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
Flying S Ranch Airport of Route 93 but labeled merely as “FS-2”. It is not known what military use (if any) the Caliente Flight Strip ever had. Sold by the WAA as a private airport after the war, the airfield was sold in July 1967 to its present owners. Flying S Ranch Airport Flying S Ranch Airport is a private airport located approximately northeast of Caliente, California. During World War II it was a United States Army Airfield, known as Caliente Flight Strip. It was one of the many Flight Strips which were built by the USAAF during the war for the emergency use