The real Cartwright on the Pobderosa Ranch not the Hollywood story!!!

                   LIFE ON THE PONDEROSA

Life on the Ponderosa Ranch was hard and growling, especially for a single father with two lads. The year was 1830. Pa who name was Ben Cartwright, was a young eager father with two boys, the oldest being Adam Benjamin Cartwright and the youngest being Eric "Hoss" Cartwright at the time.

Young Adam decides he is going to help his Pa build the Ponderosa house, Adam who is smart and charming plans out a rough draft of the house, an presents his to his Pa the winter of 1830. Finally when they reached an agreement of the layout of the house construction began in the Spring of 1830! Finally with the help is his two sons they house was finished in a little over a year it was the Spring of 1831.

As you enter into the house you walk into the formal living room, which was a nice big room open with a huge fire place built out of stone from the Rocky Mountains that ran thru the heart of the Ponderosa ranch.  the L shape stair case went up stairs to 4 bedrooms, Adam room was the first door on the right as you walk up the stairs and Hoss's room was the second door on the right just down from Adam's. there was two bedrooms on the left side of the house which were used for guest rooms for now.

Going back down stairs just beyond the fire place a nice master bedroom where Pa sleep! That's right Ben Cartwright actually slept downstairs!! Just beyond his room was the formal dinning area, with a huge kitchen off to the left and a guest bedroom leading off from the dinning room! Inside the dinning room there was a beautiful picture window out looking towards the Rocky Mountains.

The Summer of 1831 Pa meets the love of his life Marie and they get married! Marie who got pregnant right away gave birth to a beautiful son Joseph Fancis Cartwright in 1832. Unfortunetly for Marie she died giving birth to little Joe. Pa was left with three sons and no wife to help raise them! Adam being the oldest of the brothers took on the father role when pa was away, trying to build up the live stock for the Cartwright ranch. Sometime in 1936 Pa feel in love with a girl named Robin, she just happened to be the sister of Elizabeth Adam's mother and in 1937 Pa an Robin got married.
Robin gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and they named her Audra Elizabeth Cartwright. Adam and Audra share a special bond being there are half brother and sister and full blooded cousins. Two yeas later Ma died to a snake bite and Audra was just 2 years old herself. Leaving Pa and the boys to raise her all by themselves.

Adam took on most of the responsablity while Pa was away raising Hoss, Joe, and myself and also disiplining us. All three of us looked up to big brother Adam for guidance, he was smart and well educated. Adam was harder then Pa when it came to correction our unexcusable actions, he had a way of calling you out little by little and letting you lie and he smirk the whole time them he total bust you out. The spanking in those times were brutal. Even though Adam was hard on us we did love him very much!

Hoss on the other hand was kind, gentle, and a real bush over, wait a sec by push over I am guallable!
I could tell Hoss anything and he believe it. that is why I love him so very much. Hoss was tall, big boned and a lot of people were afraid of him, but little did they know this big giant was as soft and gentle as any tine man could be!

Then there is Joe! Joe was kind, strong willed, hard headed, he was a lot more like Adam but he was much more fast tempered. Joe was the one who shoot you with out asking to many question when it came to one of us being hurt by a gunslinger. But when it came to be Joe and I fought and argued a lot many because we were close in age and we were the babies of the family. Joe loves nothing more them to tell on me to Pa and Adam. Even though him and I fought a lot he is very special to me in anyways, and we hold a bond like no other brother and sister will hold.

Growing up on the Ponderosa Ranch!!

Having a sister could not of been easy for these boys, back in those days did not know much when it came to raising children let alone a daughter or sister. I remember Adam would always tell me bed times stories and read to me probably something  out of Shakespeare  that was his favorite thing to read. If I was sick Adam was the one who took care of me when Pa was away, when it came to getting up in the morning it was Adam who woke us up. And when he meant get up he meant it otherwise you and your sheets ended up down stairs and you got a tanning from him or Pa! Adam was always up before the sun he enjoyed a quiet morning all to himself down stairs but the fire place!

One Spring Mrs. Abigil got injured and Adam was our teacher! Joe and I hated it, talk about strick well that Adam. I was late one time and he would not let me go out to recess, like its my fault Joe made me late. This one time though I do recall skipping school and Joe and I loved looking for treasure but somehow Adam found out and well lets just say I'm sure Joe and I still feel the welts from the tanning Pa gave us!

Hoss was my favorite when it came to candy, he always bring me some home when he went into town for supplies or just for pleasure. Hoss wasmore quiet and did his chores plus some usually Little Joe's chores is what Hoss did. When it came to Ladies Hoss was pretty shy about it, on the other hand there was Joe who loved all the ladies in town plus they all love him and Adam as well! Adam on the other hand was a hard one for the ladies to get to know, he was more secretive and keep to himself about his ways, I do think that why the Ladies chased my brother Adam all the time! Oh yes, and of course there is Pa he had ladies chasing him to, well where else do you think my brothers got there good looks and manors from?

Adam on the other hand had a lot of say when it came to my well being, Adam was the one who brushed and did my hair every morning, although I did wear my hair shorter then most but what can you say Adam did one fine job on my hair I got a lot of compliants from it. Joe was the one who cut my hair well he also cut Hoss's hair as well! So I guess my brothers decided shorter hair is easier to take care of them long.  One thing I did always hate was those bloody new shoes Pa insisted on me having. Adam take me into town buy my new shoes and I  would still put on my old pair, Adam of course wised up and got ride of the old pair after he buy the new ones forcing me to wear them and break them in, I remember the blisters you get from them rubbing since they were hard they did not bend like my old pair did.

Rules on the Ponderosa!!

I was to never leave the Ponderosa with out one of my brothers with me or Pa, so lets just say as I got older I snuck out from time to time crawling our my bedroom window, oh yeah my bedroom across the hall from Adams room, now you know why he caught me so much right! Before I turned 16 I was never to wear a off the shoulder dress, finally Adam bought me one when I was 1 and Joe threw a fit about it ad Pa made me put off wearing it for another year! What came I say my brothers always get there way.
Pa raised us to Love one another, respect one another, and give Praise and glory to God! We prayed before every meal, went to church every Sunday. For my brothers there were chores to be done above all the fun and games and going into town to lollygag, well Joe on the other hand would sneak away to go see his girl leaving the chores to Adam and Hoss mostly. As for me growing up in a mans world there is not much say, you do not back talk your Pa or brothers, you obey them, and you always act like a lady not some trollup.

Romance on the Ponderosa!!

Yea right! Like any of my brothers would let that happen, Adam aloe came on every date I had, but I did end up marrying one of Adams best friends, which also happened to be one of our cowhands at the time. He was later killed so my days remained living with my big brother Adam!

Conclusion

In 1959 David Dortort, made Bonanza, which had Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon playing the parts of Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. Now Bonanza being a success that it was brings me to this conclusion, most often fans wonder how these men fit these parts so well, well here is the deal you can choose for yourself. Could just be these men went thru those parts many many many life times ago. I bet if you could ask them to this say about it they tell you what it was like in the 1800's and what there sister was like. After all Bonanza is actually written about the real Cartwright family!! So think about it sometime when you watching Bonanza could these guys actually bethe real Cartwright from the real 1800's?  well until next time my dear reader, happy trails and keep on loving those Cartwright's never know they might make a comeback in another life time never know!!