Who is Pancho Barnes

Thaddeus Lowe was an inventive soul. Not only was he the famed balloonist who demonstrated how balloons could be a critical component of battlefield reconnaissance to Abraham Lincoln, but he invented, among other things, an artificial ice machine that allowed long distance transport of perishable goods.

Most likely, Lowe's favorite creation was the spirit of his granddaughter, Florence. Florence (Pancho) Barnes. Florence was a bundle of energy and curiosity that wouldn't be tied down by the lash of her Mother's desire to be a prim and proper young lady. No, her grandfather taught her better, ever pushing her envelope for knowledge and adventure.

Part of her extremely wealthy upbringing involved horseback riding. She was trained by the best of the best and was comfortable in the saddle by the age of three. She had won her first trophy at the age of 5 in the First Annual Pasadena Horse show. Her mother directed Florence in being socially conscious by having her learn needlework, painting, music, and dance.

All this was wasted, to be sure, because Florence loved adventure more than anything else. Her family could not control her urges, no matter what they tried. She would often ride her favorite horse to Laguna and meet a friend named Peggy Bixby. The 2 would ride on into Mexico. After a few of these excursions, Florence's mother had her shipped off to the Roman Convent. Her mother was hoping that the strict Catholic school would temper the girl's wild side. Florence didn't respond to this, so her mother had her enrolled in the Bishop's School in LaJolla. Florence graduated high school from there and went on to study art at the Stickney School of Art in Pasadena where she studied painting.

Attempting to further her influence on Florence, Florence's mother had arranged for her daughter to meet a bachelor pastor from a local Episcopalian church. Rankin Barnes and Florence Lowe dated for a year before they were married, and Florence showed signs of settling down.

Of course that is exactly what it was, a show.

FFlorence's marriage to Rankin Barnes was one of document only. During her marriage Florence traveled, more like adventured, the United States and Mexico extensively. On one such trip to Mexico, she thought she was jumping a banana boat and was so elated when she found out the boat was actually running guns to Mexican revolutionaries, that she joined the cause. It was also on this trip that she was christened "Pancho" by her traveling companion, Don Chute.

When she returned from that trip, Pancho learned that a cousin of hers was getting his pilot's license. This motivated her to get training and attempt to get her license as well. Just another seed sewn by grandfather Thadeus who told her when she nine years old that someday the two of them would own a plane.

Pancho got a license, plane AND a private landing strip at her mansion in Laguna. Then she played on the barnstorming circuit. Every Barnstormer had to have a hook to distinguish themselves from the rest, and Pancho had one of the most unique. She teamed up with an extremely dashing parachutist named Slim. Slim would cruise the audience for young women and try to entice them into a ride with Pancho and himself. Of course the passenger was equipped with a parachute, because safety was first you know. Once in the air and well into an enjoyable flight, Slim would push the passenger from the aircraft, pulling the ripcord as the unsuspecting girl tumbled away from the craft. Fortunately for Barnes and Slim, no girl was ever harmed during this stunt.

Pancho Barnes actually was very serious about flying. She became a top notch pilot and an expert mechanic. It's just that, well you should know by now, she had a playful side about her. Having assembled a flying act named Pancho Barnes' Mystery Flying Circus, she often buzzed her husband's dignified church services on Sunday mornings on the way out to whatever locale her show was being held.

Pancho's sights were turned to racing. She became well respected and won a few races on the women's racing circuit. This jaunt through air racing wasn't always rosy. In one of the earliest Powder Puff air races that ran from Santa Monica and Cleveland, Pancho had a bit of a problem when she landed, or attempted to, at Pecos, Texas.

The undisciplined standards that permeated the flying world struck Pancho and struck her hard. While setting her aircraft down, she hit a truck that was allowed to operation the runway. Although she walked away from the wreckage, her plane was totaled. Undaunted, Pancho continued air races and one time wrested the speed record for women from Amelia Earhart.

