Pioneertown is a unique Old West locale, just a short drive from the Coachella Valley. You can stroll the dusty streets of a vintage Western movie set, see a staged shoot-out—and escape the valley’s heat. Just 4 1/2 miles from Highway 62 in Yucca Valley, Pioneertown is at an elevation of 4,000 feet, and typically about 10 degrees cooler than it is in the Coachella Valley.
Pioneertown was established back in 1946, an idea fulfilled by actor Dick Curtis. Curtis shared his dream for a real Western town, not far away from the Hollywood studios, that could also serve as a movie set. Curtis initially signed up 17 investors, including top stars like “King of the Cowboys” Roy Rogers, and his actress/singer wife, Dale Evans; Rogers’ singing group, Sons of the Pioneers; and Russell Hayden, Frank McDonald, Bud Abbott, among others. Each investor contributed $500, and the group incorporated as a business, purchasing 32,000 acres of land in the desert northwest of Yucca Valley. The goal was not only to build a Western set where movies would be shot, but to also develop a real town where they would be among friends, family and co-workers.
According to the VisitPioneertown.com website, the group originally planned to call the town Rogersville, in honor of Roy Rogers. However, Tim Spencer, a Sons of the Pioneers member, wrote a catchy tune called “Out in Pioneertown” to help promote their investment. Once recorded, that tune gave birth to the name Pioneertown.
Construction began on Sept. 1, 1946. The San Bernardino County Sun included a full-page ad on March 25, 1947, inviting people to invest in Pioneertown along with the famous actors and singers. The first buildings were functional businesses, including White’s Grocery, the Red Dog Saloon, Nell’s Ice Cream Palace, the Golden Stallion Restaurant, the Klip ’N’ Kurl Beauty Shop and Pioneertown Likker. Horses were tended to at Maggie’s Feed Barn, and for entertainment, there was the Pioneer Bowl and Trigger Bill’s Shooting Gallery. (Pioneer Bowl became a favorite filming location for cowboy star Gene Autry.) The Pioneertown Gazette began a long run, and visitors could stay at the Townhouse Motel. Ranch sites with utilities and road access were offered for as little as $900 for an acre-plus of land.
However, this community focus didn’t last. Dick Curtis stepped down as company president in 1948 after the corporation decided to strictly cater to production companies—and soon, both land sales and production slowed. However, Pioneertown received a life line when movie producer Philip N. Krasne, who was producing The Cisco Kid TV series starring Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo, arrived in Pioneertown. He liked the town so much that he signed a 25-year lease and installed $250,000 worth of sets, purchased from the defunct Enterprise Studios.
The Pioneertown production boom was soon in high gear. More than 50 films and TV shows were filmed there during the 1940s and 1950s, and Gene Autry’s half-hour television productions through the 1950s were shot there. In addition to The Cisco Kid, productions set in Pioneertown included The Range Rider, Annie Oakley, Cody of the Pony Express, Judge Roy Bean and Buffalo Bill Jr. The Pioneertown Post Office was reputed to be the most photographed post office in the United States due to its mid-set location.
While Pioneertown thrived in terms of movie and TV productions, the lack of an accessible, reliable water source ended earlier grandiose plans, including a 40-acre lake, a golf course and a shopping center.
As the popularity of Western films waned, the number of movies and shows filmed in Pioneertown decreased. The town, however, remains a fully functioning production set, where movies, films, music videos and commercials are filmed.
Today, there are numerous false fronts, the likes of which you’d find in Westerns, like the Bank, Bath House, Likker Barn, Jail, the Jack Cass Saloon and the Mining Company. There are also some functioning businesses. Pioneer Bowl is still an operating bowling alley, and the Red Dog Saloon gets crowded on weekends—which is when the town really comes to life. One recent weekend, I caught all sorts of activities, including a horse show, food and souvenir booths, and lots of folks in Western attire. You can even catch a staged gunfight on Mane Street.
I asked Curt Sautter, the Pioneertown historian who was emceeing a horse show in his trademark leather cowboy hat, about some of the performers. He said there are three groups of performers, all from the High Desert area, who perform the gunfights for the tourists.
“We have one main group on Sundays, and two others who alternate Saturday shows,” he said.
The most popular draw to the town is Pappy and Harriet’s, a restaurant, bar and concert venue. Musicians and bands from around the world come to play at the “Pioneertown Palace.” Music lovers pack the historic place while enjoying drinks and a barbecue-heavy menu.
Pappy and Harriet’s has also attracted movie and video producers. Cyndi Lauper’s “Funnel of Love” music video was shot there in 2016, as was the 2017 movie Ingrid Goes West, with Elizabeth Olsen and Aubrey Plaza.
In 2006, parts of Pioneertown were burned in the Sawtooth Complex Fire, but firefighters were able to save the historic movie-set buildings. Today, Pioneertown still retains its charm and Old West vibe. Mane Street has been designated by the State Department of Parks and Recreation as a historical resource, and in 2020, it was recognized as a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places. Only horse and foot traffic is allowed on downtown Mane Street, but there is plenty of parking at either end of town; leashed pets are welcome. Camp sites are available for campers, as are horses at the Pioneertown corrals. There is also the Pioneertown Motel adjacent to Mane Street.
Sources for this article include Pioneertown, US—The Definitive History of Pioneertown, CA: Where the Old West Lives Again by Kenneth B. Gentry (self-published, 2018); and VisitPioneertown.com.