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California: Sierras: Alabama Hills, Western Film / History

47 images Created 15 Aug 2015

The photogenic Alabama Hills are a BLM Recreation Area on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions (such as Gunga Din, Gladiator, Iron Man, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), especially Westerns (Tom Mix films, Hopalong Cassidy films, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, How the West Was Won, and Joe Kidd). Two main types of rock are exposed at Alabama Hills: 1) orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock 150-200 million years old; and 2) 82- to 85-million-year-old biotite monzogranite which weathers to potato-shaped large boulders. The striking Mobius Arch frames Mount Whitney (14,505 feet or 4421 m elevation), the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada. The Eastern California Museum in Independence is worth visiting to see fascinating old machinery and historical artifacts from building the controversial Los Angeles Aqueduct.

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  • Mobius Arch, in BLM Alabama Hills Recreation Area, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California, USA. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions (such as Gunga Din, Gladiator, Iron Man,  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), especially Westerns (Tom Mix films, Hopalong Cassidy films, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, How the West Was Won, and Joe Kidd). Two main types of rock are exposed at Alabama Hills: 1) orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock 150-200 million years old; and 2) 82- to 85-million-year-old biotite monzogranite which weathers to potato-shaped large boulders.
    1507CAL-1310_Mobius-Arch_Alabama-Hil...jpg
  • An antique tractor wheel rusts at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1187.jpg
  • Heart Arch punctuates the abstract landscape of BLM Alabama Hills Recreation Area, in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California, USA. The Inyo Mountains rise in the background (in the east). The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions (such as Gunga Din, Gladiator, Iron Man,  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), especially Westerns (Tom Mix films, Hopalong Cassidy films, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, How the West Was Won, and Joe Kidd). Two main types of rock are exposed at Alabama Hills: 1) orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock 150-200 million years old; and 2) 82- to 85-million-year-old biotite monzogranite which weathers to potato-shaped large boulders.
    1507CAL-1227_Alabama-Hills.jpg
  • This 3-seat, 9-passenger red Wells Fargo Express coach carried US Mail and passengers on rough roads in the West. This Celerity wagon was made by John Butterfield between 1858-1861 and much later converted with disc brakes for parade use. It was designed with half the weight of standard coaches and a lower floor for better shock absorption on rough, sandy, and steep trails. The name "Celerity" comes from the Latin root celer meaning swift. Celerity wagons covered 70 to 120 miles per day (averaging 4 to 7 miles per hour), making stops about every 20 miles. The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route operating from 1857 to 1861, carrying US mail starting from Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis (Tipton), Missouri. The service routes converged at Fort Smith, Arkansas and passed through Indian Territory, New Mexico, and southern Arizona, ending in San Francisco. This particular wagon served the California towns of Stockton, Jamestown, Sonora, and Columbia. To discourage theft, gold and silver was not allowed on board; and the Butterfield Stage system was only attacked once, by Apaches. Fans of movies and television shouldn't miss the Museum of Western Film History, 701 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, California, 93545, USA. Web site: www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
    1507CAL-1418.jpg
  • Lathe Arch frames Lone Pine Peak (12,943 ft) in BLM Alabama Hills Recreation Area on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California, USA. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions (such as Gunga Din, Gladiator, Iron Man,  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), especially Westerns (Tom Mix films, Hopalong Cassidy films, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, How the West Was Won, and Joe Kidd). Two main types of rock are exposed at Alabama Hills: 1) orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock 150-200 million years old; and 2) 82- to 85-million-year-old biotite monzogranite which weathers to potato-shaped large boulders.  This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1507CAL-1237-39pan_Alabama-Hills.jpg
  • Mount Whitney (14,505 feet or 4421 m elevation) is the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada. Photographed from Alabama Hills BLM Recreation Area on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California, USA. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions (such as Gunga Din, Gladiator, Iron Man,  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), especially Westerns (Tom Mix films, Hopalong Cassidy films, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, How the West Was Won, and Joe Kidd).
    1507CAL-1292_Mt-Whitney-CA.jpg
