The remains of Apacheland Movie Studio, the landmark tourist site that nearly burned to the ground in February, are expected to be sold next month. About 25 acres of it will go to a California buyer, said Sue Birmingham, the owner of the site east of Apache Junction. The purchase of the studio lot is in escrow, and Birmingham would not give the amount it is selling for.
Built in 1960, Apacheland became an ideal Wild West backdrop for movies starring John Wayne and Elvis Presley.
Birmingham plans to donate the site's Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel, along with foot and handprints of the celebrities who shot movie and TV Westerns on-site, to the Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction.