Barker Ranch

Barker Ranch was never much more than a simple cabin, built in the 1930s by a Los Angeles Police Department officer who had retired with his wife and staked a gold claim in Death Valley. A family called the Barkers later bought the house and worked the claim until they eventually gave up and moved on.

Then, in the 1960s, a cult leader named Charles Manson brought his gang to the abandoned property, using it as a base as they roamed Death Valley in dune buggies. Its location in a remote area of the National Park, surrounded by boulders, made Barker Ranch an ideal hideout as the Manson "family" went on a killing spree in Los Angeles, including the murder of pregnant actress Sharon Tate in 1969.

But it was here at Barker Ranch that Manson was found a few months later, hiding in a bathroom cupboard, and arrested by the county sheriff on vandalism charges. Only afterwards was it discovered what a dangerous criminal had been apprehended.

Its simple rock and cement walls and tin roof are not much to look at, but Barker Ranch has been a popular tourist attraction ever since. Unfortunately, it was gutted by fire in May 2009. Its garage/workroom was destroyed, and the infamous cupboard no longer exists. Walking inside the ruins is now prohibited for safety reasons, too.