where was the cowboys with john wayne filmed

“The Cowboys” starring John Wayne was filmed across several Western U.S. locations, mainly in Colorado , New Mexico , Arizona , and at studio sets in California.

Main filming locations

• Colorado: Castle Rock, Durango, Pagosa Springs, and Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway near Cañon City were key outdoor cattle-drive and ranch backdrops.

• New Mexico: Chama, Galisteo, San Cristobal Ranch near Lamy, Bonanza Creek Ranch, and Eaves Movie Ranch near Santa Fe provided many of the trail and ranch sequences.

• Arizona: Empire Ranch (near Sonoita), Hereford, Elgin, Sonoita, and Coconino National Forest were used for additional range and riding scenes.

• California (studio work): Several interior and town-set scenes were done on the Western street and soundstages (Stages 12, 18, 19) at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank.

Quick Scoop

• Story setting: The film’s story centers on a cattle drive starting from around Bozeman, Montana, but those “Montana” scenes were actually shot mostly in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

• Iconic ranch/town looks: Places like Buckskin Joe and the New Mexico movie ranches were popular Western backdrops in many 20th‑century films, which is why they may look familiar beyond The Cowboys.

TL;DR: “The Cowboys with John Wayne” was not filmed in Montana but across Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, plus some soundstage work in Burbank, California.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.