The Ballad of Bonanza
A handsome sailor named Ben married the lovely Elizabeth,
Their dark-haired son, Adam, was born just before her death.
From the city of Boston their long journey began,
A nebulous dream took on form and became Ben's determined plan.
He kept that promise he made to her at her final breath.
They made their way west, Cartwrights, father and son,
Grueling years of work and travel made more difficult with a little one.
Ben's boy grew ill, they had to make a stop,
In a small Illinois town, Borgstrom's General Store, to shop.
A "real nice lady" offering medicine their hearts won.
Miss Inger Borgstrom became Ben Cartwright's wife.
Her kind, loving spirit would forever change his life.
She was his inspiration to continue west.
She gave him her all and her very best,
A big, blue-eyed boy, who would bring Ben comfort in days of strife.
Ben with sons Adam and Hoss, a family of three,
Traveled west a long while, but then Lake Tahoe they did see.
The Sierra Nevadas stood tall and bold,
Such a magnificent sight it was to behold.
It became their home and their mark, the Ponderosa pine tree.
It took years in the making, but their ranch came to be,
Upon the death of a friend, the man's family Ben went to see.
A long journey to New Orleans he made,
Took some furs with him he wanted to trade.
Lost his heart and came home with a wife named Marie.
The image of his mother, beautiful baby Joseph was born,
When an accident took his spirited wife, Ben's heart was sorely torn.
Alone now with three boys to raise,
The future would hold many difficult days.
Yet this family of four would stay strong despite their time to mourn.
Years go by, sons grow tall, Ben becomes a wealthy man,
Horses, timber, mining, far beyond his original plan.
A vast Cartwright empire, father and sons, they did build,
But more important than his riches, a loving father instilled,
A strong, determined family proves "together we can!"