust Town’s transition from a shopping center with an amusement park into a family friendly destination.

Today, Trail Dust Town itself is still locally owned and operated by the same family and has just moved into its third generation. Everyone involved with Trail Dust Town is fully committed to stewarding this special part of Tucson so that future generations of Tucsonans may enjoy and even bring their guests.