| Bonanza episode | |
|---|---|
| “Journey Remembered” | |
| Season 5, Episode 8 #142 in Series | |
 | |
| Air date | November 10, 1963 |
| Production code | |
| Guest starring: | |
| Written by | Anthony Lawrence |
| Directed by | Irving J. Moore |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous Episode: Calamity Over the Comstock |
Next Episode: The Quality of Mercy |
| External links | |
 IMDbJourney Remembered on IMDb | |
Summary[]
Ben finds an old journal that he kept while traveling in a wagon train from St. Joseph, Missouri westward to Ash Hollow. As he reads, Ben remembers the journey with his second wife, Inger, and his young son Adam. During the trip, Hoss is born.
While Hoss is waiting for a mare to be born Ben begins reading from an old journal which tells of the journey he and Inger, Hoss' mother, made by wagon train out West. Ben is the leader of the small wagon train which will link up with a larger train in Ash Hollow.
There are many obstacles on the way to contend with including a drunken wagon master, Indians, and the fact that Inger is with child. All of these things slow down their pace and it is essential to make good time to avoid impending winter snows.
Plot[]
Hoss is in the barn looking after a mare that’s about to give
birth, Ben is impatient because they’re already late for a cattle run, Hoss asks his Pa to get some medicine from across the barn. Ben noticed a journal sticking out of a chest near the medicine and pulls it out to read. Hoss asks what it is and Ben tells him that it’s a journal he wrote when he was coming West with his mother, Inger and that he reminds him of her.
Inger is tending to a horse about to give birth to a foal, Ben asks her how long it’s going to take because everyone’s waiting. Inger refuses to go because she wants to make sure the horse is alright, Ben tells her the horse belongs to Mr Simons and he should take care of it himself. Inger tells him that Adam isn’t hers yet he’s entrusted him to her, she tells Ben to get Simons as the foal is coming now.
With the foal born Inger is ready to get moving, Adam runs up to his Pa and tells him that wagon master Wilkes is sick. Ben checks him over and moves his hat, there’s an almost empty bottle of booze hidden under it, Ben tells everyone he’ll talk to him when he’s sober.
Ben is sitting under a tree writing in his journal, he tells Inger it’s probably from his sailor days. Simons come
s to tell Ben that Wilkes is awake, Ben goes over to Wilkes and tells him that they need to get to Ash Hollow so they can meet the main wagon train and if they miss it he won’t pay him, Wilkes tells him he’ll get him there because he needs the money.
During the wagon ride, Ben pulls his horse next to their wagon, Inger is humming a tune and Ben listens as she’s doing so, after a little while she winces in pain and Ben asks her if she’s alright, she tells him it’s just a stomach upset. The wagons finally stops for the night and Ben is concerned that Inger is doing too much and that she’s also helping Mrs Payne’s son who’s not well, she tells Ben she can’t help it since he’s Adam’s friend. Ben stares off into the distance and Inger asks him what’s wrong, he tells her he’s been wondering if where they’re going is better than what they had, she tells him it is and that he will plough, plant and build and he will have a house and a garden, Ben tells Inger that they will have it together. They put Adam to bed and Ben goes to see Wilkes.
Wilkes has snuck away to take a sneaky drink, but he’s interrupted by a man called Rockwell whom they are both familiar with, Rockwell has been following Wilkes since he found out about it. Rockwell presses Wilkes for the money but Wilkes tells him that he waited a long time for him and he never came and then got bored and gambled it away. Ben interrupts their conversation and asks who Rockwell is, Rockwell tells him about the money Wilkes owes him. Wilkes tells Ben to tell Rockwell about the money they will pay him when they get to Ash Hollow, Rockwell demands the money upfront to see if it will cover what Wilkes took from him, Ben tells him the money will only be paid once they get to Ash Hollow. Rockwell tells Wilkes he will be following the train to make sure he gets the money and walks off, as he does so Wilkes pulls out his gun and Ben lets out a warning cry, Rockwell turns and shoots Wilkes dead.
The shot has roused the camp and they all come running to the scene, Simons asks if Ben did it and he tells them he didn’t and that Rockwell did in self defence. Payne asks what they’re going to do now since Wilkes was the only person who knew the way, Simon’s asks who the man is and Ben tells him about the money he was owed by Wilkes. Rockwell asks if he can camp with them for the night and Payne tells Ben that he knew the train was jinxed, his boys sick and now Wilkes. Ben tells him they’ll talk about it in the morning.
