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1900s Virginia City Parade
This great photograph shows Company B - Emmitt Guard in a Virginia City, Nevada parade circa 1902 - 1907. The date is determined by the back of the postcard. (See Postcard History) This was a great time in Nevada history, as the silver and gold mines were still being worked. While the East was being revolutionized by modern machinery and mills, Virginia City was still very much the Wild West of folklore. |
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Of course we all know the Virginia City of Bonanza
days. When I was a kid, I always wanted to live wherever The Ponderosa
Ranch was, though I did not pay much attention to the locations.
Then by some subconscious working of my mind, I ended up living
in the places where they filmed Bonanza - Incline
Village, NV and Thousand
Oaks, CA. If you watch carefully on a Bonanza episode,
you'll see the scenery changes from the tall, majestic
pines of Incline Village on the North shore of Lake Tahoe,
to the Oak trees and grassy plains of what is now Wildwood
Park in the Conejo Valley, just outside of Hollywood.
Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, CA, was once the Janss Ranch, one of the many locations used for the scenery of the Ponderosa.
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And by the way, when "Pa" and the boys ride from
The Ponderosa over to Virginia City, let me tell you, that is quite a ride. They had to go over
Mt. Rose,
which is over 9000 ft. at the summit, then down into and across the
Reno Valley,
up and over the mountain on the Eastern side of the Reno Valley into the desert side of Nevada to Virginia City (see MacKay House below).
You need to visit these areas and see for yourself.
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Until a few years ago, The Ponderosa was open to the public to view the house and grounds
used for filming Bonanza in Incline Village. It is now privately owned and closed to the public.
I fulfilled one of the dreams of my life when I went horseback riding on The Ponderosa Ranch with my children, before it closed.
I could hear that song as we rode -
the theme song from Bonanza!
That will wake you up and get you into that Wild West mood! - YeeeeHaaaaa! ~M. Parsons
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The MacKay House, Virginia City, NV
Shown here is The MacKay House or MacKay Mansion in Virginia City. The date of the card is unknown but seems newer than most on this site. This house was built and occupied by George Hearst in 1859 and originally used as the office for a local mine, Gould and Curry. It became known as the MacKay Mansion when John MacKay began living in it in the 1870's during the heart of the great Comstock Lode silver rush. Today, this house is on the National Register of Historic Places. |
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Shaw's Hot Springs
This postcard shows the entrance to Shaw's Hot Springs in 1900. On the north edge of Carson City, Nevada, these springs have been a tourist attraction since 1894 when a resort was formed around them. Known originally as Swift's or Shaw's Hot Springs, they are now referred to as Carson Hot Springs.
Water supplied to the pool is pumped, from a shallow well near the pump house to the north of the pool area. The water in the springs is said to have recuperative powers with temperatures as high as 120°F and spray flying into the air to mist the bathers. |
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