updated 10/16/23
Prayer podcasts: for the city | for the officials
Location: an unincorporated community of the Morongo Basin region of San Bernardino's High Desert. The historical town was originally incorporated in 1946. It became a part of San Bernardino County in the late 1960s. The winding, 4-mile drive northwest to Pioneertown from Yucca Valley has been designated a California Scenic Drive and the area is now surrounded by privately and federally protected lands.
Demographics; estimated population [2021] 365. Overall crime grade is F [see below for more details]; 15% renters; 85% owners; Males 58%; Females 42%; 85% high school grad; bachelors 18%; 5% graduate; 60% married; 7% widowed; 14% never married; 18% divorced; 91% white; 4% Hispanic; 3% 2 or more races; 1% African American; <1% Asian, American Indian or other races; median age 64; $37K average income; 9% in poverty.
In 1946 when Dick Curtis shared his dream for a "Living Breathing Movie Set". Shortly after, 17 investors including Curtis, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, The Sons Of The Pioneers, Russell Hayden, Frank McDonald, Tommy Carr, Terry Frost, and Bud Abbott each invested $500 and incorporated. The company purchased 32,ooo Acres of land which would soon be known as Pioneertown. The goal was to create a place where they could work (and play) with friends, family and co-workers. It became a filming location, vacation destination & permanent residence for people working in the entertainment industry, ranchers and desert lovers alike.
Originally, to be called "Rogersville" a member wrote a catchy tune recorded the song the following year. It was that catchy tune which gave birth to the name "Pioneertown". Broke ground in 1946. The San Bernardino County Sun ran a full-page ad on March 25th, 1947 which invited people to invest in Pioneertown along with Dale Evans, Roy Rogers & The Sons Of The Pioneers. The first structures established were fully functional businesses which included White’s Grocery, the Townhouse Motel, the Red Dog Saloon, the Golden Stallion Restaurant, Maggie’s Feed Barn, Nell’s Ice Cream Palace, Pioneertown Likker, the Klip ‘N’ Kurl Beauty Shop, Pioneer Bowl, Trigger Bill’s Shooting Gallery & the Pioneertown Gazette; just to name a few.
More than 5o films & serials were filmed in Pioneertown during the 194o's and 195o's. There have been over 2oo productions in town - the total number is unknown as entertainment production records were not as well documented as they are these days. All of the Gene Autry Flying A television productions through the 195o’s were shot here; the Pioneertown Bowling Alley being a favorite filming location of Autry's. Some other local titles were “Cisco Kid”, “The Range Rider”, “Annie Oakley”, “Cody of the Pony Express”, “The Adventures of Judge Roy Bean” and “Buffalo Bill Jr.” As it sits on a movie set; the Pioneertown Post Office is said to be the most photographed PO in the USA!
A lack of safe water kept it from growth. As the golden age of western films came to an end, so too did the abundant production work in town. Over the years businesses have dwindled and thrived, back and forth. But the die-hard community has always remained committed to keeping Pioneertown alive. The town is still a fully functioning production set where movies, independent films, music videos and commercials are filmed every month. Nowadays, the town maintains that old charm by keeping up the main street that has all of the buildings on it and running shot em up reenactment groups on specific weekends to harness the style of the town for future generations.
“A peaceful hideaway to spend a lazy day out in Pioneertown - Out in Pioneertown by Tim Spencer."
Specific Prayer Points
Spiritual: intercessors to rise and pray for this entertainment place, for people to share their faith, for the church that is closed and used primarily for the film set to remind people of the importance of the Lord in their lives in the western days and today, for Bible studies to occur during the week to help those who work weekends for the tourists, to see lives changed by the power of the Gospel
Governed by: SBC
Schools; none
Crime Statistics: [2022] A crime occurs every 8 days 1 hours (on average) in Pioneertown; overall crime grade is D; violent crime is D+; property crime is D and other crime is D-; highest crimes are vandalism 29% [very high]; theft 16%; drug crimes 11%; burglary 10%; assault 6%.
Poverty percent: 9%
Points of interest: Pappy and Harriet’s, Desert Christ Park, and Tahquitz Canyon waterfall
Churches [not exhaustive]
no churches; nearby cities Yucca Valley
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