Ponderosa Ranch "Bonanza" episodes were shot at the theme park's Virginia City site, although the town was prominently featured in three "Bonanza" television movies. Because the movies showcased the next generation of Cartwrights, they began circa 1905. The Ponderosa park expanded beyond the buggy era to include an exhibit featuring antique cars. It was a fledgling endeavor as tourists wanted to see horses flanked by Cartwright saddles. The idea for the theme park came about in 1965. Bill and Joyce Anderson owned a small horse ranch, which is located in about the same area as the fictional Ponderosa on the burning map.
Bonanza farms were Mexican immigrants or migrants, known as braceros. European Americans also worked as migrant laborers. Family farmers, with fewer workers to pay and less money invested in equipment, could better handle boom-and-bust cycles. By the 1890s, most bonanza farms had broken up into smaller farms. The Frederick A. and Sophia Bagg Bonanza Farm is located in southeastern corner of North Dakota. The preserved Bagg Bonanza Farm was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2005. H. Drache, The Day of the Bonanza: A History of Bonanza Farming in the Red River Valley of the North (Lund Press, 1965) Bonanza farms