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Ponderosa Ranch, known as the home of the Cartwright family in the TV series Bonanza, was a symbol of wealth achieved through hard work. The ranch never actually existed, except as a theme park created by Bill and Debbie Anderson in 1967 near Lake Tahoe. The park included replicas of the ranch house, barns, and outdoor fences, and a replica of the Virginia City set. The park closed in 2004, but Ponderosa Ranch remains a true piece of Americana for fans of the show.
Ask almost anyone what Ponderosa Ranch is and the answer will be, “That’s where the Cartwrights lived on Bonanza.” The Ponderosa Ranch was a symbol of the wealth achieved by hard work and an honest living. It’s an American icon, even though it never actually existed, except as a theme park.
The Ponderosa Ranch in the television series Bonanza was allegedly a 600,000 acres (2,400 square kilometers) spread high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and near Lake Tahoe. On horseback, it was supposed to be a two-hour ride to Virginia City, Nevada. The Cartwright family: Patriarch Ben and sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe lived in a sprawling house on the ranch and raised cattle there. The show’s opening credits were filmed on the north shore of Lake Tahoe near Incline Village, Nevada. Some exterior shots were also filmed in and around the area, but most were filmed in rural Southern California.
Ponderosa Ranch became a reality in 1967 when Lake Tahoe residents Bill and Debbie Anderson, having conceived the idea of a Ponderosa to visit, opened a small theme park on their property near Incline Village. The theme park included replicas of the ranch house, barns and outdoor fences, and later, a replica of the Virginia City set used in the series. Some scenes were shot at the theme park, but it was too expensive to get the cast and crew to the park every week, so 99 percent of filming was still done in Southern California.
Visitors to Ponderosa Ranch could see inside the ranch house, with wax figures of Ben and the cook, Hop Sing, at work. They could take a buggy ride to the Virginia City section of the park, where they could pan for gold, visit a haunted house, and even eat a “Hoss burger.” A poignant part of the tour was the cemetery adjacent to the ranch house, which included markers for each of Ben Cartwright’s three wives as well as every cast member who has passed away over the years.
Times change, however, and the Ponderosa Ranch theme park was sold and closed in 2004. The sets were still on the grounds as late as early 2008, so those walking past the entrance could see where the park was. Ponderosa Ranch may have been a fictional place, but those who grew up watching Bonanza and still watch it in reruns consider it a true piece of Americana.
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