If you've ever sat down and watched a Western, then you've seen the influence of Gilbert "Broncho Billy" Anderson. Long before Hollywood became the movie capital of the world, Broncho Billy began laying the groundwork in Chicago. He starred in The Great Train Robbery (1903), became the world's first Western movie star, co-founded Essanay Studios, and helped shape the vision of filmmaking as we know it today. His impact on cinema was so significant that he received an Honorary Academy Award in 1958 for his pioneering contributions to the motion picture industry.

For someone who gave so much to film history, it's sad to think that Broncho Billy and his wife, Mollie, don't currently have a place where anyone can visit them. Their cremated remains are currently stored in an underground vault at Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles, an area that is closed to the public. This fundraiser will change that. Our goal is to move them to two adjoining niches upstairs, where they can finally rest together and where fans from around the world can stop by to pay their respects. The funds raised will cover the purchase of the two niches, the disinterment and reinterment of both Gilbert and Mollie, and two engraved nameplates. This has been a long time coming, and I'm so excited that we finally have the opportunity to give two of Hollywood's earliest pioneers the lasting tribute they deserve.