Most Recent Story: Home is the Sailor #12 – No-body’s Hero – published 2/28/2026 see summary below.
A Brief Family Moment – by Krystyna
Summary: Adam’s curious … Inger’s busy … so questions are asked, but will the answers satisfy an inquisitive little boy.
Rating: G 1,070 words
A Bucketful of Trouble – by Krystyna
Summary: Hop Sing decides it’s time to quit! This story may be familiar to forum readers but I hope it will appeal to those newer members of Bonanzaworld who have yet to read it.
Rating: G 1,060 words
A Good Day for a Hanging – by Krystyna
Summary: This is a story that relates events prior to the episode The Avenger, and explains how and why Adam and Ben were arrested and sentenced to hang.
Rating: K+ 53,215 words
A Little Less, Next Time – by Krystyna
Summary: Joe discovers that his liking for raspshberriesh ..I mean…raspberry cordial has repercussions…
Rating: K+ 1,760 words
A Night at the Opera – by Krystyna
Summary: A night at the Opera House in San Francisco really goes with a bang. But will Joe will able to save Adam’s life as his brother desperately seeks a way to survive.
Rating: T 15,390 words
A Sense of Something Greater – by Krystyna
Summary: Ben’s attempt to escape his misery at Marie’s death leads him to an appreciation of another kind of sorrow.
Rating: G 3,725 words
A Shot in the Dark – by Krystyna
Summary: The question the Jury wanted answered was who shot Judd Clancy? It was a question to which the Cartwrights also required an answer as one of their own faced the charge of murder.
Rating: G 3,320 words
Summary: Sometimes something quite small can bring sorrow and joy at the same time.
Rating: G, Word Count: 650
A Story of a Gentle Man – by Krystyna
Summary: A story of how Hop Sing came to join the Cartwright family.
Rating: T 6,870 words
Summary: A hot day, a melting pig, and Joe wants to know about the birds and the bees.
Rating: G 1,390 words
Summary: Like a stitch in time, Ben remembers a few special moments through the years.
Rating: K+ 1,050 words
A World Turned Upside Down – by Krystyna
Summary: Little Joe Cartwright can’t believe it when Clay Stafford enters his life again …nor can his brothers for very different reasons. Is Clay back for good? Are his motives honest and above board? And who is the man with whom he keeps in contact?
Rating: T 55,545 words
Summary: Little Joe is on an errand to Placerville when misfortune strikes … being all on his own he has to place his life in the hands of others who are fighting battles of their own.
Rating: K+ 10,570 words
Summary: While trying to help some friends, Adam becomes trapped in a mine, no one knows he’s there, he faces death ..alone.
Rating: K+ 15,575 words
Summary: So what did happen to Will and Laura and Peggy after the wedding day? Did they ride happily off into the sunset and disappear like many other Cartwright neighbours and friends? If they did it was only after this particular adventure …
32,505 words Rating: K
Summary: This story is a spin off from an episode called The Tall Stranger in which Hoss proposed to Margie Owens and lost out to Mark Connors, who married Margie and then dumped her. Hoss found Margie just before she died in childbirth. In this story Hoss is battling the worst misery of his life as he struggles to overcome a broken heart with no hope of ever seeing Margie again. He has to suffer physical anguish, and experience other people’s direst heartache, before he can bury the past and get on with his life, find happiness and return home to his family.
Rating: T 21,580 words
And Amen to All That – by Krystyna
Summary: Adam and Joe Cartwright face the worse possible kind of danger, a silent enemy, one unseen and lethal … but which of them will survive?
Rating: K+ 22,570 words
Summary: A young woman seeks the help of Ben and Adam to locate her lost sister.
Rating: K 20,100 words
Ben Cartwright – R.I.P. – by Krystyna
Summary: Ben Cartwright’s dead … well, some people seem to think so.
Rating: T 19,070 words
Bronco Buster (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: This is a coming of age story for Joe. Determined to become a horse breaker he learns a hard lesson when he faces a challenge ..from the horse itself.
