Category: Family
Stories that focus on the entire family
Calling Up Angels (By Wrangler)
Summary: When a little boy is left in Little Joe’s care, he hopes to adopt him however problems arise which might prevent the adoption. A tale of love and loss. Rating T, WC 19,382
![]()
Peace on Earth (by Pat D in PA)
Summary: A blizzard and a case of the flu conspire to make the Cartwright boys wonder if Christmas would find it’s way to the Ponderosa
Rating: K/G (10,837 words)
![]()
Queen of the Dunes (by CareBear)
Summary: When Adam and his wife welcome a second child, the household is thrown into chaos. The changes leave their oldest feeling so overlooked that she becomes convinced that no one will miss her if she disappears. Being a Cartwright, she decides to put that theory to the test.
Rating: PG WC: 15,160
![]()
The Sound of Surviving (by Wrangler)
Summary: Though his family thinks he’s paranoid due to the trauma of the past year Joe insists he’s acting instinctively. Now he faces one final battle to prove he’s a survivor and no longer a victim.
Rating T, WC 37,040 Links to stories within the series are included within.
![]()
A Ponderosa Thanksgiving (by Heather Chrysalis)
Summary: (Poetry) The Cartwright clan express their love and gratitude for each other and for the land.
Rated G Wordcount: 375
![]()
The Truth Be Told (by Wrangler)
Summary: There’s trouble brewing when Pa accuses his youngest of coming home drunk on several occasions but Little Joe insists he’s innocent. The truth proves to be unpredictable. Rating T, WC 13,401
![]()
When October Goes (by Wrangler)
Summary: Ben disowns Little Joe; Adam fights him in town and Hoss ignores him. Now everyone wants to know why. The reason lies in October. Rating T, WC 41,844
![]()
If Your Heart Cries Out Tonight (by Wrangler)
Summary: Little Joe reflects back to when he challenged an important decision that his father made. Now, at seventeen, he discovers why Pa was right.
Rating T WC 10,225,
![]()
The Weaker Sex (by Pat D in PA)
Summary: Marie Cartwright comes home from assisting a neighboring woman to find … Written for the 3rd Quarter Chaps and Spurs Challenge.
Rating: K/G
Word Count: 2,067
![]()
Maude (by BettyHT)
Summary: Hoss wants Maude, but she and Adam develop an unlikely relationship. Eventually Hoss benefits from the couple’s relationship in a way no one could ever have predicted but only after they experience a series of adventures.
Rating: PG Word count: 24,152
![]()
I’m Already There (by Wrangler)
Summary: Little Joe doesn’t know what to do with himself when Pa is delayed and can’t make his seventeenth birthday. A simple sweet tale.
Rating T, WC 3326,
![]()
The Burden of Guilt (by CareBear)
Summary: Adam carries a self-enforced burden of guilt, haunted by memories of the past that are dredged to the surface by Delphine’s death.
Rating: T (violence) Word Count: 6823
![]()
High Stakes in Ragtown (by DJK)
Summary: The Carwright brothers stopped in Ragtown for a bath, food, and a trip to the saloon. They picked the wrong saloon. Of course, Opal did not think so.
Rating: T/PG13 Word count: 12,217
![]()
The Infinite Curse of a Lonely Heart (by Pat D in PA)
Summary: Unrequited affection, if not actually love, permeates this prequel tale of the Cartwrights as a church social becomes an unexpected source of disappointment and frustration for some, and wonder for others. Written for the 2025 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rating: K+/T Word Count: 13,275
![]()
Not Til We Find Him (by Patina)
Summary:. A missing son, a father’s search. A WHIB and WHI for The Crucible.
Rating: T Word Count: 5,353
![]()


































