SIMI VALLEY : City OKs Annexing of Old Movie Ranch
Simi Valley’s long-held dream of developing a park on the site of the famed Corriganville Movie Ranch, which was destroyed by fire more than 25 years ago, has moved a step closer to reality.
The City Council on Monday approved annexation of the 183-acre property, where thousands of shoot-’em-up Westerns were filmed in the 1940s and ‘50s.
The park site is east of Kuehner Drive between the Simi Valley Freeway and the Southern Pacific railroad tracks. The land was purchased jointly by the city and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District in 1988.
Plans call for the land to be developed as a regional park that will include a visitors center, picnic areas, playgrounds, and hiking and equestrian trails.
Development of the park is expected to cost about $1.5 million, with some of the money to come from state grants, said Brian Gabler, assistant to City Manager Lin Koester. No date has been set for construction.
The Corriganville Movie Ranch, named after its owner, late Hollywood stuntman Ray (Crash) Corrigan, was destroyed by fire in 1965.
Episodes of the “Gunsmoke” and “The Lone Ranger” television series were filmed there, along with countless Western films featuring, among others, John Wayne, Gene Autry, Tom Mix, James Garner, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
With private funding, the remains of the old movie sets will be preserved as points of interest in the park.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
