OK, I have finally posted the true story behind the Sons of Katie Elder in the Katie Elder area. It's long, but it's a very complex story. I'd recommend reading the referenced publications for the whole story. If anyone here will be at the Wild West History Association convention in Cody, Wyoming at the end of the month, I'll be there, too. Look me up.
Jim Pettengill
Posts from jgp1843 in thread „Colorado“
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The Ridgway (Colorado - located 10 miles north of Ouray) Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center has a handout with info on the movies shot here - True Grit 1, a couple of scenes from How the West was Won, and James Cagney's last western, Tribute to a Bad Man. We also have the true story behind The Sons of Katie Elder, which was loosely based on the lives of a family who moved here in 1889. The hand out is free. The visitor center is located at the intersection of routes 550 and 62 (at the county's only traffic light), in the same building as the Ridgway Railroad Museum, which is also worth a look. If you happen to stop in on a Wednesday, chances are that I will be the volunteer on duty at the visitor center.
To check out the museum, visit www.ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org.
I promise to put up a summary of the story behind the Sons of Katie Elder before long. -
Some more info on True Grit locations:
The Ouray County Courthouse was used, but only for the interior scenes - and some of the film didn't turn out, so a replica had to be built in California to re-shoot a few shots. The exterior of the courthouse in the film was a set built next door to the "fire house" in Ridgway. It was just an exterior shell and removed after completion of the film shoot. The Ouray Courthouse is a beautiful building - I've sat jury duty in there during a snowstorm, and it's a unique feeling of being in the 1880s.
The actual name of the meadow where the final shootout takes place is Katie's Meadow. The US Forest Service used to have a sign there, but the signs were stolen by tourists just as fast as the USFS could put them up, so there is no sign anymore. Some sources refer to it as Debbie's Meadow, but they have their films confused - Debbie Reynolds was in How the West Was Won, which partly shot in "downtown" Ridgway and (I'm told) out on Last Dollar Road west of town. Her mother bought property near Ouray and I'm told the house is still in the family.
The snake pit/mine at the end is on private property just southwest of Ouray. The fiberglass rocks and log bed frames in the cave are still there - I was up there last autumn. There is no public access to this site, but sometimes it's opened up for tours or special events.
The Ross Ranch is on Last Dollar Road, which is about 12 miles west of Ridgway. The ranch is about 2 miles down the road from highway 62, on the right. It's private property, too, and the ranch house is VERY run down. The scenes were shot from the far side, so the house doesn't look quite right from the road.
The True Grit Cafe in town was built around the exterior wall that had a sign for a grocery painted on it, and that sign is still visible on the wall. It was painted by Montrose Western artist Bob DeJulio, who did a lot of painting of sets for the film.
I live in Ridgway (yeah, tough assignment, but someone has to do it) and took the photo labeled Kate's Meadow in the original post in this thread. It's copyright 2003, James Pettengill, used by permission, all rights reserved.
