George Spahn, an old man whom lived and owned the ranch decided to allow Charles Manson and his 'family' to move in, rent-free, in exchange for helping out on the ranch. Manson and his family did daily chores and helped run the horse rental business, which had become Spahn's main source of income. One of the Manson girls, Lynette Fromme, would take care of George Spahn, who was half blind, needed and appreciated the assistance. George Spahn was never accused of any involvement in the crimes for which members of the Family were later convicted, the most infamous being the Tate-LaBianca murders committed on August 9th and 10th, 1969. In the months after, a documentary film creator named Robert Hendrickson began filming the Manson Family at the ranch for his documentary film "Manson". There he filmed George Spahn, Lynette Fromme, Nancy Pittman, Catherine Share, Sandra Good, Paul Watkins and many others. It is the place where the 'family' lived while committing the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles. A wildfire destroyed all of the Spahn Movie Ranch film set and building on September 26, 1970. The owner, George Spahn died on September 22, 1974. 