Local News

Historical Highlight: The Origins of Pioneertown

Folklore has it that Pioneertown was started by Gene Autry in the 1940s, The Hi-Desert Magazine has a different origin for the town that was built as a movie set for Hollywood westerns.

Photo by Tami Roloff

Actor Dick Curtis discovered the area that became known as Pioneertown while riding on horseback in the mid-1940s. He convinced Russel Hayden, Roy Rogers, and some members of the Sons of the Pioneers to invest in an “all-inclusive filming location” for westerns. The town was built in 1946 and included facades of stables, saloons, and a jail, while the interiors featured ice cream parlors, a bowling alley, and a motel.

Dick Curtis

Phil Krasne began shooting “The Cisco Kid” for television in Pioneertown, and after nine months of production, he sold the rights to MCA-Universal for $1 million. More than 50 films and TV shows were filmed in Pioneertown in the 1940s and ’50s.

Photo by Shirley Tipping

For more information about the history of Pioneertown, see the link below:
https://www.z1077fm.com/CiscoKidWasFriendMine.pdf
Copyright © 1998 Hi-Desert Magazine.

Hilary Sloane

After a long successful career as a Photostylist and producer in New York and Los Angeles, Hilary Sloane moved to the Morongo Basin and began a new career as a journalist and documentary photographer, getting a journalism certification from Michigan State. Hilary is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) and has documented the work of local and International non-profits. She has a podcast on Sound Cloud and is looking forward to adding more. Her favorite pastime is watching the wildlife around her home, traveling, and meeting new people.


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After a long successful career as a Photostylist and producer in New York and Los Angeles, Hilary Sloane moved to the Morongo Basin and began a new career as a journalist and documentary photographer, getting a journalism certification from Michigan…

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