The Year in Review: Top 10 Iverson Movie Ranch finds of 2015

2014 was a tough act to follow, but as the dust settles on 2015, it becomes clear that this has been a year of even bigger milestones in Iverson Movie Ranch research — highlighted by discoveries dating back to the silent movies and by greater collaboration than ever among a dedicated community of researchers. Here's a look back at some of my personal favorites among the finds I've been privileged to be a part of in 2015 ...

No. 10:
The Lew Murdock inscription from "Have Gun — Will Travel"

Lew Murdock Rock, on the Upper Iverson's South Rim

In a terrific example of collaborative research, Cliff Roberts spotted this beautiful artifact during an expedition on the Upper Iverson, and I was able to find the source of the inscription in an episode of "Have Gun — Will Travel" from 1959. It's always exciting when we can uncover a well-preserved relic of the filming era in all its glory — especially when we're able to figure out its origin.

• Click here to go to the original post with all the details about the Lew Murdock carving and Lew Murdock Rock, from May 2015.

No. 9:
Location of a cabin that stood in Central Garden of the Gods in 1935, seen in "Song of the Saddle"

"Song of the Saddle" (filmed in 1935, released in 1936)

We were able to identify rock clues in the background to pinpoint the location of this cabin seen in the Dick Foran Western "Song of the Saddle." It turns out the cabin was positioned in a historically significant area in Central Garden of the Gods, near where the Phantom Shack would be built a few years later.

• Click here to read the original post from earlier this month about the cabin seen in "Song of the Saddle."

No. 8:
"Ghost images" of Rock Island surface amid the foliage next to the swimming pool in the Cal West Townhomes

"RI-4," part of Rock Island, as seen in 1960 in "Have Gun — Will Travel"

Two major research threads crossed paths in 2015 as an examination of Elvis Presley filming locations at Iverson led us to Rock Island just as our in-depth examination of Rock Island was producing the first detailed picture of what happened to this key formation of movie rocks.

The hidden location of "RI-4," one of the five main features of Rock Island

In a strange way, Rock Island remains intact — depending on one's definition of "intact." Today Rock Island is mostly buried underground, and the small portion of the formation that remains above ground — the tips of what was once a cluster of large columns of rock — is mostly covered with ivy.

• Click here to revisit our in-depth exploration of Rock Island, then and now, from May 2015.
• Click here to see a post focusing on the Elvis Presley connection to Rock Island.

No. 7:  
An old Western "town" set in Garden of the Gods in 1930, seen in "The Utah Kid"

"The Utah Kid" (1930): Early village in Garden of the Gods

Film location historian Tinsley Yarbrough spotted this early-sound-era cluster of buildings in the old Rex Lease Western "The Utah Kid." The buildings, which form a sort of adobe village, may date back to the silent era.

• Click here to read more about this amazing find, in an entry posted back in May 2015.

No. 6:  
Siedry-Bert Inscription near the base of Sphinx, from the TV show "The Loner"

Burgess Meredith at the Siedry-Bert inscription in "The Loner" (1965)

The origin of the "Siedry-Bert" inscription in Central Garden of the Gods has remained a mystery for years, and this year we finally solved the mystery. Iverson explorer Cliff Roberts and I put our heads together to delve into the carving's backstory, and we hit pay dirt, figuring out that the carving originated in an episode of the Lloyd Bridges Western TV series "The Loner," featuring guest star Burgess Meredith as Siedry.

• Click here to read the blog post from March 2015 telling the story of the Siedry-Bert carving.

No. 5:
Elvis Presley filming location in Central Garden of the Gods, from "Harum Scarum" (1965) 

Elvis Presley and Fran Jeffries in Garden of the Gods: the original tent scene for "Harum Scarum"

Elvis Presley's connections with the Iverson Movie Ranch came into much sharper focus during 2015, with much of the progress attributable to a collaboration with Elvis location researcher Bill Bram. A key development was the identification of the "Harum Scarum Cluster," seen in the background of the above promo still.

