Pioneertown, California
Encyclopedia
Pioneertown, California is an unincorporated
village in the Morongo Basin
region of Southern California's Inland Empire Metropolitan Area. It is located approximately 56 miles (90 km) east of San Bernardino
.
and Edgar Buchanan
's Judge Roy Bean
. Roy Rogers
, Dick Curtis
, and Russell Hayden
were among the original developers and investors, and Gene Autry
frequently taped his show at the six-lane Pioneer Bowl bowling alley. Its construction was credited to one "A.E. Thompson" in 1947 and Rogers himself rolled out the first ball in 1949. School-age children were hired as pinsetter
s until the installation of automatic pinsetting equipment in the 1950s. According to the Morongo Basin Historical Society, the bowling alley is one of the oldest in continuous use in California.
The town as well as the surrounding desert towns are home to a series of experimental art installations.
It is easily accessed via Pioneertown Road at California State Route 62
in the town of Yucca Valley
. The gently winding, four-mile (6km) drive northwest to Pioneertown has been designated a California Scenic Drive.
The ZIP Code
is 92268, and the community is inside area code 760
. As of 2006, the town of Pioneertown had a population of 350.
, which also burned into Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley. Firefighters managed to save the historic movie set buildings, but much of the surrounding desert habitat was damaged. Among the buildings saved was Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, a longtime local club and landmark built within one of the original sets and which counts notable musicians among its regular patrons, among them Eric Burdon
. Pioneertown, is also the home of famous artist and set designer, Edward Grimm. Many of his works exist in town to date.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
village in the Morongo Basin
Morongo Basin
The Morongo Basin is located centrally in the southern portion of the state of California in the United States. The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire metropolitan statistical area, the 13th largest in the United States. Joshua Tree National Park lies within the basin. The basin stretches...
region of Southern California's Inland Empire Metropolitan Area. It is located approximately 56 miles (90 km) east of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
.
History
The town started as a live-in Old West motion picture set, built in the 1940s. The movie set was designed to provide a place for the actors to live, and at the same time to have their homes used as part of the movie set. A number of Westerns and early television shows were filmed in Pioneertown, including The Cisco KidThe Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid refers to a character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in the collection Heart of the West...
and Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s...
's Judge Roy Bean
Judge Roy Bean (TV series)
Judge Roy Bean is a syndicated American Western series starring Edgar Buchanan as the legendary Kentucky-born Judge Roy Bean, a justice of the peace known as "The law west of the Pecos".-Synopsis:...
. Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
, Dick Curtis
Dick Curtis
Dick Curtis was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career.-Career:Curtis was born Richard Dye in Newport, Kentucky. A tall, hulking actor, standing at 6' 3", Curtis appeared in films stretching from Charles Starrett to The Three Stooges. In most of his...
, and Russell Hayden
Russell Hayden
Russell "Lucky" Hayden was an American film and television actor.He was born as Hayden Michael "Pate" Lucid, son of Francis J...
were among the original developers and investors, and Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
frequently taped his show at the six-lane Pioneer Bowl bowling alley. Its construction was credited to one "A.E. Thompson" in 1947 and Rogers himself rolled out the first ball in 1949. School-age children were hired as pinsetter
Pinsetter
In bowling, a pinsetter, or pinspotter, was originally a person who manually reset bowling pins to their correct position, cleared fallen pins, and returned bowling balls to players...
s until the installation of automatic pinsetting equipment in the 1950s. According to the Morongo Basin Historical Society, the bowling alley is one of the oldest in continuous use in California.
Current
Mock gunfights are staged from April through October along Pioneertown's Mane [sic] Street.The town as well as the surrounding desert towns are home to a series of experimental art installations.
It is easily accessed via Pioneertown Road at California State Route 62
California State Route 62
State Route 62 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California.-Route description:This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System...
in the town of Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley, California
Yucca Valley is an incorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 at the 2010 census, up from 16,865 at the 2000 census...
. The gently winding, four-mile (6km) drive northwest to Pioneertown has been designated a California Scenic Drive.
The ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 92268, and the community is inside area code 760
Area code 760
Image:Area_code_442.svg|right|Map of California area codes in blue with 442/760 in redrect 65 82 92 100 Area code 916rect 220 242 245 256 Area code 909rect 243 274 265 287 Area code 951rect 136 323 160 338 Area code 858...
. As of 2006, the town of Pioneertown had a population of 350.
Sawtooth Complex Fire
On July 11, 2006 some of Pioneertown was burned in the Sawtooth Complex fireSawtooth Complex fire
The Sawtooth Complex fire was a group of wildfires in San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California in the summer of 2006. The Complex was made up of the Sawtooth, Waters, and Ridge fires, and burnt in chaparral two miles east of Yucca Valley.The Sawtooth Complex fire was started by...
, which also burned into Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley. Firefighters managed to save the historic movie set buildings, but much of the surrounding desert habitat was damaged. Among the buildings saved was Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, a longtime local club and landmark built within one of the original sets and which counts notable musicians among its regular patrons, among them Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
. Pioneertown, is also the home of famous artist and set designer, Edward Grimm. Many of his works exist in town to date.