Several episodes were built around his character, one that Matheson never had a chance to fully develop before the show was abruptly cancelled in November 1972 (with the final episode airing January 16, 1973). Many fans, as well as both Landon and Greene, felt that the character of Hoss was essential, as he was a nurturing, empathetic soul who rounded out the all-male cast. In 1968, a slightly revamped horn and percussion-heavy arrangement of the original score introduced the series, which was used until 1970. A new theme song, called “The Big Bonanza” was written in 1970 by episode scorer David Rose, and was used from 1970 to 1972.
Use as a filming location
The TV show Kid Nation was also filmed there in 2007. They tried to rebuild a pretend version of Bonanza City. They aimed to fix the mistakes of the original town’s people.
- A movie set (Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch) was built near the remains and has been used for several films.
- Near the main house were sculptures of the horses ridden by Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon that visitors could have their pictures taken either on or alongside of.
- The ranch where the best-known opening sequence was shot was located near Lake Tahoe, Nevada—just as the Ponderosa was.
- Location shots from around Nevada were included, however, to add realism and style to the colour TV Western.
- A majority of ranch-specific scenes were shot on a sound stage at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.
- This happened because Bonanza did not produce enough ore.
Bonanza City Casino
In the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish took over the area. They made Pueblo people work as slaves to mine turquoise, lead, and silver. The Cerrillos Hills are a group of hills in New Mexico. These include silver, gold, lead, copper, and turquoise. Near the main house were sculptures of the horses ridden by Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon that visitors could have their pictures taken either on or alongside of. The park also had a church that could be reserved for weddings near the church where the grave markers are located.
List the top facts about Bonanza City, New Mexico
Though not familiar stars in 1959, the cast quickly became favorites of the first television generation. The order of billing at the beginning of the broadcast appeared to be shuffled randomly each week, with no relation whatsoever to the current episode featured that week. For 14 years, Bonanza was the premier Western on American television.
- In 1968, a slightly revamped horn and percussion-heavy arrangement of the original score introduced the series, which was used until 1970.
- Copies of the “Ponderosa Map”, autographed by three of the Cartwrights, became souvenirs at the ranch for decades afterward, along with tin cups bearing their likenesses.
- Currently, Bonanza Ventures, Inc. grants merchandising and licensing rights worldwide.
- Though not familiar stars in 1959, the cast quickly became favorites of the first television generation.
- The opening scene for the first season was shot at Lake Hemet, a reservoir in the San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California, and later moved to Lake Tahoe.
TV origins of the fictional Ponderosa Ranch
The house contained a less-than-realistic carved figure of Ben Cartwright sitting at his desk, and of Hop Sing working in the kitchen. The only parts of the house that actually existed were the living room, dining room, kitchen, and office. The stairs led nowhere, as the “bedrooms” were actually located on a sound stage in Hollywood. Parking for visitors was at the highway level; only official vehicles, such as the park’s Conestoga wagons, were allowed at the top of the ridge, where the park was located. Depending on the time of day, a park visit could include breakfast.
The name “Bonanza” means “prosperity” or “rich ore pocket” in Spanish. It was one of many towns that started after valuable minerals were found. Long ago, the Puebloans mined for turquoise in these hills.
Get in touch with us through our contact form for access to our production resource library, including extensive set photos, video footage, and additional information about the property’s key filming locations. We’re happy to share more detailed materials upon request to support your project planning. When the ranch opened in 1967, Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright) had long since departed the series. Consequently, he was not featured in Ponderosa’s promotional campaign until after the show’s initial run.
Background and production
Bonanza City is a ghost town, located 13 miles southwest of Santa Fe in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. The town was founded in 1880 as a mining town, following the discovery of gold and silver in the nearby Cerrillos Hills. It was later abandoned sometime in the early 1900s. Later in the twentieth century, The Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, which contains a movie set depicting a late 19th century mining town, was built near the ruins of Bonanza City. The Pueblo have mined for turquoise in the hills as early as the 900s AD. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the colonizing Spanish used Pueblo slave labor to mine turquoise, as well Bonanza City as lead and silver.
It is scheduled to restart in January 2023, but not in New Mexico. Occasionally, this wasn’t the case, as in the opening sequence or when Bonanza shot two-part 1966 episode “The Pursued” at Anchor Ranch, Lone Pine, California. But for the most part, Bonanza was filmed at Paramount studio backlots in Hollywood, where the “Western street” and interior and exterior settings were created. Location shots from around Nevada were included, however, to add realism and style to the colour TV Western.
Lunch, including a “Hoss Burger”, could also be purchased. Estimates are that more than three million of these were sold during the park’s existence. You may never have noticed Bonanza’s system of location work and set-dressing magic. But the long-running NBC Western made use of California sets, stock footage and scenery shots, and a famous Western street on a Paramount backlot—also used for other Western TV series of the era, including Have Gun-Will Travel and Branded. In the episode “Enter Thomas Bowers”, the Cartwright family helps the opera singer Thomas Bowers, an African-American freedman, after he encounters prejudice while in Virginia City to perform. As producer, Dortort ensured that the episode re-aired during the summer rerun seasons, though two TV stations in the South refused to air it.
