FILM HISTORY IN CHATSWORTH
BRANDEIS RANCH
The Brandeis Ranch, located west of and contiguous to Iverson
Ranch, was originally homesteaded by Niels and Ann Johnson.
Their children sold the ranch, minus 20 acres, to E. John Brandeis in
1929. The Johnson family used the acreage to make a memorial for
their parents, naming it Fern Ann. Today the area is known as
Fern Ann Falls.
Brandeis built a half-million-dollar estate on the ranch which he
called Diamond Bar Ranch. Everyone else referred to it as The
Brandeis Ranch.
The ranch had its height of activity between 1936 and 1942,
although some filmmakers used the locale well after that. Its
prominent features included a western street known as Hickeyville,
a bunkhouse, and a caretaker's house. Hickeyville was in a canyon
at Hialeah Springs just northwest of the Iverson Ranch entry road.
The last movie filmed there was Treasure of the Ruby Hills in 1955.
This part of the ranch is now home to a large gated community.
The movie ranches are now long gone, but
Chatsworth will always retain its place of
honor in cinematic history as one of the
most frequently used locations for film and
television production.
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