• Click here for a detailed report on the Elvis shoot at the Harum Scarum Cluster in Central Garden of the Gods, from March 2015.

No. 4:
Footholds in the Boots Rock area near Garden of the Gods

Two of the many footholds in the rocks of the "Footholds Region"

Mysterious manmade holes, apparently dating back to early in the filming era, were discovered in an area located a short distance north of Garden of the Gods. The origins of these possible footholds and anchor points for sets, camera towers and other construction remain largely a mystery.

• Click here to read our in-depth report on the Footholds area, published in June 2015.

No. 3:  
Fake cave house that stood north of Garden of the Gods for much of the 1920s

"Three Ages" (Buster Keaton, 1923): Fake cave house near Garden of the Gods

A fake cave house on the Lower Iverson is seen in screen shots and behind-the-scenes production shots for silent movies filmed at least from 1920-1926, meaning it may have been built for an even earlier production.

• Click here for a full report on the cave house published on the blog in August 2015.

No. 2:  
"The Silent Man": A 1917 silent Western containing the earliest known film images of the Iverson Movie Ranch

William S. Hart and Vola Vale in the Iverson Gorge: "The Silent Man" (1917)

The discovery of the silent Western "The Silent Man" — probably not the earliest movie filmed on the Iverson Ranch, but the earliest that I've been able to identify positively — was something of a miracle. Most of the movies from this period have been destroyed, along with much of the documentation of film production at Iverson during the silent era. "The Silent Man" survives as one of the most important documents of the ranch's earliest days.

• Click here to read the December 2015 post revealing the many Iverson Movie Ranch treasures contained in the 1917 Western "The Silent Man."

No. 1:
Location of the Chinese Bridge in "Tell It to the Marines," including anchor points for the struts

Production shot for "Tell It to the Marines" (1926)

The above production shot, unearthed by Iverson Movie Ranch aficionado Ben Burtt, played a key role in solving the mystery of the Chinese Bridge seen in the 1926 silent movie "Tell It to the Marines."

• Click here to see the blog item from September 2015 pinpointing the spot on the Lower Iverson Movie Ranch where the Chinese Bridge was located.

We had a number of other noteworthy finds in 2015 that just missed making the Top 10. Here are the best of the rest, in no particular order, with links to posts containing photos and details about each find:

• New details surface about the 1920 shoot in the Garden of the Gods for the silent spectacle "Man-Woman-Marriage."

• Strange Rock is identified — the spot where Glenn Strange positioned himself in the ambush of Texas Rangers that launched the story of "The Lone Ranger."

• The location of the Grapes of Wrath truck-pushing sequence is found.

• Disaster at Overlook Point on the set of the 1938 Gary Cooper movie "Adventures of Marco Polo."

• Lower Iverson's East Gate is identified, along with a fire station that was the movie ranch's closest neighbor.

• A previously unknown fake cave turns up in the TV show "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," located on the south side of the Phantom in Central Garden of the Gods.

• The Crouching Cat Walkway area is identified after blog reader David King matches it up with a shot in the 1949 Columbia serial "Batman and Robin."

• The exact spot is pinpointed where Fuzzy Knight placed the dynamite on the Upper Iverson's South Rim in "Boss of Bullion City."

• The proximity of the Iverson Ranch to a notorious nearby movie ranch is spotlighted by the appearance of Iverson's Garden of the Gods in "Linda and Abilene, a "Naughty Western" filmed on the Spahn Ranch.

• In a welcome trend, foliage is being peeled back all around the Lower Iverson, revealing more of the original movie rocks. Naked rocks appear in several locations, thanks to tree removal in Garden of the Gods, the stripping away of ivy concealing Rock Island, and the removal of brush covering Mushroom Rock.

Click here to see the Top 10 Iverson Movie Ranch finds of 2014.

