For thirteen seasons between 1967 and 1972, the Cartwrights galloped straight through the living rooms of more than 500 million television viewers. The “good guy” images of father Ben, and sons, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe, portrayed, respectively, by Loren Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon, reached beyond American shores and won the hearts of fans in 86 foreign countries. In as many as twelve languages, the fictional story of a sea captain, who staked a claim on the rugged timber country of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, continues in rerun segments to catch the imagination of new generations.

In the beginning, the Bonanza series was created to showcase remarkable advances in the quality of color television, particularly being produced by Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the parent company of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC.) In a quest to depict the brilliance of a blue sky reflected in clear, calm water, cradled by rising mountains of emerald-colored pines, NBC chose to film the new series on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. The viewer response so overwhelmed the producers that every episode centered around actual places with histories and permanent dots on the Nevada map. Ninety-nine percent of the filming happened outdoors at Lake Tahoe, and neighboring sites: Reno, the Ponderosa Ranch, Virginia City, and Carson City.

Today, the legend of the Cartwrights and other western settlers lives on in the preserved Ponderosa Ranch. The authentic Ranch House, set among towering pines, stands as the centerpiece of the Ponderosa Ranch Theme Park. The massive log-structured dwelling, surrounded by the hitching post, corrals, a barn, and workshops, gives visitors the sense of familiarity. Inside the famous house, the family’s cook, Hop Sing, has set the table for Ben Cartwright and his boys. Their coats and hats, covered with trail dust, hang on wall pegs. The formal living and dining room, with the elder Cartwright’s massive desk in one alcove, overflow with priceless antiques, fictionally amassed by Cartwright as the sailed the world in a previous life.

A “Bonanza” (pun intended) for Workampers, the family business annually hires as many as 18 RVing couples. Bob and Jewell Halla took their first Workamping job at Ponderosa Ranch. However, they report fellow Workampers, who live beside them in a village setting above the Ranch, have returned for seasonal positions from five to 13 years. The more mature Workampers mix with college age employees, who live in sheepherder cabins or apartments hidden away on upper stories of the ranch buildings.

Jewell and her husband, a former ceramic tile contractor, make their retirement home at Escapees’ North Ranch in Arizona. “We chose to Workamp at Ponderosa Ranch from April through October to escape the heat,” Jewell says. “Every Tuesday, we check the schedule for the week. I switch days as a guide at the Ranch House with greeting guests at the front gate. Bob repairs bear damage to the park and does other maintenance, such as replacing a window in the ice cream shop. Often, he works security positions. “We are ‘Indians,’ doing any and all jobs assigned to us on a weekly basis,” she continues. “And we like the fact that our ‘chiefs” are on hand to pound nails or settle a public relations matter. Whenever we call, the managers are on the spot as fast as possible.”

Annette McMasters, a newly retired public school employee, teams with Jewell and other Workampers to guide guests through the Ranch House. Other days, she, too, greets people at the front gate. Her husband, Joe, says Annette was the more reluctant one to try a Workamping job. “Now, I think she likes it better than I do,” the retired car salesman states. “It’s like being on vacation all the time,” he continues, “except we have to work!” Tending bar in the Silver Dollar Saloon, Joe’s wide grin immediately tells folks that the working part is a positive experience. Driving the truck that pulls the wagon for the breakfast hayride is Joe’s favorite duty at the Ranch.

At the top of the mountain above Ponderosa Ranch, guests ride in an open-air tram over a twisty road through tall pines, to a ranch hand’s breakfast of flapjacks and all the fixings. About midway on the ride, gunshots from out of the blue interrupt the reverie of a crisp morning in the Sierras. The quick-witted driver, typically a Workamper like Joe, defends his passengers and saves the bag of gold from a bungling robber.

Silvana Friedman, a repeat Workamper for several seasons, works in the General Store and switches off duties at the Ranch House. Her husband, Allan, pans for gold in the western town and sells tickets at the front gate. Silvana reports that they, too, enjoy the view of Lake Tahoe from their parking space notched into the mountainside. “But on our days off, we can sit on our patio and watch the gun fight on the streets of the town below,” she adds.

