According to the story line, created by David Dortort of Bonanza and developed by Evan Hunter from his own novels, the Chisholms were defrauded of their Virginia land and headed west to seek a new life. Robert Preston appeared as family patriarch Hadley Chisholm but the character died midway through the 1980 TV series. Rosemary Harris portrays his wife, Minerva. The Chisholms encounter difficult travel, hostile Indians, and family struggles.
Cast
appeared as oldest son, Will Chisholm. Brian Kerwin portrayed son Gideon in the miniseries, but was replaced by Brett Cullen in the 1980 TV series. James Van Patten, appeared as Bo; Glynnis O'Connor, Elizabeth; Stacy Nelkin, Bonnie Sue in the 1979 segments, replaced by Delta Burke; and Susan Swift, Annabel, youngest of the Chisholms, killed by Indians in the 1979 miniseries. However, Swift, at fifteen, returned to the program in the 1980 series as Mercy Hopwell, a passenger on the wagon train. Charles Frank portrayed Lester Hackett the miniseries but was replaced by Reid Smith in the 1980 series. In 1980, Mitchell Ryan played wagonmaster Cooper Hawkins, who becomes the de facto head of the Chisholms after Hadley's death. In the miniseries, Sandra Griego played Kewedinok, an Indian woman who marries Will. Victoria Racimo replaced her in the 1980 series. Others cast in the miniseries included Anthony Zerbe as Jimmy Jackson, Billy Drago as Teetontah/Teetonkah and Brian Keith as Andrew Blake. Illinois native Tom Adams was the actor cast as Clay Cummins in the 1980 series, along with Donald Moffat played Enos; Leslie Nielsen, Sinclair; and Ben Piazza, the historic figure John A. Sutter. Shortly before his death, Chief Eugene Standingbear, an Oklahoma native, appeared as a medicine man in the episode "Siege". In the series finale, "The Siren Song", Minerva, a Baptist, wonders why Bo is spending so much time with a Franciscan priest, played by Donnelly Rhodes.
Production
The first episodes were filmed at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado. The Chisholms is akin to the unsuccessful 1977 NBC venture, The Oregon Trail. In that series, Rod Taylor's character of Evan Thorpe, a widowed father, leaves Illinois in 1842 to seek a new life for his three children in Oregon.
