Bonanza

Lotta Crabtree is hired by mining tycoon Alpheus Troy to lure one of the Cartwrights into town and hold him for ransom in exchange for Ponderosa timber rights.

Ben discovers Mark Burdette and Early Thorne selling antelope meat to the miners at high prices. He offers the miners beef at a more reasonable price. Burdette and Thorne retaliate by framing the Indians for attacks on the miners.

Ben discovers hydraulic miners camped on the ranch and has Hoss escort them off. In the process, Hoss falls in love with the sister of one of the men, not realizing she is terminally ill.

The Pauites are falsely accused of attacks and the militia is summoned. Adam is taken hostage by the Pauites.

Virginia City is visited by Samuel Clemens who writes editorials for the Territorial Enterprise. One of his first subjects is a politician who is trying to steal the Ponderosa.

Little Joe falls in love with Julia Bulette, a saloon owner. Her reputation and the fact that she is much older than Joe, puts him at odds with his father.

Annie O'Toole comes to Washoe Digging with a claim to a mine filed by her beau Swede Lundberg. Swede had two claims and sold one to an old acquaintance named Gregory Spain. There is some confusion over which claim is Annie's. A decision must be made in Miners Court. Ben Cartwright presides.

Philip Diedeshiemer works with Adam to prevent mine cave-ins. They create the "square set" system.

Henry Comstock claims ownership in a major gold strike. Joe asks for trouble by courting the daughter of Chief Winnemuca.

Actress Adah Isaacs Mencken visits Virginia City and is followed by old boyfriend John Regan. Adah is an old friend of Ben's and he tries to offer her protection. Ben's sons are convinced she's bad news and try dissuade their father from seeing her.

The Cartwrights are embroiled in a feud with their neighbors the Bishops; Joe and Amy Bishop want no part of the feud and wish to get married.

Joe and Adam join a posse to help a friend catch his wife's killer; but soon discover the posse has murderous intentions.

Virginia City residents leave Ben and Hoss to deal with an outlaw gang. Their only reinforcements are the town drunk and a doctor.

Adam is courting Sue Ellen Terry, a woman well known by the men folk in Virginia City. When Sue Ellen is killed, Adam becomes the number one suspect.

An Indian woman is brought home by Joe and Hoss after they discover her alone and about to have a baby. The Shoshone Chief, her father, and the baby's father (a white man) search for her.

Hoss and Joe travel to Monterey carrying a large amount of cash for the purchase of a prize bull. Along the way they have to deal with bandits, a duel, a boy who runs away with the bull, a love struck stow away and hungry Indians.

After her father and brother are hanged for murder, Leta Malvet becomes an outcast. She looks to her friend Clay Renton, a former bank robber, who is staying at the Cartwrights.

Frederick Kyle creates problems in the Cartwright home when he comes to Virginia City to gain support for the Confederacy.

While in Texas, Joe and Hoss are mistaken for the Slade brothers who are involved in a feud between two families. Consequently, Joe and Hoss are thrown in jail and are rescued by one of the members of the feuding families. They turn to the women of the feuding families to help stop the fighting.

Bigot Andrew Fulmer is running for mayor. Fulmer's hatred of Chinese people presents a problem for Jimmy Chong; he is falsely accused of shooting Sally Ridley.

Rosita Morales pretends to be heiress Isabella Marie Inez de la Cuesta in order to get a land grant which includes part of the Ponderosa. She is unable to fool Ben. With the help of his sons, he tries to find the real heiress.

A sheepherder, who was originally just passing through the Ponderosa, decides to stay there permanently. Ben attempts to kick him off the land and the sheepherder takes Adam prisoner.

Ben's ranch hand, Dave Walker, has been accused of killing the wife of Marshall Dowd. The Cartwrights go to Los Angeles for his trial.

Ben, who is running for Governor of Nebraska, was accused of murder twenty years ago; he must go to New Orleans to face the charges.

Adam is attacked by escaped convicts. Ben joins Army Captain Bolton in the search for Adam's attackers.

Hoss and Joe look for a way to prevent Adam and Ben from being hanged. A stranger, Lassiter, comes to town and helps prove Adam and Ben's innocence.

Lady Beatrice is married to Lord Marion Dunsford. She thinks her husband is a coward and sets her sights on a "real man" - Adam.

Ben, Hoss and Joe visit San Francisco with some of their ranch hands. The hands vanish. While searching for them, Ben finds himself shanghaied and destined for Hong Kong.

When miner Lem Keith plans to buy land next to the Ponderosa, he goes to the owner's son Todd to help him. Todd is more than willing to help Lem because he is in love with Lem's daughter and because he and Todd share a common hatred of the Cartwrights.

Little Billy Allen's mother has died and he waits for his father at the Cartwrights'. Unbeknownst to Billy, his father is a prisoner who has broken out of jail. When the father commits robbery and murder Hoss is forced to kill him.

A gypsy girl named Tirza has come to stay at the Ponderosa. She has been disowned by her people because they believe she is a witch. While staying with the Cartwrights, Joe falls in love with her and tries to prove her people wrong.

A member of a powerful gang murders a shopkeeper. The killer is sentenced to be hanged and the leader of the gang kidnaps Ben and holds him hostage.