The ranch from the western “Rust” haunted by tragedy

For decades, Bonanza Creek Ranch and its desert expanses made New Mexico a prime location for Westerns. But since the Alec Baldwin film “Rust,” the place has become a setting for tragedy.

This vast property has hosted classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Its manager, Imogene Hughes, had earned a reputation among Hollywood stars, regularly serving them her homemade lemonade and banana cake. But now that Bonanza Creek Ranch has been linked to a heartbreaking death, in a world-famous case in which Alec Baldwin is set to go on trial this week, Imogene Hughes’ daughter is relieved that her late mother won’t have to see her ranch’s reputation tarnished. “I think it would have really upset her,” says Denise Spaccamonti.

Nestled in the hills of Santa Fe, in the “Far west” American, the ranch had all the makings of a classic farm: cattle were raised there. Until Hollywood came knocking at its door in the 1950s. A first western, The Man of the Plain, with James Stewart, was shot there in 1955. Then other films followed, from time to time. The turn towards cinema accelerated when Imogene Hughes took over full management of the ranch, after the death of her husband Glenn. She then came to an agreement with local politicians to offer financial advantages to Californian productions tempted by New Mexico.

The ranch gradually expanded. In 1985, the teams of Silveradoa western starring Kevin Costner, left behind a white-painted barn built for the film. Other buildings were erected for feature films such as Young Guns Or lucky Luke – a movie “horrible”smiles Denise Spaccamonti, grateful despite everything. Soon the ranch turns into a real little western village, with entire streets.

“It’s pretty cool to see how each film has contributed to the construction of all this (…) It’s a set of puzzle pieces that we put together,” explains Denise Spaccamonti. Now, this setting is haunted by the tragedy that occurred during the filming of Rust.

In October 2021, in the ranch chapel, Alec Baldwin pointed a gun that was supposed to hold only blanks, but a real projectile killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The tragedy caused a halt to filming while police combed the site. And since they resumed, the productions working there have kept it a secret.

“Nobody wants to admit that a film is being shot in the same place where she was killed,” observes David Manzanares, manager of Ghost Ranch, a neighboring property that has hosted the production ofOppenheimer. “People say: if this gets out, we’ll be seen as heartless,” adds this long-time friend of Imogene Hughes.

Contacted by AFP, the current owners of Bonanza Creek Ranch declined an interview. Shannon Hughes, who runs the location’s film operations, said that Imogene Hughes’ legacy “should not be involved in the accident of Rust“.

The former manager, who died a few weeks before the filming of Alec Baldwin’s western, left a warm memory in New Mexico. “She deeply touched everyone she met”says Santa Fe International Film Festival artistic director Jacques Paisner, who runs a scholarship for film students bearing his name.

“My mother was kind to the students. She let them come (film) for free,” completes Denise Spaccamonti. “Who does that these days?” Instead of continuing to raise cattle, Imogene Hughes brought Hollywood money to New Mexico, recalled Mr. Manzanares, her neighbor. “She made it possible for everyone to prosper,” by attracting “millions of dollars” in one of the poorest regions of the United States, he insists. For him, this legacy did not deserve to be tarnished by Rust. “It’s really unfortunate.”