Rating: K+ 6,400 words
Captain Cartwright # 1 – To Soar on Albatross Wings – by Krystyna
Summary: Welcome to the world of Captain Cartwright; this is the first story in this continuing saga. This story introduces Candy to the Cartwright family where he finds a restless Joe Cartwright who resents the fact that his eldest brother left the Ponderosa. Adam meanwhile has adventures of his own far away at sea …
Rated: K 72,755 words
Captain Cartwright # 2 – To Fly With Eagles – by Krystyna
Summary: Joe leaves the Ponderosa and finds true love, extreme danger and a longing for home. It also brings Adam home from sea to join with Hoss in a search for their little brother.
Rated: K 154,265 words
Captain Cartwright # 3 – Captain, Oh My Captain – by Krystyna
Summary: Joseph Cartwright suffers what he considers a fate worse than death when an accident during a stampede causes him to face time in a wheelchair and Adam’s hopes of marriage are dashed when he is sent on an assignment to Alaska.
Rated: K+ 210,950 words
Captain Cartwright # 4 – The Commodore – by Krystyna
Summary: Ben loses the Ponderosa which is purchased by some unknown benefactor. Hoss and Joe both fall in love but only one of them ends up at the altar, and Adam is sent to the Kuril Islands to locate a missing ship.
Rated: K+ 217,930words
Captain Cartwright # 5 – Invictus – by Krystyna
Summary: Romance as well as sadness beckons for Joe, while Adam is reunited with old friends and takes on a new personna in order to protect the President.
Rated: K 281,065 words
Captain Cartwright # 6 –Carpe Diem – by Krystyna
Summary: We follow Adam into danger far away in China and enjoy the adventures of the Cartwright family on the Ponderosa, where Ben has a special assignment that brings him into contact with a very old friend.
Rated: T 207,070 words
Captain Cartwright # 7 – A New Command – by Krystyna
Summary: Adam suffers the results of his adventures in the South China Seas but finds his heart’s desire.
Rated: T 282,710 words
Captain Cartwright # 8 – A Duty to Live – by Krystyna
Summary: With his sons married with children of their own Ben has thoughts of his own future.
Rated: T 278,150 words
Captain Cartwright # 9 – All Those Tomorrows – by Krystyna
Summary: Commodore and Mrs Adam Cartwright await the birth of their first child, but it’s a time that is threatened by danger, the ambitions of a corrupt official and petty thief, and of blizzards.
Rated: K 238,200 words
Captain Cartwright #10 – Written in Stone – by Krystyna
Summary: Under a new Administration, Commodore Cartwright is sent to search for a missing murder suspect. While on the Ponderosa, a tragic event at the school leads to disaster for the family. This is the tenth story in the world of Captain Cartwright.
Rating: T 185,155 words
Summary: An evening playing chess and memories hover …
Rating: K+ 1,510 words
Summary: Adam goes on an errand for a sick man and finds a cat, a dead town, and an adventure.
Rating: G 10,550 words
Summary: Ben faces the revenge of a woman bent on killing one of the Cartwright sons…but which one? The choice is Ben’s … but how can he even start to consider such a decision when it means the death of Adam or Hoss or, perhaps, even Joe.
Rating: T 32,400 words
Courage aka The Mountain Trek – by Krystyna
Summary: Bravery isn’t the absence of fear as Adam tells Joe, but carrying on as you know you should in spite of it.
Rating: T 3,780 words
Summary: Adam is ambushed, and everyone thinks they know who did it …
Rated: K+ 20,280 words
Summary: When Adam fails to return after appearing as a witness at a trial in S.F Ben fears the worse. After a frantic search the anxious father’s concerns appear to be worse than even he imagined.
Rated: T 23,235 words
Summary: The Wilde family arrive in Virginia City, the eldest daughter becoming the focus of Joe and Hoss’ attentions, causing chaos within the family while Mr.Wilde’s peculiarities force Adam into eating a surfeit of cake.
