Kid Nation, filmed near Santa Fe, NM, at Bonanza Creek Ranch, Debuts

Kid Nation, the much beleaguered series on CBS, has debuted (Wednesday, 8:00 pm-9:00 pm) with a scant four minutes of commercial ad time sold. While the controversy has captivated many all summer with its cries of child exploitation, I know its filmed location as a place of other Hollywood-type interest.



Even Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, a fellow blogger, has been quoted extensively on the exploitation controversy in local and national press. His thoughts on the issue have been everywhere from the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times newspapers. His deputy sheriffs investigated the claims and found no criminal wrong doing, although some concerns were expressed.

As a deputy sheriff in the Patrol Division of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, I visited the closed set of the old TNT western The Lazarus Man starring the late Robert Urich. The series (1995-1996) aired on Saturday nights at 9:00 pm on the TNT cable TV network and it was filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch located some eight miles south of the City of Santa Fe, NM.



I had no problem being let in by security at the front wooden gate. I pulled my marked Chevrolet Caprice patrol car up to the set and encountered a min-city in the form of a Hollywood set of an old western main street. All of this was outside with canopies to shield the caterers and other support folks from the sun. Many actors were scurrying about in their western garb.

It looked much like a scene from a Hollywood set- only this was in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Kid Nation claims to be filmed in Bonanza City, NM. Actually, the real location is the place that Robert Urich plied his trade on the two season TNT western series before his cancer stopped the Sam Productions series.



Bonanza Creek Ranch was the name it went by during my visit and it certainly is not a stand alone city or community. The opening of the old NBC show Bonanza was filmed there. Remember, that was when Ben Cartwright and the rest of his brood rode up on horses during the opening music and the series' credits.

Other westerns have been filmed there including the Legend of the Lone Ranger (1980), Silverado (1989), and the Lucky Luke series (1989). The "city" that is there now is the result of the Hollywood magic worked by Lucky Luke's Paloma Films honchos.

It'll be interesting to see how this show does in the shadow of the controversy and minimal sponsor support. The location of the Ranch is great being just a stone throw from the amenities of the City of Santa Fe. And the views...well they are to say the least spectacular. Bonanza Creek Ranch is a very stunning and beautiful part of our nation (not just the kid nation).