Sun sets on the ruins of Pancho Barnes Happy Bottom Riding Club Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch at Edwards AFB, CA.
Sun sets on the ruins of the Pancho Barnes Happy Bottom Riding Club / Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch Saturday, Sept. 10, 2005, at Edwards AFB, CA. Barnes built the Happy Bottom Riding Club, also known as the Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch, a dude ranch and restaurant which catered to airmen at the nearby airfield and her friends from Hollywood. Pancho became very close friends with many of the early test pilots, including Chuck Yeager, General Jimmy Doolittle, and Buzz Aldrin. Pancho's ranch became famous for the parties and high-flying lifestyle of all the guests. However, a change of command in 1952 contributed to her getting into a conflict with the US Air Force. The Air Force was planning for the future of aviation, and decided they needed to build a new, super long runway to accommodate new aircraft that were being planned to run on atomic power. That new runway would run directly across Pancho's ranch. The Air Force originally offered her a price for her ranch, land, and facilities that was very close to the cost of raw undeveloped desert land. Mystery Ship In the midst of getting a re-appraisal, the base leadership at the time accused her of running a house of ill-repute at her ranch. The effect of even the hint of impropriety resulted in her ranch and business being put off-limits to military personnel. The value of her business immediately plummeted. Pancho then filed a lawsuit against the United States Air Force to, as she put it, "Roust out the scoundrels in the government who would perpetrate such an injustice." She knew that if she filed a lawsuit, she would have the opportunity to depose under oath the various leaders and personnel on base, and the truth would come out and clear her name. During the height of the intense court battle, in 1953, her ranch burned in a fire of mysterious origin.
Size: 4800px × 2541px
Location: EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE CALIFORNIA USA
Photo credit: © M / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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