The Ponderosa Ranch/ Bonanza House

Back in August of 1999 I visited The Ponderosa Ranch in Incline Village Nevada. I shot some video at the time and it never went further than that... until a few years ago when I sat down and edited the footage and posted it here on KZbin as one of my "3 Minutes" videos. That video has since garnered over 50K views and is my most popular video. Now, since it's been so popular, I decided to expand on the subject and include a little bit of history about The Ponderosa Ranch attraction that was located at Lake Tahoe's Incline Village Nevada. I also re-edited my footage to shooting order.
Enjoy!
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Vintage video location content shot using a Canon XL 1 (mini DV) camcorder
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[@margiecasado9310]

That ranch was fantastic and I visited there twice. The area was a slice of heaven and should have never been torn down 😢

[@susanboyd245]

It's really sad it was torn down 😢

[@robertschultz6922]

It’s not torn down, just moved to a new location in Elko county

[@happyhippie2853]

The ranch was relocated

[@krisa8649]

Too bad the town and ranch wasn't around when Yellowstone came out, it would have been stood a better chance. What a beautiful location, somebody probably has a really nice McMansion on the property now.

[@daves6220]

We lived near the Incline Village Ponderosa, enjoyed going there many times and I met Lorne Green.

[@genedelalla8119]

I flew out to California in 1971 to be best man at my buddy's wedding (we are both Vietnam vets)... one of the places we visited was the Bonanza ranch at Incline Village... I remember I had Hoss burgers and beans! Here's the cute part.... I had a soft serve on a cone, as I was walking up the pathway there was a stone wall, and on that wall was a chipmunk. I stopped right at that spot... The fearless creature then jumped down off the wall, stood right at my feet and begged for a piece of my cone! No lie! I gave it to him, he immediately jumped up back on the wall... Lo and behold, unbeknownst to the little guy, a squirrel was lurking above him looking at that piece of cone. He jumped down and stole the cone from the chipmunk! Again, this is a true story!!

[@queserasera1674]

First, thank you for your service and second, thank you for sharing your cone with the chipmunk. You are a blessing to this world.

[@jdrakeh]

My grandpa loved this show. I have fond memories of watching Bonanza with him when I was kid.

[@pauljw7697]

As a child, it was mandatory all the family gather around the TV & watch Bonanza every Sunday evening at 8PM. And not one word was to be spoken until a commercial came on. My parents did not miss any episodes. In fact, my father loved that show so much, he & my mother made a visit to the Pondarosa ranch tourist attraction back in the late 1960's. He was very disappointed to learn that it was only a set and not where the show was filmed. And it was a big letdown to learn Lake Tahoe did not border the southern side of the property as shown on a map in the show's introduction. The show was all through the magic of Hollywood. Back in the day when Chevrolet would run their "new model year" commercials that were up to 4 minutes long, or so. Gee, as a kid, I survived the Lawrence Welk show every Saturday evening followed by Bonanza every Sunday. And I grew up just fine.

[@czechmate6916]

It was the same way growing up in my parents home and we all turned out fine also. I think we need to get all of these shows back on tv and do it all over again. Make tv great again.

[@pauljw7697]

@@czechmate6916 We all learned values watching Bonanza & certain other TV shows. We learned right from wrong, how to conduct ourselves in society & interact with others. It was a very subtle way of teaching viewers & it worked. Each episode taught something to all of us.

[@kingboagart899]

It was a little bit different in my neighborhood. By 8:00 Sunday all of our parents would already be so liquored up that invariably there would have already been the real life drama of a wife beating, car through a yard, neighborhood brawl, or a toddler on the way to the ER due to some lack of supervision. Us kids in the cul-de-sac couldn't have watched bonanza if we wanted to. Saw the reruns a number of years later though.

[@czechmate6916]

@@pauljw7697 Yes sir it did. I hope everyone here has a wonderful day.

[@Cmxx1v]

Back in the good old days, and the commercials weren’t many or very long

[@terryderush2657]

I've just got to say. That this is sad as hell. I would have loved to seen this before it was destroyed. But thank for sharing this with us. 👍

[@alanhall4226]

My family and I went to the ranch in the summer of 1970. Is was full and we did not get a chance to go in. I moved to Lake Tahoe in late 2004 and was excited to finally go to the ranch. My family had always watched Bonanza on TV and even bought a Bonanza travel trailer prior to our trip in the 70's. To my dismay, after all of those years, the ranch had just been closed for development. My loss.

