Ponderosa Ranch R.I.P. (Soon)

While up in the Lake Tahoe region, I stumbled quite accidentally on an article in a Tahoe free paper that made me stop in my tracks.

It seems that after 40 years in operation, the Ponderosa Ranch is going to close its doors on September 26th of this year.

As per the usual theme of our times, it wasn't due to flagging reciepts, as attendance had actually gone up recently. But instead the land value was the key. It seems the land has been parceled and sold to various buyers.

My itinerary was too packed to stop by, so I'll never actually be able to set foot in this western time machine, but I urge any of our Northern California brethren to make it a point to visit this roadside attraction before it, like many others, is gone.

Take a virtual tour of the Ponderosa ranch at http://ponderosaranch.com/

First Six Gun Territory, now this.

Tiki Gardener
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Found this article at the Sacremento Bee website, very detailed in its history and explanation of the sale.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/travel/story/10100573p-11021425c.html

[ Edited by: tikigardener on 2004-08-16 00:02 ]

This sale, though sad to see happen for those of us who grew up watching Bonanza, is understandable. Bonanza just isn't relevant to the younger generation today, and we can only hope that a portion of the property be set aside in honor of it's history. I think that there is an excellent chance that that will happen, as the government agencies seeking to acquire the land in the first place, will undoubtedly be active in any public forum while it's intended use is being considered by the Lake Tahoe planning department.

Anyway, thanks for the post TikiGardener!

That's a shame - I have great memories of going there with my family in the early 80s. I LOVED that they sold "Hoss-burgers"... Made you wonder just what you were eating!

Many apologies to the Dan Blocker estate.

I went there as a kid, but don't really remember much. It seemed barely relevent even back then, but westerns were never my thing. Still sad, though.

I remember I went up there once as a kid. Was hanging out unsupervised in the goat pen and held open the first door too long and somehow allowed the goats to escape. Had to act nonchalant about it so no one would notice.

My family and I use to go to Incline Village a few times a year. Ponderosa Ranch was the place to drop us kids off while my parents headed off to gamble. I have many fond memories of the place in-spite of the fact that you can do everything there is to do there in about a half hour.

Then, two years ago, my wife and I honeymooned in Tahoe. I jokingly asked if she wanted to go to Ponderosa Ranch. Much to my surprise, she did. There we were with about a dozen other people milling about in the dust looking at rusting buggies. After all was said and done, we had a blast because there was barely anyone there. We practically had the entire place to ourselves.

It's a part of my life and it's a criminal to see it leave. But, I'm glad we had it for this long.

As to the Ranch's cultural value, while the memory of Bonanza is fading, the history or the west is a cornerstone of the American identity. And while the history presented at the Ponderosa was more than likely heavily skewed to gloss over the varoius injustices and slaughters of the olde west, the value of the items there alone would seem to lend something to the argument for preserving it. Along with its television history value.

Apparently the place has quite a collection of western historical pieces. I gather they had one of the Donner Party Wagons that had been dredged from Donner lake. Along with the Television stuff. So it seems it has the tv kitsch historical value, but also has a museum value.

The fact that it was so close to being bought by the state, but ended up going to a private party doesn't bode to well for preservation, but one can hope that some of its value will be recognised by the new owners.

It is a shame that alot of the stuff is going to be auctioned off.

But who knows, maybe the world will spn just right, and the planets will align to help preserve some of this site for others to enjoy.

tg

Well, there is still the nearby Virginia City, which although somewhat touristy, still has the look and feel of an old Western town. Which makes sense, because it has been around for nearly 150 years, while the Ponderosa Ranch has only been around for perhaps 40 years.

Although I've never been to the Ponderosa Ranch, I have fond memories of the old Fort Dells attraction in Wisconsin Dells, which has long been torn down in favor for a stretch of fast food restaurants.

Perhaps these old Western tourist parks are more similar than we might think ..... they peaked during the late 50's (when westerns were huge on TV), but are now disappearing because they are no longer considered relevant.

Last week I drove through the Wisconsin Dells region again -- the biggest line I saw was for a Wizards/Lord of the Rings fantasy-like attraction .... oh how times change.

Vern

I remember getting a souvenier Ponderosacedar box back in the early 70s when we were up there...that scent always takes me back there!

On 2004-08-16 12:30, dangergirl299 wrote:
I remember I went up there once as a kid. Was hanging out unsupervised in the goat pen and held open the first door too long and somehow allowed the goats to escape. Had to act nonchalant about it so no one would notice.

And from that point on, was known as..."Danger Girl". Cute story.

JTD

[ Edited by: JTD on 2004-08-19 06:27 ]

Its over, doors closed...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=572&ncid=572&e=3&u=/nm/20040928/lf_nm/life_ponderosa_dc

Sad - I really hope that developer doesn't turn it into condos... But the fact that he refused to reveal his plans for the property hints at that I suppose...

Very sad. I'll be afraid to look the next time I'm in Tahoe.

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/bonanza-6.jpg