Magic Landing

Magic Landing was a theme park located in El Paso, Texas. It opened July 4, 1984 and closed mid season of 1988. Magic Landing was one of two amusement parks operating in El Paso during the 1980s. The other amusement park was Western Playland. Magic Landing opened its doors to the public in the summer of 1984. 30,000 people attended the opening on July 4, 1984.^{[citation needed]} During the time that Magic Landing was open, Western Playland was receiving a lot of competition, possibly due to Magic Landing being larger and having more concert venues compared to Western Playland.^{[citation needed]}

During Magic Landing's brief run, there had been rumors of various incidents, but there had been one confirmed incident which caused Magic Landing attendance numbers to fall over the next three years, and which may have led to the park's closure. In the summer of 1985, Frank Guzman Jr, 18, a young male employee was killed at the park.^[1] He was asked by a patron to retrieve his baseball hat for him from off the roller coaster track. The teenager climbed up the track and rested his arm on the active part of the track. Within a few minutes, the roller coaster went down the track and cut his arm off. After an hour on the track the young man was rushed to William Beaumont Medical Center and died three hours later. In 1988, Magic Landing closed its doors to the public due to low attendance numbers and problems obtaining the $1,000,000 insurance policy required by the state. Since its closing, Magic Landing's buildings are still standing out in the El Paso desert. Many of them are falling apart and have also been vandalized. The rides remained at the park until the early to mid 90s. Western Playland, El Paso's only other amusement park, has since been relocated to Sunland Park, New Mexico.

References

1. ^ Las Cruces Sun-News, June 6, 2008

1. ^ Marden, Duane. "Magic Landing (El Paso, Texas 79927 USA)". Retrieved July 21, 2006.
2. ^ Marden, Duane. "Mountain Express (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Retrieved July 21, 2006.

External links

• Satellite Image from WikiMapia, Google Maps, or Windows Live Local
• Magic Landing in Ruins

Coordinates: 31°40′15″N 106°15′27″W / 31.6708°N 106.2575°W / 31.6708; -106.2575