Moab Museum of Film and Western Heritage

The Red Cliffs Lodge and Moab Film and Western Heritage Museum are part of Red Cliffs Ranch. The ranch was settled in the late 1800s and has been a working ranch ever since—raising cattle and horses to this day. While cattle raising has been a major part of the ranch history, filmmaking has also been extremely important. Many films have been shot right here at Red Cliffs Ranch (formerly White’s Ranch), and displays and photos tell of the colorful cowboy life—past and present. In the late 1940s the legendary John Ford discovered the rugged beauty of Moab’s Canyonlands and filmed the first of many movies here. The first major motion pictures filmed in the Moab area were set on Red Cliffs Ranch. Wagon Master, Rio Grande, Son of Cochise, Warlock, The Commancheros, Cheyenne Autumn, and many others used the ranch and its magnificent scenery as a backdrop. John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Ben Johnson, Rock Hudson, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn, Lee Marvin, Richard Widmark, James Stewart, and Richard Boone have all worked on location here at Red Cliffs Ranch. More recently Geronimo, City Slickers, Thelma and Louise, along with other movies and more than 100 commercials, have all used the Moab area as a location. The Moab Museum Film and Western Heritage Museum houses memorabilia from the early films to the present and is ever changing. Movie and western ranching themes are present throughout the resort. The museum is self-guided and open to the public daily at no charge. Come enjoy our displays of early cowboy ranching and local movie memorabilia.