Nestled amongst the pines above the shores of Lake Tahoe is the Ponderosa ranch, the thousand-acre home of Ben Cartwrignt and his sons, Adam, Hoss and Joe (aka "Little Joe.") Each of these three strapping young men was born to a different deceased mother, making Ben a three-time widower. Strong character development and humanistic plots featuring revolving cast of interesting guest players helped to set Bonanza apart from the usual gun-slinging formula Westerns of the day.

Premiering on NBC in September 12, 1959, Bonanza was not an immediate winner in the ratings. It remained on the air, however, due to the fact that it was one of few shows filmed in color, and parent company RCA was anxious to encourage the purchase of color televisions. After barely surviving its first two seasons on Saturday nights, the show was moved to Sunday and became a hit, and the number one show on television four years in a row (1964-1967). Ten of its fourteen years on the air, Bonanza was in the national top ten.

One of the reasons for Bonanza¹s success was the show¹s attention to script development. The characters were allowed to grow and evolve. The story lines also crossed into controversial topics, making the show far ahead of its time, exploring racial tension, domestic violence and substance abuse. Each of the Cartwright men were allowed to develop relationships with women on the show; although almost every woman to come into their lives died tragically.

Games, toys and dolls were produced as the show's popularity grew, and in 1967 a detailed replica of the fictional ranch house was built at Lake Tahoe, where many of Bonanza's outdoor locations were filmed. The recreated Ponderosa became the centerpiece of a western-themed tourist attraction that included souvenir shops, vintage car exhibits and a Wild West show. On September 27, 2004, the Ponderosa Ranch's gates closed for good, after the land was sold to Incline Village developer David Duffield.