Pioneertown was founded in 1946 by a group of Western actors who had been several plans to develop the land surrounding Pioneertown and make it a resort.
The latest movie moviemaker the Pioneertown people enticed there was Gene Autry, who usually flies hundreds of miles to find backgrounds for his Columbia westerns. They persuaded him Pioneertown looked just as good as Arizona and was considerably closer.
Even in California, Pioneertown rates as something special. For here is an entire community—schools, saloons, dusty streets—that was built to provide a permanent set for Western movies.
Golden Stallion has made Pioneertown famous for finest Chinese food in the state. There is plenty to see at Pioneertown besides this outstanding eating place. The entire town is built for shooting motion pictures. Buildings have been copied from original old west streets. The Golden Stallion is open every day in the week except Monday, 12 noon to 10 p.m. - 11 p.m. Saturday nights.
Pioneertown, once the dream of movies to reproduce the western scene goes on the auction block today, Dec. 17. Here's a chance to buy a whole town and revise its former glory as a replica of old West when pounding hoofs on main street and shots from the Red Dog marked its gay career.
The Old West tourist attraction, showplace and movie location will go on sale for approximately $80,000 by Security Title Insurance Co. The company holds a deed of trust with the 18,000-20,000-acre site as security.
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.
Security title holds the trustees deed for a $60,000 loan made in 1946 to Pioneertown directors, who have announced they cannot meet the terms. Interest and other expenses have shoved the total of two $80,000.
The sale of the antiquated town and it's surrounding 20,000 acres was handled at public auction at the San Bernardino County Courthouse by J.W. Berry, assistant secretary of the title company.
Pioneertown, San Bernardino County's Old West showplace, has been sold for $80,400 to two Los Angeles automobile dealers.
The faded store fronts, hitching rails, dirt Main St. and other mementos of early California are still much the same in Pioneertown, the movie and television shooting location 120 miles from Los Angeles just off the Twentynine Palms highway in the San Bernardino County desert.