The next morning after Wilkes’s funeral, Inger has made some food and coffee, Rachel comes over and they talk. Mrs Payne bets Inger that she hasn’t told Ben about her pregnancy, and Inger tells her that Ben has enough on his plate to worry about her, Mrs Payne tells Inger she indulges her husband too much and Inger tells her she can’t help it since she loves him too much. After the meeting, Ben is delegated to speak to Rockwell to ask him to take them to Ash Hollow, Rockwell is only interested in the money that is owed to him. Ben finds out that he’s heading West which is where they’re trying to get to, he tells him he’ll get the money when he takes them to Ash Hollow. Finding he has no choice, Rockwell agrees to take them to Ash Hollow as long as they follow his pace or he’ll leave them behind.
They enter Indian country and Ben believes that they’ll leave them alone if they don’t get in their way. The trek is wearing everyone out, but Rockwell pushes them on, Ben orders him to slow down due to the women being worn out from the tough ride. Rockwell tells Ben he’s no longer a Captain of a clipper ship, Ben tells him it’s the same thing since he’s responsible for everyone, Rockwell tells Ben he hired him on his terms and pushes the wagons on. Ben worries about Inger since Rockwell is extreme in his urgency as Wilkes was in his procrastinations. Inger is clearly suffering from the journey and wipes her brow trying to get up a hill, Ben helps pull the horses up the slope.
Two weeks later after Wilkes death, Joe Payne’s boy dies in the morning, he’s buried on the way to Ash Hollow, they cover his grave in gunpowder and trample the grave to stop wolves and Indians from finding the body.
Further along the trail they are attempting to climb a steep slope but the wagon gets stuck, Rockwell tells them they need to lighten the wagon so everyone gets off and Inger tells Adam to go back to one of the other wagons. Ben shouts at Inger to stay back but she refuses to telling Ben she wants to help him, Ben tells her to do as he says. Regardless while Ben is trying to get the horses up the slope, Inger gets behind the wagon and begins to push, Ben turns and sees her and tells her to get away, but it’s too late. The wagon moves backwards and Inger falls and rolls down the slope, Ben chases after her. Inger tells Ben she should have told him before they left but she thought they would have reached their goal in time, Ben asks her what and Inger tells him before the baby came. Ben is surprised by the news and Inger apologises to Ben.
The wagons have stopped while Ben tends to Inger, she tells him that she had hoped to have whispered it to him when they were alone to bring them closer together, Ben tells Inger he should have guessed. Inger tells Ben her mother gave birth to Gunnar in the fields after a day’s ploughing and she was sure it was going to be as effortless for her. She tells Ben she thought there was no hardship she could not endure, if only she could bring her precious new life into the world for him. Inger winces in pain. She tells Ben with a smile on her face not to worry since the baby isn’t due for months, she winces in pain again. Ben tells her he needs to go back to where there’s a doctor, but Inger won’t let him. Ben looks at Inger and tells her nothing is more important than her.
The other wagon members ask if Inger is alright and Ben tells them she’s in pain, Payne tells him that winter is fast approaching and they need to move or it will catch up with them. Rockwell agrees and tells Ben they have to move and move hard. Inger shouts to Ben and tells him she’s alright, she tells him that she felt the baby move and it’s going to be alright, Rachel agrees with Inger and the wagons continue their journey.
It’s night time and everyone has camped for the night, an Indian watches the camp. Rachel asks Ben if he’s chosen a name for the baby, Ben tells her that he will be named either after Inger’s father or his father. Simon’s asks Inger if she’s going to have a boy since Ben is so sure, Inger shrugs. Ben tells them that if they name the baby after her father then the next baby will be called after his father, Joseph.
Inger notices Rockwell sitting on his own, she serves up a plate of food and takes it over to him, he comments on the spices used in the food prompting Inger to ask him about his wife and if he had any children, this annoys Rockwell and he tells her to stay out of his affairs.
During the night the Indians sneak into camp and knock out the man on watch, they proceed to steal the horses. Everyone is awake now and Rockwell tells them he’s going to get his stuff back and Ben tells him he’s going with him to make sure he comes back. After a while Ben wants to turn back since they’ve covered a lot of ground, Rockwell refuses to until he gets his stuff back. While they are talking they hear some talking further up and creep up to where it’s coming from. Rockwell kills one of the Indians and prepares to kill another but Ben stops him and they start fighting, after a while they stop and Ben tells him he’s no better than the Indians. Rockwell tells Ben he’d feel the same if they’d murdered and scalped his wife and kids, Ben tells him it’s not an excuse to stoop down to their level. Ben asks why he sticks around, it can’t just be for the money, Rockwell tells Ben he wants to watch him lose everything just like he did, his wife and his children as well as his dream.
