Lorin Morgan-Richards Presents Biographies of the West: The Pioneertown Story

[Music] dick Curtis is at the core of the pioneer Town story an actor known for villainous roles is said to have formed the idea while filming Daniel Boone in Old Wyoming Trail at the Iverson Ranch as Rumor Has It Dick had loan $25 to an elderly woman who gave a deed in return while he didn't keep the land he sold it for a desert property and set out to inspect it likely he traversed the early route of Pioneer toown Road and found himself in the Morango Basin a valley in eastern San Bernardino County with a dry summer and cool winter moranga is considered a Sano word for Moringa the people from Mara a place of origin and Captain John Morango was a leader of the Serrano acting on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs during the forced removal to the Banning reservation in 1876 the settlers anglicized the name and the government referred to the first people as the Morango band of mission Indians but this included a vast group of tribes Curtis saw the possibility of working and living in 1880 themed Western Movie Town new films took time finances and energy to build elaborate sets only to have them dismantled Iverson indeed had a clause to keep sets but this was different and being mostly facades the buildings aged and appeared better for ramshackle ghost towns in 1945 during the filming of song of Arizona the cast of Dick Curtis Roy Rogers and Dale Evans among others started discussing the benefits of a permanent movie Set they could own away from the city noise with a natural Western landscape Curtis believed that having businesses on the set would support production costs maintain the buildings and make the set a desirable tourist destination when filming was not occurring it was twofold the restaurants would help feed the crew a motel could house them a ranch could care for the horses and even a general store would have the supplies this endeavor would bring jobs to the community and those willing could act as extras in the film The Quiet Mountain Valley of the Morango Basin with its desert rock formations mesas and canyons became the the perfect spot to bring this Vision to life Roy Rogers who had had a western singing group called the Sons of the Pioneers helped dick pitch the idea to investors 18 total and they named the project after Roy's band originally the idea was to name it Rogersville however songwriter Tim Spencer wrote a catchy jingle called out in Pioneer town and everyone loved it in 1946 six each investor gave $500 equivalent to $8,000 today to purchase the 32,000 acres and be part of the pioneer Town Corporation additionally they would need to borrow another 60,000 from Brokers and developers using the title to Pioneer town as collateral if they could attract residential buyers Main Street spelled m n could still act as a set and in a commercial District on September 1st the successful groundbreaking saw 5,000 people in attendance hundreds of families purchased 1 to 10 acres of property and Main Street boasted over 30 buildings every weekend there would be activities for thousands whether it was the Sunday Sho by The Saddle Club or a unique event like the Labor Day Fiesta in filming Pioneer Town suffered a slow start due to Hollywood's TMZ or 30m Zone where Studios would have to pay the union workers extra if they went to a job outside the 30 mile radius Iverson lasy monogram and Koo were all within the studio Zone while Pioneer town was over a 100 miles away another Factor was the increased competition for filming and between 1946 and 1949 places like spawn Ranch Jack Ingram's Movie Ranch and corriganville opened it took another independent filmmaker named Philip Ben crne to bite the bullet so to speak with his Cisco Kid franchise Philip owned 40 acres and leased 32,000 acres for 25 years shortly after Gan autre started filming in Pioneer Town sparking a general interest in tourists visiting the area especially with the theatrical short unusual occupations in 1947 which featured a town parade in ay working with his horses in the same year the local paper wrote about the corny Carnival a 3-day event starting on Halloween that was a benefit to build a school the event featured quarter horse racing a western fashion parade dancing a concert by the sons of the pioneers and celebrity appearances eventually the school was built and pearl Jones spouse of one of the Red Dogs owners took the role of teacher but early life was still difficult and Tents and Shacks spotted the area if you had electricity you were lucky for power came from a diesel generator that Lit Main Street for several years people ate their meals over open Flames or wood stoves and the Red Dog Saloon boasted the only shower in town on December 15 1948 The Cisco kids Valiant ombre was the first film to be released showing the magic surrounding Pioneer Town Russell Hayden blasted a roadway and took over the business side of things as president and let his friend dick focus on acting shareholders would see a profit and by the end of 1949 Pioneer town would lay claim to four Cisco Kid films and two ay films in the following year Pioneer town was calling itself a dude ranch and was electing dues for membership of the exclusive club for all things Western then in 1950 Cisco Kid