In the TV series "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman," Michaela Quinn travels from cosmopolitan Boston in 1867 to live in the rustic, limited surroundings of Colorado Springs. The residents are filled with prejudices, based on race, cultural heritage, and religious beliefs. But the first and biggest hurdle she must overcome is their reluctance to be treated by a female physician. Once she helps them overcome their preconceived notions of what a doctor can and should be, she urges them to take another look at all their other prejudices.
In April last year, my wife and I visited Paramount Ranch in southern California, where the series was filmed. We set our chairs up in "Grace's Kitchen," the outdoor restaurant where a former slave fed her primarily Caucasian customers. We spent a quiet hour or two sketching, then took a wander around the town.
We found the set surprisingly small, considering the crew filmed 149 episodes here over six heartwarming seasons, plus two TV movies. We also noticed the buildings had been changed from the 1990s, when "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" was shot. This was because the buildings were just props, and Paramount allowed other production companies to make movies and TV shows there. The "town" not only held the history of its prior productions, but continued to serve the public by becoming part of new and exciting stories.
We walked across a small footbridge, and set up our chairs in a flat area where Ingrid and her fellow European refugees set up their camp outside town. While we enjoyed our lunch, a family held a children's party in a nearby pavilion. At one point, several adults arrived with horses, and whisked the children off into the surrounding hills for an exciting Western adventure.
We always planned to return there, but life and circumstances got in the way. Last week, a wildfire rolled through the town, destroying this rich piece of Hollywood history. Thankfully, set a little outside town, the church in which the Reverend fought to allow Grace and Robert E. to marry, and worship therein, still stands.
Was Someone watching over the humble center of worship, and sheltering it from the flames that ravaged the general store, barbershop, and saloon, as well as Dr. Quinn's surgery? One thing I know for certain. A part of California's cultural history was wiped out, and can never be replaced.
Dragon Dave