The Happy Bottom Riding Club (AKA Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch) was a dude ranch, restaurant, and hotel operated by Pancho Barnes near Edwards AFB. The club was a favored hangout for test pilots and the Hollywood elite during the 1940s, boasting over 9,000 members worldwide. When the USAF intended to buy the club via eminent domain, a long series of lawsuits ensued. Barnes eventually won the lawsuits, but after the club was destroyed by fire in the 1950s, her plans to re-open in a nearby location never came to fruition. Courtesy of USAF, undated (cropped and cleaned).

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Size: 4500px × 3233px
Location:
Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 20th, afb, america, aviation, barnes, bottom, bw, california, century, club, dude, edwards, famous, florence, happy, history, lowe, pancho, personality, photo, ranch, riding, usa, usaf