[@glennnisidio2813]

I lived in Incline Village for 12 years starting in 1968, I went to Ponderosa in 69 for my first time and so many times in the years following that I couldn't tell you, since I lived there I knew all the tricks to get in and being a kid I didn't care about rules, I snuck in, never paid. loads of fun.

[@ellonysman]

Yep, part of our lives when we watched the classics. Oh well, everything changes as we will be gone too. Life is good, enjoy it while you can.

[@RealJohnWayne]

We visited the House in 1984, great to see!

[@jsmcguireIII]

We took our two boys there a few times in the early 1990's and we all had a great time. Tahoe has changed so much since then it is sad.

[@Nightwriter9331]

Probably my dad's favorite show -- we watched it in Spanish!!! Even though it's been over 40 years, I can still hear my dad's excitement... "Vamos--va a empezar Bonanza!!"

[@LoneRanger-kk4mi]

I visited the Ponderosa ranch 4 times when I was growing up. Back in the late 60's. It was a great experience walking around where they filmed Bonanza. I had a silver tin cup that I got when my mom bought me a coke from the saloon. Lake Tahoe was very beautiful lots of fresh air. Lots of pine trees. The good old days.

[@Richard-m8s3s]

Howdy Ron!! - I have enjoyed Bonanza since i was a child back in the early 1960's . VERY!! SAD!! 👀😭that it's all gone now. BUT!!! wait!!!....we have the first ten years of BONANZA on DVD so far 👀❤. Thank you for your visit to the house back in 1999 to film inside and out 👀❤. So Long from Canada 🤠 - 4/19/2024

[@AngelCatBaby]

I really appreciate you showing this, I love it, I just wish I could have had the chance to have seen it in person. This would’ve been fun to see. I love going to museums and old western towns showing memorabilia and other artifacts from historical places of the eras. It’s a good history lesson and experience. This brings back good memories of when TV had better morals and showing how we should treat people with dignity and respect, no matter what status in life we are at. Even though times were hard on my family, Bonanza was one of my family’s favorite shows, including other westerns that were a big part of our lives then. We never owned a color television set until the late 60’s and when the moon landing was shown….my parents were approaching their 60th birthday then. Thank you for showing this. It’s a real shame that they tore it down, I would have loved to have owned a home like the Ponderosa ranch house, my type of home. 👍❤️🙏🏼😥

[@williammay5532]

That's something that should have been advertised. This would be a great trip for a family.

[@garybelew7813]

My wife and I went to Tahoe for our 2nd anniversary in 2004, the week after they closed this place.. We were really disappointed that we didn't get to go. Since we are older, we both grew up watching Bonanza and knew others that had gone to this attraction..

[@tomcaldwell5750]

Thank you for documenting the ponderosa ranch from the bonanza TV show.

[@jeanmarie4462]

A wonderful presentation of what I would have considered an historic building. I didn't even know it was there or I would have liked to have seen it. Although I did go on a trail ride along the rim of Lake Tahoe almost 40 years ago with some of my family, I really would have enjoyed seeing the Ponderosa Ranch house had we known it was there.

[@RyanCarroll-rx3od]

I visited the ranch on January 1 2004 with my new wife and my brother and his family. It was obviously closed for the winter and the workers present told us it opened back in may I think. We were planning to come back that summer but it never reopened and I was one sad feller since I had such fond memories of growing up watching this show in syndication with my dad when he got home from work in the late 70s I still watch this show today on insp and tv land and it brings back great memories

[@Rancher665]

Visited The Ponderosa in the late 60's/early 70's. Was so much fun! Wandered around all the buildings, had a 'drink' in the Saloon. It wasn't crowded at all and a beautiful day to boot. Too bad it didn't survive - it was classic. Thanks for the video.

[@JudyAmey]

That was cool & sad at the same time! My family watched & loved Bonanza! Good shows back then! Thank you for the walk down memory lane!

[@weshawkins7165]

I watch the show as a kid in the 60’s and went there several times in the early 80’s. It’s sad to see it all torn down now. In my late 60’s now and I watch the reruns all the time. Better than anything else Hollywood has come out with in the last 40 years.

