The complex is located at 89 East Center Street (U.S. Route 89) in Kanab.

It is known for having hosted many film crews making Westerns, including many famous movie stars.

[2][3] The main building was built in 1892 for Justin Merrill Johnson, the son of Mormon settlers, who lived here with his wife Emma and their five daughters.

[4] In 1928, the main house was purchased by three brothers from Salt Lake City; Chauncey, Gronway, and Whit Parry, and more buildings were erected on the property in 1930 and 1931 as it was turned into a motel-restaurant complex.

[4] The buildings were designed in the American Craftsman and Victorian Eclectic styles.