As seen on the big screen

Gammons Gulch has been the set of many television shows and films

Before heading to Gammons Gulch, watch Rio Bravo, a 1959 John Wayne film. Five minutes into the movie, look for a boy wearing a Mexican hat and beating a drum during a funeral procession. That boy is Jay Gammons.

Jay and his wife, Joanne Gammons, own Gammons Gulch, a built-from-scratch museum, antique collection and movie set. A film set dresser and designer, Jay began sourcing old buildings, dismantleing them and then reconstructing them, piece by piece, in the Arizona desert in 1971.

“There was nothing when we first came here,” said Joanne, “but a dream.”

Many of the pieces have unusual stories—for example, there is a beam of wood in the town’s jailhouse window that came from the set of The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, starring Paul Newman. The Gammons add to their stock of antiques and buildings through their connections in the film industry and simply by being well-known. Jay said they regularily receive calls from people wanting to donate items.

In 1994, the setting opened to the public for tours. Gammons Gulch was subsequently used for the filming of T.V. shows such as The History Channel’s Wild West Tech. Jay gives personalized tours and tells interesting tidbits about his film history.

“My father was John Wayne’s personal security when he came to Arizona . . . (and) I’ve been in at least 25 movies,” he said