Click title to read story.
S*x Scenes – a REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: It all started over an argument about socks.
Rating: T 3, 125 words
Summary: Warned on numerous occasions to stay off the Indian’s sacred ground, Little Joe makes a daring attempt to keep a group of young curiosity seekers from making a fatal mistake…will his attempt came too late to prevent a tragedy?
Rated PG WC 16,000
Sacred Promises / Malicious Games – by MissJudy
Summary: A “What might have happened” story for the Crucible, this story tells of Adam’s experience as a 12-year-old with a madman who played games with his mind.
WC 30,000. Rating: T Word Count: 30,186
Warning: This story tackles some serious topics, and Adam goes through a lot. However, he is left better for the experience, and as a result of what he endures, he and his father reconnect in a loving way after their year apart.
Sacrifice – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam thinks he will have to make a sacrifice to improve his relationship with his younger brother, but it is Joe who ends up doing that for all the right reasons.
Rating: T Word count: 15,443
Sacrifice – by Kimberley
Summary: Joe’s plans are radically changed when he has to make a difficult decision.
Rating: PG
Words: 9,825
Summary: Cartwright relationships are threatened, when Hoss is suspected of murder and Ben is the sole eyewitness.
Rated K+ 14,845 words
Sacrificial Lamb – Book 1 – by Kenda
Summary: Although Ben Cartwright knew his brother Daniel was not easy to get along with, the passing years had brought with them a nostalgic longing to reconnect with the family he’d left behind in Ohio. When word reaches Ben that Daniel has recently suffered difficult heartaches, he invites the man to spend the summer on the Ponderosa, never imagining the trouble Daniel’s presence would bring. In addition to Daniel’s visit that soon has Ben recalling why he’d never been close to his eldest sibling, is trouble from a neighbor bent on revenge. A summer Ben had been looking forward to, quickly changes to one that contains nothing but challenges, disagreements, and worries for his youngest son’s safety.
Rated: T 57,115 words
Sacrificial Lamb – Book 2 – by Kenda
Summary: Although Ben Cartwright knew his brother Daniel was not easy to get along with, the passing years had brought with them a nostalgic longing to reconnect with the family he’d left behind in Ohio. When word reaches Ben that Daniel has recently suffered difficult heartaches, he invites the man to spend the summer on the Ponderosa, never imagining the trouble Daniel’s presence would bring. In addition to Daniel’s visit that soon has Ben recalling why he’d never been close to his eldest sibling, is trouble from a neighbor bent on revenge. A summer Ben had been looking forward to, quickly changes to one that contains nothing but challenges, disagreements, and worries for his youngest son’s safety.
Rated: T 53,675 words
Sadie Hawkins Dance – by BettyHT
Summary: After serving coffee and pie, a young lady opens up to Adam about the Sadie Hawkins Dance and serves up reasons too why he hasn’t been asked. Honesty and trust help develop the relationship even though her family doesn’t like the pairing.
Rating: PG Word count: 10,835
Sadie Hawkins Dance – by Jenniferk22
Summary: Adam gets in trouble attending a dance.
Rating: PG-13 (1,110 words)
Summary: Adam joins the Nevada Rangers to protect Nevada Territory against violent drifters fleeing the dying Southern Confederacy during the Civil War.
Rated: T 17,325 words
Summary: Look in the dictionary and you’ll probably see a picture of Hoss right next to the word – Safeguard. Will Little Joe ever learn to think before he acts?
Rating: K+ 3,000 words
Summary: Joe should have remembered his older brother’s advice, when he learns a lesson on how easy it is for women to be his downfall.
Rating: K 950 words
Summary: On the eve of Joe’s wedding the three boys meet at the lake and the discovery of their old sailboat causes them to remember the first time Joe went sailing! In the course of the tale we find out why Adam’s name does not appear on the witness tree.
Rating: PG (7,600 words)
Summary: An old friend of Ben’s visits the Ponderosa
Rated: K+ 6,355 words
Saint Adam and the Blackburn Medal – by DJK
Summary: Adam’s last weeks at college back East have him dealing with accolades, accusations, rivals, revenge, and possible expulsion.
Rating: Teen for mature references Word count: 7,942
Sands #1 – Shifting Sands by Cressida
Summary: Adam wrestles with guilt over the death of a friend after rustlers set events in motion that no one could foresee. .
Rating: Teen Words: 34,350
Sands #2 – Lethean Sands by Cressida
Summary: Adam begins a new life with a ready-made family, but trouble is on the horizon. (Sequel to Shifting Sands. )
Rating: Teen Words: 36,750
Saints Preserve Us – by patina
Summary: WHN for The Auld Sod. How did Nellie Lynch get Hoss out of the well?
Rating: K Word Count=1851
Sally Lynn #1 – Sally Lynn, Swimming and Sweet Revenge – by DJK
Summary: A young Little Joe finds out about feminine revenge.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1212
Sally Lynn #2 – Sippin’ Whiskey and Sally Lynn – by DJK
Summary: Not all parents measure up to Ben Cartwright, and not all children measure up to Little Joe. It could have been so much worse, but the consequences put three families at odds until things are set right.
Rating: T 27,895 words
Sally Mars, M.D. – by Millieshepherd
Summary: Little Joe meets a lady doctor who tends to an injured Adam.
Rating: K Word Count: 3,441
Summary: Most unexpectedly, a trip to the barbershop with Little Joe brings Adam new appreciation of his little brother’s personality. An earthquake seems to play a major part in this…
3,000 words, rated K
Summary: Influenza and spiteful words strike the Ponderosa.
Rating: K+ 11,820 words
Summary: I have referred to some Bonanza episodes in this story particularly The Avenger but also A Rose for Lotta, Mr Henry Comstock and The Hanging Posse. The story should make sense if you haven’t watched those episodes though.
Rated: T WC 60,500
Same Pines Different Wind – by McFair
Summary: This story is a sequel or WHN for the wonderful episode ‘Different Pines Same Wind’. As Joe Cartwright helps the old woman Carrie Pickett prepare for winter, the arrival of a beautiful young woman at the Ponderosa spells disaster. Her appearance serves as a catalyst for an unexpected series of events that culminate in a showdown in the Piney Woods in which not only Joe, but Hoss and Ben, must face and overcome Marks deep seated need for revenge.
Rated PG-13 Word Count: 50,528
Summary: After delivering herd of cattle to San Fransisco, the Cartwrights plan to enjoy a little of what the city has to offer, not realizing what all that includes.
Rating: T 28,560 words
San Francisco Adventure – by KateP
Summary: Ten-year-old Little Joe is lost in the Big City
Rated: K+ 9,620 words
San Francisco Lady – by debpet
Summary: Adam finds himself becoming interested in the daughter of a business acquaintance.
Rated: K+ WC 10,200
San Francisco Surprise – by Terri
Summary: On a visit to San Francisco the three brothers are out on the town when Little Joe has a surprise experience and gloats about his fortune, but it’s his brothers who have the last laugh.
Rated: MA WC 1800
WARNING this story is sexually explicit
Summary: Taking refuge in an abandoned barn, Ben and Joe encounter something not of this world. A story to be read around a campfire on Halloween.
Rating T 7,350 words
Sanctuary – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: A short tale of fear and wishing for it all to be over… But then there was that voice.
Rated: K – Word Count: 626
SUMMARY: Sheriff Roy Coffee played Santa for a benefit and noticed the Cartwrights weren’t there. When he found out why and went to the ranch, he found out how important a role Santa can play in giving a gift of his wisdom.
Rating = PG Word count = 2740
Summary: Stranded in the middle of nowhere two days before Christmas, will the brothers make it home in time?
Rating T 13,875 words
Summary: An intruder takes advantage of an innocent little boy in order to rob the Ponderosa.
Rated K+ WC=2328
Santa’s Little Helper – by Puchi Ann
Summary: With eighteen-year-old Little Joe the only Cartwright not confined to bed, the prospects for a merry Christmas appear bleak. Ben has even ordered the cancellation of the annual Christmas Eve party, but in a burst of Yuletide enthusiasm, Joe decides to host the party by himself. After all, how hard could it be? And then his carefully laid plans begin to unravel.
Rated: K WC 15,000
Summary: Joe has been shot and needs to find shelter
Rated: T WC 2100
Sasquatch Fraternity (The ) – by BettyHT
Summary: Like any legend, it’s something that no one believe unless they’re one of the lucky ones who experienced it too. But for Joe, the problem is how to explain the unexplainable to others without becoming the subject of ridicule.
Rating: PG Word Count: 1955
Summary: This is a prequel story in which twenty-four-year-old Adam brings home eighteen-year-old Hoss after a Saturday night in town when the large brother has consumed too many beers.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,123
Saucy Sallt’s Nineteenth Year – by LillianMontain
Summary: The Cartwright brothers and their times at Saucy Sally’s. Written for the 2025 Brandaversary R-Rated challenge.
