MovieChat Forums > Bonanza (1959) Discussion > The Ponderosa

The Ponderosa

posted 10 years ago by capttheo1
4 replies | jump to latest

I know that it's incredibly huge but has anyone ever figured out approximately how many acres their land encompassed? I also know that it's big enough to be measured in square miles.

[–] AardvarkRatnik 10 years ago

According to Wikipedia it was over 600,000 acres or about 937 square miles. Given its location it would be worth a staggering amount of money today!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonanza

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I wonder how one family managed to get ownership of such a huge piece of land in those days. A standard homesteading lot would be puny by comparison.

[–] batvette 9 years ago

"Given its location.."

As much bad as good. While the shores of lake tahoe are picturesque in those days that area was far off the beaten path. Just a few miles east of Tahoe the Nevada high desert is barren and wind swept, to the west is the area that nearly ate the donner party whole. (Pun intended).

[–] Sorcerersbroom 9 years ago

I live in a valley below Lake Tahoe, it's wind swept for sure, but not really barren. We have a lot of ranches and alfalfa fields. Although with the drought, it isn't as pretty as it usually is.