Silent movie-era fake rock house was a fixture on the Iverson Movie Ranch in the 1920s

"Three Ages" (Buster Keaton, 1923): Fake "cave house" near Garden of the Gods

New details have recently come to light about a large fake rock that stood on the Iverson Movie Ranch during the 1920s. In the above shot from the silent comedy feature "Three Ages," the fake rock occupies much of the background — including a crude staircase visible on the left and a cave opening near the center of the frame.

Buster Keaton, left, and Wallace Beery vie for the affections of Margaret Leahy in "Three Ages"

The rock has a prominent role in "Three Ages" as the home of "The Girl," played by Margaret Leahy, along with her cave parents. Leahy's cave girl is Buster's love interest during the caveman portions of the film, which make up about a third of the one-hour movie.

Buster Keaton's "armory" on top of Rock Island in "Three Ages"

All of the caveman sequences in "Three Ages" were filmed on the Lower Iverson, in what was at the time one of the most extensive film shoots ever undertaken on the location ranch. I've blogged previously about one of the sets used in "Three Ages" — an "armory" built high atop Rock Island, as seen above. Please click here to read my earlier post about Buster's armory.

The best study I've seen of the Iverson locations in "Three Ages" can be found in the John Bengtson book "Silent Echoes: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Buster Keaton." Along with "Three Ages," Bengtson examines the Iverson shoots for the Keaton shorts "The Paleface" (1922) and "The Balloonatic" (1923) — not to mention countless other Keaton productions filmed in other locations. You can click here to find "Silent Echoes" on Amazon.com.

The set of the big battle scene in "Man-Woman-Marriage" (photo taken in 1920)

Recent scouring of old production photos — especially by longtime Iverson researcher Ben Burtt — reveals that the fake rock was in place well before "Three Ages" arrived at the movie ranch for filming in 1923. The above photo that Ben dug up from 1920 is a key piece of evidence.

This remarkable behind-the-scenes photo from the filming of "Man-Woman-Marriage" — which I've zoomed in on here — provides a clear view of the fake cave house, near the left of the frame. I may sound like a broken record, but I'm going to once again recommend that you click on these photos to see them in a larger format.

This version of the shot highlights the fake cave house. Many of the other features seen in the photo are known to be from filming in 1920 for the early 1921 release "Man-Woman-Marriage."

The curved wall, pillars, palace front and large fake rock wall behind the palace, along with various other features, leave no doubt that the photo was taken in 1920, when a huge battle scene was filmed at the location. The set also includes a number of shrub-like structures that I believe are huts.

Another fun item you may have already spotted in the photo is a group of old cars parked on the set, mostly hidden behind one of the huts. For more about the big Iverson shoot for the "Man-Woman-Marriage" battle sequence, please click here to read my recent post.

Lobby card for "Man-Woman-Marriage" (1921) — photo taken in 1920

A lobby card for "Man-Woman-Marriage" also captures a portion of the fake cave house. I talked more about this lobby card in the recent entry on "Man-Woman-Marriage."

Promo still for "Tell It to the Marines" (1926)

Another piece of the puzzle surfaces a few years later, in connection with the 1926 silent feature "Tell It to the Marines." The above promotional still for the movie includes a partial glimpse of what I believe to be the same fake rock house.

It should be noted that the widely circulated promo still uses movie magic to create the overall effect. My initial impression was that the shot must be a composite, but I have since come to understand that the bridge, the fake gorge and all the surrounding fake rocks were in fact built on site, at Iverson. I will go into detail about this impressive construction effort in an upcoming post.

The key feature of the "Tell It to the Marines" promo still, for the purposes of understanding the fake cave house, is what appears to be the same fake rock, still in place in the area north of Garden of the Gods — the same spot where it appeared three years earlier in "Three Ages."

Another photo associated with "Tell It to the Marines" provides a better view of the rock house. This wide behind-the-scenes shot appears in Robert Sherman's Iverson book "Quiet on the Set!"

The fake cave house appears near the left of the frame, as indicated above. Along with the familiar Garden of the Gods rock features, the shot includes a large arch that was built for the movie.

Here's a zoomed-in portion of the wide shot, offering a slightly more detailed view of the fake rock.