Rating: R Word Count: 2475
Saucy Sally and the Birthday Surprise – by PatD in PA
SUMMARY: Not long after Adam returns from college, he begins to wonder if he should have come back at all, as his father doesn’t seem to recognize he’s not the stripling youth he’d been when he left home more than four years earlier. It takes a wise young woman of the world to potentially set both Cartwright men straight and help heal a rift that threatens to destroy the family.
Written in answer to the 2025 Brandaversary R-Rated Story challenge.
RATING: MA+ WORD COUNT: 9,965
Saucy Sally Picks a Pocket – by CareBear
Summary: Saucy Sally has a birthday wish that will take a fortune to fulfill. How does she solve this problem? By picking some pockets of course! Written in answer to the 2025 Brandaversary R-Rated Story
Rating: MA/R (language, sexual situations & descriptions)
Word Count: 13,037
Summary: An alternate ending to the episode, The Savage
Rating: Teen (775 Words)
Saved by the Kind Mate – by Heike
Summary: When a dream becomes a nightmare – a “pre-prequel”
928 words, Rating: G
Summary: A blizzard in the high Sierras is no place to spend Christmas Eve as Ben finds out. A Christmas tale.
Rating: K+ 4,650 words
Say Something – Lessons of the Heart – by MissJudy
Summary: This is a grouping of short stories that show Adam in situations where he is left speechless when it comes to matters of the heart. It begins with a story of youthful naivete, and each progressions shows another episode where he learns something new about love. loss, mistakes and finding a the right person.
Word Count: 22,056 Rating: T One section has an adult theme
Saying Goodbye – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: Marie visits Ben one fateful night and he must say goodbye to someone he loves. My ML Birthday Challenge story.
Rated: K+ 1,440 words
Scales of Justice (The) – by Questfan
Summary: Written for the 2018 Missing Man Challenge – Add Adam into an episode as if he has always been there. I have chosen an episode from Season 12:6, Gideon the Good.
Rated: T Word Count: 8,148
Summary: A prequel story — Ever wonder how Adam got that little scar on his lip? This story tries to explain. Then — the same story except from Ben’s POV.
Rating T Word count 3,647
Summary: The Cartwright boys build a scarecrow for the Harvest Festival. Little do they realize how one scarecrow on display in the middle of the schoolyard could cause such trouble.
Rating: K 4,060 words
Scarlet Ribbons – by Puchi Ann
Summary: When a color truly matters.
Rating: G 5,935 words
Summary: When young little Joe is injured, his family tries to ease his fears by revealing some of their own scars.
Rating: G 2,590 words
SUMMARY: Early in The Julia Bulette Story is a scene where Joe walks into the house to find Ben waiting to talk with him about Julia. This story, which borrows a bit of dialogue from the episode, explores what Joe might have been thinking.
Word count: 1,150 / Rating: PG
Scars on the Inside – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: In memory of the beloved episode My Brother’s Keeper. It’s been five years since the accident and Adam still hasn’t forgiven himself for shooting Joe. Chaps and Spurs Challenge story for September.
Rated: K+ 935 words
Scars #1 – Scars that Never Fade – by HarpistforHim
Summary: Time had passed since Eastgate, though perhaps not enough. One year after the events of The Crucible, Adam finds that certain hurts never heal, and some scars never truly fade.
Rating: G Word Count: 1,173
Scars #2 – Scars that Shatter Trust – by HarpistforHim
Summary: Certain hurts never heal and some scars never truly fade. Adam is aware of this now, however, simply being aware doesn’t make moving forward any easier. Even a seemingly normal trip home with his brother blisters the scars that he thought were healing. A WHN for The Crucible.
Word Count: 1,949 Rating: G
Scars #3 – Scars that Distort Reality – by HarpistforHim
Summary: While it’s become abundantly clear that some hurts never heal, a small bullet wound and a night trapped out in the rain reveal that the scars that stick around do so with a vengeance. Every time Adam tries to take a step toward healing, his mind forces him to take two steps back. This time around, Joe is there to have his back. A WHN for The Crucible.
Word Count: 2,561 Rating: G
Scars #4 – Scars You Can’t Ignore – by HarpistforHim
Summary: Just when it seems like certain scars have begun to fade, a chance encounter sends Adam spiraling back into the torment that still follows him more than a year after Eastgate. A WHN for The Crucible. Word Count: 7,332 Rating: G
Scars Will Fade (The): WHN The Crucible – by Jeanie Cartwright
Story Summary: In the three days immediately following the discovery of an emotionally and physically exhausted Adam at the end of “The Crucible,” Ben, Hoss and Joe Cartwright try to figure out what has happened to him, as well as come to grips with their own guilt. Adam struggles, with the help of his family, to recover from the trauma of his ordeal.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG for nightmares, some violence, mild profanity
Words: 15,300
Scenes from our Next Life #1 – Like You Were – by PSW
Summary: Ben reflects. Written for the July 2017 Pinecone Challenge, and expanded very slightly for inclusion here. Prompt/lyrics: Old man, look at my life, I’m a lot like you were. Neil Young
Rating: K Word Count: 530
Scenes from our Next Life #2 – Younger – by PSW
Summary: A quiet, light moment among family.
Rating: K Word Count: 519
Scenes from our Next Life #3 – A Good Life – by PSW
Summary: An afternoon lull with new family.
Rating: K Word Count: 563
Scenes from our Next Life #4 – Time and Change – by PSW
Summary: Adam reflects. Written for the December 15th Pinecone Challenge
Rating: K Word count: 754
Scenes from our Next Life #5 – Home – by PSW
Summary: Candy realizes that some things do change.
Rating: K Word count: 640
Scenes from our Next Life #6 – Warm Milk & Memories – by PSW
Summary: In some ways, Adam and Jamie really aren’t so different.
Rating: K Word Count: 2845
Scent of Deception (The) – by DJK
Summary: Her scent brought back memories Adam refused to share. Her arrival in Virginia City meant he would have to face them. warning: contains adult themes and references
Rated: MA Word count: 18358
Scent of French Cologne (The) – by pbeaking
Summary: Little Joe gets into trouble when he goes into his father’s room without permission. The 8 year old sets his mind at making things right again. Adam and Hoss try to help their little brother, but in the end it is Ben who teaches them all an important lesson. Mild reference to corporal punishment .
Rating: K+ WC 5500
Scent of Leather (The) – by iceangelmkx
Summary: Another ordinary night at the saloon turns into more than expected.
Rated:T WC 1800
Scent of Posies (The) – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: One never forgets their first scent of posies…and Hoss Cartwright is no exception!
Rated: K+ 1,010 words
Summary: Adam remembers a special moment of his youth.
Rated R WC 2600
Schöne Bescherung – by Adam4Ever
Summary: Um nicht zu viel vor weg zu nehmen, es geht um die vorweihnachtliche Zeit auf der Ponderosa.
Rated: K+ 2,575 words
School in A Hundred Years – by DanceDiva
Summary: A new teacher is in for Ms. Jones and he is strict. Wanting to make a good impression Joe tries to think of what it may be like in school a hundred years from now.
Rated: K+
School of the Dancing Dolphin – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Joe reflects on his first solo excursion to the Barbary Coast.
Word Count: 1,519 Rating: K
School Project – by Silver Sven
Summary: It was just a school project, something in which Hoss wanted to excel.
Rating: K 1,900 words
Summary: Trouble invades Virginia City, and with the law on their tails, they unwitting head straight for the schoolhouse.
Rating: K+ 6,550 words
Summary: Little Joe’s hopes to leave school are dashed by Adam’s interference. Then the arrival of a tyrannical substitute schoolmaster’s brings trouble for the children and takes Little Joe’s relationship with his family to breaking point. But will something far darker in the man prove even more dangerous for Little Joe?
Word Count – 20,868 Rating MA – For adult themes. Child punishment, cruelty and spanking.
Summary: A diary stirs up ghosts long buried.
Rated: K 6,520 words
Summary: A little tale about helping a friend in need and making wishes . . .
Rated: Family Friendly / Word count: 1108
Summary: It´s a brief glimpse at a time Joe needs his oldest brother to prevent him from a big mistake.
Rated: K WC 600
Summary: A long-time family friend returns to Virginia City with the threat of the Rawlins Gang hanging over the territory.
Rating: T 34,000 words
Summary: Ben is away, and the boys decide to enjoy a night on the town. An evening of harmless entertainment turns into a race to save Joe’s life.
10,292 words Rating: T
Summary: A “What-happened-in between” story for “The Stranger” What were the boys doing while Ben rode out with LeDuque?
Rated: K+ 4,500 words
Summary: Adam is accused of things he didn’t do. When he finds a strange message left behind in Virginia City, he starts out on a quest to save his identity.
Rating PG. Word count 14,248
Synopsis: Ten-year-old Adam searches for information about Elizabeth.
Rating: PG
Words: 13,300
Search for Innocence – by EileenK
Summary: Rachel Davis leaves Boston to join her husband in Virginia City. By accident, she and Adam meet and become acquainted. When she learns her husband was an outlaw and is dead, she insists on his innocence and appeals to Adam for his help in taking her to a mountain cabin where her husband was last known to be.