In addition to hourly wages, plus a 75-cent bonus for hours fulfilled in a contract, Ponderosa Ranch provides a full hookup RV site with cable TV. Telephone service is available at the Workamper’s expense. All couples have the same scheduled days off. Shirts and hats are furnished as uniforms, but Workampers must provide their own jeans or skirts and boots. Many of the ladies who guide for the Ranch House prefer to wear a long denim skirt.

Company President, David Geddes states: “We have a nice blend of older and younger employees, (we call them “ranch hands”) here at the Ponderosa. Our Workampers provide maturity and mentorship to the college age kids.”

Geddes admits that the jobs he offers for Workampers are real work. Typical shifts run from 9:00 to 5:30, with a half hour lunch break. Workampers, who help prepare the flapjack breakfast for guests, may start even earlier. In addition to positions as Ranch House tour guides, front gate greeters, tram drivers, retail clerks, maintenance and janitorial workers, and hayride breakfast cooks, Ponderosa hires grill cooks and kitchen and food preparation people for their on-site eateries, photo studio clerks, cash control clerks, gardeners, entertainers, craft artists and demonstrators, and miscellaneous cleanup crews.

“Despite 40-hour weeks during the peak season, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the common denominator for all our employees is to have fun,” Geddes continues. To emphasize the fun part of working at Ponderosa Ranch, Geddes describes a monthly steak and shrimp dinner for their ranch hands. “On July 4th, we do the dinner, then, from the mountainside, watch an explosion of fireworks over Lake Tahoe,” he explains.

Parties for their staff are Ponderosa’s way of showing appreciation. But a Western Style Bonanza Deep-Pit Bar-B-Que is their specialty for convention groups of more than 100. For an evening, after the gates close to regular guests, the entire ranch becomes a party hall. Depending on the host company’s needs and desires, Ponderosa Ranch prepares prime Nevada beef, slow-cooked in a deep pit, plenty of drinks, and entertainment to fit the occasion. Workampers have the opportunity to work overtime at the parties.

Jim Bird, another Workamper who returned to Ponderosa for several seasons, works the parties. The retired master chief/auditor for a defense contractor chucks his former desk for a totally different environment. Like Joe McMasters, he enjoys trading off days to drive the tram to the morning breakfast. Other days, he tends bar. His wife, Pat, works in the cash cage at the General Store. “This is a working job, “ Jim says, indicating that he.thrives on staying busy. “But in the winter, I play golf in Yuma!”

Most jobs at Ponderosa require standing throughout the day. Despite low humidity and cool nights, the daytime temperatures can get warm during the summertime. The temperature heats up even more in the glass blower’s booth. Ed Broadfield had taken his glass blowing act on the road for three years and nine months before he discovered a more permanent exhibition spot at Ponderosa Ranch.

“I had worked at a college in San Diego before transporting my equipment inside a trailer to workshops, ” Ed says. “I pulled the trailer with my RV. It took me three days to set up everything. I would do a two-week workshop, then break down and try to hide for five days before I started another one. At Ponderosa, I can concentrate on being a total artist. And at night, I go home without having to pack up!” he continues, noting that he generally makes approximately 7,000 glass-blown Christmas ornaments each year. In addition to demonstrating his skills for guests, Ed sells his creations at Ponderosa Ranch.

Geddes goes on to say that the positive attitudes exhibited by most RVers is a primary factor in his hiring practices. “Many RVers report the unexpected bonus of weight loss during their tenure at Ponderosa,” he adds. “That could be interpreted as hard work. Or it could be attributed to the uphill climb from the Ranch House and town to the Workamper’s parking sites. As one Workamper puts it, ‘Everything at Ponderosa Ranch, goes up!’

“Nevertheless, I hear from my Workampers that the routine of a work schedule, meeting new and different people, and performing a job for pay contributes to a more healthful and contented RV life,” Geddes says. “The management of our company believes that if workers are happy when guests walk into the park, then the guests will leave happy. After all, the satisfaction of the person who comes through our front gate is our bottom line. Workampers help us achieve that goal.”