Ben returns to camp with Rockwell and the things that were stolen earlier, Simon’s tells Ben that Inger gave birth while he was away and she’s had a strong baby boy. Ben enters the wagon and and sees Adam with inger and the baby, Inger smiles at Ben and shows him their pride and joy. Adam comments on its size and Ben tell him it’s a boy not an it. Adam wants to name the baby but Inger tells Ben she hoped to name him after her father, Eric. Adam tells them that Uncle Gunnar asked that they name the baby Hoss, Inger tells them that she remembers that in the mountain country it’s the name for a big friendly man, Ben tells Adam that they will give the baby both names and see which one sticks.
They eventually arrive at Ash Hollow, everyone is excited. The Indians are following close behind. Talbot from the way station greets them and Payne asks when the Ryan company will be there. Talbot tells them that they came and went, Ben tells Talbot that there wasn’t a deadline and they should have waited, Talbot tells him they waited as long as they could but their supplies were urgently needed elsewhere and they had to go. Everyone’s excitement turns to despair, Joseph Payne tells Ben they would have been there earlier if it hadn’t been for him and his wife and wonders what they’ll do now now that winter is coming. Simon’s shouts at Payne and Rachel tells him not to, Rockwell tells everyone they won’t have to worry about winter now and points in a direction. The Indians line the top of the slope and Talbot makes a comment that he’s not seen Indians around the station for a long time. Ben believes it’s the same tribe that stole their horses, Rockwell tells him that they are and that they’re burying their dead out in the open so their spirits fly free, Ben tells everyone to get in the way station since they’re in for a fight. Ben wants to talk to them but Rockwell tells him not to since they’re all fired up and it would be no use.
Inside the way station everyone is taking their positions, Adam goes to take a peek out the window resulting in Rockwell grabbing him and telling him to get away from the window. As Adam goes back to Ben and Inger a gunshot is fired and narrowly misses Ben’s head, he tells everyone to get down on the floor. The men position themselves at the windows and doors and fire upon any Indians who get close, Inger is scared and is huddled in a corner with Adam and the baby. The Indians retreat and Rockwell tells them that they will be back, the pause is very short lived and the Indians return. They manage to shoot Rockwell in the shoulder who tumbles backwards and drops his rifle, Inger gives her baby to Adam and grabs the rifle that fell to the ground and proceeds to fire out the window. As Inger goes to reload her rifle she is struck in the back with an arrow, Adam shouts for his Pa as Inger falls to the ground. Rockwell snaps the arrow off Inger’s back and Ben scoops her up in his arms. Inger tells Ben she wanted to be there with him when he reached their new land, Ben tells her she will be, she tells him no and tells him that Adam and the baby will. Inger feels cold and see the snow on the mountains and asks Ben to hold her and keep her warm, she tells him she loves him and then dies in his arms.
Rockwell tells Ben that Inger was right and he must carry on. When he was a boy his father gave him a seedling tree to plant, and when it didn’t grow he stomped on it and tore it out of the ground and all this time he couldn’t see that the reason it died was because he didn’t want it. Rockwell tells Ben it’s time he gives them what they want, Ben cradling Inger says “What?” Rockwell tells Ben that the Indians don’t want him, they want the man that killed one of their own and tells Ben to do as his wife said, to look after his boys. Rockwell leaves the way station and the Indian’s come down towards him.
Ben is kneels down besides a grave, Adam is there with him. Ben touches the grave and says through tears “Inger, my love.”
Ben finishes the rest of his journal with Hoss sitting next to him, the mare gives out a noise and Hoss notices that the mare has already given birth and the foal is already on its feet. Ben tells Hoss that his mother would be mighty proud of him, he then closes the journal.
Cast and Characters[]
The Cartwrights[]
- Lorne Greene: Ben Cartwright
- Inga Swenson: Inger Cartwright
- Johnny Stephens: Young Adam
- Dan Blocker: Hoss Cartwright
- Michael Landon: Little Joe Cartwright (Credit only)
- Pernell Roberts: Adam Cartwright (Credit Only)
Other[]
- Dee Carroll: Rachel Simon
- Gene Evans: Lucas Rockwell
- Jack Big Head: Indian Brave
- John Frederick: Joe Payne
- Kathleen O'Malley: Mrs. Payne
- Ken Lynch: Wagonmaster Wilkes
- Kevin Hagen: Simon
- William Fawcett: Tulliver
Notes[]
Did you know?[]
- German episode title: "Als Hoss geboren wurde", meaning "When Hoss was Born".
- The pregnant mare that Hoss is tending to is the same horse that Inger is tending to when Ben is reminiscing (as well as the foal when it's born).
Quotes[]
Gallery[]
Videos[]