Rating and Reader Alerts: G
Words: 25,400
Searching for Joseph – by Barbara
Summary: After a horrible accident, Joe is riddled with guilt and questions his brother’s love for him.
Rated: T 5,065 words
Searching for Life – by AC1830
Summary: When Ben and Inger left her brother Gunnar in Illinois Inger, My Love , he was searching for his purpose in life, heading to the Canadian gold fields. The Last Viking showed he maintained his wild side. But how would his life have turned out if he had listened to his sister’s words? A WHI for The Last Viking.
Rating – K+, WC – 5547
Season One – by Kimberley
Summary: This is not intended to be a really interesting story LOL. More of a scene really. But I did manage to get all the first season ep titles in… and in order! 😉 Yes, at this particular moment, I had WAY too much time on my hands….
Rating: G
Words: 2,775
Summary: Ben’s worried and sends new hand Candy Canaday on a mission.
Rating: K Word Count: 1779
Summary: A Year of tragedy for Joe Cartwright.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 18259
Seasons of a Friendship (The) – by pjb
Summary: Laughter and tears, dreams and disappointments, sickness and health, life and beyond . . . Joe learns the truth of the old proverb: a friend loves at all times.
Rated: T WC 15,000
Summary: An alternative version of the episode, The Trap. Joe accidentally shoots and kills Burk Shannon, but all is not what it seems.
Rating: T Word Count: 8079
Summary: Ben brings Marie to the Ponderosa, and causes a rift between him and his young son. Will Adam ever forgive him?
Rated: G 12,150 words
Summary: A WHN for the episode, Second Chance.
Rating: T 14,400 words
Summary: Marie feels fear after the birth of her son, Joseph. Can she hold him forever?
Rating: G Word Count: 764
Summary: Shortly before Christmas, Candy seeks someone out for a serious talk.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 965
Summary: An old friend has a favor to ask of Adam, with consequences neither of them will ever forget.
MA rated 5330 words
Secret Ingredient (The) – by mcfair_58
On Christmas eve Deputy Roy Coffee found himself starin’ down one of the baddest desperados he’d ever come across – six year old Little Joe Cartwright. What secret ingredient did he have in his pocket to make the boy smile?
Written for day 7 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 3284
Secret Santas (The)– by Lizabeth
Summary: The Cartwrights’ Secret Santa tradition origin and evolution, as told from each son’s perspective.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 3,150
Summary: Ben extends a business trip in San Francisco when he meets a mature, polished younger woman who comes from a well-known, well-to-do family. Joe, Hoss and Adam believe they have each met this same young woman before under questionable circumstances and each kept those meetings to himself, but are all disturbed when their father introduces her as his fiancé.
Reader Alert: Adult themes Rated:T WC 22,000
Secrets, and Ben Wants to Know – by BettyHT
Summary: Ben has a difficult time getting the answers to some questions about his sons’ activities. This is a light-hearted story but does deal with some adult themes.
Rating: T Word count: 1,805
Secrets and Lies – by Inca / Tye
Summary: When Joe is reacquainted with a childhood friend, tragedy follows. Struggling to recover from serious injury, he finds himself on trial for murder.
Rated: T WC 18,000
Secrets of the Heart – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: A story to raise your eyebrows and cause the casual observer to go ‘ahem’.
Rating: MA 5,360 words
Summary: A WHN for Season 4’s “The Hayburner.” When last we saw our intrepid heroes, Adam was in measured and methodical solitary pursuit of Hoss, whilst Joe and Ben made a wager on the outcome . . . with security, of course.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 3,000
See You in the Morning – by lminzer
Summary: Joe reflects upon his father’s anxious vigil at his bedside.
Rated: K WC 1600
Summary: WHN for The Lawmaker. Asa Moran was riding high as acting sheriff after killing those two would-be robbers at the Express Office. When Adam investigates, Moran is determined to bring the high-and-mighty Cartwrights down. This story includes several scenes that were “missing” from the episode.
Rating: T Word Count=6537
Summary: Two confrontations between Ben Cartwright and his eldest son.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1219
Summary: A girl from Marie’s past has something for Little Joe.
Rated: T Word count: 1351
Summary: When I read that Mr. Roberts watches Bonanza to “see old friends”, I couldn’t get the phrase out of my head. Hence, the inspiration for this story.
WC 1850 Rating: K
Seeing Sta*s – by Lily of the West
Summary: A silly little follow-up to Enter Mark Twain.
Rated: K+ 845 words
Selina #1 – Fighting His Demons – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam has been disappointed so often by friends and in romance that it is not surprising that he has lost faith in human nature. Naturally prone to moodiness and introspection, Adam has a disposition that only gets worse until he decides he needs to make a drastic change to free himself from that unpleasant past.
Rating: T Word count: 23,082
Selina #2 – Revelation and Resolution – by BettyHT
Summary: Second in the Adam and Selina series, this is a short story about love and expectations that features conversations among brothers especially one between Adam and Hoss.
Rating = T Word Count = 2106
Selina #3 – Birthright – by BettyHT
Summary: In this third story of Adam and Selina, a painful memory from Adam’s past becomes a problem in his life twenty-four years later threatening his family, his business, and his future.
Rating: T Word Count: 14,052
Selina #4 – A Promist Kept – by BettyHT
Summary: This is the fourth Adam and Selina story, and it has a darker tone as Adam is embroiled in a plot against him which he misinterprets the danger which is nearly a disaster until many rally to help him. The villain is someone he knows but hoped never to see again.
Rating = T Word count = 15137
Sense of Smell can be so Evocative – by mumu74
Summary: Have you ever experimented that sensation that one special smell could bring so many memories ?
Rating: K+ 2,915 words
SUMMARY: A prequel with Joe at fifteen, this started as a pinecone and has been expanded. Little Joe faces a crisis when an important rule is ignored. He needs his family to face the results of that sad decision. There are lessons to be learned but the whole family works together, and all will learn from one tragic mistake.
rating = T word count = 1290
Summary: Joe and Candy talk about Joe’s decision around college one lazy September day. Short one-shot story.
Rated: K+ 1,690 words
Summary: A follow-up to The Crucible. An unexpected visitor helps Adam Cartwright heal his broken heart before breaking it again. A story for Valentine’s Day.
Word count: 3296
Rated: G
Summary: All the Cartwright boys know you should concentrate on the Sermon in church, but sometimes you can’t help your thoughts wondering.
Rating G (2,800 words)
Summary: A WHIB for the Lady From Baltimore. It’s the story of their night after Joe confronts Adam and the next day when the Bannings leave the Ponderosa.
Rating T Words 1655
Setting the Course – by BluewindFarm
Summary: At the end of “A House Divided”, have you ever wondered why Adam wasn’t farther along to join the cause before Little Joe caught up with him? Adam had emotionally left the night before Ben‘s encounter with Frederick Kyle and Joe in town. Me… I don’t think it had anything to do with Adam’s response to Joe during the closing scene, “That lake really gets under your skin.”
800 words Rating: K+
Settling Accounts – by BettyHT
Summary: The family is surprised by the charges brought against Adam in Carson City. Ben assumes innocence is their best defense, but their foe has laid an elaborate but flawed trap.
Rating: PG Word count: 14,229
Settling the Accounts – by JoanS
Summary: It’s the end of the month and settling the accounts nearly spells an apoplexy for Ben.
Rating: K+ 10,440 words
Summary: Ben discovers his fair method of doling out the least desirable jobs isn’t as fair as he’d thought. With their “match trick” gone astray, Adam and Little Joe have reason to worry!
Rating: K Word Count: 8,748
Summary: After his brother is injured in a brutal attack, Hoss seeks retribution.
Rated: PG 8,540 words
Seven Times in a Day – by DebbieB
Summary: An unfortunate incident that involves his father, leaves Joe with feelings of guilt and fear that Ben may never forgive him for what happened. Adam shares a long kept secret with his youngest brother that helps Joe accept the fact that his father can and will forgive him.
Rated: G 7,000 words
Seven to One – by LillianMontane
Summary: The only one not captured, Joe must figure out how to rescue his brothers from a gang of outlaws who invade their home.
Rating: T 9,647 words)
Summary: Ben has disappeared after Marie’s death leaving Adam in charge. It may be proving too much for the 17-year old.
Rating: T 4,900 words
Seven Words #2 – Those Who Remain – by Calim11
Summary: Marie’s died and Ben’s run away but now it’s time to come home. Does he have the strength to come home and face the loss of his wife and the boys he left behind?
Ratings: PG-13 28,790 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
Summary: This was written after a discussion about what happened to Adam after his disappearance from the series. I heard some many depressing stories about the rest of the family; friends told me that at first Ben sometimes referred to Adam, but later on in the series told everyone that he had only two sons… So, this “two sons” was what set me off. I wondered what could have happened that Ben said something like this, and here it is, an “in-between Adam´s disappearance and …two sons.”
Rating: K+ 4,200 words
Summary: After leaving the Ponderosa, Adam has an enlightening encounter with someone from the past.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,999 Warning: mention of corporal punishment
Summary: A tragedy leads a man of the shadows on a vengeful and bloody path which eventually ensnares Adam. Written for the 2025 2nd quarter Chaps and Spurs Challenge.
