Lake Tahoe Trip: M/S Dixie

6 July 1984

It must surely be the fairest picture the whole world affords.

Mark Twain – 1862
(Upon seeing Lake Tahoe for the first time.)

After riding the rails in the morning (click here to read the post), we switched gears and spent the afternoon on a Lake Tahoe cruise aboard the sternwheeler M/S Dixie.

The M/S Dixie is ported in Zephyr Cove, about 21 miles (34 km) from Carson City.

From the brochure we received when we boarded the 360-passenger Dixie:

The hull of the Dixie was first built in 1927 on the Mississippi River, where it was used as a cotton barge until 1931. At that time it was moved to the Red River in Texas, where partial conversion was started in order to use the hull as a riverboat. The ship’s history about that time is cloudy, but in 1947 Jim Moss of Reno, a retired Mississippi riverboat captain, purchased the boat. He had it cut into four pieces and shipped to Reno by rail, then by truck to Cave Rock where it was reassembled.

(No photo of the Dixie; the one below is of M/S Dixie II, the sternwheeler that is currently cruising the waters of Lake Tahoe. Click the photo for more information about day cruises on the lake.)

Since the Dixie originated on the Mississippi, most people assume that she was named for the Southland. However, Mr. Moss named the ship for his daughter, Dixie Moss.

When Mr. Moss was approximately half-way through construction of what he hoped would be a cruise ship such as the Dixie is today, he applied for a gambling license in Carson City. When he was denied the license, he had to cancel his plans. He lost the boat in litigation, and rather than giving her up, he deliberately scuttled the Dixie at Cave Rock in 1949.

In December of that same year, she was raised from the bottom and taken to Logan Shoals Harbor in Glenbrook, where she was kept in storage for three years. In 1953, Ken and Margaret Amundson purchased her. The Dixie was used for offices and warehousing space for some five years. She was then converted into a family pleasure boat for weekend cruises with friends. At first a Buick engine was used to drive her paddle wheel.

During this time, the Dixie was seen in several national television series such as “State Trooper” and the long-running “Bonanza.” In 1970 the Dixie was pulled out of the water. It was widened, lengthened, and two decks were added. With this reconstruction complete, the Dixie made her maiden voyage in February 1972. Since that time Dixie hospitality has been extended to such distinguished groups as the National Governors Conference, and the joint party for the Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts.

After our cruise to Emerald Bay (on the California side of the lake), we returned to Carson City … but first, a quick stop at the Logan Shoals Overlook.

We had a great last day at Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe Trip: Ponderosa Ranch (Part II)

5 July 1984

Our day at the Ponderosa Ranch of Bonanza fame started out with a horseback ride and a chuckwagon breakfast.  (Click here to read the post.)  Afterwards, we explored the would-be Virginia City and toured the Cartwright Ranch.

The long arm of the law has caught up to Mui.

Little Joe’s Horse

Hoss’ Mystery Mine — Is the room crooked, or is it us?

Welcome to the Cartwright Ranch House.

Hop-Sing at work.

The Ponderosa Ranch is no more.  Having outlived most of the series' original cast, it was permanently closed in 2004.

Lake Tahoe Trip: Ponderosa Ranch (Part I)

5 July 1984

On February 14, 1844, Captain John C. Fremont, aided by famed scout Kit Carson, became the first white man to discover Lake Tahoe.  Tahoe is an Indian word meaning “big water.”  History records that for 1500 years before Fremont, many Indian tribes used the shores of Tahoe as a summer retreat to escape the heat of the valleys below.  Taking a page out of their book, we headed to Lake Tahoe for the 4th of July holiday.

After a long day’s drive and an overnight stay in a Motel 8 (with vibrating beds no less), we arrived in Carson City, Nevada on July 4.  After settling into our hotel, we drove around the lake, stopping at scenic overlooks to enjoy the views.  Our photos from the drive show just glimpses of Lake Tahoe visible through the trees; certainly nothing worth scanning for the blog.  We also visited Vikingsholm, a massive stone castle built in the 1920s on the California side of the lake.  No decent photos from that stop either, so I’ll just skip along to the second day of our trip.

608 miles (973 km) and a 9-hour drive brought us from Kaysville to Carson City.
(red lines in the inset show our side trips to the Ponderosa Ranch and Virginia city.)

Bring up the name Cartwright, and the first image that will pop into the minds of most people is probably of the actors who portrayed the men — Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe — on the long-running TV show, Bonanza.  The next image will probably be of the map that bursts into flame at the beginning of each of the TV episodes, accompanied by the well-known theme song (click here if you need to refresh your memory).

Left to Right: Pernell Roberts (Adam); Michael Landon (Little Joe);
Lorne Greene (Ben); and Dan Blocker (Hoss).

The idea for the burning map originated with an unsung artist in the
Hollywood studio where the pilot for Bonanza was filmed.

Well, we spent our day at Ponderosa Ranch, or more specifically, at the “western theme ranch” developed on the set where some of the scenes for the show were filmed.  Our day started out with a horseback ride that culminated with a chuckwagon breakfast at a spot overlooking Lake Tahoe.  Following our ride back to the stables, we wandered around the old west town that was supposed to be a replica of Virginia City, and toured the Cartwright ranch house.  Yes, it was all very touristy, but we had fun nonetheless.

Here’s part I — our horseback ride into the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  (Mui rode Button and I rode My Sweetie … both were perfectly suited for novice riders.)