The Big Valley (1965-1969)

Peter Breck and Lee Majors star in The Big Valley. (Photo: )

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Long, Peter Breck

The exploits of the Barkleys, a family of cattle ranchers in the San Joaquin Valley in California around 1880. Victoria, the strong-willed matriarch; Jarrod, her eldest son, a lawyer; Nick, her second born, quick-tempered and two-fisted, the ranch foreman; Audra, her daughter -- young, beautiful, and proud; Heath, Victoria's deceased husband's illegitimate son, born of an Indian maiden, a man who struggled, fought, and ultimately achieved his birthright -- the name of Barkley -- troubled by the memories of a difficult childhood, still reaching out for the love that he never had; and Eugene, her youngest, shy and sensitive (dropped early in the series).

Stories depict their lives, struggles, and loves as they attempt to maintain and operate their thirty-thousand-acre cattle ranch in an era of violence and lawlessness.