Ben Burtt found one of the most interesting photos of the cave house, sending along this undated snapshot — presumably again from the early 1920s — depicting an unidentified group of people standing on top of the feature.

The big questions with any fake rock or other construction at Iverson are always: "Who built it, and where does it first appear?" I'd love to say I know the answers, but I don't. When it comes to the silent movies in particular, records are so sporadic that we may never know the answers.

We know this much: The fake cave house does not appear to be a part of the shoot for "Man-Woman-Marriage," even though it can be seen off to the side during the shoot. That places its origin even further back, perhaps pre-1920.

"The Primitive Man" (D.W. Griffith, 1914): Not believed to be filmed at Iverson

Was it always a "cave house"? Was it a part of an old caveman movie from before that time? Suffice to say the fake cave house is a pretty hot topic among location researchers at the moment, and if the answer is out there, I have a feeling someone will find it.

This post is the latest in a series of blog posts exploring silent movies filmed on the Iverson Movie Ranch. We have previously reported on several of the Iverson silent films, and you can read those posts by clicking on the following links:

• Here's a link to a recent post that set the stage for this one, focusing on the battle sequence filmed near Garden of the Gods for the 1921 release "Man-Woman-Marriage."

• This blog post talks a little bit about the iconic scene used in the label above, in which Noah's Ark is "beached" on top of the sandstone giants of Garden of the Gods. The shot comes from the 1928 silent feature "Noah's Ark," directed by Michael Curtiz, who later directed "Casablanca" and who brought crews to the Iverson Movie Ranch on a number of occasions.

• Buster Keaton's 1923 comedy feature "Three Ages" may be the best-known of the silent-era Iverson shoots, and this post from August 2014 explores a rarely discussed set for the movie: an "armory" controlled by Buster's caveman character, built high atop Rock Island in the Iverson Gorge.

• Click here to see some terrific behind-the-scenes photos from the 1925 silent feature "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ," provided by Jill Bergstrom, the granddaughter of the great Iverson cinematographer George B. Meehan Jr., who was part of the camera crew on "Ben-Hur." (Note that the material in this post is mostly non-Iverson.)

Rock Island: A Viewer's Guide

"Overland Stage Raiders" (1938) — Rock Island

A personal favorite of mine among the many distinctive rock formations on the former Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., is a community of large sandstone columns known as Rock Island.

"Deathsport" (1978)

The formation ultimately met what most movie fans and film historians would consider a sad fate, which I will get into below. But talk about a long and distinguished Hollywood career — the two shots above are taken 40 years apart, while other appearances by Rock Island in the movies go back to the silent era.

"They Died With Their Boots On" (1941)

I would argue that the poor treatment Rock Island received when development came to the Iverson Gorge in the late 1980s gives us that much more reason to celebrate the contribution these picturesque rocks made to the evolution of movies and TV, to our cultural heritage, and even to our image as a nation.

"Have Gun — Will Travel" (1960): Rock Island's southwest corner

Rock Island, along with other features of the Iverson Movie Ranch and other important outdoor filming locations, helped create the mystique of the American West, elevating the global stature of the U.S. film industry and helping to solidify the country's position as a top player on the world stage.

"Fighting Seabees" (1944)

In John Wayne's World War II movie "Fighting Seabees," the massive scale of Rock Island becomes clear, with the rock towers, seen here in the top right corner, juxtaposed against a group of soldiers who look like toy army men as they approach the sandstone behemoths.

The two main rock features in the "Fighting Seabees" shot are Rock Island and Crown Rock. Also note the prop palm trees, which helped transform Iverson's dry, rocky terrain into a battlefield island in the Pacific.

The large fuel tank in the foreground is another prop built for the movie. The soldiers are advancing to the north along the old Stagecoach Road that ran through the Iverson Gorge and came to a "Y" just below Rock Island. The soldiers appear to be taking the east fork, which continues north.

Rock Island was surrounded on all sides by roads, which can be seen in this aerial photo from 1952.

