Pioneertown, California, is an unincorporated community of the Morongo Basin region of San Bernardino's High Desert. The historical town was originally incorporated in 1946 and fell into the hands of San Bernardino County in the late 1960s. The winding, 4-mile (6.4 km) drive northwest to Pioneertown from Yucca Valley has been designated a California Scenic Drive and the area is now surrounded by privately and federally protected lands.
Video Pioneertown, California
History
Actor Dick Curtis started up the town in 1946 as an 188o's themed live-in Old West living breathing motion-picture set. The town was designed to provide a place for production companies to enjoy while also using their businesses and homes in movies. Hundreds of Westerns and early television shows were filmed in Pioneertown, including The Cisco Kid and Edgar Buchanan's Judge Roy Bean.
Dick Curtis, Roy Rogers and Russell Hayden were some of the original developers and investors, and Gene Autry filmed every episode of his show at the six-lane Pioneer Bowl bowling alley. The Pioneer Bowl's construction was credited to Tommy Thompson in 1947 and Rogers himself rolled out the first ball in 1949. School-age children were hired as pinsetters until the installation of automatic pinsetting equipment in the 1950s. According to the Morongo Basin Historical Society, the bowling alley was one of the oldest in continuous use in California until they closed their doors for good in 2010.
21st century
As of 2006, Pioneertown had a population of 350.
In July of 2006, parts of Pioneertown were burned in the Sawtooth Complex fire, which also burned into Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley. Firefighters managed to save the historic movie-set buildings, but much of the surrounding desert habitat was damaged. Among the buildings saved was Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, a longtime local club and landmark built within the town's original and only gas station, which counts among its regular patrons notable musicians, including Eric Burdon and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame.
Mane Street in downtown Pioneertown is open to the public, free of charge, 365 days a year.
There is no parking permitted on Pioneertown Road, visitors are instead directed to park to the east of Pappy & Harriet's.
As Pioneertown is still a living breathing movie set, commercial production & photography is allowed in the city limits By Permit Only.
Maps Pioneertown, California
Gallery
Media related to Pioneertown, California at Wikimedia Commons
Further reading
- GENTRY, KENNETH: "Pioneertown, USA: The Definitive History of Pioneertown, CA.. Where the Old West Lives Again!" MARCH of 2o18 / Paperback / 3o8 Pages "PIONEERTOWN, USA"
- Rafton, Louise. "Pioneertown", Westways Magazine, March/April 2005
- Stringfellow, Kim. mojaveproject.org: "That High Desert Sound"
References
- GENTRY, KENNETH: "Pioneertown, USA: The Definitive History of Pioneertown, CA.. Where the Old West Lives Again!" MARCH of 2o18 / Paperback / 3o8 Pages "PIONEERTOWN, USA"
External links
- "Pioneertown, USA: The Definitive History of Pioneertown, CA.. Where the Old West Lives Again!" MARCH of 2o18 / Paperback / 3o8 Pages "PIONEERTOWN, USA"
- List of productions shot in Pioneertown from IMDb
- Pioneertown, California at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of article : Wikipedia
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