Corriganville Movie Ranch

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.

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 Apache, 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.

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. ^[1]

Transition

In 1965 Ray Corrigan sold the property, which was acquired by comedian and property speculator Bob Hope. 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 acres (0.77 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.^[2] The park's eastern area is part of the Santa Susana Pass 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.^[3] Rocky Peak Park is adjacent to the east.^[4] Several historic photos and pieces of memorabilia from Corriganville are on display at the nearby Santa Susana Depot.

See also

• Ray "Crash" Corrigan
• Movie ranch
• Santa Susana Pass

References

1. ^ Jorrey, Kyle (June 9, 2006). "Will Corriganville ever be restored to its past glory?". Simi Valley Acorn (Simi Valley, CA). http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2006-06-09/Neighbors/011.html. Retrieved September 26, 2011. 
2. ^ http://www.rsrpd.org/park/corrignavilleparkandtrail/corrignavilleparkandtrail.html
3. ^ http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=99
4. ^ Rocky Peak Park

External links

• official Corriganville Park website
• LAmountains: Corriganville Park hikes and services website
• Corriganville Movie Ranch website
• Corriganville movies photos website
• Corriganville: 'Things to See and Do'
• YouTube: Corriganville montage video
• YouTube: Corriganville's motorcycle racing era video