[@MexicoDigDoctor]

Thanks for this. My parents would never stop, with the pretense that it wasn't the actual one. Truth was, they were just in too big a hurry to get to the CalNeva to drink and gamble. I didn't mind too much because the hotel has a pool with the state line marked at the bottom, so you can swim from California to Nevada and back in just a couple of minutes! Great old times.

[@FirstnameLamename]

So much goes into a thing, when a generation values it, and when generations change, things get re-evaluated. RIP Bonanza.

[@cindeeblake2739]

So sad it is gone. Good memories are valuable now days

[@candyr7299]

Thank you for this. I still watch Bonanza every day.

[@MGMidget73]

Bad memories, came on Sunday evening which I associated with going to school the next day. Associate the intro music with that to this day. Child hood ptsd😂

[@unaturley3062]

I have that cup, letter opener. The stage coach trip up the wooded hill was fun. Relics of antique fireengines lined the road.

[@calsurflance5598]

My wife was a huge Bonanza fan. We finally got to go there one week before it closed permanently. Unfortunately they had run out of Hoss burgers. As I comment here I’m looking at the tin cup in the China cabinet. I did not realize the house had been torn down. A physician I used to work with who owned property nearby told me, that the man who bought it did so , so his wife could ride her horses on the Ponderosa.😕

[@theburtseoni]

It's a crying shame that the Bonanza Ranch is no longer available at Incline Village. I took the family there several times in the '80's and we all have very fond memories of those visits!

[@StokedToker]

Went there as a kid, was a neat experience.

[@RVGuy1959]

Sad to watch but it brings back wonderful memories from my childhood and eventually my own children visiting the ranch.

[@Bernie5172]

the greatest TV Series ever made . sad that they are all gone

[@jeffdriver3000]

My grandparents took my sister and me there in the late 60's

[@jimilee4609]

Very Cool Great Job👍 Thank You For Sharing 👍😊

[@patriotr.behnke3086]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing 🤠🇺🇸

[@billbaker4970]

I walked through the Ponderosa house in 1975 or 76. I was in Calf. then for my Army duties.

[@Rock_Snob]

I got married in the chapel on the Ponderosa Ranch 30 years ago, it was cool they picked us up in a classic Rolls convertible at the gate, took our Wedding pictures at the old style photo gallery & even played the theme to Bonanza as we walked out of the chapel. I even rented a floor on the “Tahoe Queen ” on Lake Tahoe for our wedding reception 😊 Good times!

[@r1.454]

Have to ask. R u still married

[@Rock_Snob]

@@r1.454 Nah, I got closed down just like the Ponderosa Ranch! 😂

[@scbeer1]

My wife and I got married in the Ponderosa Ranch Chapel in August of 1999. They played the theme music from Bonanza as we exited the chapel!

[@mikerapp8163]

I visited the ranch in the 90’s. I was particularly taken by HopSings kitchen in a different part of the house. Even though there wasn’t a second floor (the stairs went to nowhere) the ranch was meticulously kept. There were also passages for the camera crews behind the living room. I still have the tin cups and Ponderosa ranch map. The property is some of the most expense real estate in the Country. Not surprised the owners sold out.

[@RonHamill818]

The kitchen was in the approximately the same place. It changed over time on the show.

[@cspencer3421]

I went to this place myself in my youth was really fun. When I took my young children there in the 90s I'm not surprised it closed some of the absolute rudest employees of any amusement type place I've ever visited in my life. One of them actually complained about all these people coming up to the mountains. Sad it closed but you got to express to your employees that tourists fund the place.

[@garycarmain1758]

RON; GREAT VIEDO ‼️👍

[@LuckyBaldwin777]

I was living in Tahoe when the Ponderosa was shut down. The developer announced plans to tear down the house and there was such a giant public outcry that he said the house wouldn't be torn down. Several years later it was torn down in secret.

[@christinecoughlin5459]

I went and visited it back in the nineties, how sad, at least I have pictures😕

[@robertschultz6922]

My mom and aunt used to exercise the horses when the cast were in incline NV. They said Micheal Landen was not a great guy but Dan (Hoss) was. Most of the stuff from the park has been moved to a property in Dayton Nv owned by a Mr Schmidt according to the newspaper the ranch house was not torn down but moved to a small town in elko county Nevada. So it’s not in the original spot but still stands. The state actually paid some for the move!

