Secrets of the Saddlehorn Relay Station revealed

Saddlehorn Relay Station looking south toward Garden of the Gods

Some of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Saddlehorn Relay Station, a heavily filmed movie set that stood north of the Garden of the Gods in Chatsworth, Calif., from about 1940-1970, have recently been solved.

When I reported on the old building earlier this year — a post you can read by clicking here — I raised a number of questions, chief among them being a familiar one: Which movie was it built for?

"Ghost Valley Raiders" (Republic, 1940)

Film historian Tinsley Yarbrough came up with what appears to be the answer to that question when he spotted the "Squaw Creek Relay Station" in the old Donald "Red" Barry B-Western "Ghost Valley Raiders."

"Squaw Creek Relay Station" in Iverson family photo (1939 or early 1940)

Some readers may recall from the earlier post that the "Squaw Creek Relay Station" turned up in an old Iverson family photo — and indications are that the building was newly minted at the time.

"Ghost Valley Raiders": Saddlehorn Relay Station as the "Squaw Creek Relay Station"

If "Ghost Valley Raiders" marks the first use of the relay station, the set would have been built by Republic Pictures — which makes sense given the studio's close relationship with the Iverson Ranch.

While almost all of the Hollywood studios filmed on the Iverson Movie Ranch at least occasionally, Republic made by far the most pictures at the ranch — estimated at more than 350, mostly B-Westerns and serials.

"Daredevils of the West" (Republic serial, 1943): The Upper Iverson Movie Ranch

A steady flow of business from Republic, founded in 1935, was one of the reasons the Iverson family expanded the ranch in the mid- to late 1930s, acquiring land to the north that would become the Upper Iverson. 

Original position of the relay station — west of Batman Rock in "Ghost Valley Raiders"

One of the big revelations from recent research into the Saddlehorn Relay Station is that the building had two different locations. When it was first built, it stood in close proximity to Batman Rock.

"Batman and Robin" (Columbia serial, 1949)

Batman Rock gets its name from Columbia's old "Batman" serials of the 1940s, where Batman — played back then by Robert Lowery — once struck a pose in front of the rock.

While the rock's remarkable features were carved by natural forces, its profile appears to draw inspiration from the "heads" side of a Buffalo Nickel.

Batman Rock in modern times

Batman Rock remains in place today, just off Redmesa Road at Horizon Place in the Cal West Townhomes. Due to the growth of surrounding foliage, some of its old "Buffalo Nickel" aura has been stripped away.

The Relay Station in its later location

Within about a year of its construction, the Saddlehorn Relay Station — known simply as the "Two-Story House" at the time — was moved to a second location. Batman Rock does not appear in this photo, as the rock and the relay station are now some distance apart. 

Saddlehorn Relay Station and the Saddlehorn area in 1952

Here's the layout of the Saddlehorn area, including the Saddlehorn Relay Station, as it appears in an aerial photograph from 1952 — one of the best overviews available from the filming period at Iverson.

The relay station can be seen in the aerial, positioned at the site where it stood for three decades. Even though the building burned down in 1970, it seems fair to call this its "permanent" location.

Running diagonally across the landscape is Iverson Ranch Road, which was the main road into the Iverson Ranch.

Batman Rock is the most prominent rock feature in the immediate area. The position of the rock's heavily filmed "Buffalo Nickel" west face is noted here in yellow.

This diagram indicates the approximate position of the relay station when it was first built, probably in late 1939, along with the set's later location a short distance to the northwest.

The building's two locations: Where they would be in 2017 (Google aerial)

The positions noted on the 1952 aerial translate approximately to these two locations in the current landscape. The area was heavily graded when the Cal West Townhomes were built, so nothing from the old days lines up well with anything in the modern world.

Batman Rock and in particular its distinctive west face remain essentially intact, although, as I mentioned up above, the feature's former glory is now partially shrouded in foliage.

The Saddlehorn Relay Station and the entire Saddlehorn area are named for Saddlehorn Rock, which is tucked back among the condos. It's a little out of the way these days, but it's still possible to get a good look at it.

Saddlehorn Rock in recent times, proving itself worthy of the name

Of all the rocks at Iverson that are named after real-world objects, this is one of them.

"Hands Across the Rockies" (Columbia, 1941): Saddlehorn Relay Station

The relay station did not stay long in its original location. By the time Columbia used it as a set for the Bill Elliott B-Western "Hands Across the Rockies" in 1941, the building had been moved to its "permanent" site.

The Saddlehorn Relay Station was filmed from all sides, but the most commonly used side was distinguished by an overhanging second story and three second-story windows. I think of this as the front of the building.

1952 aerial map: Arrows show the orientation of the building's front face

The building was rotated about a quarter-turn when it was moved. In its original position the "front" faced northwest, as seen in red here, but after the move it faced northeast, as depicted in light blue.

"Hands Across the Rockies": The camera is shooting toward the west

The hills in the background confirm that the "Hands Across the Rockies" shot is taken with the camera shooting toward the west. The building has been moved to its permanent location, where the front now faces northeast.

I can see why they would have hastily relocated the building from its original spot — a location that strikes me as not having been fully thought out.