Three main roads converged to form the "island" — the east and west forks of the old Stagecoach Road, seen in the "Fighting Seabees" shot higher up, and the access road that ran northeast from the movie ranch's entrance off Santa Susana Pass Road to the Iverson family residence.

The area today is part of the Cal West Townhomes, with what's left of Rock Island now relegated to a role as decorative backdrop for the swimming pool area off Redmesa Road. The route of the old access road remains in use today, although the terrain has been fully graded, leaving no traces of roadside features such as the old stone buttressing that was once in place just north of Rock Island.

"Three Ages" (1923) — silent comedy feature starring Buster Keaton ... and Rock Island, right

Rock Island was a part of the prehistoric storyline in Buster Keaton's silent comedy "Three Ages," in which Keaton's caveman character defends an "armory" built atop one of the island's rock towers. The large rock butte at the left is the back of Batman Rock.

The Keaton comedy focuses mainly on a single Rock Island tower — the rock at the southeast corner of the island, which I call Eraserhead. I posted an entry last year about Buster's "armory" atop Eraserhead, and you can read that post by clicking here. I've recently updated the post with some new material.

"Three Ages": Making good use of Rock Island

This shot combines Keaton's armory atop Eraserhead with the unusual rock feature seen behind Keaton, which was a separate Rock Island tower located a short distance away, at the formation's southwest corner. The use of a telephoto lens makes the two rock features appear closer together than they were.

"Manhunt of Mystery Island" (1945) — into the depths of Eraserhead

Other productions have also made use of selected parts of Eraserhead, with at least one production, the Republic sci-fi serial "Manhunt of Mystery Island," going in for a rare closeup of the base of the rock.

With its distinctive round "mouth," Eraserhead is easy to spot in the "Manhunt of Mystery Island" sequence.

"Manhunt of Mystery Island" moves in for a closeup of Eraserhead's base, creating the effect of a cave. I don't buy that this is a real cave — I'm guessing the material along the right edge of the frame is fake.

"Ride 'em Cowboy" (1942)

Here's another angle on Eraserhead, from the Abbott and Costello movie "Ride 'em Cowboy," with the rock's "mouth" highlighted again.

"Eraserhead" (1977)

The rock's name comes from the David Lynch movie "Eraserhead" — a staple on lists of the weirdest movies ever made. Some readers may see the resemblance.

Rock Island by the numbers ("Overland Stage Raiders," 1938)

Rock Island consisted of about five main rocks, and up until recently I resisted the temptation to index them numerically — maybe because it seems to "dehumanize" them. But I get that it can be useful to number them — especially when tracking what happened to the individual rocks. So I've implemented a numbering system that starts with the group's most prominent member, Eraserhead — or RI-1 — and goes left to right, front to back.

Modern-day Rock Island (Bing bird's-eye view)

Determining the fates of the individual rocks is not as easy as it might sound, given that Rock Island's location within the modern layout of the Cal West Townhomes complex is known. One problem is that the entire formation has been partially buried. Major rock features are hidden behind dense foliage, and key pieces have been removed. However, as difficult as it may be to see Rock Island today, for the most part, it has survived.

The fate of Eraserhead, or "RI-1," has already been documented. I found what remains of RI-1 a few years ago, and I've reported previously that as much as three-quarters of the rock has been buried. If you click here you'll find details about Eraserhead's current status, including a diagram of the rock's "dirt line."

Eraserhead today — locked inside "Rock Island Prison"

Compounding RI-1's predicament, it finds itself today locked behind something resembling prison bars. The bars are part of the fencing surrounding the pool area for the condo complex, but I think of it as "Rock Island Prison."

Even though a couple of distinctive round holes on Eraserhead remain above ground, neither of these is the large "mouth" noted in previous shots. Here I've labeled these features Hole "A" and Hole "B."

"Overland Stage Raiders": Eraserhead's identifying holes

Holes "A" and "B" can be seen again in the shot from "Overland Stage Raiders." Also note the position of the "mouth," which is much larger than Holes A and B. Today the mouth is buried in dirt.

