<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article relies too much on references to primary sources . Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources . (April 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Big Sky Ranch is a movie ranch located in Simi Valley, California, that has a long history of being used for the filming of Western television and film productions . This historic movie ranch is within the Los Angeles Studio Zone and has diverse, natural features such as hills, valleys, and isolated meadows . The area is also used for photography, weddings, and special occasions . The site is part of the 12,500 acres (5,058.57 ha) purchased by the Patterson Ranch Co. in 1903 to raise grain, cattle, hogs and sheep . The Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board designated several of these buildings County Landmark #71 in July 1981 . Many of the sets were destroyed by a wildfire in 2003 . </P> <P> Television episodes and productions filmed there include: Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Father Murphy, Carnivàle, and The Thorn Birds . Other films shot here include Coming to America (1988) starring Eddie Murphy, The Yellow Rose (1983 - 84), Tales from the Crypt (1989--1996), Sidekicks (1974), The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991) and Siringo (1996). </P>

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