As I mentioned above, the movie ranch's main access road ran right through the area. Iverson Ranch Road probably had more traffic on it than any other road on the ranch.

This would have created traffic problems between production teams filming the relay station and those trying to get to the ranch's other locations. The movie ranch was a busy place back in the early '40s, and it would have been the norm for several movies to be in production on the ranch at any one time.

As soon as it became apparent that the new relay station had a future as a movie set, it made sense to move it off the main road.

That's my theory, anyway.

Rare photo of the Saddlehorn Relay Station in its original location (1940)

It was Tinsley Yarbrough who first suggested, years ago, that the building had two different locations. It has been a hard theory to prove, but the above photo, whose origin is unclear, provides a number of clues.

The position of the Garden of the Gods to the south, relative to the relay station, makes it clear that the front of the building is facing northwest at this early stage in its evolution.

The "Squaw Creek Relay Station" sign can still be seen, although it's only partially attached. This pinpoints the date of the photo as 1940 — soon after the filming of "Ghost Valley Raiders," but before the building was tidied up.

The small shed seen in the picture does not figure into this discussion. This shed can be seen near the relay station in many productions, but it was easily moved and wound up in a variety of locations.

Undated photo of the Saddlehorn Relay Station in its later position

Comparing the 1940 photo with this one taken later, also seen at the top of this post, we see overviews of the relay station in its two locations, including two different alignments with the Garden of the Gods.

Also visible in the 1940 photo is a section of Iverson Ranch Road running past the relay station, revealing the uneasy proximity of the road to the front of the set.

In the later photo we can again identify sections of Iverson Ranch Road, but now the road runs behind the relay station and is situated some distance to the south of the building.

Saddlehorn Relay Station in "The Plunderers" (Republic, 1948)

Some readers may want to check out my previous post about the Saddlehorn Relay Station, from back in January — before some of the mysteries discussed here were solved. Please click here to see that post.

Can we talk about "the Mattress"?

I've also recently published a follow-up to this post that focuses on a feature appearing in this photo. You may have already noticed the unusual feature in the background, in front of the guy at the left of the frame.

I call it "the Mattress" for a reason that I think will become obvious if it isn't already: It looks like a mattress. It has an interesting story, which you can read by clicking here.

Years before the TV show "Adventures of Superman" premiered, a different Superman flew all over the Iverson Movie Ranch

Kirk Alyn, the screen's first live-action Superman 
(Columbia promo still for the serial "Superman," 1948)

The first live-action version of "Superman" to appear on film was a delightfully weird oddity. With ballet-trained Kirk Alyn in the title role, Columbia's 1948 serial danced across the rocky terrain of the Iverson Movie Ranch in an unashamed celebration of the kind of gee-whiz goofiness that marked a more innocent era of superheroes.

Kirk Alyn as Clark Kent on the Upper Iverson

The serial provided a showcase for the movie ranch's charismatic rock features. In this shot Kirk Alyn, as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, rolls up on a bit of unpleasantness on the Upper Iverson's South Rim, with the rock formation Smiling Lion lurking in the top right corner.

"Superman" (Columbia serial, 1948)

By all accounts, Kirk Alyn the actor was a "super" nice guy — to the point where the kind of strong-arm work required of his Superman character could be an odd fit. But Alyn proved he was up to the task when it came time to don the Spandex and pull the old double-headlock, or bash two bad guys' heads together.

Here again, Smiling Lion purrs its approval — although at this time of day it's less clear whether the rock is smiling or frowning. A comparison of this photo with the Clark Kent shot above illustrates how the "mood" of the Iverson rocks could be altered by moving the camera a few feet or waiting for the light to change.

The producers of the 1948 "Superman" conjured up an animated version of the superhero as a budget-friendly solution to the problem of flying. The sometimes awkward result found cartoon Superman sharing the frame with rugged Iverson landmarks such as Bigfoot, the rock feature peering in at the left in the above shot.

Back on the South Rim, Clark Kent runs toward the concrete bridge across Fern Ann Creek, also known as Falls Creek. Notice the large metal valve above his shoulder.

As Kent ducks under the bridge to change into his Superman suit, we get a clear look at both the valve and the concrete base of the bridge. I believe the valve was used to cut off the flow of water through the bridge, turning the bridge into a dam and creating a small reservoir on the other side of the bridge.

A moment later, Superman emerges.

As Superman takes flight, he once again becomes a cartoon.

The serial also provides a view of the top of the bridge, as a car approaches. The "low ground" to the left of the bridge filled in with water when the valve was closed, forming the reservoir. The Midway Oaks can be seen behind the car, and above them the top of Oat Mountain looms in the background.

Here's a wider view of the bridge area, filmed from the top of the cliff along the north edge of Cactus Hill. The white area to the right of the bridge is the rocky bed of Fern Ann Creek. The creek itself is rarely more than a trickle, and has been especially dry during California's current drought.

"Ghost Guns" (1944): Johnny Mack Brown and Evelyn Finley at the reservoir

The reservoir was seen in a handful of productions, including providing the background for a burial sequence in the Monogram B-Western "Ghost Guns," starring Johnny Mack Brown.

