Ranch House Characters

The ranch house is composed of the five main cast members -- John, Victoria, Buck, Blue, and Manolito -- and the storylines often concern one or more of them in some sort of life or death drama, be it figuring out how to coexist with the Apaches, dealing with rustlers on the range, or standing up to swindlers in town.  Some episodes focus on their struggles within a blended, multi-cultural family, and on several occasions the storyline is sheer fun and things are played for laughs.  

Victoria and Manolito's father is Don Sebastian Montoya.  While he resides at the Rancho Montoya, he always has an honored place at the Chaparral ranch house when he visits.  His influence on the family dynamic is felt even in episodes where he is not actually present.  

John's first wife, Annalee, played by Joan Caulfield, dies in the first episode, so a character description of her is challenging.  Nevertheless, we include a page here for her because her unseen influence on the family, especially throughout the first season, is keenly felt.  

Along with the Cannon family, there were two servants over the years, Vaquero and Violeta.  Vaquero arrived in the first episode, and he did all sorts of odd jobs, ranging from cooking to herding cattle.  He always considered his first duty to be protector of the family.  He left at the end of the second season.  Violeta assisted Victoria with domestic work and was often referred to but was seen in only four episodes, all in the second season. She had minimal lines so there is no character description here for her.  She did not appear to have a permanent residence at the ranch the way that Vaquero did, but we have no idea where her residence might have been.

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