Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying the Manson Family is arguably one of the most infamous cults of the last century, the truth is it initially started out as just a commune of wayward hippie individuals. Therefore, as detailed in Peacock’s ‘Making Manson,’ they were admittedly freeloaders around Topanga, California, in early 1968 before finding a stable home in Spahn Ranch in the summer. However, owing to their heinous criminal activities over the next year, their leader, Charles Manson, ended up moving everybody to the isolated Barker Ranch inside Death Valley National Park.
Spahn Ranch Was Once a Movie Ranch in Los Angeles
Although having been in possession of one owner or another since the 1880s, it was only in the 1950s that this 55-acre piece of land became known across California thanks to George Spahn. That’s because while he was merely a dairy farmer when he purchased this massive property in 1953, he continued to allow productions of various films/television shows to take place there. We say “continued” because its former owners had built movie sets next to their trading post on the estate so as to have an additional cash flow, which George took complete advantage of.
In fact, the farmer ensured this old Western town set gave off the right feel with its boulder-strewn scenery as well as mountainous terrain, yet things soon changed due to a decline in business. Not only had Hollywood begun shifting away from Westerns, but his diary trade was also not doing as well as he had hoped, leading him to turn the ranch into a rental horse/horseback riding spot. But alas, it was almost deserted by the time the late 1960s rolled around, enabling the Family to strike a deal with then-80-year-old George to establish a rent-free base there in exchange for labor.
Little did George know he was giving headquarters to a cult, only for them to leave this ranch at 12000 Santa Susana Pass Road (street numbers have since changed) following their brutal offenses. According to records, Charles had grown fearful of being caught, so he decided they needed to leave this place in late August 1969, not long after they killed ranch hand Donald Shea in a remote spot. But alas, it was a wildfire that destroyed this property in September 1970, which, when followed by George’s demise four years later, resulted in its incorporation into California’s Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park. In other words, the ranch doesn’t exist anymore.
The Manson Family Believed the Still-Existing Barker Ranch to be Their Safe Space
Located off of Goler Wash Road inside the Death Valley National Park in eastern California, Barker Ranch was and still is a 5-acre rock and boulder-filled property in the Panamint Range. In other words, it is an utterly remote spot right in the middle of nowhere, making it accessible only through sandy, primitive, and rugged roads that seemingly have no beginning and no end. The truth is it was constructed around 1940 before initially being used as just a storage as well as shop facility to support the mining activities in the area, so it has a main house and a one-room guest house.
Thus, it comes as no surprise the ranch essentially became a seasonal vacation place following the demise of its original owners, enabling the Family to move there without issues upon getting permission from new owners. As per records, leader Charles Manson always preferred the quiet of the desert, so that’s where he reverted the second he realized they needed to get away from society owing to their offenses. This included the shooting of Bernard Crowe, the murder of Gary Hinman, the homicide of Sharon Tate plus acquaintances, the slaying of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, and the killing of Donald Shea.
But alas, the Family wasn’t there for long (less than a month and a half) as they were all arrested following raids on October 10 and October 12, 1969, due to their connection to a vandalism case. The authorities had no idea at the time that they had actually captured the cult responsible for seven serial killings, only to learn the truth when one of them confessed to an inmate later on. As for the Barker Ranch in itself, it became a part of the California Desert Conservation Area in 1976, less than two decades before it was incorporated into Death Valley National Park. But alas, owing to a devastating fire in May 2009, the only thing left of this ranch now is the concrete and rock portion of the cabin.
Read More: Reet Jurvetson Murder: Did Charles Manson Kill Her?