  • Mobius Arch frames Lone Pine Peak (12,943 ft) in BLM Alabama Hills Recreation Area on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California, USA. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions (such as Gunga Din, Gladiator, Iron Man,  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), especially Westerns (Tom Mix films, Hopalong Cassidy films, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, How the West Was Won, and Joe Kidd). Two main types of rock are exposed at Alabama Hills: 1) orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock 150-200 million years old; and 2) 82- to 85-million-year-old biotite monzogranite which weathers to potato-shaped large boulders. This panorama was stitched from 12 overlapping photos.
    1507CAL-1246-57pan_Mobius-Arch_Alaba...jpg
  • Zorro rears his white horse and his whip magically spells Zorro cursively in the air, in this photograph gifted by the Witney Family to the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History. Director William Witney directed two Zorro serials: Zorro Rides again (1937) and Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939). Zorro (Spanish for fox) is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega, a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. Zorro is a Californio nobleman of Spaniard and Native Californian descent, living in Los Angeles during the era of Spanish rule. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media. The typical image of him is a dashing black-clad masked outlaw who defends the commoners and indigenous peoples of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains. Not only is he too cunning and foxlike for the bumbling authorities to catch, but he also delights in publicly humiliating them. / In 2015, this fascinating museum (where this Zorro photo is hung) was renamed the Museum of Western Film History. Visit it at 701 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, California, 93545, USA. Web site: www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
    1507CAL-1400.jpg
  • Exploding head graboid puppet from the 1990 film "Tremors" starring Kevin Bacon. Fans of movies and television shouldn't miss the Museum of Western Film History, 701 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, California, 93545, USA. (Formerly called the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History.) Web site: www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
    1507CAL-1402.jpg
  • Panavision Panaflex Gold II movie camera (1987 model). Fans of movies and television shouldn't miss the Museum of Western Film History, 701 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, California, 93545, USA. (Formerly called the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History.) Web site: www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
    1507CAL-1395.jpg
  • Whitney Portal Road twists upwards into the High Sierra, near Lone Pine, California, USA. Mount Whitney is on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties.
    1507CAL-1389.jpg
  • Equipment used in the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct 1908-1913 is displayed outdoors at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1134.jpg
  • An antique wooden threshing machine is parked outdoors at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1188.jpg
  • Antique wooden freight wagon at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1165.jpg
  • Indian basket woven by Isabel Hanson, circa 1900 (Slater Collection 2001.11.4), displayed at Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1144.jpg
  • Grandma Dina Doc (aka Tina or Stina) weaves a twined basket. Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1141.jpg
  • Historic movie pistol in leather holster on belt with bullets. Fans of movies and television shouldn't miss the Museum of Western Film History, 701 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, California, 93545, USA. (Formerly called the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History.) Web site: www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
    1507CAL-1414.jpg
  • Heart Arch, BLM Alabama Hills Recreation Area, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California, USA. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions (such as Gunga Din, Gladiator, Iron Man,  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), especially Westerns (Tom Mix films, Hopalong Cassidy films, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, How the West Was Won, and Joe Kidd). Two main types of rock are exposed at Alabama Hills: 1) orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock 150-200 million years old; and 2) 82- to 85-million-year-old biotite monzogranite which weathers to potato-shaped large boulders.
    1507CAL-1356_Alabama-Hills.jpg
  • 1886 photo of horsemen in Main Street in Bishop looking south -- exhibited at Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1148.jpg
  • Antique wooden wagon at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1151.jpg
  • Equipment used in the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct 1908-1913 is displayed outdoors at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1153.jpg
  • A cowboy boot in a wheelbarrow greets visitor to the fascinating Museum of Western Film History, 701 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, California, 93545, USA. (Formerly called the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History.) Web site: www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
    1507CAL-1424.jpg
  • Rusting milk jugs at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1163.jpg
  • Antique wagon at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1219.jpg
  • Antique wooden freight wagon at the Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant Street, Independence, California, 93526, USA. The Museum was founded in 1928 and has been operated by the County of Inyo since 1968. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret objects, photos and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra, from Death Valley to Mono Lake.
    1507CAL-1166.jpg
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