Of Dusty Trails and Wagon Wheels

Of Dusty Trails... Stagecoach Daysand Wagon Wheels

Banning’s history is steeped in tales of the Old West. And the best part is… it’s all true. The first Anglo to settle the area was Dr. Isaac Smith in 1853...

My uncles Frank and Greg are great guys. It’s not uncommon that at family gatherings my brother and I find ourselves chatting with them about movies, photography, news, etc. But the conversation becomes particularly enjoyable when they begin sharing stories about their childhood.

My mom’s brothers grew up during the 1950s, an era that is quite unfamiliar to those of us who didn’t get to enjoy it. So, when a recent conversation turned to their memories of classic western films of the ‘50s and ‘60s, I was all ears.

Films and actors were recalled with cheerful fondness. North of the Great Divide, Roy Rogers, Rio Grande, John Wayne, Rawhide, Tyrone Power, Gene Autry, The Man From Laramie, Maureen O’Hara, How the West Was Won, Clint Eastwood, The Good, the Bad… well, you get the idea.

And then, of course, there were western t.v. series, now at legendary status in the annals of small screen history: Gunsmoke, Maverick, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza. And that’s to name just a few. These shows were often watched by young boys donning cowboy hats and holstered six-shooters.

There was quite a fascination with all things “wild-western” during the 1950s and ‘60s. Not only did Americans enjoy those films and programs for their pure entertainment value, but it also reflected something deeper that many a man, woman, and child connected with: a sense of adventure, ruggedness, danger, and romance―things that many Americans still appreciate today. And the City of Banning, particularly during the 1960s, was very wise in capitalizing on the public’s awe of the West.

But then again, it made perfect sense to.

Banning’s history is steeped in tales of the Old West. And the best part is… it’s all true. The first Anglo to settle the area was Dr. Isaac Smith in 1853, but even before then, the Cahuilla Indians called it home. The Spanish even paid a visit to the area at one point prior to Smith and established a branch of the San Gabriel Mission. The area became known as Rancho San Gorgonio.