These are the Western adventure stories of the Cartwright family: Ben Cartwright, the father, played by Lorne Greene; Adam, the eldest son, played by Pernell Roberts; Hoss, the middle son, played by Dan Blocker; and Little Joe, the youngest son, played byMichael Landon. Each of the boys was born to one of Ben's three wives, none of whom are alive.The Cartwrights run a 600,000 acre ranch, The Ponderosa, outside of Virginia City, Nevada. This 1960s TV series depicts the stories of a single father raising his sons and helping his neighbors.