Rated: K+ 40,090 words
Do Poppies Still Bloom in Boston? – by Krystyna
Summary: Some interesting people come to the rescue of Adam Cartwright and his friend, Jane Waumsley.
Rating: K+ 16,845 words
Does Clemmie Get Her Man? – by Krystyna
Summary: Are the rumours and newspaper reports circulating among Virginia City’s citizens concerning Ben and Clementine Hawkins true? Or, might there be something more sinister afoot?
Rating: K+ 5,400 words
Summary: Little Joe has a problem with the new student at school, and Miss Jones proves to be no help whatsoever… but it all leads to what if’s and if only’s in the end.
Rating: G 1,910 words
Summary: Repercussions, consequences, and guilt.
Rating: 1,520 words
Frogs, Books, and Sticky Things – by Krystyna
Summary: Joe Cartwright, incorrigible, uncontainable, hoarder of worms and frogs and all of age 5 goes in search of a book for his big brother Adam … and lots of horrible things happen as a consequence!
Rated: K+ 11,600 words
Genesis – The Ponderosa – by Krystyna
Summary: Ben and Adam receive an old trunk from Abel Stoddard which sets them off on a long journey to when the first Cartwright stepped foot on American soil in the 17th Century.
Rating K 42,870 words
Hitting the Barn Door – by Krystyna
Summary: A hot day and a lot of frayed tempers so Adam suggests going into town for a cool beer… only to be challenged to a duel.
Rated: K 3,040 words
Home is the Sailor #1 – by Krystyna
Summary: The Commodore’s letter of resignation has long been accepted. Will the mundane life of a rancher be enough? A story where old foes and new, as well as the past and the present entwine to continue the lives created in the World of Captain Cartwright.
Rating: K+ 214,200
Home is the Sailor #2 – The Iron Horsemen – by Krystyna
Summary: It is the winter of 1877 and two of Adam and Olivia’s children are lost during the blizzards. This story is about the iron like qualities the Cartwrights need in order to find a child.
Rating: K+ 182,450
Home is the Sailor #3 – There Will Always be Rainbows – by Krystyna
Summary: Events from the past come back to haunt Adam and his family.
Rating T WC 140,975
Home is the Sailor #4 – The Pledge – by Krystyna
Summary: Adam and Joe go on a cattle drive while Reuben joins a gang, as life continues on the Ponderosa.
Rating: T 240,110 words
Home is the Sailor #5 – No Greater Love – by Krystyna
Summary: Murder and an accused, and trouble in town. But is all as it appears. Fifth in the Home is the Sailor Series. Rating: T 201,700 words
Home is the Sailor #6 – Kismet – by Krystyna
Summary: Emancipation for Women and the Vote become a big issue when Peggy Dayton visits the Ponderosa. The result of her visit has long lasting repercussions in Virgiina City and the Cartwright families.
Rating: T WC: 219,977
Home is the Sailor #7 – The Gap – by Krystyna
Summary: A trip to San Francisco sets the family on an adventure.
Rating: T 198,800 words
Home is the Sailor #8 – A New Direction – Changes – by Krystyna
Summary: President Grant offers Joe Cartwright a job as Head of Security in NYC. Will it take it? Hoss and Adam discover another Eden on a far flung part of the Ponderosa? What do they plan to do with it? And Ben … could this story end with his demise or not?
Rating: PG Word Count: 204,400
Home is the Sailor #9 – Equinox – by Krystyna
Summary: The Cartwrights face an unseen enemy who is preying upon the young women of Virginia City .. can it possibly be the man Adam suspects?
Rating: T (164,625 words)
Summary: At last, the long-awaited cattle station is being built on Ponderosa land close to Carson City. It seems a good idea at the time and the Cartwrights are anticipating big things as a result…until their neighbouring rancher decides to put a stop to the whole thing. But as the Cartwrights find out ..there is a lot more involved than the building of a cattle station
Rating: PG
Word Count: 168,941
Home is the Sailor #11 – Love Thyself Least – by Krystyna
Summary: The latest in the Home is the Sailor Series
Rating: T Words: 134,000
Home is the Sailor #12 – No-body’s Hero – by Krystyna
Summary: A continuation of the Home is the Sailor Series
Rating: PG (164,925 words)
House that Adam Built (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: A man’s dream….a child’s hope.