"Ghost Guns" — the reservoir on Iverson's South Rim

From the proper angle, the small reservoir could be made to appear quite scenic.

"Gunman" (1952) — The reservoir, with the Cliff in the background

A shot of the reservoir several years later, in the Whip Wilson movie "Gunman," is less aesthetically pleasing, but presents a clear view of the cliff and other South Rim features. The shot is taken with the camera pointed south.

A severely decayed version of the concrete bridge and dam remains at the site today, in a rugged, out-of-the-way spot in the midst of a gated community of large estates.

The same space where Clark Kent put on his Superman outfit can still be found, although gaining access to the location poses considerable challenges.

Near the spot where Superman got into character under the bridge, a bunch of crooks set up a diabolical super-weapon in a rocky nook. Most of the rocks surrounding them are still in place today, part of a large rock cluster known as the Totem Rocks or Easter Island.

This is what that same nook — or is it a cranny? — looks like today. You may want to try to match up the rocks in the above two photos before you peek at the labeled versions below.

Here's the "Superman" shot again, with some of the rocks labeled.

And here are those same labeled rocks in the recent photo. Incidentally, there used to be a horse trail up the hill between rocks C and D.

"Border Feud" (PRC, 1947) — Lash and Fuzzy head up the horse trail

In the Lash LaRue B-Western "Border Feud," filmed just a year before "Superman," Lash and Al "Fuzzy" St. John ride up to Cactus Hill in the same spot where we saw the bad guys setting up their super-blaster.

Here's another example of the animated flying spectacle, with a crotch shot of cartoon Superman soaring over the Iverson Gorge. Stoney Point appears at the center of the frame, partially blocked by Superman. Iverson's stagecoach road and Lower Nyoka Cliff are visible at the bottom of the shot.

Cartoon Superman would typically touch down by disappearing behind some landmark. In this shot the animated character makes a landing behind the Hangover Shack on the Lower Iverson.

Here's another landing by cartoon Superman — back in the Fern Ann Creekbed on the Upper Iverson.

A moment later, up pops Kirk Alyn at the same spot. The odd shadow at bottom right belongs to a car door.

Iverson Ranch Road on the Lower Iverson was another focal point of the action in the 1948 serial, with Superman harassing evil doers as they drove around in postwar land yachts that many car lovers would kill to have now.

The familiar profile of Three Kings and a portion of Tower Rock are among the Garden of the Gods features visible in this shot, looking south as the streamlined cruiser travels west on Iverson Ranch Road.

A seemingly unremarkable shot again depicts a vehicle heading west on Iverson Ranch Road. Shots like this, showing a bird's-eye view of a relatively wide area, tend to be rare in old productions, as they required extra setup. But when they do turn up they can be a big help in figuring out the lay of the land.

The shot captures the intersection of Iverson Ranch Road with the west fork of Iverson's so-called "stagecoach road," along with the northwest corner of Rock Island. This part of the stagecoach road is located approximately where Redmesa Road now runs through.

A good deal of misinformation exists about the stagecoach road. Even though it was always just a movie road, the myth that it was an actual stagecoach route has been widely circulated. The above example comes from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy's LAMountains.com website, in its entry on Garden of the Gods.

Here's the same Garden of the Gods blurb minus my editorial comment, so you can read the whole entry — most of which is true. The Conservancy has done a lot of good work in helping to protect the hills above Chatsworth, and is an important ally in the ongoing fight to preserve the land and its legacy.

This shot from recent years, taken among the condos on the Lower Iverson, features some rocks that are pretty distinctive, but are usually overshadowed by a famous neighbor.

They're the same rocks seen in the Kirk Alyn promo still from 1948 that appears at the top of this post. I've posted that photo again here to make it easy to compare the "then and now" shots.

Here's a wider view of the rocks in recent years, revealing that the rocks in the promotional still are part of the same hunk of sandstone that includes Saddlehorn Rock. The promo still is one of only a handful of shots I've seen that focus on the less-famous rocks behind Saddlehorn without featuring Saddlehorn itself.

Another photo from the same promo shoot for "Superman" — probably a more famous photo than the previous promo still — spotlights the Saddlehorn, and hints that it may have been the main reason for shooting promo stills in that spot. Personally, I prefer the more grim-faced Superman in the previous still.

Other shots have also surfaced from the same photo shoot, including this "outtake" promo still that I've posted before. You can read my 2013 report on Kirk Alyn's "Superman" by clicking here.

The 1948 Columbia serial "Superman" was followed two years later by "Atom Man vs. Superman," again starring Kirk Alyn and his cartoon alter-ego, and again filmed heavily at Iverson.  



The Columbia serials featured Alyn as the movies' first live-action Superman, but he wasn't the movies' first Superman. That title went to the cartoon version from Fleischer Studios, which first appeared in 1941. The above video clip is the first Superman cartoon.



Columbia's two "Superman" serials are combined in a reasonably priced DVD set sold on Amazon, which you can find by clicking on the above link. Both serials are filmed on the Iverson Ranch, and the second one, "Atom Man vs. Superman," which I plan to feature in an upcoming post, is on my list of the all-time great Iverson movies.