Rating: PG, Word Count 7016
Synopsis: This is a sequel to The Crucible, it centers on the trials Adam goes through after his encounter with Kane.
Rating: PG-13
Words:13,200
Shadow of the Noose – by KateP
Summary: Adam races against time to save Joe from hanging.
Rated: K+ 16,400 words
Shadow on the Mountain – by JennyG
Summary: A hunting trip turns into an ordeal and an exercise in endurance when Joe and Adam are captured by the Shoshoni.
Rating: T 150,200 words
Shadows #1 – A Shadow Calling – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam and Joe are having nightmares about Hoss and don’t know what they mean. Too late, one brother understands the message that was sent. It’s a WHI for the end of the series.
Rating: T Word count: 6,705
Shadows #2 – A Shadow Returns – Marauders – by BettyHT
Summary: A tragic experience from a decade earlier has consequences for the Cartwright family and triggers memories and fears until the threat is faced. It is a story within a story, and both tales are told.
T 12.736
Summary: Men who hide in shadows can be the worst kind of monsters, as Joe discovers one night when he’s home alone.
Rating: T Word Count: 13,500
Summary: As the Cartwright brothers and Candy travel home from Sacramento in the summer of 1862, the journey takes an unexpected, and possibly deadly, twist, leaving Ben worried, with no idea what kind of mess they’re tangled in, who the enemy is, or what is wanted.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 14,800
Shadows of Friendship – by AC1830
Summary: In The Paiute War, Adam and Young Wolf, son of Chief Winnemucca, were once friends. What made Young Wolf end his friendship with Adam, although Winnemucca continues it with Ben and Adam?
Rating – T, Word Count – 4799
Summary: Adam finds being an adult isn’t all good.
Rating: G 9,575 words
Summary: The loss of Marie has caused Ben to lose his desire for life itself. He has withdrawn from his work, his friends, and most importantly his family. He has taken his anger out in town and now must face the consequences for his actions. Can Roy Coffee and his boys help Ben realize that life is still worth living?
Rating: K+ 4,820 words
Shanghai Rooster Inn (The) – by Hart4Ben Summary: Ben and the boys are spending the night in Placerville and are surprised when they meet the owners of the inn. A piece based on Sweet Betsy From Pike written by John A. Stone before 1858.
Rating: K WC: 670
Shanklin: The Unedited Version — a REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: A missing scene that ended up on the cutting room floor of Shanklin.
Rating: T 2,233
Summary: When Ben decides to marry again for the fourth time, things as they had always been suddenly start going haywire, especially for Little Joe. But when a buggy accident claims the life of Nora Cromwell, leaving Little Joe fighting for his own life, both Ben and Joe end up blaming themselves for the other’s pain and sorrow. There once close relationship suddenly starts to decline, causing more stress and even more guilt for both. Can the warm, loving relationship that father and son once shared, be saved before it becomes lost to them forever?
Rated PG WC 14,600
Summary: Ben has to accept that his youngest is growing up. His older sons help him and Little Joe make that transition with one very important lesson that Little Joe has to learn from Adam and Hoss.
Rating = PG WC = 1153
Shattered Lives – by Kimberley
Adam is forced to face the truth about a woman he once loved.
Rating: Teens
Words: 7,900
She Brought Happiness – by MonicaSJ
Summary: A bracelet…a trinket from a time past and the memories it carried…Adam helps a young mother running from a legacy of sorrow.
Rated: K+ 17.830 words
Summary: Adam’s love is leaving him.
Rated: T Word count: 599
She’ll Always be There, Like the Stars – by mumu74
Summary: A prequel
Rating K, 1,050 words
Shell-Game Girl (The) – by sklamb
Summary: Ben Cartwright reminds some interested ladies–including Clementine Hawkins and Lilah Rose–that the pleasures or otherwise of old memories can be entirely a matter of context. A WHIB/WH much Later for The Burma Rarity.
Rated:K WC:1100
Summary: Adam and Joe Cartwright are lost in a blizzard. Their only hope … shelter.
Rated: K 1,390 words
Summary: The best mishaps are the ones you can laugh about.
Rating: K Word count: 660
This image was created for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 10
Summary: Christmas greetings.
Rating: G (30 words)
Summary: A story from Hoss’ point of view. Joe has always counted on his big brother Hoss to get him out of trouble, but soon the time comes when Hoss can’t save him.
Rated: K+ WC 9500
Shiny Surprise (The): The Hair-Raising Christmas Prank – by ElayneA
Summary: Not even Christmastime is safe from pranksters.
Rating: G Words: 855
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
Synopsis: One man’s “Field of Dreams” is another woman’s fantasy.
Rating PG 1,010 words
Summary: This is a prequel in which Adam is at odds with Ben and with Hoss because of events that occur and words that are spoken in anger. A master manipulator is at work and needs to be stopped before things get any worse.
Rating = T WC = 13,369
Summary: A hot day in Virginia City is turned into a battlefield.
Rated: K+ WC 1600
Shooting (The) – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: There’s a robbery and hostages. Decisions to be made and the consequences to suffer.
Rating: T 870 words
Summary: Hoss and Adam give Little Joe some shooting lessons, but the ones he learns from experience teach him that those first lessons were the best he ever had.
Rating: PG Word count: 2,194
Summary: Next Set of Stories. Short-stories about the Cartwright, being young or father. I’ m waiting for reviews and comments, please.
Rated: K+ WC 6000
Summary: What could possibly happen to the Cartwright boys between home and Virginia City?
Rating: K+ Word Count: 908
Shortcut to Terror – by DebbieB
Summary: Ben and Joe choose what they believed to be the shortest way home, but instead, they found themselves on the shortcut to terror…terror such as they had never known.
Rated PG WC 14,900
Summary: A missing scene from Emily. Joe finds an ambushed money transport with a dead and injured man lying next to it. He fires three shots to call for help, but he gets shot in the back. Hoss and Candy arrive at the scene shortly after Deputy Wade.
Rating: PG Word Count: 1600
Summary: What would have happened if Pardoe wasn’t really dead?
10,370 words Rated: T
Summary: Joe wants to end a relationship, but the girl has other ideas.
Rating: PG-13 Word count: 10600
Silent as the Snow – by mcfair_58
Summary: With Little Joe, following his heart often leads to trouble.
Rating: G
Words: 2,050
Written for the 2023 Bonanza Advent Calendar
Silence in the Storm – by Rona
Summary: An accident brings new realisations to Joe and Adam.
10,920 words Rated: K
Synopsis: After a nightmarish experience, Adam and Joe find themselves riddled with guilt as they fight to keep their heavy burden a secret from their father and Hoss. Rating: PG-13 Adult situations Words: 27,550
Summary: When 14-year-old Little Joe over hears a conversation between his father and two older brothers, Joe’s world begins to crumble as he struggles to make right his wrongs.
Rated PG WC 11,900
Silent Land (The) – by Inca / Tye
Summary: Two brothers ride into a sleepy, little town in the middle of nowhere. Their name is Cartwright and their appearance triggers a tragic quest for vengeance.
Rated T WC 17,000
Silent Night – by BluewindFarm
Summary: After an unusually hectic day, there is only one wish requested on Christmas Eve.
Rating: K 2,600 words
Silk Handkerchief (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: The Cartwright sons are chatting around the campfire on the last night of a cattle drive and looking forward to having some time off.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1040
Silver Curse (The) – by Monette
Synopsis: Virginia City is going through a depression period when a silver ledge is reportedly heading right through the Ponderosa. Ben is adamant about not wanting his land tore up, but Adam believes a compromise is necessary not only for the sake of the town, but for the sake of the family. Adam proves himself right but at what cost?
Rating: G
Words: 11,300
Silver Dollar (The) – by JoanS
Summary: Just how deep of a hole will Joe dig for himself? And when the consequences of being restricted from the Silver Dollar seem unjust… Could it get any worse? This is Joe we’re talking about.
Rating: K+ 14,030 words
Summary: Unscrupulous characters cause trouble and heartache for the Cartwrights.
Rated: PG
Word Count: 21,716
Summary: The Family worries about an injured Hoss.
Rated T WC 19,000
Summary: This is my contribution to the Dan Blocker Birthday Challenge. Hoss and Adam learn more than just a song.
Rated: K+ Word count: 2315
Summary: As the only witness willing to testify to a murder, Joe finds himself singled out.
10,095 words Rated: T
Sins of the Father – by SusanG
Summary: Ben outbids a competitor to win a lucrative contract, setting the man’s son on a course of vengeance.
Rating:T 29,455 words
Summary: What if Ben hadn’t seen Adam pulling Kane through the desert just before abandoning the search? And what if the only thing keeping Adam going…stopped?
Rated: T Word count: 5403
Sisters of No Mercy (The) – by ansinico
Summary: This time of the year, halloween, horror, because of adult situations, language and possible blood and gore l have rated it MA but it’s not too naughty…if it’s not your thing just don’t click in.