Rating: T (57,620 words)
I Shall Cherish You Forever – by Krystyna
Summary: News that Adam has died reaches the Ponderosa … but how well founded is the rumour? Is there a happy ever after ending for Ben and all his sons?
Rated: K+ 10,620 words
If Marie Had Lived… – by Krystyna
Summary: If Marie Had Lived… and Ben had died…
Rating: T 225,640 words
Summary: This story covers the adventures of Ben, Inger and Adam Cartwright on the wagon train journey that was the dream that turned into a nightmare. The episode Journey Remembered was a very sanitized version of the hardships these pioneers would have encountered so this story is about bringing a touch of dramatic reality to the episode.
Rating: T 12, 580 words
Inger #2 – After Ash Hollow – by Krystyna
Summary: This is a continuation of the story Inger, although each story can stand on its own merits. Life chasing Ben’s dream holds many dangers as Adam discovers …
Rating T 17,300 words
Inger #3 – Searching for Elizabeth – by Krystyna
Summary: Set 18 months after Inger…a little boy longing for his mother, a beautiful lady who looks just as mother should, a father facing a murder charge …
Rating: T 19,930 words
Inger #4 – Journey’s End – by Krystyna
Summary: Ben Cartwright finally finds where he wants to be – and picks up a passenger along the way.
Rating: T 8,830 words
Summary: It’s been two years since Eastgate, Salt Flats, and Kane. Business for the Ponderosa continues and life goes on. What happens when life takes Adam back to Eastgate and his memories? Could the truth have prevented his ordeal?
Rating: K+ 28,925 words
Summary: It’s been two years since the events that almost saw two of the Cartwrights hung for a crime they didn’t commit.
Rating: T (6,550 words)
Like a Phoenix Rising #1 – by Krystyna
Summary: A young woman’s account of how she found hope and love when her life seemed to have crumbled into ashes …
Rated: K 23,435 words
Like a Phoenix Rising #2 – Abbie’s Story – by Krystyna
Summary: This is the second part of the story about Abbie who first appeared in the story Like a Phoenix Rising which ended with her married to one of the Cartwrights … this part reveals which Cartwright was her husband and what happened to them.
Rating: PG 20,000 words
Summary: Joe’s determination to ‘grow up and prove to the world he’s a man’ provides his brothers’ with a full time job on their hands trying to keep him out of trouble!
Rated: K 21,060 words
Love of His Life (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: Memories and the hurt over losing Rebecca Kaufman cause someone else to recount their own loss, in hopes it will help Adam to understand — he is not alone.
Rating: K+ 4,360 words
Man in the Middle (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: Hoss Cartwright finds himself in a situation which proves that he really is . . the man in the middle.
Rated: K+ 14,005 words
Summary: Evil comes in many different guises, and Adam discovers that some things are not quite as they seem. When the evil stretches out and harms Joe, Adam realises he has a lot to do to protect himself and his family from even greater harm.
Rating ‘G’ 26,485 words
Summary: Millicent Browne leaves her family in order to travel and discover more about herself and the world, but then she meets Hoss Cartwright and realises HE is her world.
Rated: K 30,585 words
Miss Tyndale’s Diary – by Krystyna Summary: A young librarian in Virginia City shares her story through her diary, including being smitten with one of the Cartwright brothers. This story has been incorporated into the Captain Cartwright/Home is the Sailor series. However, this is the original story.
Rating: G, Word Count: 4824
My Name is Dorcas – by Krystyna
Summary: Young love can be so real that it hurts, and it can grow stronger as years go by. When Dorcas returned to Virginia City her love for Joe Cartwright was as strong as the day she rode away from him at aged 6. But can he love her in return?
