Actor Dick Curtis started up the town in 1946 as an 1880s themed live-in motion-picture set.[2] The town was designed to provide a place for production companies to reside while also using their businesses and homes in movies.
Pioneertown's founders intended the area to be a residential area with Mane Street acting as both a movie set and the town's commercial district.[3]
Dick Curtis, Roy Rogers and Russell Hayden were some of the original developers and investors. Gene Autry filmed his weekly show in town for five years, using the buildings and businesses as part of the film set.
The Pioneer Bowl is an operating bowling alley.[4] The third building to be built in Pioneertown, Pioneer Bowl served as a recreational venue for residents, actors, and crew after filming. When western films were no longer the predominant genre of the Hollywood movie industry, Pioneer Bowl became busy league venue for hundreds of bowlers in the high desert. In 1969, Pioneer Bowl enrolled more women league bowlers from the citrus belt of California, than any other bowling alley in Southern California. That year over 5,000 teams from around the world bowled in the interantional womens bowling congress in San Diego. Only 2 documented 7-10 conversions have happened in 79 years and those were completed by women bowlers. Roy Rogers and Dale Rogers made the front page of the local newspaper when he opened the bowl with a strike on lane one. He bowled a 211-game in his cowboy boots, with Dale Evans bowling with him over 200 townfolk watching.
Bowling leagues were an active part of American culture, and dozens of businesses had leagues at Pioneer Bowl, especially after western films were no longer being made in town. Many locals recall working as pin boys at the bowling alley until Brunswick's first automatic pinsetters were installed.
The Thompson and White family partnership built the bowl in 1946. Mrs. White volunteered to be the first postmistress of Pioneertown, and one of the first female postmistresses in the country. The first post office on Pioneertown was located inside the bowling alley. Movie extras for the westerns being filmed, would come to the bowling alley on their breaks in costume to get the mail.
Pioneertown is now a mecca for live music at Pappy and Harriets. However some filming still goes on for Indie and independent filmmakers. The drama Motel Jerusaleum was filmed in the Pioneertown motel and Pioneer Bowl in early 2001 and directed by Melissa Balin. Christopher Coppola also directed a short quirky film entitled "Gunfight at the Red Dog Saloon". The werewolf movie Howling 7, a local cult classic was filmed in Pioneertown using some local residents, including Harriet from Pappy and Harriets as actors.
As of 2025, Pioneertown had a population of around 600. However, many residents live only part-time in Pioneertown and there is a robust air bnb community. However, there is a strong community involvement in pioneertown with residents adament on keeping growth and development slow, and the unique character of the town. Every shop and business in town is a unique retail or hospitality venue found no where else in America.
In July 2006, parts of Pioneertown were burned in the Sawtooth Complex fire, which also burned into Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley.[6] Firefighters managed to save the historic movie-set buildings, but much of the surrounding desert habitat was damaged.[7] Among the buildings saved was Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, a longtime local club and landmark built within the town's original and only gas station, which counts among its regular patrons notable musicians, including Eric Burdon and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. The fire made headlines around the world, including Italy where the Pioneer Bowl road sign was shown with smoke billowing behind it. In the late 1980's, All 10,000 feet of Pioneer bowl was stuccoed and the wood porch became concrete to protect it from fire. Every shop and building was saved by firefighters and local residents with tractors stamping out embers and fighting the wind. The fire started with a lightning strike to a Joshua Tree, was knocked down, and then reignited 3 days later with the high winds.
Mane Street in the commercial district of Pioneertown is always open to the public, remains a pedestrian only street; as town charter forbids paving or having car traffic on Mane Street.
Pioneertown is no longer a working movie set. Each property is individually owned, and commercial production and photography permissions must be secured by the respective owners of the property. However, tourists can always find instagram worthy photo opportunities of horses, mini-mules, goats, cacti, famous band members before the shows, local residents, tumbleweeds and gunfighter re-enactors almost any day of the week.
In 2023, San Bernardino County officials announced plans to apply generic commercial zoning to Pioneertown's historic district.[8][9]
In 2024, Pioneertown received media attention when Alanna Gold, a participant in the reality show Selling Sunset falsely claimed on the show and in multiple interviews[10] to have been the owner of the town. Gold issued a retraction and apology in response to community backlash.[11][12] Gold's apology clarified that she co-owns a several properties in the town along with other parties, including a music festival producer and RH CEO Gary Friedman.
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