Bonanza got its name
from the Comstock Lode which was "an exceptionally large and rich
mineral deposit" of silver. Virginia City was founded directly over
the lode which was mined for 19 years. The Ponderosa was an
alternative title of the series, used for the broadcast of
syndicated reruns while Bonanza was in first-run on NBC. Ponderosa
is also the name of a series prequel airing on PAX-TV from 2001-02.