[@pamthompson3316]

How sad that it was torn down😥I met Hoss Cartwright on Martha's Vineyard in 1967😅

[@dansanger5340]

My favorite episode of Bonanza was "Look to the Stars." The plot according to Bonanza Wiki: "The Cartwrights encourage young genius, Albert Michelson, to pursue his scientific experiments while trying to discover why schoolmaster, George Norton, expelled Albert from school." The plot was very loosely based on Albert Michelson, the scientist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1907 for his work in measuring the speed of light, and who actually did partly grow up in Virginia City, NV, near the fictional Ponderosa Ranch.

[@MyRebel44]

I went there and I had a great time .

[@jamesrobinson3285]

Where is Robert Pernell as Adam and Hop Sing too? I love them both.

[@cj9667]

Memories of my childhood…had the tin cup from the ponderosa ranch! Sad that it was sold..but that parcel at incline village undoubtedly went for millions of dollars! 😢

[@davidrounds3245]

Glad I got to see it before it was destroyed. Was disappointed that when you went up the stairs to where the bedrooms were supposed to be, there was no second floor.

[@ChacoteOutdoorRecreation]

What has been lost, what has been erased is beyond measure. What could have served to remind and inspire hope in the belief that although the world is a dark and wretched place, a small portion existed that housed good and virtue. A monument that through sweat and unwillingness to compromise a man could achieve a place to call home and earn a wage that supported a family and the inheritance of a future that could be built upon with each generation. If Bonanza taught us anything it was that a man who does not work for the benefit of his posterity is no man, and what he will leave behind is a wasteland as a monument to his self-indulgence. Ben Cartwright will be remembered as a man who added to the honor of what should be honored and a man who loved what was worthy to be loved, he was an example to be followed, the model of a Father and a brother towards all real men. You can tear down his home and bury him, but you will never eradicate what he was or what he did. Every time this world beats a man down until it is impossible to get back up, and he does anyway, Ben Cartwright will be beside him.

[@donhitchman4227]

I was living in South Lake Tahoe at the time they began filming. I personally watched as they shut down highway 50 for about a half an hour. The meadow was called Rabe Meadows, cuz of the crazy old woman whose last name was Rabe. She owned that property all the way from the lakefront to the highway just north of where would eventually be the golf course. They took down the barbed wire fence on the lakeside of the highway temporarily, spread pine needles and dirt across the highway while the cameras were set up on the opposite bank. As they all rode up for that opening scene in Bonanza I watched it being filmed. Originally, it was only Pa, Hoss, and Little Joe in the scene As soon as they had the shot on film, they quickly swept off highway 50 again, retied the barbed wire fence, and the horses were loaded up into a trailer while the cast got into their limousine. So one should not think that none of it was actually filmed at Lake Tahoe besides the tourist attraction just on the southeast end of incline village where it was built. Mainly it was just a replica of the house itself

[@RonHamill818]

Wow. It would be nice if you took pictures. Great story. They shot many scenes around the area just nothing at the house other than the establishing shot for the original series after 1968

[@rogozzy1]

Also liked the intro of the yrs New Chevrolet's. See the USA was a much better day.

[@danielguy1963]

Bonanza was very popular in Australia too🇦🇺

[@stephenkoetz4159]

Great place ..I'm glad I got to go 😢😢😢..even had a hoss burger or 3

[@cowboy-v4d]

Some reason this makes me cry

[@davidlynds9483]

We went there on a family vacation in what must been late 60's or early 70's. The only thing i remember is my fathers shock that a "Hoss Burger" cost a whole dollar!. Needless to say, we didn't get any.

[@PopLeCorque]

I enjoyed your video Ron. It made me sad to know that beautiful ranch house was torn down. I see you are closing in on the magic 1k subscriber mark so I decided to help you out and subscribe. Not much but one small channel to another, every little bit helps.

[@RonHamill818]

Thanks!

[@christinegrant5008]

Been there many times as a kid when I lived in reno nv

[@googoo-gjoob]

thank you....

[@billsmith1486]

Most people do not know that there is a duplicate Ponderosa Ranch House in Mesa, AZ near Power Rd and Broadway. Part of marketing plan for the building of the 'hood' it is in.

[@dougholdem2898]

When I was a kid my bedtime was 8:30 so on Monday morning I had to ask my dad how each episode ended.

