George Christian Spahn (February 11, 1889 – September 22, 1974) was an American rancher who once owned the

Spahn Ranch Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a 55-acre (22.3 ha) movie ranch in Los Angeles, California. For a period it was used as a ranch, dairy farm and later movie set during the era of westerns. After a decline in use for filming b ...

near

Chatsworth, Los Angeles Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. The area around the town was home to Native Americans, who left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanish Empire ...

. Spahn rented the ranch to the movie industry to film

Westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

, and later allowed

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...

and his "

Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

" of followers to live at the site.

Early life

Spahn grew up in the greater

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

area. His father died in a work accident when he was just two years old. Spahn had, at times, a tense relationship with his stepfather, who often exhibited vicious and violent behavior when he was drunk. Spahn left school after the third grade and started to work as a milkman. When he was 16, Spahn started an apprenticeship with a carpenter, but did not stay in this profession and eventually returned to the milk delivery business. He set up a business in Willow Grove owning five carriages and seven horses. He also employed his stepfather at this point. Before he was 30, Spahn acquired a farm of 86 acres in

Lansdale Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a densely populated commuter town, with many residents traveling daily to Philadelphia using SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line. In the year 1900, 2,754 p ...

, where he kept 36 cows and some horses. He married the widow Martha Virginia Greenholtz, whom he had originally hired as a housekeeper for his farm. The couple had ten children together and also raised a daughter from Greenholtz's first marriage.Gay Talese
''Charlie Manson's Home on the Range''
Esquire, March 1, 1970 In the early 1930s, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Spahn's milk business was facing difficulties and he felt somewhat disenchanted with his life in general. This led him to start over in California. He sold his farm and moved his family and favorite horses to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. There he gave up on the milk business and turned to raising horses and offering horseback riding to tourists. In the late 1940s, he separated from his wife, and in 1953 bought the

movie ranch A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. Movi ...

that now carries his name.Hadley Hall Meare
''The Story of the Abandoned Movie Ranch Where the Manson Family Launched Helter Skelter''
Curbed, October 22, 2014 There he continued to raise horses and offer horse riding trips. He also expanded the already existing Western film sets on the ranch and rented them out to film and TV productions. However, due to declining demand for Western productions, his business went bankrupt in 1966. Spahn nonetheless continued to live on the ranch, with most of its buildings, in particular the film sets, falling into disrepair.

Manson Family

Spahn is chiefly remembered for his association with the

Manson Family The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a Intentional community, commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of a ...

, due to his tolerance of the Manson group's residence on his property. Spahn housed

and his followers at the ranch from 1968 on. The 1969

Tate–LaBianca murders On the night of August 8, 1969, Tex Watson took Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California. Watson claims Charles Manson had instructed him go to the house and "totally des ...

by Manson's devotees were allegedly hatched at the Spahn Ranch. Manson persuaded Spahn to permit "the Family" to live at his ranch. Manson ordered the women in the group to clean and cook for the nearly blind 80-year-old. The women also acted as seeing eye guides for Spahn. Spahn nicknamed all the Manson girls, including Squeaky, Sadie Mae, and Ouisch. According to Manson Family member Paul Watkins, Mansonite

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme ( ; born October 22, 1948) is an American woman who was a member of the Manson Family, a cult led by Charles Manson. Though not involved in the Tate–LaBianca murders for which the Manson family is best known, she ...

got her nickname because of the sound she made when Spahn ran his hand up her thigh. Family member Charles Watson has written that his own nickname, "Tex", was given to him by Spahn, who recognized his Texas accent. Spahn lived for five years after the murders. For the first year he still stayed on the ranch with some of the women of the Manson Family until it was destroyed in a large wildfire in September 1970. He was eventually admitted to the Sherwood Convalescent Hospital in

Van Nuys Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1 ...

, where he died on September 22, 1974, at the age of 85. He was buried in Eternal Valley Memorial Park in nearby Newhall.

In popular culture

* In the 1973 documentary ''Manson'', Spahn himself can be seen as an old man. * In the 1976 TV movie ''Helter Skelter'', based on prosecutor

Vincent Bugliosi Vincent T. Bugliosi Jr. (; August 18, 1934 – June 6, 2015) was an American prosecutor and author who served as Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office between 1964 and 1972. He became best known for suc ...

's book of the same name, Spahn is portrayed by Ray Middleton (1907–1984). * In the 2018 film '' Charlie Says'', Spahn is portrayed by John Gowans. * In

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

's 2019 film ''

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ''Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica, and distributed by Sony Pict ...

'', Spahn is portrayed by

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver Bear for Best Actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Suppo ...

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

was initially cast as Spahn, but died in September 2018, approximately two weeks before shooting was slated to begin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spahn, George 1889 births 1974 deaths American blind people American people of German descent Dairy farmers Manson Family People from Philadelphia Ranchers from California