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.
Movie ranch is a movie ranch in Sonora, California, which served as a location for "Bonanza", "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", "Little House on the Prairie" and other productions. The outdoor sets built for "Back to the Future Part III" (1990) and used in "Bad Girls" (1994) were destroyed by a lightning strike wildfire in 1996. LINKS: The former Republic Pictures Movie Ranch off Soledad Canyon became the Walt Disney Golden Oak Ranch in 1959. The ranch is located in central Placerita Canyon near Newhall, California in the northern San Gabriel Mountains foothills. It was named for the Gold discovery by