Corriganville Movie Ranch
Encyclopedia
Corriganville Movie Ranch was a working film studio and movie ranch
for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western
-themed tourist attraction. The ranch, owned by actor
and stuntman
Ray "Crash" Corrigan, was located in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains
in the Santa Susana Pass
area of Simi Valley
in eastern Ventura County, California
.
, The Lone Ranger
, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
, Sky King
, and Star Trek
.
The visual environment was that of a picturesque California oak woodland
. The ranch provided terrain such as lakes, mountains, caves, large boulders, and rock outcroppings and overhangs. The small man-made lake featured a bunker with windows that would allow underwater scenes to be shot. Estimates of the number of movies and television shows filmed there range from the hundreds to the thousands.
. A housing subdivision called Hopetown was developed and built on a parcel near the park entrance. In the late 1960s and early 1970s part of the site was used for motorcycle racing. In 1970 the ranch was swept by fire. One of the last movies filmed there was Vigilante Force
(1976). In 1979 another fire destroyed virtually all of the remaining structures. In 1988, 190 acre (0.7689034 km²) of land comprising the principal working areas of the original Corriganville Ranch were purchased by the City of Simi Valley for use as a Regional Park.
wildlife corridor
connecting the Simi Hills
(and the Santa Monica Mountains
) with the Santa Susana Mountains
(and Tehachapi Mountains
and San Gabriel Mountains
). Hiking trails provide exploration and views. Rocky Peak Park is adjacent to the east. Several historic photos and pieces of memorabilia from Corriganville are on display at the nearby Santa Susana Depot
.
Movie ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the creation and production of motion pictures, and television productions...
for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
-themed tourist attraction. The ranch, owned by actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
Ray "Crash" Corrigan, was located in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains
Santa Susana Mountains
The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
in the Santa Susana Pass
Santa Susana Pass
The Santa Susana Pass is a Southern California mountain pass in the Simi Hills connecting the San Fernando Valley and town of Chatsworth, to the Simi Valley and city of Simi Valley.-Natural history:...
area of Simi Valley
Simi Valley
Simi Valley is a synclinal valley in Southern California in the United States. It is an enclosed or hidden valley surrounded by mountains and hills. It is connected to the San Fernando Valley to the east by the Santa Susana Pass & 118 freeway, and in the west the narrows of the Arroyo Simi and 118...
in eastern Ventura County, California
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
.
Movies
Built on land purchased by Corrigan in 1937, the ranch provided scenery as well as man-made structures and sets, and was the backdrop for movies and television programs such as Fort ApacheFort Apache (film)
Fort Apache is a 1948 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda. The film was the first of the director's "cavalry trilogy" and was followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande , both also starring Wayne...
, The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger (TV Series)
The Lone Ranger is an American western television series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The live-action series initially featured Gerald Mohr as the episode narrator...
, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American children's television program which originally aired in 166 episodes on ABC from October 1954 until August 1959. It starred child actor Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a US Cavalry post known...
, Sky King
Sky King
Sky King is a 1940s and 1950s American radio and television adventure series. The title character is Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King...
, and Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
.
The visual environment was that of a picturesque California oak woodland
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
. The ranch provided terrain such as lakes, mountains, caves, large boulders, and rock outcroppings and overhangs. The small man-made lake featured a bunker with windows that would allow underwater scenes to be shot. Estimates of the number of movies and television shows filmed there range from the hundreds to the thousands.
Tourism
The ranch was open to the public on weekends and holidays from 1949 to 1965. For an admission price of one dollar, one could experience stuntman shows, actors (often Crash himself) signing autographs, and movie locations including a western town (“Silverton”), frontier fort, and Mexican village, all made up of real structures and not just set fronts.Transition
In 1965 Ray Corrigan sold the property, which was acquired by comedian and property speculator Bob HopeBob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. A housing subdivision called Hopetown was developed and built on a parcel near the park entrance. In the late 1960s and early 1970s part of the site was used for motorcycle racing. In 1970 the ranch was swept by fire. One of the last movies filmed there was Vigilante Force
Vigilante Force
Vigilante Force is a 1976 American action film concerning a Vietnam War veteran and his buddies, who are hired by his brother and others in a small California town for protection from rowdy oil-field workers....
(1976). In 1979 another fire destroyed virtually all of the remaining structures. In 1988, 190 acre (0.7689034 km²) of land comprising the principal working areas of the original Corriganville Ranch were purchased by the City of Simi Valley for use as a Regional Park.
Regional Park
Now named Corriganville Regional Park, the Corriganville Movie Ranch is a public park operated by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The park's eastern area is part of the Santa Susana PassSanta Susana Pass
The Santa Susana Pass is a Southern California mountain pass in the Simi Hills connecting the San Fernando Valley and town of Chatsworth, to the Simi Valley and city of Simi Valley.-Natural history:...
wildlife corridor
Wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
connecting the Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
(and the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
) with the Santa Susana Mountains
Santa Susana Mountains
The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
(and Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
and San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
). Hiking trails provide exploration and views. Rocky Peak Park is adjacent to the east. Several historic photos and pieces of memorabilia from Corriganville are on display at the nearby Santa Susana Depot
Santa Susana Depot
Santa Susana Depot is a train station building located in Simi Valley, California. The depot was constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad and was opened in 1903. The depot was originally located on Los Angeles Avenue at Tapo Street and was part of the completion of the Coast Route linking...
.