May 19th, 2012 General Meeting @ Ridgecrest, CA View Calendar Read our Blog or view Photos by clicking below:     The Death Valley '49ers started as a non-profit organization in 1949 with members from Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. They worked in cooperation with the California Centennials Commission to present the spectacular Death Valley Centennial Celebration pageant in Desolation Canyon on December 3, 1949. Thousands of posters were made to advertise the event. The original planners had grandstand seating for 5000 but more than 65,000 people showed up - it was a huge success! The pageant included reenactments of events of 1849 with music by Ferde Grofe and the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. The narration of all the proceedings was given by James Stewart, the actor. The orchestra played from the hillside as the wagons and costumed actors played out the events on the canyon floor. The overflow crowd stood on the hillside to watch. Cars were backed up on the highway for miles, lined four across, with people setting up camp right where they ended up stopping. As one of the Founding Death Valley '49ers said, "Tens of thousands of visitors have been thrilled to see Death Valley's awesome beauty and to learn about the heroic pioneers of a century ago". linked images courtesy of www.Life.com