AllMovie

In the ninth episode of the series Bonanza, we get an episode-length flashback into history. While working on the Ponderosa, the Cartwrights are fired on by an old sourdough who claims they're on his land, presenting them with a deed signed by Mr. Henry T.P. Comstock. Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his sons have a good laugh and proceed to tell the man about Comstock (Jack Carson), a two-bit grifter always on the run from one man's rope or another, who inadvertently struck one of the largest silver deposits ever found while trying to cheat a group of miners. We glimpse the Cartwrights in relatively early days on the ranch, see Hoss' good nature, Adam's seriousness, Little Joe's recklessness (especially where pretty women are concerned), and Ben's concern that gold-fever doesn't destroy the land around him. And we witness the naming and founding of Virginia City, as a by-product of Comstock's attempted swindle.