Gooseneck Reservoir

The crystal blue waters of Gooseneck Reservoir in June of 2003
as seen on "Bonanza".

The crystal blue waters of Gooseneck Reservoir were first used as Ponderosa story settings in June 1962. This beautiful and natural pond which is very shallow and small is fed by a fork of Martis Creek and is full by June. The mountains above the valley encircle it on all sides, a magnificent sight. The first filmed footage of Gooseneck Reservoir was featured exclusively in four's "The First Born" with Joe washing up at the pond after a night of hard drinking with his half-brother Clay Stafford.

Filmed stock footage would be filmed of Joe riding his Paint horse down the newly cut dirt road on the east side of the pond towards you, with the tree-covered Bald Mountain coming into brief view, and would establish or close out a story in the episodes featured in. The same in the case of filmed footage of Ben, Hoss, and Joe in the same episode riding along the shore of the reservoir. The footage of the Cartwrights would be reused later in the series for episodes such as "The Last Mission" and "Pride Of A Man". In June of 1968, was the last time the Gooseneck Reservoir would even be filmed at for the first act in "Kingdom Of Fear". The reservoir is on wildlife refuge land and is private property not open to the public.