Category: Prequel
Any time before the episode, A Rose for Lotta
Just a Prank (by DJK)
It was just a boy’s prank, so why did it cause such a rift between brothers. This story was written for the Chaps and Spurs 2025 First Quater challenge.
Rating: K+ word count: 5279
The Family Conference (by Glenandme)
Summary: When Joe gets into big trouble he expects a punishment, but a family conference? That’s worse than any punishment.
Rating: G, Word Count: 1365
Soldier Boy (by Puchi Ann)
Summary: When Adam Cartwright left college to join the Union Army, he had no idea he would be involved in three of the most significant battles of the Civil War. Nor did he know that the experience would mark his life forever and influence the man he would become.
Rating: MA for battlefield violence
Word Count: 94,855
Links to stories of A Separate Dream Series are included within.
The Loft – #2 (by Pat D in PA)
SUMMARY: In the second of three short stories, a frustrated father, an ornery, half-grown son, and a small(ish) sentinel guarding his elder brother’s privacy as he licks his wounds all need the Cartwright barn’s hayloft to work its magic.
RATING: T – for mature language (5,777 words)
The Christmas Secret (by Harpistforhim)
Summary: A young Little Joe wants to know which of his brothers will be getting him a special gift for Christmas, but Adam isn’t in the mood for spilling secrets. A short holiday story set during the early years of the Ponderosa.
Rating: G Word Count: 739
The Loft #1 (by Pat D in PA)
Summary: In this first of three short stories, we are able to see the healing properties that can be present in a simple hayloft. In this first story, a deeply disappointed youngest Cartwright brother learns that even a bossy boots big brother can somehow know just the right things to say… and not to say.
Rating: K/G (1,711 words)
The Stamp Effect (by Cheaux)
Summary: Lesson plans have real-life implications during Miss Jones’ absence.
Rating: G 3,410 words
Written for the Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Peace on Earth (by AC1830)
Summary: Christmas candles, a cranky baby, and a neglected Cartwright all add up to one special Christmas.
Rating: G 2,420 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
A New Friend (by AC1830)
Summary: One of the Cartwrights gets a big surprise for his birthday. Written for Dan Blocker’s Birthday. Rating: G, Word Count: 2294 A New Friend A horse is a thing of beauty – head raised proudly, mane and tail flying in the wind as it parades around. It’s enough…
The Ugliest Christmas Ornament (by DJK)
Summary: Little Joe thinks an ornament is too ugly for the Cartwright tree. Adam has the opposite opinion in this slice-of-life vignette.
Rating: G 610 words
What He Wanted for Christmas (by DJK)
Summary: Ben wants to indulge Adam by giving him the one present he requested, but wherever does one buy a battery for a thirteen-year-old?
Rating: G 2,325 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
No Deal (by BettyHT)
Summary: This is a prequel with Adam home from college at about 23, Hoss at about age 17, and Joe at about age 11. Returning from a trip to Sacramento, Adam has two disturbing encounters, one with someone he thought could be a friend and another with outlaws. Then he has another one with his father. The rest of the story develops from those until the issues can be resolved.
Rating – T Word Count – 32,154
We All Need A Backup Sometimes (by DJK)
Canon refers to Ben leaving the Ponderosa for a time after Marie’s death. This story presents a possibility for how Adam managed during this time. (This is an Old Ned story.)
Conversations Along the Trail (by DJK)
This is a compilation of five vignettes that take place on Ben Cartwright’s trip West.
Rating: K+ Words: 2274
The Homecoming (By Missjudy)
Summary: Instead of excitement and joy over Adam’s imminent return from school in Boston, unexpected emotions and personal fears leave the Cartwrights struggling in their welcome. This story is comprised of chapters told from a family member’s POV.
Rating: G
Words: 26442
