Located just outside Santa Fe, Bonanza Creek Ranch provides cinematic versatility for directors, producers, and location scouts seeking natural light, open skies, and timeless Western architecture. At the 2020 United States census, there were 4,406 people, 1,220 households, and 885 families residing in the CDP. Bonanza “the official first season” was released in Scandinavia during 2010.
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Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch
The original plan was to open the set to tourists once filming had wrapped. However, shuttling cast and crew up to Incline Village on a weekly basis became cost-prohibitive. A majority of ranch-specific scenes were shot on a sound stage at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.
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. Action-shot pictorials of the cast replaced the galloping trio with the order of the actors rotating from episode to episode, resulting in Blocker or Landon often getting top billing over Greene. Finally, a faster rendition of the original music returned for the 14th and final season, along with action shots of the cast (sans Dan Blocker, who had died by this point). Only the front of the ranch house was ever shown on television because a highway ran directly to the right of the house.
David Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to offset Hoss’ absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was added in an attempt to lure younger viewers. Griff, in prison for nearly killing his abusive stepfather, was paroled into Ben’s custody and given a job as a ranch hand. 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. The ranch name refers to the Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine), common in the West. The nearest town to the Ponderosa was Virginia City, where the Cartwrights would go to converse with Sheriff Roy Coffee (played by veteran actor Ray Teal), or his deputy Clem Foster (Bing Russell).
The Ponderosa experience
Graves of the Cartwrights and cook Hop Sing were later added, following the deaths of Dan Blocker (1972), Victor Sen Yung (1980), Lorne Greene (1987), and Michael Landon (1991). 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. These include Silverado and A Million Ways to Die in the West. The TV show Kid Nation was also filmed there in 2007.
Themes
The name “Bonanza” means “prosperity” or “rich ore pocket” in Spanish. It was one of many towns that started after valuable minerals were found. 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.
- In the 1970 Bonanza episode “The Night Virginia City Died”, Deputy Clem Foster’s pyromaniac fiancée leveled the town in a series of fires.
- Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV (now Ion TV)’s decision to hire Beth Sullivan, formerly of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, which some believe gave the series more depth as well as a softer edge.
- Bonanza was considered an atypical Western for its time, as the core of the storylines dealt less about the range but more with Ben and his three dissimilar sons, how they cared for one another, their neighbors and just causes.
- The Hop Sing character is depicted not only as a cook but also a family counselor and herbal healer.
- Bonanza City is a ghost town in New Mexico, 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Santa Fe.
Demography of Bonanza
- All episodes have been digitally remastered from original 35 mm film elements to yield the best picture and sound quality possible with current technology.
- Portions of the last five seasons of the TV series and three television films were also filmed at that location.
- In the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish took over the area.
- During the first season extra horses were rented from the Idyllwild Stables in Idyllwild, also in the San Jacinto Mountains.
- Episodes that were filmed entirely or in part at the ranch bear a title plate at the end of the credits.
- 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.
After moving to Lake Tahoe, the opening sequence with theme music was filmed on the east side of Lake Tahoe in Bourne’s meadow near Round Hill, Nevada. During the first season extra horses were rented from the Idyllwild Stables in Idyllwild, also in the San Jacinto Mountains. The first Virginia City set was used on the show until 1970 and was located on a backlot at Paramount and featured in episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel, Mannix and The Brady Bunch. In the 1970 premiere episode of the 12th season titled “The Night Virginia City Died”, Deputy Clem Foster’s pyromaniac fiancée levels the town in a series of fires (reflecting a real 1875 fire that destroyed three-quarters of Virginia City).
Cast
For 14 years, Bonanza was the premier Western on American television. Reruns of the series have aired on several cable networks such as TV Land, INSP, Family Channel, the Hallmark Channel and Great American Faith & Living. The program’s Nevada set, the Ponderosa Ranch house, was recreated in Incline Village, Nevada, in 1967, and remained a tourist attraction until its sale thirty-seven years later in September 2004. This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in at least one season of the series. Though the population is speculated to have reached 2000, the only recorded number is 200 residents in 1884. There are 1 bank branches in Bonanza.Farmers Bank is the most popular bank in Bonanza with 1 branch offices.
For over 70 years, Bonanza Creek Ranch has served as a premier movie ranch and film location in New Mexico, featured in more than 150 films, television shows, and commercials. This privately owned, production-ready location spans thousands of acres of uninterrupted Southwestern landscape, offering eight distinct sets, including an authentic Western Town, a Spanish Fort, and historic homesteads. In 2001, there was an attempt to revive the Bonanza concept with a prequel, Ponderosa—not to be confused with the 1972 summer reruns under the same title6—with a pilot directed by Simon Wincer and filmed in Australia. Covering the time when the Cartwrights first arrived at the Ponderosa, when Adam and Hoss were teenagers and Joe a little boy, the series lasted 20 episodes and featured less gunfire and brawling than the original. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV (now Ion TV)’s decision to hire Beth Sullivan, formerly of Dr. Quinn, Bonanza City Medicine Woman, which some believe gave the series more depth as well as a softer edge.