New photos of Paramount Ranch as it appeared in the final days before the Woolsey Fire

The Paramount Ranch Western Town in October 2018, just days before the Woolsey Fire

My friend Marion Veal stopped by Paramount Ranch in late October and took photos of the Western Town during what turned out to be its final days — before the Woolsey Fire burned the place to the ground on Nov. 9.

The General Store, dressed for its final appearance

The General Store and other buildings were being used by an independent film company in October and November, with that filming disrupted by the fire. (Click on these photos to see larger versions.)

Interior of the General Store

The General Store building was open in October, with the production company filming some interior shots in the town. We rarely get a chance to see the buildings' interiors.

Rental truck parked in front of the Saloon in October

A Budget rental truck was on the site at the time, presumably part of the independent production. Notice the small gazebo near the front of the truck.

The gazebo in October 2018, just days before it was destroyed by the fire

The gazebo has been prominently featured in the HBO series "Westworld," which filmed at Paramount Ranch in 2016 and 2017.

The gazebo in 2017, dressed for a wild scene in "Westworld"

Film historian and photographer Jerry Condit was able to get this shot back in 2017 showing the gazebo as it appeared during production on a scene for season two of "Westworld."

The gazebo and neighboring buildings during "Westworld" filming in 2017

A wider view of the setting shows overturned tables and other signs of the chaos created by the "Westworld" scene. The building partially visible at top left is the Saloon.

You may recall this shot of the Saloon, taken by Jerry on the same visit. This photo was included in my Nov. 10 post showing the fire damage at Paramount Ranch, which you can see by clicking here.

The gray building at top right is the house where a Paramount Ranch administrator lived until the building was consumed by the Woolsey Fire.

The administrator's house in its yellow trim, in 2010

The administrator's house previously had a yellow paint job, as seen in this photo from 2010. Additional photos of these buildings can be seen in my recent post about the rebuilding effort at Paramount Ranch.

The Mining Equipment store in 2010, next to the administrator's house

The building next to the administrator's house was decked out for years as a mining equipment store.

The same building in October 2018 — as the "Trapper" building

But by the time the structure burned down this month, it had evolved into the "Trapper" building, part of the "Westworld" set.

A spelling error that survived for years

Readers with a sharp eye — or a productive form of OCD — may have already spotted this, but it's easy to miss. The sign on the building had an extra "t" in the word "equipment" throughout its "Mining Equiptment" years.

HBO's "Westworld" (2016): The walkway in front of the Saloon

Here's a screen shot from a "Westworld" scene in 2016. The shot is taken with the camera shooting down the walkway in front of the Saloon, with the gazebo visible at the far end of the walkway.

The same walkway in 2017

Jerry Condit framed this 2017 photo to match the "Westworld" shot. The town was still in its "Westworld" trim at the time, although this was a separate visit from the one in which the overturned tables were seen.

The Hotel Mud Bug and Grandmother Oak in October 2018

This shot by Marion Veal would be one of the last photos of the Hotel Mud Bug — and also one of the last, for the time being, to capture a healthy Grandmother Oak, seen looming behind the hotel.

The Grandmother Oak after the Woolsey Fire

It remains to be seen whether the Grandmother Oak, also known as the Witness Tree, will survive the fire. The tree's southern side appears to be in pretty good shape, but the northern half, which was closer to the old barn as it burned down, suffered significant damage.

"The Trumpet Blows" (Paramount, 1934): The old horse barn and the Grandmother Oak

Not surprisingly, the Grandmother Oak is so named because it's really old. This shot from the George Raft movie "The Trumpet Blows" includes a much younger version of the tree, on the left, about 84 years ago.

The section of the hotel highlighted here was where the front of Dr. Michaela Quinn's medical clinic was located in the hit CBS series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," which aired from 1993-1998.

Jane Seymour as Dr. Quinn, in front of her medical clinic

Here we see Dr. Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, standing near the doorway to the clinic. The TV series filmed extensively in the Paramount Ranch Western Town throughout its six seasons.

Notice the small building highlighted at the left.

The small building is "Isaac's Cafe," photographed here in October 2018. The cafe was a set for the Showtime series "SMILF," which premiered in 2017 and will roll out its second season starting in January 2019.

In an earlier incarnation the same building was a barber shop. This shot was taken in 2010 when a high school cross-country race was being held at the ranch.

"The Devil's Hairpin" (1957): The old racetrack at Paramount Ranch

It's not widely known that Paramount Ranch used to have its own racetrack, which held sports car races in the 1950s and appeared in a few movies. The track hasn't been used in more than 50 years.

The old racetrack bridge after the Woolsey Fire

Like the rest of Paramount Ranch, the remains of the old racetrack were damaged earlier this month in the Woolsey Fire. Mike Malone took these shots of the burned track remnants on one of his post-fire visits.