Recent pruning of the foliage in the swimming pool area has made it easier to see RI-2 than it was in the past. The rock is still only partially visible, but it's readily identifiable.

"Bonanza": "The Ride" — Rock Island

This shot from the TV series "Bonanza" offers a view of RI-2 from an angle similar to the photo above this, although it's a bit of a challenge here to distinguish RI-2 from its neighbor RI-3.

This version of the "Bonanza" shot singles out RI-2. Filming on the episode, "The Ride," would have been done in 1961, with the show premiering Jan. 21, 1962. It appears to me that a significant portion of RI-2 may have been removed, but the section noted here remains intact.

A photo of RI-2 from a recent visit reveals that, just as it did during its film and TV days, the rock maintains close quarters with its neighbors RI-1 and RI-3. These days, however, only the tip of the tower remains above ground.

The three rocks Making up Rock Island's "front line" are identified in this version of the shot.

A surprise that turned up while I was shooting these photos was a small inscription on RI-1. While I haven't yet had a chance to look into it, it's safe to say it does NOT read "RI-1." A rock detective's work is never done, sigh ... but that's why it's so much fun. I'll keep you posted on anything I'm able to find out about it.

Here's another angle on RI-2, center, and as usual, it's jammed between RI-1 on the left and RI-3 on the right.

"The Saga of the Viking Women" (1957): RI-3

Speaking of RI-3, a good entry point is this shot from the Roger Corman cult classic "The Saga of the Viking Women." The rock is a little hard to spot here, but it rises above the dust about halfway between the riders and the top left corner. The angle is a near-perfect match for RI-3's best viewing angle in its modern poolside setting.

RI-3 is identified in this version of the "Viking Women" shot. The full title of the movie — which is a spectacle of Iverson rocks — is "The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent."

RI-3 as it appears today

This is RI-3 today — the top part of it, anyway — bringing as much ambiance as it can to the "cement pond." The rock has been a little more hidden behind foliage at times over the years, but today it is easily recognizable as the tallest of the towers making up the three-boulder "front line" of Rock Island — RI-1, RI-2 and RI-3.

Consistent with the fates of both Eraserhead and RI-2, much of RI-3 is now buried. However, the distinctive stacked rock at the top of the tower remains in place. From this angle, readers should be able to see the similarities between the present-day rock and the rock as it appears in the "Viking Women" screen shot.

Here's a rough approximation, using the "Viking Women" shot, of the portion of RI-3 that remains above ground and how much of the rock has been buried.

Going back to the modern bird's-eye view, here's where RI-3 is situated, right next to the pool.

Almost due west of RI-3 is RI-4, positioned at the southwest corner of Rock Island and anchoring Rock Island's "back line."

This photo that I ran near the top of this post, from the TV show "Have Gun — Will Travel," unabashedly showcases the mighty RI-4. The shot comes from the season 4 opener, "The Fatalist," which aired Sept. 10, 1960.

"Zane Grey Theatre": Barbara Stanwyck and John Archer with RI-4.

RI-4 appears in the background of this shot from the "Zane Grey Theatre" episode "The Freighter," guest-starring Barbara Stanwyck.

"Zane Grey Theatre" — "The Freighter"

Another shot from "The Freighter" again features RI-4, at top left, along with the "mouth" of Eraserhead, or RI-1, at top right. The "Zane Grey" episode premiered Jan. 17, 1958, and would have been shot in 1957.

RI-4 today: covered with ivy

Today RI-4 is one of the most difficult of the Rock Island "majors" to see, with the single biggest obstacle being that the rock is now almost completely encased in ivy.

This version of the shot points out one of the rare patches on RI-4 that is NOT currently covered by ivy.

RI-4 is in there somewhere — this wider shot of the rock's current location gives an idea of the less than satisfying view of RI-4 that is available from the sidewalk along Redmesa Road.

I'd say this is more or less where the rock would fit into the picture — if we could see it behind the foliage.

