In 1842, widower Evan Thorpe (Rod Taylor) decides to leave behind his Illinois farm and head west with his three children, Andrew (Andrew Stevens), 17, William (Tony Becker), 12, and Rachel (Gina Marie Smika), 7, and travel to the Oregon Territory to search for a new life in the wilderness.
Their fellow travellers include a saucy colleen (Darleen Carr) who thinks highly of Evan, and a roughneck scout (Charles Napier) who has a low opinion of all his companions, and calls them “this bunch o’ corn-crackers”.
By joining a wagon train, they encounter a variety of adversity in their way, from stormy weather, rugged mountains, roaring rivers, hostile Indians, broken axles, tired horses, trail lice, cholera attacks and devious con men.
Probably the greatest adversity was the fact that NBC slotted the show opposite ABC’s Charlie’s Angels.
Evan Thorpe
Rod Taylor Andrew Thorpe
Andrew Stevens William Thorpe
Tony Becker Rachel Thorpe
Gina Marie Smika Luther Sprague
Charles Napier Margaret Devlin
Darleen Carr