[@postal_the_clown]

Trying to keep it short, but it's funny how things work out. 94/95 I was up there to service the gift shop ATM machine almost on a weekly basis but only got to go there as a "tourist" once. Wasn't happy with the pics I got that day (longer story) but I figured we'll come back...The arrogance of being a local.

[@rodger2499]

Sad that land developers so much emphasis on money and not preserving history. Greed.

[@georgetrevino5724]

Shame on them 😢

[@georgetrevino5724]

It was my child best program😢

[@phabulouss1]

We also watched Liberace!

[@lislchester5266]

Didn’t Lorne Green build one as well? I understand he was co-owner in a chain of Bonanza family restaurants here in Australia. A firm favourite of my brood during the 80’s! He also used to come here a bit to go fishing!

[@RonHamill818]

He built a Ponderosa Ranch house in Arizona. Roof pitch was different.

[@kennethgoldberg83]

Hop sing was my hero

[@gailcurl8663]

Bonanza and Gunsmoke were such an American Staple as Apple Pie. We had the Best Back in the Day. What a Shame to Lose This Part of History. SAD!!

[@dennisgoodnight2029]

Visited the house as I kid and was shocked that there was no second floor.

[@sharonortedschempp8759]

What tragedy that anyone would decide to demolish The Bonanza House.... such a gorgeous home??!! How much better for the new owner to have just decided to live in it, or to hopefully sell it to someone else who would appreciate its beauty and live init themselves!! Yuck!!! Ted Schempp, Nashville

[@RonHamill818]

I would like to thank all my channel subscribers. I’m getting really close to the 1K mark. I’ve been working on my next video which is M*A*S*H related. I also want to do a short update this summer on the Ponderosa Ranch.

[@homerbolen6826]

I was stationed in germany when hoss died. The colonal had the flag put at have mast for he was a fan of bonanza as all most every one there was too

[@jamesbass9797]

I simply do not understand why they tore the house down. Makes no sense at all. Even where it was located it was worth a small fortune. People would have lined up and been willing to pay millions for the opportunity to own and live in that house. This house still exists though. It was built somewhere (can't remember where exactly). Seen a video on it here on KZbin. It was built in a subdivision somewhere and if I remember correctly Lorne Greene did live in it for a while. It was a great show back then and is still a great show today. I watch it regularly to this day. Great actors performing wonderful family entertainment. Nothing like what Hollywood is today.

[@murtoasumpoiler]

I visited in 1983 had the hoss burger sad that it’s gone

[@johncater7861]

I have a bookshelf made out of something called Ponderosa Pine.

[@suzanbeverlyhills2310]

My childhood

[@noahc6246]

I was there it’s last day it was open to the public sad day

[@dorothyguess1485]

Well We were there in September 2005,and We could just go to the gate, and yes that upset Me really bad, and it was for Out 30th Anniversary,just so sad that someone closed it down well hell I got to see where it was at and see it on TV just about anytime.❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢

[@RedneckHillbilly-ho9md]

Imagine how much of an A-hole one must be to tear down this masterpiece. Unbelievable

[@BA-ef4pr]

It should been protected as a historic site.

[@saulheinemann940]

What is the backround music at the end of the video Ron ??

[@RonHamill818]

It’s listed in the credits at the end. All the music is from KZbin creator music library. Hope that helps.

[@lonnieclemens8028]

If the original house was torn down by a property developer, what replaced the house?

[@RonHamill818]

I don’t know.

[@ghostman7768]

So sad 😔 that's such a televised icon was wiped off the map leaving nothing such as a remnant or relic 😢

[@CarlTMontano]

Why did the tear it down and it was a part of history used to watch it as a child I'm 66 now

[@jonathanarthur570]

Thank you so much for this wonderful memory. I am of age that I grew up with the Cartwright's. Not only was the scenery spectacular, but so were the actors of this series.....It was sometimes a little silly, but wouldn't we enjoy some that innocence in our world today. RIP Cartwright Family.

[@dawnjohnson8739]

❤

[@PLS.54]

It’s sad to think they’re all gone.

[@mstrdiver]

Where's Hop Sing cooking in the kitchen and bustling around the dinner table?

[@tav5690]

Excellent show and better times. I'm 67 and have very fond memories...

