Spooner Meadow
Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

     Spooner Meadow was used to film riding shots that were edited in "Death on Sun Mountain" in July of 1959. The cast and stuntmen were in the required scenes for the filmed storyline. In the show, it's the scenes of the Paiute Indians riding through the meadow tending the cattle. The final scene in the episode reveals the meadow, with Lorne Greene's first voiceover heard in the series. The production also went to nearby locales to film riding shots and stock footage for "The Henry Comstock Story" and other episodes.

     The practice of filming stock footage saves money on production costs. After a few years, the footage is no longer used, with new stock shots filmed to match the appearance of the cast. The production returned three years later to shoot the outdoor segments at Spooner Meadow and Spooner Lake for "Land Grab" ( 1961 ). State Route 28 runs alongside the meadow, so only a limited number of shots could be filmed for the above episodes.

DIRECTIONS (From South Lake Tahoe):  take Hwy. 50 north, and after some miles you will see the junction at State Route 28. Turn left on SR 28 east, and you will pass Spooner Lake, and in little under a mile, you will see the meadow off to your right, and a large parking area, on the left side of SR 28, and you are there.

Spooner Meadow Page - 2

Home | Locations | Opening Scenes | Forum | Cast Bios | Episode Guide | Links
Calendar | Bonanza Lyrics | Horse Bios | Gallery | eCards

Photographs and content copyright ©2000-2007 RM & Bonanza: Scenery of the
Ponderosa, all rights reserved.