If you have ever traveled on California State Route 62 from Palm Springs to Yucca Valley you may have noticed a small sign off the highway pointing towards a road leading to something called Pioneertown. I used to drive past that sign once a week and wondered just what the heck Pioneertown actually was? One day the curiosity finally got the best of me and I veered off the main road and began a journey down a lonely desert road towards my unknown destination.
If you are a fan of classic television you have probably seen an episode of The Twilight Zone or Outer Limits where a motorist gets lost out in the desert and somehow travels back in time to the old west. The bewildered traveler is normally attacked by Native Americans and the ends up in a saloon fight. My journey was something like that because Pioneertown actually turned out to be a real wild west pioneer town that is perfectly preserved right down to the hitching posts.
What really added to the Twilight Zone effect that I was experiencing was the fact that I was all but alone as I explored the town. I kept one eye on the nearby hills for those rogue Indians and I stayed away from the saloon.
It happened to Marty McFly and it could happen to me.
Now I don't want you to get the idea that Pioneertown just materialized out of thin air one day due to some kind interdimensional vortex or something. In actuality the town was constructed by Hollywood film makers in the 1940s as a location to film - you guessed it - westerns. Over the decades the town was the backdrop for countless western movies and television programs. It still serves that purpose to this day.
If you really want to experience what it may have felt like to stroll down the streets of old Dodge City or Tombstone then Pioneetown is right down your ally. I really enjoyed walking around and soaking in all the history and wild west ambiance.
To be honest I actually did walk out to the middle of the street and drew imaginary pistols to kill an equally imaginary bad guy.
I blame my dad for making me watch all those John Wayne movies.
From Visit California:
In 1946, Pioneertown was founded by a group of Hollywood investors, including actors Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. They dreamed of creating an Old West set 125 miles east of Los Angeles that was actually a town worth visiting, with 1880s-style false-front facades but interiors that had stuff for visitors to see and do too. Up went (from the outside) frontier stables, saloons, and jails; inside, they housed ice cream parlors, bowling alleys, and motels. It wasn’t a place just for tourists to enjoy though; more than 50 films and television shows were filmed here in the 1940s and ‘50s.
While location shoots here have dwindled in the years since, you can still see mock gunfights on Mane Street. But the most happening place by far is Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, which hosts surprisingly big-name live acts—Robert Plant and Leon Russell have played here, and more contemporary bands like Iron & Wine and CHVRCHES pass through as well. This must-see desert find also serves up awesome ribs, plus classic Santa Maria barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, and salads. Check out their calendar of upcoming events.
Though it’s always been a destination for those in the know, in recent years the town has been experiencing something of a renaissance—artists, entrepreneurs, and just regular folks looking to escape city stress are finding their way here. Longtime standby the Pioneertown Motel, a rustic, single-story 20-room inn, has been updated with fire pits, an outdoor bar, and hammocks; it and La Copine, an upscale eatery in nearby Flamingo Heights are contributing to the area’s newfound reputation as a hip getaway.
Stroll along Mane Street and you’ll find MazAmar Art Pottery gallery and shop, and the vintage-vibed Pioneer Bowl. Other popular restaurants nearby include Giant Rock Meeting Room & Coffee House, near the aforementioned La Copine in Flamingo Heights, and Frontier Café, four miles down the road in Yucca Valley.
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