Benjamin "Ben" Cartwright is one of the main protagonists of Bonanza. When he was young, he was a sailor with a dream to go West and earn his living in the wild. The God-fearing, Bible-quoting man built up his dreams on his ranch, the Ponderosa, with three wives behind and his future with his boys before him. Ruling his 600,000 acres of prime timber with the force of his gun and the love of his land, Ben watched the land around him prosper and towns build up before his very eyes. Having no regrets, Ben faced each new day with his strength from the last and his will to succeed.