Is it my imagination, or is RI-4's high crown trying to peek out from behind this clump of ivy and other shrubbery? This photo is taken more or less from the west, from Redmesa Road.

A glimpse of rock near the top of RI-4  — probably a partial view of the crown — is possible by peering through the ivy from just the right angle, for what it's worth. Needless to say, it's a challenge to get a peek at anything on RI-4.

"Three Ages" (1923)

Here's the Buster Keaton "armory" shot again, as a reminder of what RI-4's crown looked like more than 90 years ago — when it was out in the open and available for filming.

Moving to the east side of the formation, this photo identifies what I again believe is the crown of RI-4, peeking out from the vegetation. The rocks toward the right are not a part of Rock Island, but are the ridge of Batman Corner to the west, across Redmesa Road. The building in the picture is the poolhouse.

The most prominent Rock Island feature in the bird's-eye view is RI-5. But despite its high profile from the air, RI-5 is among the most challenging of all of the formation's major players when it comes to navigating its present-day setting at ground level.

RI-5 today, near top left

In one corner of the swimming pool patio area, the main chunk of RI-5 visible in the aerial can also be seen at ground level. This chunk provides one key piece of the RI-5 puzzle, but other pieces remain elusive.

"Overland Stage Raiders" (1938)

Back in the filming days RI-5 looked like this — at least from the south, which was a popular angle for shooting Rock Island. You may be able to spot similar shapes and markings on the rock in the two above photos — including an upside-down L-shaped fissure in the bottom left corner of the rock, visible in both shots.

"Ride 'em Cowboy"

It could be hard to get a good look at RI-5 in the movies. In the shot from Abbott and Costello's "Ride 'em Cowboy," we see just a tiny portion of the rock sticking out from behind RI-4.

"Bonanza"

In the "Bonanza" shot we get a glimpse of some of the westernmost extremities of RI-5, which was made up of multiple rocks and was really a rock "clump" rather than a single boulder.

"Fugitive Valley" (1941) — rare view of the Ri-5 corner of Rock Island from the west

Here's where my analysis of RI-5 takes a leap from "at least pretty sure" to "it kinda looks like it." This shot from the Range Busters movie "Fugitive Valley" appears to me to include a rare view of RI-5 from the west, and a number of known rock features are also seen, which tend to support that interpretation.

The major rock features are identified on this version of the "Fugitive Valley" screen shot. Movie shots of the Rock Island area taken from this angle almost never turn up, and when they do, they can be difficult to interpret. Not that I don't have my theories.

Promo still for "Harum Scarum" (1965): Elvis Presley and Mary Ann Mobley

If you've been following this blog, you may have already put together that the rock clump I blogged about in a recent post about Elvis Presley promo shots for "Harum Scarum" is in fact RI-5. You can click here for more details in that post, about Rock Island and the Elvis shoot at Iverson in 1965.

RI-5's northern slope today

What remains of the northern slope of RI-5 today is shrouded in ivy. If we could pull back the foliage covering this group of rocks, we would probably find something beneath it that resembles the Elvis promo shot.

The "Fugitive Valley" shot may hold the key to why so much of Rock Island ended up being buried. The photo appears to show a substantial elevation change between Rock Island to the east and Batman Rock to the west, with a mild "ridgeline" dividing the two elevations and blocking the view of the lower portion of Rock Island.

Today the two sides of Redmesa Road are roughly equal in elevation. Fill dirt was poured by the ton when Redmesa Road and the nearby condos were built, largely erasing the ridgeline and leaving the bottom two-thirds or so of Rock Island to pick up the check.

"Khyber Patrol" (1954): Rock Island, top right

I believe there's more work to be done before the story of Rock Island is fully known. I continue to explore the area hoping to dig up new clues, and will report any new information here on the blog. For now, I find it satisfying just to know a little bit more about this mysterious, complicated and magnificent rock feature than I did even a few short months ago. And I continue to get a kick out of it each time I spot Rock Island in a movie or TV show.