Exploring the SMMNRA: California Naturalists and Paramount Ranch
Under the Witness Oak at Paramount Ranch
Paramount Ranch and a tour around the world
Retired NPS Ranger Mike Malone hosted the California Naturalist group at Paramount Ranch with a tour “around the world,” detailing the rich history of Paramount Ranch’s role in iconic Hollywood cinema.
In 1927, Paramount Pictures acquired 2,700 acres of the old Rancho Las Virgenes to create a sprawling “movie ranch.” For 25 years, Hollywood luminaries such as director Cecil B. DeMille and actors like Bob Hope, Gary Cooper, and Claudette Colbert honed their craft at Paramount Ranch. The Santa Monica Mountains have served as the backdrop for a variety of genres including horror, westerns, international dramas, comedies, music videos, and adverts “taking place” in almost every continent around the world.
Pictures in time
From 1957 to 1980, the ranch changed ownership several times, but filmmaking continued. After purchasing a portion of the original Paramount property in 1980, the National Park Service revitalized the old movie ranch.
Between 1927 and 2018, a total of 162 movies were filmed at the ranch including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Scream, Ford v Ferrari, and television shows like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Westworld.
In 2018, the property suffered major losses during the Woolsey Fire. Most of the buildings were destroyed, but two structures, the train station and the church, still stand as remnants of its storied past. An intensive restoration is underway with the ranch expected to reopen in early 2025.
California Naturalists are enrolled with SAMO Fund to receive their certification as an California Environmental Steward. They undertake a series of programs and have to complete coursework to earn their certification.
Outside one of the surviving buildings at Paramount Ranch
Looking towards the rebuilding works