[@horatioguderian4694]

There was anti-white messaging in those shows, anyone who showed any loyalty to the white race was depicted as a person who'd kill any non-white if he could get away with it. We see the result of that anti-white propaganda now do we not? "Diversity" means chasing down the last white person. White GENOCIDE is not a theoretical debate, it is a CRIMINAL charge.

[@really2345]

@tav: "Better times?! That was during most of the Vietnam War. Tell that to the veterans and families of the fallen and disabled. Tell that to the 1.6 million Vietnamese that we slaughtered. Tell that to the Cambodians that died during Kissinger's and Nixon's 'secret' bombings. Gove me a break.

[@bigdeal6852]

​@@really2345 I'm well aware of that. My brothers were there. But we have had many wars before that and even since then, and you're bringing up one issue (a war issue) and ignoring all the other issues. It was a better more simpler time and with better morals. Especially on T.V. and especially when you consider the crap that's going on today and the on T.V. shows and even in the schools. All the way up to the colleges. Which reminds me of the crap on colleges from the hippie days...were you one of them protesting then to ? Families were more close and talked more, ate dinner together more. Instead of everybody with their head in their phones and in their @sses...like today. Sheesh ! 🙄 😊

[@mstrdiver]

@@really2345- Hmm, your use of the "we slaughtered" is telling in some ways. Were you there doing your duty or an onlooking draft card burner from the protesting cheap seats? Mstrdiver - US Army - 1973 to 1995

[@knighttuttruptuttrup8518]

​@@mstrdiverWell said, I share your sentiments.

[@stevedeloach5981]

Wish they had not torn it down. That had a zero cost benefit.

[@robertschultz6922]

It wasn’t torn down just moved to a new location in Elko county Nevada

[@johnnybegood9285]

When I was a kid, we only had one TV that was black and white. I remember my neighbor inviting my family over one Sunday night to watch Bonanza in color. When that NBC peacock opened up his feathers, I was in awe. I couldn't believe the difference.

[@AmusedKelpie-tc9du]

We did the same, there was only 1 color TV ( big console model) in my neighborhood, Sunday nights were memorable with wholesome family entertainment .

[@PlanetEarth3141]

I totally agree with my father bringing home a color TV. Global reality past my trips around town were never the same.

[@unclej3910]

I was lucky. My dad owned and ran a TV and appliance store in the 1960’s to 1973. If I remember correctly, dad brought a color TV home as soon as they were available.

[@caddothegreat]

Our family did not even own a TV until about 1956/7. When I was on my own. I bought a color TV in 1967. I had to see Star Trek in color. I also bought it on credit. My first credit purchase.

[@mstrdiver]

Our TV growing up was a big boxy B&W Philco on a wrought iron swivel base so we could turn it to watch 'some shows' during dinner, but not very often.

[@wayneroberts4144]

Bonanza was a part of our growing up just as much as Saturday morning cartoons!

[@carolinehannah5188]

those were the days, times of simplicity. I am so greatful i grew up in that era

[@wayneroberts4144]

@@carolinehannah5188 Amen.................we lived the last best part of America! God Bless you!

[@timthompson8297]

Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry. Wish I could have seen the Ponderosa.

[@wayneroberts4144]

@@timthompson8297 Hey can still watch Looney Tunes anytime we tune into the news nowadays!!

[@LowPlainsDrifter60]

Not forgetting 'The High Chaparral'

[@LesterChamberlain-q1f]

Pictures of those ranch brings back memories of a child when things good

[@RonHamill818]

Thanks!

[@FGN666]

​@@RonHamill818 Not surprise that the Ponderosa "home" was Demolished because most of the "westerns crack" was FICTI😅NAL !... #scared .

[@dawnjohnson8739]

Agreed

[@louisgiardina8918]

Absolutely

[@greywolf1251]

still watch reruns when I can loved that show as a kid I'm now 66

[@pamelag7553]

So do my hubby and I, just a fun good show.