18,150 words Rating: R
Summary: An army captain’s ignorance leads to fear for the Cartwrights and an unexpected ending.
10,540 words Rated: T
Summary: A snapshot of each of the Cartwright boys on their sixth birthdays.
Rated: K+ 4,765 words
Six Feet Deep – by freyakendra
Summary: For a brief moment in time, Amy’s death brought Little Joe and Luther Bishop together. But when the moment ended and Luther realized he had nothing left to lose, burying the hatchet with Ben Cartwright took on a new level of meaning.
A What Happened Next Story for The Truckee Strip.
Rating: K+ 6,855 words
Summary: A WHN for Five Candles
4,550 words Rated: T
Summary: Joe keeps getting kidnapped! But soon, scheming Joe finds a way to turn the situation to his own advantage. Until the unthinkable happens…
Rated: K WC 18,600
Skeletons Unleashed – by DebbieB
Summary: Plagued with a haunting memory, Joe refuses to open his heart and face reality. Ben searches desperately for a way to help his son before life becomes so unbearable for the boy, that Joe takes drastic measures.
Rated: PG13 for death of young person. 9,025 words
Summary: Life is like skipping stones, Sometimes you sail freely through it, Sometimes you bump and recover and Sometimes you simply falter. This story highlights all the Cartwrights on their journey through life and how they influence each other.
Rating: K+ WC 3900
Sky is Falling (The) – by heather
Summary: While a robbery is taking place in Virginia City, a diversion is set. Joe struggles to find help for his pa and brother who are being held hostage.
Rated: T 6,860 words
Summary: The Cartwrights struggle to come to terms with tragedy.
Rated: K+ 3,265 words
Synopsis: Little Joe is walking in his sleep…what’s going on?
Rating: PG-13 Words: 17,900
Summary: A Cartwright Christmas comedy told in three part harmony.
Rated: Family Friendly / Word count: 4296
Sleigh Bells, Rotgut, and other Miracles – by dbird
Summary: In the middle of a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, in a line shack stocked with beans and rotgut, the Cartwrights are reminded of what truly matters. Written by dbird and pjb.
Rated K+ 10,920 words
Sleigh Bells, Rotgut, and Other Miracles – by pjb
Summary: In the middle of a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, in a line shack stocked with beans and rotgut, the Cartwrights are reminded of what truly matters.
Rated: K+ WC 10,900
Slings and Arrows… and Snowballs – by freyakendra
Summary Sad news drives Ben to a quiet hilltop, where he finds a moment of grace in a silent snowfall. This story links with the events as told in “And This Gives Life to Thee,” but can easily stand alone.
Rated: K WC 1900
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: In a fight at the end of a cattle drive, Adam suffers a minor injury, but it is the words of his opponent that wound him the most. He sets out on a quest to test those words because of the doubts they have raised about his perception of himself and about his vision of his future.
Rating: T Word Count: 25,106
Summary: An accident only a few days before Christmas reveals the meaning behind the thought of Small Gifts.
WC 3300 Rating K
Small Kindnesses – by Judy & Jerri
Summary: Small kindnesses leads a stray home.
Rating: PG (25,471 words)
Summary: It’s all in there; the required legalese, the disclaimers, and yes, even the truth.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 3,095
Smell of Bread (The) – by Sibylle
Summary: Adam visits the Ponderosa.
Rated: K+ WC 640
Summary: Rats in the classroom? Miss Jones sent her students home early, but is little Little Joe to blame for it?
WC 1700 Rating: K
Smoke in the Sky (The) – by Rona
Summary: A fire leads to devastating consequences.
10,135 words Rated: T
Summary: Twelve year old Joe is bitten by a rattlesnake, but things get uglier faster than expected.
Rated: K
Snake in the Grass – by Patina
Summary: Paradise is almost gained for one Cartwright. Written for a Halloween challenge. My words were: Paul Martin, chains, snake.
Rating: T. Word count 761
Summary: A young Joe begs for a new story to while away another winter’s afternoon. Ben responds by telling how a simple request for Adam to find Hoss a new pastime rebounds on him.
Rating: G (9,500 words)
Summary: Joe pulls Hoss into another prank that could cost more than he bargained for.
Word Count: 27,300 Rated: T
Sniper and the Healer (The) – by debpet
Summary: Two brothers disagree over a life and death decision. And that’s just the start of a story that includes a mysterious shooter, a remarkable Indian healer…and even a little romance for Pa!
Rated: K+ WC 19,000
Snow Angels – Pt I – by Sierras
Summary: Christmas 1844 entries from Marie’s journal.
Written for day 11 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 2300
Snow Angels – Pt II – by Sierras
Summary: Joe revisits his mama’s Christmas 1844 journal entries.
Written for Day 17 of the Advent Calendar
Rating: G Words: 859
Snow, Falling Softly (by Adah)
Synopsis: Hoss communes with Nature while thinking about the unique characteristics of each member of his family and their ties to the land.
Rating: G
Words: 1,200
Snowball Fight! – by Heather / rh2006fan
Summary: Joe and Hoss have a snowball fight on a winter morning.
Written for day 13 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 339
So This is Christmas – by mumu74
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar.
Rating: K 280 words
Soiled Dove and the Unicorn (The) – by Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: A look at Sue Ellen Terry from The Sisters. What she felt and thought during her time with Adam.
Rating: T Wordcount: 3,314
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
Summary: In this story written in three acts, Adam’s involvement with a young woman leads to discord within his family and when that is resolved in the first part chapters 1-6 , he leaves on a journey that affects him greatly in the second part 7-13 . He will need his family once more to face the future in the third part 14-17 .
rating T WC = 46,215
Summary: Adam, alone and hurt in the desert, is comforted by a stranger.
WC 1700 Rated: K
Summary: Home alone, Joe is kidnapped, but then events take an unexpected turn. Will Joe survive until his family finds him?
9,270 words Rated: MA
Summary: The period of Adam Cartwright’s life from Marie’s arrival at the Ponderosa until after Joe’s birth.
Rating: G (158,640 words)
Solitary Witness – by Puchi Ann
Summary: A day of skipping school turns tragic for Little Joe, who must then find the courage to stand alone in the defense of justice. This story is based on a little known incident in the annals of Virginia City justice. While I do not know the outcome of the actual case, this is what I think might have happened had Little Joe Cartwright been the only witness.
9505 words
Summary: A prequel story in which Joe finds there are consequences for telling lies and getting even, and how you pay the price for those sooner or later, but will it change his way of thinking?
Rating: PG Word count: 1,316
Somebody Else’s Dog – by Inca / Tye
Summary: There’s been some gossip in Virginia City about Ben Cartwright’s new wife.
Rating: K Word count: 581
Summary: Sorting through a box of mementos, Ben finds a gift Little Joe made when he was five and recalls how it helped the Cartwrights through their first Christmas without Marie.
Rating T, WC 12,520
Someday We’ll Be Together – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: Hoss and Little Joe go fishing…or do they?
Rating: T Word Count: 988
Someone to Watch Over Him – by Cheaux
Summary: A What Happened Instead for the episode “Bushwhacked” written by Preston Wood
Word Count: 8974 Rated K+
Someone to Watch Over Me – by SusanG
Summary: Joe has a close call with his guardian angel.
Rating: T 4,615 words
Someone to Watch Over Me – by Heidi
Summary: When Adam finds the Cooper children and their deathly ill Pa camped by the Carson River, getting them to the Ponderosa proves to be the least of his worries.
Rating: G Words: 49,855
Someone Watching – by VRON
Summary: A brief and fanciful ‘what if’.
Rating: G Words: 1,240
Somethin’ Worth Fightin’ For – by AC1830
Summary: Written for the 2018 Missing Man Challenge – Add Adam into an episode after Season 6 as if he has always been there. I chose The Fighters, Season 7, Episode 30.
Rating – T, Word Count – 4662
Something Important – by Questfan
Summary: Adam is forced to consider what is important to him, especially when he may have lost someone that is very important to him. A Bonanza prequel story, set just after Adam returns home from college.
Word Count: 16231 Rating: T
Something Inside So Strong – by Sue
Summary: It’s been a good day for The Cartwright boys…until they get home.
Rated: K+ WC 43,500
Something So Savage – by freyakendra
Summary: Two unexpected visitors arrive at the Ponderosa within hours of each other: Adam’s favorite professor from college and a blue-eyed Indian with a skewed understanding of Paiute ways and a twisted view of good vs. evil. Join the Cartwrights as they struggle to get through a night of savage terror that marks Little Joe as a target—and his scalp as a trophy.
Rated: T WC 28,000.
Something Worth Fighting For – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: Adam’s been believed dead for two years; then the Cartwrights learn different. Getting him to the ranch is not a problem…keeping him there may be.
Rating: K 7,180 words
Son for a Son, Brand Edition – by freyakendra
Summary: A man from one of Ben Cartwright’s previous lives has come to take revenge on his oldest son, Adam–but it’s Joe who pays the price.
