Probably one of the most important and interesting events during the late 1920s in Humboldt County was the filming of The Winning of Barbara Worth. In May of 1926, word began to get around. There were references to it in the paper that there was to be a movie made in Humboldt County and, of course, everybody was quite excited. In those days we didn't have television.

     In May the crew arrived at a small siding near Trego, which is about halfway between Sulphur and Gerlach, and the spur was made approximately three miles from the Western Pacific out into the desert. And construction of the city began. At one time, I believe, there were approximately 3,000 people at the site. It was called Barbara Worth and the town was incorporated. They had their own newspaper and stores, businesses, and so forth.

     For about six weeks carpenters and other construction workers from California, and many from the local area, were busy constructing a town, a town largely of fronts. We read what it meant to speak of Hollywood fronts. And in a city of fronts that's exactly what it is. The front of the building looks very complete.

     In June the actual filming began, with the arrival of Ronald Colman, Vilma Banky as the leads; Gary Cooper, who at that time was very much a bit player--but that picture made him a star--and many other people from Hollywood. With that, local people, myself, my mother, and my brother included, were hired. We were called extras.

     We lived in tents. I was very fortunate to be in a tent with two women from Hollywood who were playing bit parts. Glynn Walters was six feet tall and very beautiful and made a great deal of me, and for many years wrote me and sent me pictures from Hollywood. The other woman I can't remember. Miss Walters was playing a bit part against Clyde Cook, who was barely five feet tall. In other words, they were a comedy team.

     We enjoyed it very much. We ate in a great big mess hall. There was electricity, running water, and we did really not very much work. It's hard to explain. But one of the most interesting parts of the work was seeing the rushes in the evening. The rushes were a complete showing of everything that was taken during the day. So, of course, we got to see many things that were not in the final picture.

     Then after the rushes there was a dance. There were very few--comparatively few, at least--young women and a lot of men, so, of course, we got a lot more attention than we really deserved. And one of the things I'll always remember was dancing with Gary Cooper. I'm surprised that he bothered, but I guess there weren't very many young women.
 

     Leona Springer, whose father was Sheriff at that time, went to Los Angeles later with Henry King, and, I understand, was in several pictures. I don't think she stayed very long.

     People from Winnemucca that I remember as being out there were: Will Springer, who was Sheriff, and Carl Haviland, and W. L. Pearce from the Pearce Ranch. The latter's wagon and horses were used. I'm sure there were many others.

     One of the things we did--we ran away from a tremendous flood. The flood was made by emptying 10 barrels of water. How they magnified it? That I don't know. We chased pigs that got away. Probably, if you've read the story The Winning of Barbara Worth, you know it was the story of a family who were coming West and got caught in the flood. It was by Harold Bell Wright.

     We were out there three weeks. The adults were paid three dollars a day and their room and board. Children were paid a dollar a day and room and board. Also transportation into Winnemucca--if you lived in Winnemucca, your transportation was free.

     After working there for three weeks, the crew moved to north of Blue Mountain where they spent about a week, mainly filming sand storms. Many of the sunsets that were filmed at this time were used in other pictures. Mr. King was very good about explaining the process and why they did this, and telling us that we probably could look for some of these scenes for several years because he said the different companies exchange pictures.
 

Autographed photograph of Ronald Colman
given by the actor to Margaret Wells.
Photograph courtesy of Margaret Wells Butts
of Winnemucca.

Note: This story by Margaret Wells Butts, of Winnemucca, NV, is taken from The Humboldt Historian, Winter-Spring 1988, pages 21-25.

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Links

• Gerry Chudleigh's Barbara Worth Movie Site
• Click here to see 27 recently discovered photographs taken by Vera Haviland during the production of the Movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.
• The Humboldt Museum and The Humboldt Historian
• Nevada Archeological Association (Where archeologist David Valentine, who recently located and recorded the Barbara Worth "townsite" on the Black Rock Desert playa (The town destroyed in the flood), will publish his report.