Again the free spirit of Pancho overtook her and she became bored with racing. It was Hollywood's turn to experience the playfulness of Pancho Barnes. Well, for the second time. Some of her disappearing acts in her débutante years included volleys into Hollywood where she got minor jobs such as script girl, although she did serve as a double in some of the horseback scenes for the movie serial Rin Tin Tin.

Her second journey into Hollywood came while in the pilot's seat. She worked as technical adviser on the movie Flying Fool. It was soon afterwards that Pancho formed a company and hired three pilots. She convinced the studios that they needed to hire her 'ready for work' pilots rather than depend on the hit or miss independent fliers.

This was the zenith of her high society lifestyle. Talking movies were making their way and stars were being displaced. Pancho's old contacts were out of work. The Great Depression was growing deeper and her inheritance dwindling due to mismanagement, Pancho traded her last real asset, a small apartment in Hollywood, for a ranch in the Mojave desert.

Don't believe for a second that she was a woman on her own trying to scratch out a living on a high desert ranch. No such romanticism here. She had in her employ a foreman and his team of ranchers to raise alfalfa, tend to livestock, and rear horses. Oh yeah, she had a plane too. She would fly over the mountains to visit with her old friends and connections.

Her 80 acre ranch was adjacent to March Army Air Base. Before long, milk and pork from Pancho's ranch began showing up in the mess halls at the base. She also won a contract to remove the installation's garbage, much of which was recycled back into her hog operations.

Before long, her ranch was suppling the entire valley with milk and pork. With what remained of the family's fortune she improved the ranch by adding acreage (up to 378 from 80), enlarging the ranch house, and installing a swimming pool. She also officially finally shed her marriage.

As war clouds loomed in the late 1930's the Army installation grew tremendously. And Pancho was right there in the thick of it. By offering the use of her swimming pool to off duty fliers, feeding them, and letting them ride her horses for recreation, Pancho became the 'Hostess Of The Desert'.

The post war era brought about an ever growing March Air Base. Renamed Edwards and then becoming the home of pilot training for the future of air flight. As you may suspect by now, Pancho Barnes saw that she had the stranglehold on relaxation and recreation in the desert. As the ranks grew at the base, so did the ranch complex. A dance hall, restaurant, two bars, and a hotel soon sprouted on the ranch named Oro Verde. That was the official name of the place, but most everyone called it the Happy Bottoms Ranch.

Military celebs were plentiful. Three star general Doolittle (a flying buddy of Barnes' from the past) and Chuck Yeager are just two of the many who frequented the ranch. Times were golden for Pancho.

Then a change came over the military. The expansion of the base brought it right up to the ranch and the Air Force wanted more. The generation of young pilots in the straight laced 1950's often were married and had families in their mid twenties. Happy Bottoms Ranch was losing its luster, and what's more, the Air Force began a smear campaign against the Barnes and the ranch.

In the middle of all this, the complex mysteriously caught fire and burned to the ground.

The end was at hand, but Pancho did win a lawsuit against the Air Force and vowed to return to the desert in full force. But, her dreams dwindled as did her settlement because as we all know, good lawyers ain't cheap.

Florence "Pancho" Lowe Barnes died alone in 1975.

I have a friend who is a self made millionaire and could have very well tasted the fruits of her parent's wealth. But she is of the mindset that she had to earn her own way through life. And she's doing just that. Her work hours are incredible, but she finds time to cut loose. Not to the extent of Pancho Barnes, but Debra could (and has in the past), hang with the upper crust, but she would rather run with the salt of the earth.

In this, she rejects what is expected of her by society and she is happier for it.

A funny story about all of this. Her sister came to visit and talked Debra into going camping at Shawnee State Park, Ohio's most beautiful park. So, Debra packed her Mercedes station wagon and away they went. Debra was beaming when she told me this story about how they actually cooked their meals over an open flame, and ate off of her good china.

I laughed. A Mercedes station wagon AND good china at a campground?!!??

She's got some learning to do, but she'll do fine.

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