This shot by Mike shows the area where the old track goes under the bridge — as seen in the photo from "The Devil's Hairpin." You can see the lower section of the track at top right.

The Iverson Movie Ranch sign in its new home at the relocated Valley Relics Museum

Recent news about the fire at Paramount Ranch, and before that the Quentin Tarantino shoot at Corriganville, has been keeping the Iverson Movie Ranch on the "back burner," to use a shamefully inappropriate term.

"Beyond the Blue Horizon" (Paramount, 1942): "Sarong Queen" Dorothy Lamour at Iverson

But we can reassure readers who need their Iverson fix that research continues at a furious pace and we will get back to reporting on our favorite location ranch in the weeks, months and years ahead. Since the Woolsey Fire, we've been especially focused on any Paramount movies filmed on the Iverson Ranch.

"Beyond the Blue Horizon": Elephant rampage at Iverson

One thing we've been searching for — without success, so far — is the site where an elephant went on a rampage — a "movie rampage," anyway —  and where "Sarong Queen" Dorothy Lamour emerged from a cave on the Iverson Ranch during filming of Paramount's "Beyond the Blue Horizon." Stay tuned ...

Paramount Ranch's Western Town to be rebuilt following the Woolsey Fire ... also photos of the "M*A*S*H" set at Malibu Creek State Park before and after the fire

The Paramount Project: A plan is taking shape to rebuild the Paramount Ranch Western Town

A little good news as the incredibly destructive Woolsey Fire appears to finally be winding down. The National Park Service announced plans to rebuild the Western Town at Paramount Ranch, which was destroyed by the fire.

Paramount Ranch welcome sign, with the remains of the old horse barn in the background

The Park Service plans to complete the project within two years. They've set up a "Paramount Project" site where people who want to support the rebuilding can help with donations, which you can go to by clicking here.

The town site was opened to reporters on Friday, Nov. 16, one week after the worst of the fire, and someone propped up a photo of the "General Store" during filming, in front of what is now the ruins of the building.

The church from HBO's "Westworld" — one of the few surviving structures on the Paramount Ranch

"Westworld," which filmed its first two seasons at the ranch's Western Town, has been a hit for HBO and would be expected back to film season three. But reconstruction of the town — which I understand will be done with added fire protections built in — would take too long for HBO's normal production schedule.

The "Westworld" church in happier times — not long before the fire.

One media report I saw indicated that a temporary set may be put up while the longer-term construction is under way, but it was unclear whether that set might be used for "Westworld."

The Paramount Ranch Western Town: before the destruction

As many readers already know — especially if you saw my previous post about all the fire damage — the Western Town was a complete loss. Everything you see in this photo burned to the ground.

House where the park administrator and family lived

Sadly, a number of park rangers and other employees of Paramount Ranch lost their homes in the fire. One of the park administrators reportedly lived in the house where the red arrow is pointing.

The administrator's house, seen on the left here, was a part of the Western Town set. When I took this photo back in 2010, the building next door was dressed up as a "Mining Equipment" store..

The burned "M*A*S*H" set at Malibu Creek State Park (photo courtesy of Mike Malone)

Just across the Mulholland Highway from Paramount Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park to the south was also hit hard by the fire. The site's best-known attraction, the "M*A*S*H" set, is now part of an apocalyptic landscape.

Closeup of the Jeep at the "M*A*S*H" set

The old "M*A*S*H" Jeep is in bad shape, but that's basically the same shape it was in even before the fire. It still has dry brush underneath it, a good indication that the fire missed it.

The Jeep as it appeared in May 2018

I happened to take a shot of the Jeep when I visited the site back in May, and yeah, it was pretty much already a wreck. The soon-to-be dry brush was green at that time, though.

The fun sign pointing out distances from Korea to places like Toledo is charred and almost impossible to read now.

This is what the sign looked like back in May, near the old "M*A*S*H" truck.

Here's a closeup of the sign as it appeared in May — anyone headed to Decatur?

"B-362": Female bobcat collared two days before the Woolsey Fire

The Woolsey Fire has been tough on wildlife in the parks and surrounding hills, but a number of bobcats appear to have survived. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area announced last week that all four of the big cats being tracked in the area — including the latest addition, "B-362" — have been on the move.

The organization has been keeping readers updated on its Twitter page. Above is the tweet that went out Nov. 15 along with the photo of B-362, indicating concern about one of the big cats.

Mike Malone points out fire-damaged areas on a map for the media

Several readers asked about longtime Paramount Ranch Park Ranger Mike Malone, a great supporter of the park, film historian extraordinaire and an all-around awesome guy. I am happy to report that Mike's home did not burn down and he's settled back in, resuming his movie research and focused on the ranch's rebuilding effort.