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Bonanza DAYS Bonanza Days celebration in Virginia City Nevada

A LEGEND RIDES AGAIN—AND APPARENTLY HAS NO INTENTION OF STAYING BURIED.There are certain things in this world which refu...
08/15/2026

A LEGEND RIDES AGAIN—AND APPARENTLY HAS NO INTENTION OF STAYING BURIED.

There are certain things in this world which refuse to disappear quietly. Gold fever is one. Politics is another. And then there is BONANZA.

So it seems only proper that on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 8th & 9th, 2027, the Cartwrights shall once again ride into Virginia City, Nevada—a town which has survived silver booms, mine fires, questionable wh***ey, respectable citizens, and tourists, and therefore ought to survive this as well.

BONANZA DAYS 2027 promises two days devoted to the Ponderosa, the Cartwrights, the Comstock and that gloriously exaggerated institution known as the American West.

There will be BONANZA episode screenings, special presentations, a parade, an Old West gunfight on C Street, a BONANZA Look-A-Like Contest, trivia, prizes, history, heritage and assorted frontier foolishness suitable for young people, old people, mothers, cowboys, prospectors and anyone else possessing sufficient judgment to spend a weekend in Virginia City.

And since it is Mother’s Day Weekend, bring your mother.

She brought you into this world.

The least you can do is take her to Virginia City.

MAY 8 & 9, 2027
HISTORIC VIRGINIA CITY, NEVADA

Come for the Cartwrights. Stay for the Comstock.

And remember: a legend is considerably easier to believe after you've had a drink in Virginia City.

BONANZADAYS.NET

Virginia City, Nevada — 1962.At the height of Bonanza’s rise across the American frontier of television, a remarkable tr...
04/22/2026

Virginia City, Nevada — 1962.

At the height of Bonanza’s rise across the American frontier of television, a remarkable tribute was bestowed upon its legendary cast—one forged not in Hollywood, but from the very ore of the Comstock itself.

Inside the famed Bucket of Blood Saloon, proprietor Don McBride created for and presented each of the Cartwrights with a belt buckle unlike any other—crafted of genuine Comstock silver and crowned with a mounted $20 gold piece struck at the Carson City Mint.

These were no ordinary keepsakes.
They were symbols.

Silver from the veins that built Virginia City.
Gold from the mint that stamped Nevada into the nation’s coinage.
Together, forged into a tribute worthy of the West’s most beloved television family.

Among them, the buckle presented to Lorne Greene—the patriarch of the Ponderosa—stands as a piece of living history. Strong, enduring, and unmistakably Western, it reflected both the man and the legend he portrayed.

At a time when Bonanza brought the story of the Comstock to millions of homes—becoming the first Western broadcast in color—Virginia City answered in kind, offering the Cartwrights something far more enduring than applause:

A piece of the real West.

Today, that buckle remains more than an artifact.
It is a meeting point—where television myth and frontier truth stand side by side, forever bound in silver and gold.

Updated schedule of events.
04/22/2026

Updated schedule of events.

BONANZA DAYS EVENTS:Good folks are advised that schedules and particulars may shift as the festivities draw near. For th...
04/13/2026

BONANZA DAYS EVENTS:
Good folks are advised that schedules and particulars may shift as the festivities draw near. For the latest updates and notices, kindly visit bonanzadays.net.

You know that iconic, galloping guitar riff. It’s arguably the most famous instrumental in television history. You can p...
04/08/2026

You know that iconic, galloping guitar riff. It’s arguably the most famous instrumental in television history. You can probably hear those horns and the snapping snare drum in your head right now. But here is the thing that trips most people up: there are actually lyrics for Bonanza theme song, even though the show famously aired for fourteen seasons without a single word being sung during the opening credits.

It feels like a Mandela Effect situation. You might swear you remember Lorne Greene or Michael Landon singing about the Ponderosa over that burning map, but you don't. Not on the actual broadcast. The version we all know and love—composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans—stayed instrumental for a very specific reason. Television in 1959 was transitioning. Producers wanted a high-energy, recognizable "brand" sound that didn't distract from the visual of the Cartwrights riding toward the camera.
The Version That Almost Was

Jay Livingston and Ray Evans weren't just some random jingle writers. These guys were heavy hitters. They wrote "Que Sera, Sera" and "Mona Lisa." When they were hired to create the Bonanza theme, they actually wrote a full set of lyrics intended for the show's intro.

The original plan involved the cast members singing. Seriously. There is actually a pilot version or "test" footage where the Cartwrights—Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe—sing a lyrical version while riding. It is, to be perfectly honest, a bit cringey by modern standards. It feels less like a gritty Western and more like a barbershop quartet on horseback.

"We got a right to pick a little fight, Bonanza! If anyone fights any one of us, he's gotta fight with me!"

Those are the real words. They emphasize the family bond, which was the core of the show, but the network execs eventually realized that the instrumental version had a much more epic, cinematic feel. It captured the vastness of the Nevada landscape better than four guys singing about "picking a fight."

Here's the link to Loren Greene singing the BONANZA theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUBgzSBMtpc&list=RDQUBgzSBMtpc&start_radio=1

Step into the legend of the Old West—and take a piece of it home.The official BONANZA DAYS 2026 Commemorative Medallions...
04/01/2026

Step into the legend of the Old West—and take a piece of it home.

The official BONANZA DAYS 2026 Commemorative Medallions have arrived and are now in stock and ready to ship. Beautifully crafted in an antique gold finish, these limited-edition collectibles celebrate the spirit, history, and enduring legacy of Bonanza and historic Virginia City.

Each medallion is a work of art.

On one side, the iconic Cartwright family stands proudly against the backdrop of Virginia City—capturing the heart of the legendary television series that brought the Ponderosa to life. Turn it over, and you’ll find a finely detailed map design featuring the Ponderosa, Virginia City, and Carson City—linking fiction with the real frontier that inspired it all.

This is more than a souvenir—it’s a collectible tribute to the American West.

JOHN MACKAY – THE SILVER GIANT OF THE COMSTOCKJohn William Mackay stands among the greatest figures of the Comstock Lode...
03/30/2026

JOHN MACKAY – THE SILVER GIANT OF THE COMSTOCK
John William Mackay stands among the greatest figures of the Comstock Lode era—a man whose life embodied the rugged determination and opportunity of the American West.

Born in 1831 to Irish immigrant parents, Mackay knew hardship long before he knew wealth. His early years were marked by labor and perseverance, working in the mines of California where he learned the trade from the ground up. Unlike many who would later claim fortune, Mackay earned his knowledge with a pickaxe in hand and grit in his character.

In 1873, Mackay and his partners—James Fair, James Flood, and William O’Brien—struck what would become one of the richest ore discoveries in world history within the Consolidated Virginia Mine. This discovery, known as the “Big Bonanza,” transformed Mackay into one of the wealthiest men of the 19th century and secured Virginia City’s place as the “Richest Place on Earth.”

Yet Mackay was more than a miner. He was a builder of legacy. His wealth helped establish what is now the Mackay School of Earth Sciences & Engineering at the University of Nevada. His residence, the Mackay Mansion in Virginia City, still stands today as a symbol of Comstock prosperity and ambition.

Despite his immense wealth, Mackay remained grounded. Known for his fairness, loyalty, and quiet generosity, he avoided the excess and spectacle that defined many of his contemporaries. Instead, he let his work—and his character—define him.

In a time of bold fortunes and larger-than-life personalities, John Mackay distinguished himself not only by what he gained, but by how he carried it.

From the depths of the Comstock rose a fortune—and a legend named Mackay.

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Dayton, NV
89403

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