Alamo Village was built in the late 1950s for John Wayne’s “The Alamo,” and it has served as the set for subsequent films about the Alamo as well as numerous other productions. It’s also a popular attraction open to visitors seven days a week throughout the year except when it closes for the week in which Christmas falls. It’s open to the public even when filming is under way there. Although few western movies are being made these days, Alamo Village also is utilized for the shooting of music videos and commercials. Reached by a drive of less than three hours from San Antonio, it’s a popular destination for day trips and weekend getaways. Lodging is available at nearby Fort Clark Springs and in the neighboring cities of Uvalde and Del Rio.
John Wayne might be the name most readily associated with Alamo Village, but the man who turned a dream into reality was James T. “Happy” Shahan. Alamo Village is located on the 18,000-acre Shahan Ranch, and though Happy died in 1996, his family carries on his legacy. His dream can be traced back to Happy’s election as mayor of Brackettville in 1950. The town’s economy was depressed, and its population was dwindling after the U.S. Army closed Fort Clark in 1946. Happy hit upon the idea of bringing moviemakers to the Brackettville area, and he spent 10 days in Los Angeles visiting all the major studios. He found a producer at Paramount Pictures who had been stationed at Fort Clark while serving in the Army, and the producer apparently agreed with Happy about its suitability for location filming.
Paramount’s production “Arrowhead” (1953) starred Charlton Heston, Jack Palance and Brian Keith. In the western still frequenting aired on cable TV channels, Heston portrays a scout for the U.S. Cavalry, and Jack Palance plays an Apache who’s educated by Americans but forsakes “civilized” life to lead his people on the “war path.” Keith portrays the Army officer leading troops in pursuit of the Apaches. Some of the Fort Clark buildings seen in “Arrowhead” look the same today as they did in the early 1950s when the movie was filmed.
