Corriganville lets Simi Valley keep its movie-ranch hills

Corriganville gives Simi Valley a local story that feels half trail walk and half old movie reel. Actor and stuntman Ray “Crash” Corrigan bought the land in 1937, then used the rocks, hills, sets, and ranch scenery for film and television work.

The place had a big screen life. Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District lists productions tied to Corriganville that include westerns, serials, family shows, and even Star Trek. The ranch also had built sets, a western street called Silvertown, a fort, a Mexican village, and a small lake made for underwater filming.

From 1949 to 1965, visitors could come on weekends and holidays for shows, autographs, stagecoach rides, pony rides, music, and other attractions. Later, fires in 1970 and 1979 destroyed nearly all of the remaining structures. That is why the park today has more traces, rocks, trails, and imagination than standing movie sets.

The fun is knowing what the hills used to hold. A quiet walk through Corriganville is also a walk through Simi Valley’s part of California screen history.