Pioneer Town To Be Placed On Auction Block
Someone’s going to start the new year with a real bonafide wild west town on their hands either-that is, if anyone bids in the neighborhood of $80,000 when I am there town is placed on the auction block Dec. 30.
The sale will be held at 10 a.m. at the north door of the San Bernardino County Courthouse.
The old West tourist attraction, showplace and movie location will be sold to the highest bidder by Security Title Insurance Co. The company holds the deed of trust with the 20,000 acres site as security.
The sale was originally scheduled for Thursday morning, but was put on when a complaint for declaratory relief was filed by Attys Daniel J. Cowett and Charles E Ward on behalf of of pioneer studio location Inc.
The complaint was filed against the title company, Pioneertown Inc., and Pioneertown Directors Fletcher Jones and William Murphy.
It asks the defendants to restrain from selling the property until the rights and obligations of all parties concerned can be adjusted and determined.
The problem arises from a 25 year lease on the property taken out by Philip N. Krasne, President of inter-America productions, Inc., makers of the Cisco Kid film series.
Krasne was to produce films on the widespread acreage under the name of pioneer studio locations inc.
On June 30 Jones and Murphy gave notice of default compliance with terms of a trustee which had put the town as security on a $60,000 loan made in 1946. With interest the money owed is now in the neighborhood of $80,000, according to security title officials.
Krasne asked for a restraining order on the sale until his rights could be clarified. According to the complaint is lease on the site was to run 25 years from last August 30. Terms of the lease call for $500 yearly payments, $25 daily for scenes set in Pioneertown proper and 5-10 per cents of the Pioneer Studios location gross proceeds. The promissory note on Pioneertown was made out to persons listed as Jackson Diggs, Charles Halton, and Lelah Halton, The complaint stated
