Ponderosa Ranch from the original "Bonanza" series, Lorne Greene's 1964 song "Saga of the Ponderosa", the 1988-95 TV movies, and the 2001 PAX prequel series "Ponderosa"). The ranch house was a single level structure that had a facade second storey. Inside a staircase seemingly led to the first-floor corridor, but it was a dead end. The bedroom scenes were filmed at Burbank Studios. The inspiration for the name may have been the large number of Ponderosa pines in the area or the original Latin meaning of "large" (root of the English word "ponderous"). The exteriors for the television show were occasionally shot
Spahn Ranch notorious for having been the primary residence of Charles Manson and his followers, the "Manson Family", for much of 1968 and 1969. The ranch took its name from dairy farmer George Spahn, who purchased the property in 1948. Silent film actor William S. Hart owned the ranch prior to Spahn. Many western-themed movies and television shows were filmed on the ranch, including "Duel in the Sun" (1946) and television episodes of "Bonanza", "The Lone Ranger", and "Zorro". It was also the filming location for the B-movie "The Creeping Terror". Spahn was 80 years old, going blind and living at his