Rated: K+ 29,890 words
On a Wedding Day – by Krystyna
Summary: Laura’s wedding day – how does everyone actually feel about this coming marriage?
Rated: K+ 4,745 words
On Butterfly Wings – by Krystyna
Summary: This is a little story about a little boy who never knew his Mama but loves her and when he overhears some gossip he mistakenly thinks his Mama is alive after all.
Rated: K+ 21,150 words
Summary: It’s hot and work is hard for Adam and Hoss while Joe is off on a jaunt elsewhere. Then Adam wakes up during the night knowing that Joe needs help …
Rated: K 19,285 words
Summary: Everyone at school had a secret in the family so Joe was convinced there had to be a secret in his own, and where better to find it than in a certain box in his father’s room.
Rating: G 2,190 words
Past, The Present, and The Future (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: This could be considered a WHN of The Paiute War although it takes place two years after the events of that episode.
Rating: T 8,800 words
Problem with Ezra (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: Sometimes certain people are overlooked until a situation arises when they can not be ignored any longer, which really was the problem with Ezra.
Rating: G 4,510 words
Summary: Hoss comes across two little boys when seeking shelter from the rain…and somehow they just got to talking about the rain, a flood, an ark and a rainbow.
Rating: K 4,900 words
Summary: Adam, a widow, and her young son are the sole survivors of a stagecoach crash, but further danger lurks in the ravine.
Rated: K+ 38,640 words
Summary: Joe departs with a light heart to attend a friend’s wedding little knowing that Frederic Kyle has a longer shadow that any in the family realize and it isn’t long before Joe, and Adam, are drawn into the War between North and South.
Rated: K+ 32,815 words
Slipping Through My Fingers – by Krystyna
Summary: This is the story of Jane Halcrow and the way she met and fell in love with Adam Cartwright? Does she marry him? Not if Laura Dayton has anything to do about it, but then….?!
Rating: T 32,395 words
Summary: Eli Prowse fell in love with a beautiful young girl, but she chose to marry Ben and ‘live happily ever afterwards.’ Years have passed and Eli has journeyed to the Ponderosa to destroy those whom he holds responsible for Elizabeth’s death … Ben, and her son, Adam.
Rated: T 74,980 words
Summary: Joseph Cartwright has to deliver a letter to an old friend of Bens which plunges him into romance, and murder.
Rated: K+ 32,465 words
To Soar on Albatross Wings – by Krystyna — in German
Zusammenfassung: Diese Geschichte führt Candy in die Cartwright Familie ein, in der er einen ruhelosen Joe Cartwright vorfindet, der die Tatsache übelnimmt, dass sein ältester Bruder die Ponderosa verlassen hat. Adam erlebt in der Zwischenzeit seine eigenen Abenteuer, weit weg auf dem Ozean…mit dieser Geschichte startet meine Captain Cartwright Serie, vorrausgegangen ist jedoch die Geschichte I Shall Cherish You Forever.
Rating: T 68,645 words
Triple Cord (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: Joe insists on accompanying Ben to Boston to attend the funeral of a long-time friend; only to become separated shortly thereafter. This is story of fate, perseverance, and a family’s love.
Rating: K+ 15,950 words
Summary: Ben awaits an explanation, does he really want to know the ending?
Rating: 1,110 words
Summary: A brief stop-over in a small town turns out far longer than the Cartwright brothers thought when they meet Veronica Sadler and find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery in town without law.
Rated: T 25,390 words
What Did He Say? – by Krystyna
Summary: It pays to listen. After the fact, the family tries to figure out what Hop Sing said before returning to his kitchen.
Rating K 1,240 words
Summary: A widow arrives in Virginia City who has had connections with the Countess of Chadwick. She also has connections with someone else from the Cartwrights past that cast a long shadow.
Rated: K+ 27,915 words
Summary: A story of the events leading up to Adam’s illness that led Ben to reflect on his first wife in Elizabeth, My Love.
Rating: K+ 8,188 words