[@PLS.54]

@@pamelag7553 So do my husband and I 😂

[@larryhanshew5173]

THANK YOU RON. I NAMED MY YOUNGEST SON LORNE AFTER (MR. GREEN RIP). HOSS WAS MY FAVORITE AND HE WAS A TRUE GENTLE GIANT MAN. BUT I MUST ADMIT I LIKED IT WHEN HE WOULD KICK BUTT IN FIGHTS. ALSO I HAVE BEEN TO THE LAKE LOS ANGELES WHERE PARTS OF THE PROGRAM WAS FILMED AS WELL AS INCLINE VILLAGE AND I BELIEVE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A NATIONAL LANDMARK AND ON THE REGISTRY AND PRESERVED FOR ALL TO ENJOY. THIS PROGRAM DEFINITELY MADE AN IMPACT ON MY LIFE AND I HAVE SIGNED PHOTOS FROM THE CAST WHICH MY FAMILY CHERISHED TO THIS DAY AND WE HAVE THE PROGRAMS WE WATCH FROM TIME TO TIME AND ALWAYS ON THANKSGIVING. I MISS THE SIMPLER PLACE AND TIME OF THAT ERA.

[@cwavt8849]

I grew up watching that show. As a 3 year old, I even got to sit in Little Joe's lap. I know that I am 63, but it breaks my heart that it is all gone, just a memory in the minds of the few of us left who remember.

[@gregt8638]

I agree. It breaks our hearts how the world has changed. And even though I'm getting closer to the end of my life, I would not have changed the opportunity to have lived through those times!

[@aaronlayes4485]

I'm on the younger side and Grew up to reruns I am 43 this September, I do remember the series and in a way I am the last generation and one of the youngest who would remember such things. I am however passing it on to my children who have found love in some of the old shows. I have shown them Gun smoke and the Rifleman and stuff that was not full of trash, but had messages of hope and made you think about morality. I hope you have found peace in retirement or soon coming retirement if you get it. the good days of America so far seem to be far behind us. So I shall mourn her passing and share the memories with my children in hopes of keeping that part of America alive at least in memory. God bless you and may you have peace in your sunset years.

[@pamelablume1637]

I lived in Los Angeles as a small child. My dad had a Mexican restaurant. The cast of Bonanza used to come in. I don’t remember them but I do remember sitting on a man’s lap when my dad tended bar. We moved to Florida and I went to see 20,000 leagues under the sea. Imagine my surprise when I recognized the man whose lap I had sat on. It was Kirk Douglas! I’m 62 years old.

[@PlanetEarth3141]

​@@pamelablume1637 Wow! Children like us love our heroes and our parents and heroes from our character. Which the lack of, especially decent parents, explains present culture values, crime and corruption.

[@louisgiardina8918]

I’m 63 and have the series on DVD and love watching the old shows. Great TV back then now everything is garbage

[@RainerBreuer-bq2hf]

Auch in Deutschland 🇩🇪war und ist immer noch eine Kult-Serie . Ich liebe diese alte Serie die mich an meine Kindheit erinnert . Und an meinem Vater der nun auch schon über 30 Jahre tot ist , der den Hoss sehr ähnlich sah . An alle Bonanza Schauspieler R.I.P. 🕊️🕯️🙏😢 🥀 ihr gehörtet damals zu unserer Kindheit....Danke !

[@royhowze4023]

Thank you for sharing those thoughts and a love for better days and simple life.

[@Thomas-qr3zv]

Didn’t realize it was a big thing in Germany as well . I know Westerns were huge in Great Briton.

[@norbertschmitz3358]

@@Thomas-qr3zv It sure was, and not only for us kids. Same goes for Lassie, Flipper and Skippy, the Aussie show. And now it's all history, long forgotten by many, and we young kids are old men. Life is indeed very short.....and time very fast😉 Cheers from Berlin

[@jeffsmith-ze6wb]

It’s sad to think they tore this down!!! I Love bonanza until this day!!

[@cmg2651]

I grew up watching Bonanza as well as Wonderful world of Disney, The Big Valley, Mutual of Omaha’s wild kingdom, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith show, and many more classic shows. At 66 years old, this makes me sad these great shows are a thing of the past, most had a lesson to be learned.

[@mstrdiver]

Great list! Add Lassie, My Friend Flicka, Disney and The Big Valley starring Ms. Barbara Stanwyck, to it.

[@beckyshell4649]

I used to love to watch The Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday night. They used to have some great little movies on there.

[@TwinSister1957]

Rifleman.. Pa, Pa

[@russellbarnes7728]

I grew up in Reno, we knew the owners family. Been there often until it closed! Great memories!

[@jakebrakebill]

same age, seems odd we're still here while everything we grew up with is gone

[@jackip2ava]

I wonder what the owner went on to do, and where is he now. I'd like to watch a biography about him, and I'm glad he was a part of TV history