It was just bare land when her husband, John Ashley Gammon, found it in 1972 in Benson, Arizona. He had turned off Highway 10 for 3 miles then onto Pomerene Rd. and followed some twists and turns for seven miles, reaching Rock Springs Road and the land (what would later be called Gammons Gulch Movie Set.)

I sat down with Joanne to learn about their dream come true. John had first met Joanne, his bride-to-be, at a reenactment group activity in Benson. She thought Jay was nice to look at and in working with the group, they developed a friendship.

I liked it when she said, “He showed his best side, always a showman at heart and very congenial. When I first saw his ‘western town,’ I told him the buildings are bare but need maintenance. I saw the potential for his western historic town, but he was the visionary. I persuaded him to sell his idea to the public by putting some antiques in buildings, clean up the place, and present it as an old western movie set and make an income from it. I saw that he had a full-time job right here.” It became a 40-year- old “Labor of Love.” Movie set parts were gathered and constructed by the Gammons. Jay had many entertaining stories to share and seemed to relish the opportunities to tell visitors about the history of the west and movies.

Jay did have a history in the movie industry as his father was a bodyguard for John Wayne. How her husband found the property was “just by driving out on that dusty unpaved road. He bought the land with help of his mother and built the hotel first.” This became their personal home. The first movie that was produced there was Seven Six Gunners. Then they began adding to the town.

The old rustic style weathered wood to build the buildings was found in Safford, Tucson and anywhere anyone was discarding old buildings. “We were never going to get rich at this project, but we sure will have a lot of fun.” Joanne thought “I’ve never been rich in my whole life, so why should I start now. It made it more relaxing for Jay to know that I just wanted him to be successful in the adventure. He had years of good experience to help him make this town authentic. Sometimes his friends would come up and help and then finally business became so busy, I quit my full-time job at Safeway.”

“Over the years, I’ve heard his same jokes told to groups. Told so many times, I put my fingers in my ears! she said with a smile. I’ve always liked the saying, ‘Money is money, but it can’t buy happiness.’”

Since 1995 when their first movie was made, there have been many commercials filmed at Gammons Gulch Movie Set and about three full movies each year. The actors bring their own wardrobes. To make the town more creative so that movies could be interesting, they built spots along the set to allow the movies to be shot from different angles. For example, past a dry wash, they have a gulch created to look like a mining camp. An old cabin and a mine rail tracks were put in the gulch. “The gulch” is a setting for the mining camp, complete with a miner’s cabin, ore cars, mining equipment, and an impressive working lunger engine; all with a backdrop of the surrounding mountain range. 

Each building in the town has a story of its own. The visitors’ center flooring was repurposed from a phone call from Tucson where they were tearing down the original firehouse and they wanted Gammons to come and get the wood. Joanne added, “You must make sure you can use the teardowns – repurpose them, otherwise it means it is only burnable materials. We created false fronts to make the town look real. When movie people are shooting, they need wide streets to maneuver their equipment, but the original towns were very narrow.”

I learned a famous movie entitled The Dead Men was made a few months ago. This has been a movie set location as an old west town for numerous movies and group celebrations (imagine having a whole town to yourself!)

The frequent use of this historic town setting has welcomed many Movie Stars too. For example, stars from: Days of our Lives, Day of Redemption, Walker: Texas Ranger, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The Young Riders, The Gundown, and music videos like Milano’s “I Had a Dream”, or Lopez’s “Pray for Rain.” Site productions have included local Tucson TV commercials and foreign country TV Productions. It is not uncommon for Gammon’s Gulch to be booked by professional photographers for photo-shoot workshops or to be featured in the History Channel’s Western Tech Series. Even Rock Groups have utilized the perfect settings at this movie set to foster their music creations.

Self-guided tours are at your own pace. You will see the welcome center, blacksmith shop, sheriff’s office (of course for law and order!), mercantile store, barber shop and bath house, hotel, church-school house, land office, bank, old ranch house, telegraph and post Office, shoe shop, assay office, Wells Fargo building, 1920s side street, town hall, ladies and gents shop, Chinese laundry, and after “painting this town red,” you may want to head back to that saloon!

Gammons Gulch is open by appointment only. They cater to the specific requirements of group activities, productions large and small, and private tours for groups of ten or more. When you visit, bring your picnic lunch to enjoy in their colorful old saloon. Perhaps catch some music playing on the banjo or piano; or listen to some tall tales.

I asked Joanne what her dream for Gammon’s Gulch was at this time. She looked thoughtful as she replied that she wanted to find someone with the same mind and heart set that would carry on their vision. That special person would buy Gammons Gulch and then she would retire. 

In the meantime, call Joanne Gammon to experience a delightful visit to Gammons Gulch Movie Set. Who knows, you may become the star of your own movie! Contact Joanne Gammon directly at 520. 212-2831 for bookings, directions to visit, or ideas for your production or private event. Located at 331 W. Rockspring Ln. Benson, AZ. 85602. Their website is www.gammonsgulch.com.