Rated: T WC 14,000
Son, Don’t Take Your Gun to Town – by DebbieB
Summary: An angry gunslinger, a pretty lying girl, an irate father…what more does Little Joe need to keep himself in trouble?
Rated PG WC 8300
Summary: Joe’s daughter is saved by a young Indian, who isn’t being just a good Samaritan… In the turmoil of happenings, discoveries are made which greatly surprise all characters.
Rating : definitely PG, Words: 8250
Song of the Bells – by SJR Cartwright
Summary: Practice makes perfect when it matters the most.
Written for day 21 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 2049
Sorry Ain’t Enough – by DebbieB
Summary: Is saying I’m sorry ever enough, or do actions speak louder than words? Can Little Joe find forgiveness from Adam? Or does he have to earn it?
Rating: G 11,670 words
SUMMARY: Adam needs to find the source of happiness before he can be happy. It is a struggle though as he has to work through a number of issues to get to that point.
Rating = T Word count = 30,312
Summary: A chance remark leads Joe to remember his first love.
Rated: T Word Count: 29197
Sound and the Fury (The) – by sandspur
Summary: It’s brother against brother, Cartwright style! Revenge is not a dish best served cold–it’s best served to the sound of the cannon!
Rating: K 1,160 words
Sound of his Weeping (The) – by DebbieB
Summary: A provocative story of love between two brothers. Adam realizes just how much he loves his kid brother when death comes knocking at Joe’s door.
Rated PG13 WC 12,100
Spanish Bride (The) – by JennyG
Summary: Adam takes an unexpected horse buying trip to Mexico. He finds an old friend, a luxurious hacienda, fine horses, a beautiful senorita and more trouble than a man ever wants to see.
Rating: PG-13. Implied sex and some violence. 101,150 words
Summary: A schoolyard bet leaves Little Joe in desperate need of some Spanish gold.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1150
Summary: Just wait until Pa finds out Joe gave up his seat on the stage to a pretty girl, and then is left stranded in the deserts by a band of Apache teens.
Rating: T 25,225 words
Summary: The bond between brothers and a boy and a horse. Set on Adam’s return from college. The first story I wrote of the adventures of the Cartwrights.
Rating: G (43,575 words)
SUMMARY: This started with a pinecone and has been expanded to have all four of the family members involved in conversations with another about love. Each learns and passes on that wisdom. rating = T word count = 1923
Summary: Adam gets more than he bargained for when an ominous hunch comes true.
Rated: T 8,070 words
Spice Ladies in Town – by mumu74
Summary: Ben decides to update his will, which causes his sons some anxiety
Rated: K 10,855 words
Spick and Spanniest Room in the West (The) – by lminzer
Summary: Joe’s practical joke on his obsessively neat older brother is not as funny as he thought…
Rated: K+ WC 8300
Summary: The brothers are pursued into Spirit Canyon where they face a powerful and unpredictable foe.
8,820 words Rating k+
Summary: On his way home, Joe encounters a Spring snow storm and has to wait it out in a line shack. He has a visit from an unusual child who tells him troubling things about Adam, who has been gone for years. Adam, in the mean time has suffered a great loss and has returned home. He and Hoss head into the mountains to meet with Joe. Joe is desperate to get to Adam when he learns from the child that Adam has been injured on his way to the shack. The brothers reconnect but soon learn the child is part of a terrible tragedy in Adam’s life. Will Adam find healing or more sorrow on his way home with his brothers?
Word count – 8814 Rating K+
Summary: A journey with tragic consequences.
Rated: K+ 16,685 words
Spirit Thief #2 – A Series of Vignettes – by Nanuk
Summary: I wrote a couple of little stories that somehow fit into the time frame of my story Spirit Thief. The first two are the ones that made me write Spirit Thief, the other ones came into existence because I wasn’t able to let go of my favourite family.
Rating: K 9,650 words
Spirit Thief #3 – the Marriage Bed – by Nanuk
Summary: A vignette companion to Spirit Thief. A new bit featuring Adam and Becky.
WARNING: This bit is rated MA 590 words
Spirits of the Dead – by JennyG
Summary: Forced to overnight in an ancient burial ground, the Cartwright sons meet up with the unexpected – living and dead. A Halloween story.
Rating: T 11,410 words
Sporting Life (The) – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: The Giggly Sisters take the Cartwrights on a traditional British Easter picnic.
Rated: K+ (1,400)
Summary: When Adam brings his family back to the Ponderosa, his daughter Elizabeth’s first Christmas in Nevada is far from idyllic. But in 1903–in St. Louis!–Adam and the rest of her family make an upcoming Christmas truly special for her.
Rated: K WC 2600
Spring – A Season for Miracles – by JoeFan1
Summary: Joe discovers that sometimes good things happen.
Rating: G Word Count: 2959
Summary: In the episode “the Pure Truth” Hoss is suffering from spring fever the family is also suffering from the effect on Hoss . Joe remarks to Ben and Adam that Hoss could step on you and not realize it and mentions Hoss breaking his, Joe’s, leg the previous spring. I thought there should be a story behind that.
Rating: T Word Count: 3,105
Summary: Adam doesn’t want anyone to know he’s picking a bouquet.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1118
Spring Forward – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Paschal Musings from the Ponderosa.
Rated: T WC 1250
Springtime Memories – by frasrgrl
Summary: It’s the day before a big event, past and present, in Joe’s life, and he shares it with someone special.
Rated: K
Springtime Vignettes – by AC1830
Summary: A collection of three vignettes based on three Springtime themes – mud, allergies, and memories.
Rating: K, Word Count: 2676
Squad 51 on the Ponderosa – by Rider
Summary: Bonanza & Emergency! Crossover Paramedic Firefighters John Gage & Roy DeSoto from Station 51 in LA wind up on the Ponderosa, along with Dr. Kelly Brackett, Dr. Joe Early, & Nurse Dixie McCall of Rampart General.
Rated: K+ 6,670 words
Square Deal Sam… A Missing Scene – by Grimesgirl
Summary: Drawing the ‘short straw’ without the benefit of the match, Adam finds it left to him to explain Hoss’ stray’ to Hop Sing.
Rating: K 980 words
Squirrel Incident (The) – by Born in the USA
Summary: With Hoss and Joe away, Adam has to take care of his brothers’ chores. And gets a little ‘surprise’ along the way.
Rated: K+ 640 words
Squirrel’s Stash (The) #1 – by Questfan
Summary: I’ve been playing in the Pinecone Challenge for a while and decided to post the collection here. Each chapter has a lyric prompt and had to be no more than 500 words.
Rating: T Word Count: 5205
Squirrel’s Stash (The) #2 – by Questfan
Summary: Some more Pinecone Challenges for my pet squirrel to chew over. Each chapter has a lyric prompt and had to be no more than 500 words.
Word Count: 5275 Rating: T
Squirrel’s Stash (The) #3 – by Questfan
Summary: A few more Pinecone Challenges for my pet squirrel to gnaw on. Each chapter has a lyric prompt and had to be no more than 500 words.
Word Count: 8885 Rating: T
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Rating: K 1,350 words
Stack Deck (The): From the Diary of Griff King – by Carla Keehn
Summary: In the 14th and final season of “Bonanza”, the character of Griff King was introduced. Griff was pretty much a man of mystery, angry and distant from the Cartwrights, the scriptwriters never did provide many details of what events shaped Griff to become the man that he did. This story is a result of the few pieces of information the scriptwriters did provide, assisted, of course, by the imagination of the author!
Rating: R Word Count: 7,350
Summary: It’s a stagecoach trip, and everything goes right. Right?
Rating: T (1,740 words)
Summary: A call for help and a stagecoach ride into trouble, brings danger for the Cartwright brothers.
Rated: T WC 17,185
Stagecoach (The) – by iceangelmkx
Summary: Hoss and his wife Bessie Sue share a little ride together.
Warning!: Contains explicit scenes of a sexual nature. Please be advised before reading!
Rated: MA WC 1900
Stagecoach Robbery (The) – by Sibylle
Summary: Adam wonders what his brothers are doing downstairs in the big room …. A short comedy
Rated: K+ 595 words
Summary: Lesson plans have real-life implications during Miss Jones’ absence.
Rating: G 3,410 words
Written for the Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: A cattle drive, a stampede, and one guilty Cartwright make for a simple little tale.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1211
Summary: Working together, the brothers find trouble, and only their father knows the reason for what happens to them.
Rating: T Word count: 3,478
Standing on Principles – by DebbieB
Summary: Hoss is faced with a difficult decision…should he turn his brother over to the local sheriff or not? His decision takes a change twist as each of the Cartwrights unknowingly seem to be working toward the same goals.
Rated PG WC 13,000
Standing on the Bow Rail – by AC1830
Summary: As a conclusion to BettyHT’s Advent story, Leaning on the Taffrail, young Adam, along with Ben and little Hoss, finally settle into their first real home in the Sierra mountains just as Christmas arrives.
Rating: GWord Count: 5603
Summary: He only wanted to protect himself and his family.
Rating: G 2,170 words
Summary: Two brothers, one killer, and only one way to end the standoff.
