OLD WEST GLORY DOES OLD AGUA DULCE THEATER HAVE A GHOST OF A CHANCE?

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

AGUA DULCE - Some say the ghost of Robert Callahan still lives in the small, salmon-colored adobe on Sierra Highway - once a popular roadside tourist attraction called Callahan's Old West, and later the home of the Canyon Theatre Guild.

Tumbleweeds and decaying relics of a bygone era - rusted horseshoes, rotting wagon wheels and fading imitations of American Indian art - surround the vacant building.

Built by Callahan in 1960, the building has evolved from a kitschy roadside slice of Americana to a rustic cultural center that featured Broadway shows in the middle of the desert.

``It's a cute kind of memory of California history gone by,'' said Pat Saletore, a member of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.

Since the theater guild moved into its new home in Newhall last fall, however, the future of this hallmark of local history has been unclear.

Marion Callahan, who was married to the late founder of Callahan's Old West, has put the building up for sale, but so far there has been little interest in the 15-acre site or the structure.

No matter what the future holds, Callahan said, nothing can detract from the building's pivotal place in local history.

In its heyday, Callahan's Old West drew thousands of people every weekend and featured such attractions as mock gunfights, an outdoor bar and picnic area, an Indian museum and stage shows depicting the people and events that shaped western history.

``Our motto was, `We not only entertain you, we educate you,' '' Callahan said. ``And everyone wanted to meet Robert. He knew how to advertise and he knew how to make you like him whether you wanted to or not. He was Mr. Charm.''

Strategically located on Sierra Highway, then the main route between Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley, the tourist attraction was in a prime position to capitalize on America's budding romance with the automobile.

Western television shows and movies also were popular at the time, and the most crowd-pleasing performances at Callahan's were the mock gunfights staged by local stuntmen. But in 1964, one of the shows went terribly wrong.

``One day, a stuntman came in with some blanks filled with buckshot and he shot my whole audience,'' Callahan recalled. ``Everyone was bleeding and I went with them to the hospital, but thankfully all the wounds were superficial and no one was hurt that badly.''

The same year, an argument between a couple at Callahan's Outlaw Saloon resulted in gunfire when the woman shot her husband in the leg.

``The next week, she came back without him and said he was OK,'' Callahan recalled. ``We had all kinds of people there.''

Robert Callahan originally built his tribute to the Old West in the 1930s on Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles. He was forced to move to the Santa Clarita Valley in 1960, however, after a freeway was extended through the city and officials condemned his property.

Several items from the original site were moved to the new location, including an old wooden outhouse and truckloads of Indian artifacts and old gold mining equipment.

Four years after the move, in 1964, Robert Callahan was involved in an accident that left him physically debilitated and sapped his once-boundless energy.

``He left here in a brand new Cadillac full of fruitcakes, dates and cakes for some Newhall city officials and I got a call about an hour later to come identify him,'' Callahan recalled. ``He was hit by a train as he drove over the tracks in Newhall. He lived for 17 years after that, but he was never the same.''

The Callahans kept their tourist spot going for another decade, but eventually began renting it out for parties and other functions.

In 1986, the Canyon Theatre Guild moved in and transformed the site into a cultural hub, featuring plays and musicals that played to packed houses every week.

``It was always surprising to people to come out here and see a full house of people coming to see a Broadway musical in the middle of nowhere,'' said Tim Ben Boydston, artistic director for the guild.

The guild staged its final performance there during last year's Halloween show, ``Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.''

No matter what becomes of the building now, some guild members say the spirit of Robert Callahan will live there forever.

``A lot of strange things have happened there,'' said Marsha McLean, a longtime guild member. ``Doors open and close with no wind, the lighting settings change overnight for no reason, and sometimes you feel something cold brush against your skin. I'm sure Robert is still there and will always be the resident ghost.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Tim Ben Boydston, artistic director of the Canyon Theater Guild, stands with one of the totem poles in front of the old theater, abandoned when the guild opened a new venue in Newhall. Above, this rustic 1960s structure was home to all sorts of entertainment, including mock gunfights and plays that featured characters important to the history of the area.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

(3) Shown is an old photo of Robert Callahan, left, and Marion Callahan, center, founders of Callahan's Old West, which later became the home of the Canyon Theatre Guild.