Lone Pine in Inyo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Duke and the Dow
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 27, 2023
1. The Duke and the Dow Marker
The Dow Hotel was built in 1923 to accommodate the growing numbers of movie companies coming regularly to Lone Pine even then. The motel units were added in 1957. Those who stayed here over the years while filming in the Alabama Hills include Tom Mix and William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy), Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and later, TV’s Clayton Moore and Gail Davis, among scores of others. Eddie Dean wrote songs here, Director William Witney planned shooting schedules here and when Republic Pictures came to Lone Pine to make its first western in 1935, the cast and crew (including John Wayne) stayed at the Dow. In August of 1978, motel room 20 was where Wayne stayed while working on what would be his last appearance on film, the Great Western TV commercial shot alongside Movie Road, 2.7 miles north of Whitney Portal Road.
Erected 1993 by The Lone Pine Film Festival and Festival Patrons.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1978.
Location. 36° 36.241′ N, 118° 3.739′ W. Marker is in Lone Pine, California, in Inyo County. Marker is on Main Street (U.S. 395) just south of Post Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 310 S Main St, Lone Pine CA 93545, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers.
this page online
Also see . . .
1. History of the Dow Hotel and Dow Villa Motel. Originally the Hotel had 55 rooms and one apartment for the manager. The front porch gave a magnificent view of the Sierra with Mt. Whitney the central attraction. The Dow Hotel hosted countless producers, directors and stars. To name a few of the stars, John Wayne, William Boyd, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Pat Buttrum, Stewart Granger, Errol Flynn, Robert Mitchum and Clayton Moore. (Submitted on March 9, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. The Final Days of John Wayne. Neatorama website entry:
John Wayne's last film was to be The Shootist. Actual figures vary because Wayne did so many obscure films early in his career, but it was around his 175th film. Unfortunately, The Shootist was a massive flop, grossing less than $6 million domestically. Wayne, not broke,
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 27, 2023
2. The Duke and the Dow Marker
The marker is on the column at center.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 24, 2014
3. The Dow Hotel
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 27, 2023
4. Dow Hotel
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 27, 2023
5. Motel Room 20
Credits. This page was last revised on May 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 459 times since then and 100 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 12, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 3. submitted on March 9, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 4, 5. submitted on May 12, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
