Corriganville Park to Hold Grand Opening

SIMI VALLEY —  Corriganville Park, home of the former movie ranch where “Gunsmoke” and “The Lone Ranger” were filmed, is hosting a grand-opening ceremony from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Free tours of the 200-acre park, a barbecue and western skits will highlight the event.

The park is still a work in progress. Plans include adding picnic and camping sites, partly renovating the old movie ranch and creating a nature center or filmmaking museum.

The property was owned by stuntman Ray “Crash” Corrigan from the late 1930s to the early 1960s, and was used as a western-style amusement park and site for 3,500 western films and TV shows.

Bob Hope owned the land for a time, before fires destroyed much of the property in the 1970s. In 1988, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District joined with the city of Simi Valley to buy and develop the park.

To get to Corriganville Park, exit the Ronald Reagan Freeway at Kuehner Drive, then head south to Smith Road. Turn left on Smith at the light to reach the main gate.

For more information, call Rick Johnson at Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District at 584-4400.