Rated: T Word count: 684
Summary: After receiving a surprise invitation to the governor’s inaugural ball, Ben soon discovers that he has more to fear than just the governor’s intentions.
Rated: T
Summary: Adam and Joe embark upon a perilous sea voyage
Rated: T 17,200 words
Star of the Show (The) – by Wrangler
Summary: The town’s Christmas pageant brings down the curtains in epic proportions. Will there be Peace on Earth?
Rating: K WC 4300
SUMMARY: Father and son have a quiet talk in a special place and find that the past left an impact that affects decisions that have to be made.
Rating = PG Word Count = 1673
Stay in the Darkness #1 – by Wrangler
Summary: After Joe is found alive after months spent in captivity, his family’s joy is short-lived. Now Ben, Adam, and Hoss must decipher why Joe adamantly insists that for the rest of his life he must “Stay in the Darkness ”
Rating T-13. Word count 40,990
Stay in the Darkness #2 – A New Light – by Wrangler
Summary: After Joe is found alive after months spent in captivity, his family’s joy is short-lived. Now Ben, Adam, and Hoss must decipher why Joe adamantly insists that for the rest of his life he must stay in the darkness.”
Rating: MA (graphic violence and adult subject matter)
Word Count: 56,939
Stay in the Darkness #3 – Chiaroscuro – by Wrangler Summary: When his father is kidnapped Little Joe dons an alias and a disguise as he heads off to search for him. Meanwhile, Adam and Hoss go in another direction to find Pa and soon realize that he hadn’t been the target all along.
Rating T-13 WC 42,240
Stay in the Darkness #4 – 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
Stay out of Trouble – by JennyG
Summary: Mrs. Hennesey’s Trading Post and Whiskey Emporium provides the Cartwright boys with shelter from some nasty weather and quite a lot more than they expected, or Adam wanted. A comedy of errors.
Rating: T 9,800 words
Staying the Course – by Cheaux
Summary: Ben learns from Adam that there is more than one way to reach a goal.
WC 1700 Rated: K
Summary: As Ben prepares to marry Joe will not only gain a step mother but also a step brother.
Rated: K+ 11,345 words
Summary: Adam has met the girl of his dreams.
Rated: K+ 8,800 words
Sterling and Bright – by BluewindFarm
Summary: It might be white outside, but inside? Being a day like no other, was an understatement; and long after the sun had set Ben Cartwright was almost ready to declare that all three of his sons would be receiving lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings.
Rating: G Words: 2,350
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
Summary: Protecting his brother from a posse could cost Adam the ultimate price – his life.
Rated: K+ 8,345 words
Sticks and Stones – by DebbieB
Summary: Name calling really does hurt. Adam helps Little Joe understand why people do such things and tries to help him over the hurt.
Rating: G 14,000 words
Summary: “. . . because some things are never over.”
Word Count 1550 Rated K
Still the Best Story in Town – by southplains
Summary: Just where did David Dortort get the ideas for his characters in the best television show ever made? Written as an exercise to get the creative juices flowing…
Rated: T WC 4500
Summary: Ben learns a lesson in trust when an accident that claims the life of a young woman leaves him believing that Joe has lied to him.
Rating: PG 12,900 words
Summary: Adam recovers after having been ill at Christmas. Enter Hoss’s bedside manners, lots of Britishness, a little boy, and an orange. Bliss.
1,225 words, rated K
Summary: A trip to stock up for the winter takes an unexpected turn, leaving Joe and Hoss facing danger and possibly death.
9,010 words Rated: T
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
Stop Crying Your Heart Out – by Sue
Summary: Little Joe is in no hurry to get up this morning. A story about brothers looking out for each other.
Rated: K+ WC 5800
Stories and Memories – by BettyHT Summary: This is a sequel to Painful Truth with the same OCs. It is about sharing family stories and memories to pull members closer together by having a shared past.
PG 3,152
Stories and Memories – by BettyHT
Summary: This is a sequel to Painful Truth with the same OCs. It is about sharing family stories and memories to pull members closer together by having a shared past.
PG 3,152
Summary: After yet another ado between Adam and Joe over the Civil War a young woman arrives in town to add fuel to the fire between the brothers. Adam decides to take desperate measures to solve the ongoing troubles.
Rated: T 8,650 words
SUMMARY: The family had waited a long time for Adam to come home, but when he was there, not all went as planned or as Ben had hoped.
rating = T word count = 2521
Storm (The) – Heather-Chrysalis.
Summary: One stormy night, Adam seeks shelter at a house and finds a young woman living all alone. Not willing to deny their attraction for the other, passion ensues.
Rated R Wordcount: 9, 329
SEXUALLY EXPLICIT
Summary: Little Joe needs an anchor in the storm.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1097
Storm Whisperer (The) – McFair_58
Summary: Adam’s brothers are missing. Will the Christmas secret he is keeping lead to their rescue?
Rating: G 3,515 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Story of Chanukah (The) – by MicheleBE
Summary: Strangers making their way to their new homes are invited to spend Christmas Eve at the Ponderosa; and share their Holiday with the Cartwrights.
Rating: G 2,010 words
Summary: It’s a whale of a Christmas tale with grandchildren on the Ponderosa.
Rating: G 3,000 words
Stranger (The) – A Missing Scene – by JennyG
Summary: A missing scene for the episode. What followed when Roy released Little Joe from jail.
Rating: K+ 1,130 words
Stranger in our Midst #1 – by Rona
Summary: The prequel to ‘Payback Time’. A college friend of Adam’s comes home with him. 12 year old Joe is jealous. Or is he?
5,745 words Rated: T
Stranger in our Midst #2 – Payback Time – by Rona
Summary: Follows Stranger in our Midst. Teenage boys resembling Joe are going missing in Virginia City. When Joe, too, vanishes, Adam defies his father to save Joe. But will either of them survive?
11,030 words Rated: T
Stranger in a Strange Word – Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: Adam time travels to the 21st Century to visit his girlfriend. He discovers that she has been abducted by the Abominable Snowman and sets out to rescue her. A series of other fantasy elements and creatures appear in this story.
Rated T Wordcount: 35, 488
Summary: A Bonanza Gothic poem written for the “Once Upon A Midnight Dreary” challenge honoring the birthday of Edgar Allen Poe.
Rating K+ Word Count 251
Synopsis: A short “what happened next” for the episode “A Stranger Passed This Way”. It shows what might have been discussed at the Cartwright breakfast table the morning that Hoss recovered his memory, but forgot his period of amnesia.
Rating: G
Words: 2,350
Stranger on the Stage – by BnzaGal
Summary: A chance meeting on a stage could spell disaster for Little Joe.
Rated: K+ 18,070 words
Summary: Returning home from Placerville, Joe is attacked and left to die.
6,915 words Rated: T
Strangest of Christmases (The) – by JoaniePaiute
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar.
Rating: K 2,120 words
Summary: The family spends an afternoon together.
Rating: K 9,515 words
Summary: When Joe disappears during a cattle drive, the Cartwrights must follow a disturbing trail to find him.
Rated: K+ 17,025 words
Strength – by Kimberley
Summary: While the lives of Adam, Hoss and Joe hang in the balance, Ben reflects on the gifts he’s received from each of his sons.
Rating: Teen
Words: 3,575
Summary: Due to his weight, Hoss hurts Adam accidentally in a cart accident (pun not intended) and for the first time feels extremely bad about his own size. The family is trying to help.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG, descriptions of pain
Words: 5,500
Strength of Conviction – by southplains
Summary: Vengeance WHN. When Red Twilight breaks out of prison, Adam is forced to reexamine the wisdom of his moral convictions.
Rated: T WC 9400
Summary: Fighting to save his family from a deadly fever, Hoss learns that there are many kinds of strength.
Rated:K+ 5,065 words
Strong, Yet Sensitive on the Comstock – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: A behind the scenes look at the second longest running western series, Bonanza.
Rating: T 2,250 words
Summary: The Cartwright brothers fall under a powerful spell that threatens not only a life, but also loyalty. **Halloween Story**
Rated: PG / Word count: 3290
Summary: WHIB/WHB to “The Ride”
Ben remembers his first argument with a three-year-old Adam.
Rated: K WC 650
Stubby Smith and Duffy Duff – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: This was one of those episodes that came along every once in a while that focused more on the guest stars and didn’t have enough screen time for the Cartwrights.
Rating: T 3,890 words
Summary: While scouting for strays along the rim rocks, Joe finds himself literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not far from where his life hangs in the balance, Adam and Hoss find they’re stuck as well…only in another type of predicament. Sort of makes you wonder who’s gonna save whom this time.
Rated PG WC 13,000
Summary: Joe is once again in a tight spot
Rating: PG Word count: 6500
Stuck Inside – by FanofOldTVShows
Summary: Being stuck inside can lead to fond memories.
Rating: G (50 words)
Studio Executives #1 – The Real History of “The Crucible” – by pjb
Summary: A light-hearted look behind the scenes at how one of Bonanza’s most cherished episodes just might have come to be.