sedan's cradle used around a 100 locals to fit the roles of storekeepers saloon frequenters Horsemen and Farmers among other towns folk there was a massive cost savings an extra would typically make about $40 a day but for the locals the standard was just $15 $50 with the Advent of Television The Cisco Kid in the weekly Gan entry shows utilize Pioneer town as their backdrop usually you'd find the Red Dog Saloon grub steak golden stallion Pioneer Town Gazette and townhouse in a scene more films would be produced including seven by ay through 1953 however the same year he purchased the monogram Movie Ranch and relocated did some of his production to what he named Melody Ranch atrey continued to use Pioneer town for his flying a Productions of the range Rider Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Jr and his last film The Last of the pony Riders other shows in the area included hop along Cassidy and Judge Roy Bean unfortunately on June 30th 1953 Pioneer town was in default with the initial loan which now exceeded 80,000 foreclosure and an auction were necessary and Philip krne involved in a 25-year lease tried to stall still two Los Angeles Auto Dealers Fletcher Jones and William Murphy won out on December 30th in the San Bernardino County Courthouse paying the sum by 1954 with a change in ownership and a downward trend from westerns businesses closed and many left leaving Pioneer Town nearly another ghost town over 60 locals stayed year long and believed the newly paved Big Bear Road would bring in more Travelers but the dream of Dick Curtis wasn't over and his utopian western themed Town kept new generations engaged living it and revitalizing its charm the entrance to the Village Bears a sign Sim IL to its first Horseless carriages ain't allowed on Main Street and so began the loop with clip and curl hair saloon where a former Barber once acted the part in a Cisco Kid feature the Marshall's office once housed the Carol Burgess gift shop very little is known about this but the 1950s census shows she may have been one of the very few living all year round Liquor Bar in the past also served as a Visitor Center the Golden Nugget coffee shop and honey fers real estate office Pioneer Bowl was built in 1946 by AE Thompson and officially open when Roy Rogers struck the first pins in 1949 Mrs Thompson AKA Cactus Kate who also operated the motel oversaw its business the first post office was located in the back of the building before being moved the building acted as a central place for actors and Extras to shoot pool bowl stand up to a bar or play in the arcade notably the wall mural by Wallace Roland Stark reflects the early Hollywood era bill Bridge opened his trigger bills Shooting Gallery a small Western Museum along with it Bridges was a bit player in the days of Douglas Fairbanks senior and wrangled horses for some of the movie companies making westerns now at the sound stage Hollywood producer Philip and krne acquired the movie rights to the area from the Pioneer Town Corporation and built the Sound Stage on Main Street while much of the filming took place outside most indoor filming was done on sets within the Sound Stage it was first called the silver dollar Red Dog Saloon is quintessential to Pioneer town and thanks to its first owners Al lips and Don Cox was descried red with Swinging Doors 10-cent Nickelodeon a train car in the back and a beat up piano for atmosphere many stars graced its french-made bar with faces of characters surrounding it in signs such as notice to thieves thugs fakers and Bunko steerers the floor was painted with a woman's face a longtime Entertainer of the bar named dazzling Dallas Morley while a fire engulfed the Red Dog just two days before the gold golden stallion it was rebuilt and is all the more Charming even today while the Pioneer Town Gazette is no longer published at one time was the jackass mail across the street from The Gazette is a concrete slab specially built for open air dances papy and Harriet's Pioneer Town Palace the Adobe building was once called The Cantina and in the 1970s and further back served as a gas station and a Pony Express office nowadays it's internationally known and is frequently reported on by Rock critics Harriet and Claude papy Allen bought the Cantina in 1982 and rebranded it papy was as beloved as the Western Stars before him and when he died in 1994 hundreds of MERS attended his memorial missing from the scene is the golden stallion which burned down on Easter morning in 1966 made up of used railroad ties it was known for its Chinese food steaks and oysters at the time it had 50 Cent slot machines with songs like Dorothy lamore's one rose while it not open all year round it was a local hangout Frank G A celebrated Chef was one of the original Proprietors actor Jack Bailey purchased a restaurant before its ill-fated fire the Pioneer Town Motel originally called the townhouse and briefly the golden stallion Lodge was also owned by Jack Bailey actress Lillian Thompson AKA Cactus Kate was the most famous manager of the 20 unit Hotel who once requested to park your iron at the front desk stars and Extras would find their beds here and Gan ay used to play cards in room number nine this has been biographies of the West my name is Lauren Morgan Richards thanks for watching [Music]