Ponderosa Ranch According to the Andersons, tourists would regularly show up at their gates asking where the Ponderosa was. Smelling opportunity, the Andersons contacted NBC and "Bonanza" creator-producer David Dortort. They proposed turning their small ranch into a theme park. NBC, Dortort, and the cast saw the tie-in as a "bonanza" for everyone. All parties being of one accord, the cast agreed to promos being shot at the ranch site and the Virginia City set - including the nearby Silver Dollar Saloon - for financial consideration. The ads stimulated revenue for the park. The park opened to the public in 1968, complete
Bonanza Peak (Washington) to the south. Bonanza Peak was originally named North Star Mountain, with a minor mountain to the southwest given the name Bonanza Peak. The USGS' first topographic map of the region in 1904, however, mistakenly interchanged the names and the USGS naming was retained. Bonanza Peak was first summited in 1937 by Curtis Ijames, Barrie James, and Joe Leuthold, all members of the Mazamas. Bonanza Peak (Washington) Bonanza Peak is a tall peak in the North Cascades in the U.S. state of Washington and the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Wenatchee National Forest. At in elevation, it is the highest