Pioneertown, California is a surreal place. It was built as a film set in the 1940s by Hollywood film-makers. Its main feature is a four-block-long “Mane Street” with spaghetti western-style edifices built at two-thirds scale, set back on a wide, dusty road.
However, all is not what it seems – knock on the “walls” and you’ll hear the hollow tone of papier maché. Pioneertown was built to double as a real, Wild West town. Now the hipsters are moving in.
Image Credit: Don Graham
In the middle of the Mojave Desert, above Palm Springs, the 40-degree heat in warmer months can be unbearable. Then again, so can the absence of most modern amenities – there’s no supermarket or pharmacy here. Pioneertown has a single restaurant, which mostly caters to out-of-towners. For those who come – and stay – living here is often a response to an ineffable calling. As a result, the town’s demographics are split in two: the old-timers who came before Pioneertown started becoming a trendy weekend stop, and the young upstarts who have recognised both a haven and business opportunity in the growing tourist destination. Perhaps it’s the hostility of the desert, with its many prickly plants and animals – cacti, scorpions and snakes, to name a few – that motivates people in Pioneertown to live together despite their differences.
You approach Pioneertown by a bleached, dusty road that twists, turns and climbs up rocky hills, through boulders and around bends. Pappy and Harriet’s, a saloon, nightclub and restaurant that looms over the rest of the town in both stature and activity, will greet you on your right – whether lit up by signage and bumping with live music, or slowly swallowing a long line of brunch-seeking day trippers. Inside, the crowd could be 20- and 30-somethings bobbing along to a punk concert, or Harley Davidson-riding retirees, who roll in from Palm Desert for bacon and eggs.
Mane Street sits just behind Pappy’s. The wide avenue was originally created to look like the quintessential Wild West town, and the buildings have always doubled as real-life facilities for film crews. Unfortunately, little of their work is memorable, with unknown movies such as The Valiant Hombre (1948) and The Cowboys and Indians (1949).
There were plans to make Pioneertown a “real” destination, with golf courses, restaurants and hotels, but it never came to pass. Meanwhile, the Wild West films that had been a staple of American movies tapered in popularity. The film crews slowed to a trickle and the town lost its purpose. And that’s how it stayed for decades.
Recently, however, Pioneer town has seen something of a resurgence, with the arrival of artists and jewellers setting up there to trade with visitors. Now, more and more visitors pass by, often on a side trip from Joshua Tree. And they don’t just come on weekends, either – people stream in all week. Business has increased ten-fold in the last decade.
The renovated Pioneertown Motel behind Pappy and Harriet’s has seen business increase, too, possibly due to a New York Times article that spotlighted Pioneertown as a growing destination, along with a surprise concert that Paul McCartney played at Pappy and Harriet’s in October 2016.
But of course, this transformation won’t be one-sided. With the influx of new energy, the desert outpost of Pioneertown is changing. It might be wise to see this iconic spot before it “transforms” too much more.
Getting there
Air New Zealand flies from Heathrow to Los Angeles from £405 return. From there, Pioneertown is about a two-and-a-half hour drive. Otherwise, Palm Springs airport is about an hour away, though flights from the UK tend to be much more expensive.
Staying there
As charming as it is iconic, the Pioneertown Motel is the only place to stay. Doubles from £122, room only. Otherwise, the area is popular on Airbnb.
Title Image Credit: Clinton Steeds (Image Cropped)