Rated K, WC 1200
Studio Executives #2 – Little Joe Cartwright’s Very, Very, Very Bad Day – by pjb
Summary: The ever-helpful Cartwrights come to the aid of studio executives who need to develop a special episode for Sweeps Week.
Rated PG-13 Word count: 3,175
Studio Executives #3 – The Roberts Dilemma – by pjb
Summary: The studio executives have two problems. First, one of their stars wants to leave a hugely successful show. Second, his fans won’t allow it.
Approximately 1,600 words. Rating: PG.
Studio Executives #4 – Men of the Ponderosa: A Valentine’s Day Treat – by pjb
Summary: The studio executives pitch a brilliant marketing idea.
Rating: R mild sexual and suggestive content Word count: 2,320
Studio Executives #5 – On the Other Hand – by PJB
Summary: The studio executives find themselves caught between the series regulars, who want some fresh new story lines, and the fans, who want . . . well, you’ll see.
Rating: PG Word count: 2,650
Studio Executives #6 – Fake History – by pjb
Summary: The Cartwrights recognize that they have a great deal to be thankful for. So why won’t they do a Thanksgiving episode?
WC: 2,440 Rating: PG
Studio Executives #7 – Fake History
Summary: The Cartwrights recognize that they have a great deal to be thankful for. So why won’t they do a Thanksgiving episode?
WC: 2,440 Rating: PG
Studio Executives #8 – A Sharp Idea
Summary: The Cartwrights try to come up with an episode that will cheer up their fans.
WC: 2,450; Rating: PG
Studio Executives #9 – Negotiating Clingers, Going Natural, and the Big-Ticket Item – by pjb
Summary: A day in the life of the Studio Executives. (Believe me–you don’t want their jobs.)
Rating: PG 1,870 words.
Stuff of Nightmares (The) – by KateP
Summary: Missing scene from “The Avenger”
Rating: G (890 words)
Stuff of Nightmares (The) – by Rona
Summary: After a quarrel, Adam and Joe are sent off separately to do chores. But they become embroiled in a situation which sets brother against brother, and makes each one doubt if the other still loves him.
Rating T 12,950
Suffer the Children – by lminzer
Summary: Joe’s new friend has a terrible secret; and when Joe steps in to defend his new friend, he finds himself in a dangerous situation….
Rated: T WC 11,000
Summary: This story is set after The Magnificent Adah continuing on after Ben, Adam and Hoss leave the saloon. Ben says “Come on, let’s go see Little Joe.”
With the added responsibilities of running the ranch, they didn’t notice that their little brother was withdrawing further and further from them each day.
Rated: K+ 18,020 words
Sum of All Sadness (The) – by MissJudy
Summary: Ben is trying to sleep after laying his son to rest and is visited by memories of a life well lived. In another room, Joe is struggling with similar thoughts as he tries to quiet his mind to sleep. And in a place far removed, Adam receives the news that sends his heart reeling.
This is a story about Hoss’s passing, but it is not about death. It’s about a family coming to terms with loss while rejoicing in the man they knew. and figuring out how best to honor the life that was lost.
Rated: K+ WC 9000
Summary: Joe feels like an afterthought in his brothers’ lives, but Ben comes up with a solution to his problem.
Rated: K 20,640 words
Summer Vacation (The) #1 Different Than Planned – by Bonanzagirl
Summary: The story plays after the episode ‘Between Heaven and Earth.’ Joe plans a well-deserved summer vacation, but the journey becomes an unexpected nightmare.
Rating: M Word Count: 19100
Summer Vacation (The) #2 – Reckoning and Redemption – by Bonanzagirl
Summary: Joe tries to repair his friendship with Mitch, which leads to many other problems. Meanwhile, he’s being watched.
Rating: PG Word Count: 20100
Sunday Dinner Guest (The) – by SadieSpinner
Synopsis: Ben’s plan for a quiet Sunday afternoon is interrupted by an unexpected visitor who leaves in his wake intense reactions ranging from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other.
Rating: G (12,200 words)
Sunday School Lessons – by BettyHT
Summary: Hoss gets a job teaching unruly boys in Sunday School, but his best student or at least the one most affected by his teaching is not in his class. There are beneficial unintended consequences no one could have predicted.
Rating = PG Word count = 2674
Sunny, With a Chance of Rain – by MissJudy
Summary: A stage crash has killed everyone on board…including Adam Cartwright. While Paul Martin has made a “best guess ID” of the “remains,” and even though Adam’s most personal possessions were found in the wreckage, Ben refuses to believe it is Adam. Hoss and Joe begin a journey of discovery with their father as a mystery develops that includes another man in black, attempts at blackmail and the eventual acceptance of what seems obvious – that Adam is gone. It becomes the story of two families facing the loss of a child and a woman who’s care of a deathly ill stranger may restore one of these families to completeness.
Rated: T WC 45,000
Summary: When Adam, Hoss and Little Joe sneak out in the early hours for Adam’s last childhood adventure, their father’s reaction is not what they expect. A prequel set in the months before Adam leaves for college.
Rating: K Word Count: 3,527
Summary: Joe comes home shot and fighting for his life. His family and friends hope and pray he will make it.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 10,159
Summary: At sixteen, Joe was champing at the bit to be counted as a man. Until the day where his choices could have dire consequences for both his brothers.
Rating: T Word Count: 33,779
Sunset on the Ponderosa – by pony
Summary: We all know the Cartwrights will live forever in our hearts. This is the simple story of how they reached that destiny.
Rated: K 6,985 words
Sunshine and Shadows – by Rona
Summary: A WHN for Shining In Spain. Joe is pining for Wendy, so Ben finds a reason to send him to San Francisco. But things don’t go exactly as Joe planned.
12,330 Words Rated: T
Sunup at Dawn – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A WHN for Five Sundowns to Sunup / WHL for Death at Dawn story.
Rating: K 2,185 words
Summary: When Hoss and Joe decide to keep the black cat that crossed Adam’s path, it proves to become Adam’s bane. Genre: Humor
Rated: K WC 2000
Sur les rives du lac Tahoe – by rozenn
Summary: Adam rencontre une jeune femme orpheline alors qu’elle est accusée d’un vol. Il va l’aider à sortir de prison et à entrenir sa ferme. Les sentiments vont l’emporter, ils vont tomber amoureux. Mais Caroline Cooper, une amie d’Adam, ce révéle particulièrement jalouse.
Rating: MA 3,240 words
Summary: Little Joe should have known pranking his father was a bad idea.
word count: 1,220 rating: PG/teen
Summary: Young Hoss and Joe have decided that Ben deserves a day off so they plan a special day with him, but Ben soon discovers it’s more special than anyone anticipated.
Rating K Word Count 678
Surrender To Your Fate The tale of a bullheaded brother and his keepers – by Stetson1859
Summary: A WHN for Escape To Ponderosa
Rated: K 3,270 words
Summary: Adam learns the hard way to stay on the beaten path when he is the unfortunate victim of foolish child’s play.
Rated: T 6,650 words
Summary: Joe and others are taken captive by a band of Indians, what does it take to survive?
Rating: T 27,600 words
Survival Instinct (The) – by Terri
Summary: Three of the Cartwrights are taken captive and left to die. How will they escape and track the gang that is using Joe to carry out their evil plans.
Rated: K+ WC 22,600
Summary: Joe has fallen for a pretty new saloon girl. Is she just a tart with a heart, or is there more to Susie than this?
12,375 words Rated: T
Susie #2 – The Godfather – by Rona
Summary: The sequel to ‘Susie’. Susie is married and asks Joe to be her baby’s godfather. When Susie’s husband is attacked, Joe is blamed.
8,100 words Rated T
Summary: Adam’s cousin appears out of the blue for a family visit. He and Joe don’t take to one another at all. Is Joe right to be so suspicious?
Rated: T 9,210 words
Swedish Grizzly (The) – by patina
Summary: An in-between story for Old Sheba. Hoss and Joe have signed a contract to perform with Angus Tweedy’s circus for 2 weeks. This story is about their first day and night with the circus.
Rating: K Word Count=2526
Summary: It’s all about friendship.
Rating: T 10,050 words
Summary: Love is in the air for one of the Cartwrights. While this older story wasn’t written for Valentine’s Day, I felt it was a good choice to post today. Enjoy!
Rating: G, Word Count: 3618
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
Summary: Joe’s Casonova lifestyle lands him in trouble with the girls of Virginia City. When they decide to exact their revenge, Joe finds himself in an embarrassing predicament.
Rated: K+ WC 3300
Sweet Smell of Success (The) – by patina
Summary: Ben has an important guest coming for supper. Can Ben babysit Little Joe and prepare for his guest?
Rating: K Word Count=3398
Summary: Memories are sometimes the sweetest things of all.
Rated: K+ Word count: 538
Summary: A simple vignette about Little Joe, a girl, and a watchful big brother.
Rated: K+ Word count: 624
Summary: A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do, when it comes to affairs of the heart.
Rating: T 1,360 words
Summary: When a friend dies unexpectedly, fourteen-year-old Joe struggles with grief, loss, and the age-old question: “Why?”
Rated PG WC 18,000