Bonanza: Season 7
Season 7 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Picks up essential narrative continuity directly following the events of Bonanza Season 6.
- Character alliances, factions, and personal loyalties undergo significant shifts under escalating stakes.
- Addresses unresolved cliffhangers and thematic mysteries introduced during previous seasons.
- Establishes the primary seasonal conflict that drives serialized character arcs toward the finale.
Episode Guide
Season 7 Progress Shield
The Debt
Sep 12, 1965 · 49 min
Wiley and Annie Kane arrive at the Ponderosa to work off their father's debt to Ben. It seems as though the elder Kane once swindled the Cartwright patriarch.
The Dilemma
Sep 19, 1965 · 49 min
Ben helps a convict win a parole only to have the man later become the chief suspect in a bank robbery.
The Brass Box
Sep 26, 1965 · 49 min
Juan Ortega claims he has a land grant which gives him ownership of the entire Nevada Territory.
The Other Son
Oct 3, 1965 · 49 min
A mule skinner and his two sons are hired by Ben to transport nitroglycerin to California.
The Lonely Runner
Oct 10, 1965 · 49 min
A judge awards itinerant horse breeder Jim Acton's beloved mare to rancher Sam Whipple. Jim tries to buy her back, but Whipple refuses his offer, after which a fight ensues and Jim
Devil on Her Shoulder
Oct 17, 1965 · 49 min
Ben is attracted to Sarah Reynolds, a member of a religious order led by her fanatical uncle. When she is accused of being a witch, the Cartwrights step in.
Found Child
Oct 24, 1965 · 49 min
Hoss comes upon an overturned stagecoach and discovers a little girl suffering from shock. After the Cartwrights suceed in bringing her around, Hoss is disappointed she has relati
The Meredith Smith
Oct 31, 1965 · 49 min
Ben must determine who is the rightful heir to a fortune that includes water rights vital to the Ponderosa.
Mighty is the Word
Nov 7, 1965 · 49 min
Virginia City's newest preacher is an ex-gunfighter who wants only to build a new church, but the brother of one of his victims has other ideas. The blueprints for the church are
The Strange One
Nov 14, 1965 · 49 min
Hoss and Joe find a woman abandoned by a wagon train because her gift of prophecy is considered a curse. "Wouldn't it be wonderful," says Ben, "if eveybody made a real effort to u
The Reluctant Rebel
Nov 21, 1965 · 49 min
The Generation Gap, Western-style, as Hoss tries to bring a young man and his father closer together.
Five Sundowns to Sunup
Dec 5, 1965 · 49 min
The mother of a young outlaw condemned to hang, threatens to have her gang's hostages killed if her son is not set free. One of the hostages is Joe.
A Natural Wizard
Dec 12, 1965 · 49 min
Hoss finds a kindred spirit in Skeeter Dexter, a lonesome young man who feels closer to animals than most people.
All Ye His Saints
Dec 19, 1965 · 49 min
In this series' highlight, little Michael Thorpe heads to the high country to ask God to spare his critically wounded father, believing he has found Him in the form of longtime fug
The Dublin Lad
Jan 2, 1966 · 49 min
After sitting on a jury that has convicted Terrence O' Tool of murder, Joe has second thoughts about the verdict and decides to do some investigating of his own.
To Kill a Buffalo
Jan 9, 1966 · 49 min
Hoss finds a wounded young Indian on the prairie, who is torn between accepting the ways of the white man or returning to his old life.
Ride the Wind (1)
Jan 16, 1966 · 49 min
The Pony Express sets up office in Virginia and Joe is one of the first to join up. Ben also decides to invest in the fledgling enterprise. However, troubles soon plague the Pony
Ride the Wind (2)
Jan 23, 1966 · 49 min
Conclusion to the previous-week's episode, where the Cartwrights provide needed assistance to the Pony Express.
Destiny's Child
Jan 30, 1966 · 49 min
After his only friend is killed, the Cartwrights take in a slow-witted man, who Roy Coffee informs them, is wanted for murder by Arizona authorities.
Peace Officer
Feb 6, 1966 · 49 min
While Sheriff Coffee is in Saint Louis, the Morrisey bunch decides to work off excess energy by wrecking the saloon in a violent spree. When Deputy Bill Harris tries to arrest the
The Code
Feb 13, 1966 · 49 min
Joe is goaded into facing gunman Dan Taggert, unaware there is more to be prearranged than he realizes.
Three Brides for Hoss
Feb 20, 1966 · 49 min
Not one, but three mail-order brides show up unexpectedly at the Ponderosa, all of them believing they are to marry Hoss.
The Emperor Norton
Feb 27, 1966 · 49 min
Joshua Norton, an eccentric and formerly wealthy San Francisco merchant who considers himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, comes to the Ponderosa. Authori
Her Brother's Keeper
Mar 6, 1966 · 49 min
Ben and Claire Armory fall in love, but their future is jeopardized by her disabled brother.
The Trouble with Jamie
Mar 20, 1966 · 49 min
The Cartwrights attempt to straighten out the snobbish young son of Ben's cousin.
Shining in Spain
Mar 27, 1966 · 49 min
Young, adoring Wendy Daniels has come to Virginia City to meet up with her father, Taylor Daniels, who has been traveling on business for the last five years. Joe is attracted to
The Genius
Apr 3, 1966 · 49 min
Hoss chooses a difficult path when he decides to rehabilitate a famous poet, Will Smith, who is really William Warlock Evans, who spends too much time drinking and eventually his w
The Unwritten Commandment
Apr 10, 1966 · 49 min
Everyone feels Andy Walker is an outstanding singer but his father, who feels the boy should concentrate on ranch work instead. Joe mentions receiving a letter from Adam, currentl
Big Shadow on the Land
Apr 17, 1966 · 49 min
Italian immigrants are determined to establish their own vineyard on Ponderosa property.
The Fighters
Apr 24, 1966 · 49 min
Feeling guilty for unintentionally ending the career of a professional boxer, Hoss vows never to fight again. But things change when Joe is nearly beaten to death.
Home from the Sea
May 1, 1966 · 49 min
A sailor, claiming to be one of Adam's closest friends, is given a warm welcome by the Cartwrights, who have no way of knowing the man and his accomplice plan on robbing them.
The Last Mission
May 8, 1966 · 49 min
Ben and Hoss unwittingly aid a vengeful army colonel who plans to wipe out every Indian he can with a Gatling gun.
A Dollar's Worth of Trouble
May 15, 1966 · 49 min
Hoss finds himself in another mess, this one involving a beautiful blonde, a moonshiner, and a nearsighted outlaw who is allergic to chocolate and flowers.