Main Characters
Michaela "Mike" Quinn, M.D.
Formerly from Boston, Mike moved to Colorado Springs when she applied for and won the position of town doctor. Upon her arrival, she moved into a boarding house owned by the town midwife, Charlotte Cooper. After Charlotte's death, Mike becomes the caretaker of her three children: Matthew, Colleen, and Brian. She has a close relationship with Sully, which later turns into romance (and, eventually, marriage).
- City Mouse: She grew up in a posh Boston neighborhood and has a hard time adjusting to the life in a frontier town.
- Daddy's Girl: She was beloved by her father, who wanted a son to follow his footsteps and so encouraged her to become a doctor like him. She idolized him so much that she couldn't even bond with her mother until after he died.
- Frontier Doctor: She becomes the first doctor Colorado Springs ever had. Until then, all they had was the local barber, Jake, whose ideas for aid could be, innefectual to put it mildly.
- Mama Bear: Although she initially struggles to become a mother figure to the orphaned Cooper kids, she eventually becomes firmly protective of them.
- Not So Above It All: She's usually one of the most forward-thinking and open-minded people in town, but when Walt Whitman shows up in Colorado Springs and Brian befriends him, she's uncomfortable with their spending time together because of the rumours that Whitman "prefers the company of men".
- Old Maid: She calls herself a "spinster" due to being unmarried at 35 (she had a fiancé, who she thinks died in the war, and also other suitors — like a doctor in Boston or Sully or the Reverend.) She and Sully do get married eventually.
- Samus Is a Girl: The entire premise starts when the town hired her unaware of her gender. When she sent a telegraph of her impending arrival, the local telegraph man assumed her name was "Michael A. Quinn" and admitted to leaving off the A to save money, as no one would care what the doctor's middle name was.
Byron Sully
The enigmatic town loner. Sully was once married to Loren's daughter, Abigail, who died during childbirth along with the daughter she was carrying. Sully was heartbroken after the death and became somewhat of a hermit, living in the wilderness with the Cheyenne. He learned their ways and became skilled with a tomahawk.
Due to his strong association with the Cheyenne, he acts as a liáson between the Native Americans and the American soldiers.
- Last-Name Basis: Everyone calls Sully by his last name - even his love interest (and later wife) and their children! His full name is Byron Sully, but he appears to have abandoned his given name around the time he deserted the army.
- Papa Wolf: He's very protective of the Cooper kids, both before and after marrying their adoptive mother.
- Parental Substitute: Even before marrying Michaela and becoming their adoptive father, Sully served as a father-figure to the Coopers, particularly the younger Brian, who looked up to him the most.
Matthew Cooper
Matthew is the oldest son of Charlotte and Ethan Cooper, and the brother of Colleen and Brian. After his mother's death, he was reluctant to embrace Michaela as his mother or guardian. Matthew eventually grew to respect and love Michaela; however, they still have the occasional disagreement. He later becomes the town sheriff.
- Big Brother Instinct: He once threatened to kill some thug boys who tried to rob Colleen.
- Drowning My Sorrows: After his fiancée, Ingrid, dies from a rabies infection, he becomes an alcoholic.
- Pride: He is a very proud individual, who hates to accept help (or charity) from anyone. This becomes the source of many a conflict.
Colleen Cooper
The second child of Charlotte and Ethan Cooper. Formerly a boy-crazy romantic, she develops a passion for medicine through Michaela. Her interest and love for the medical field eventually leads to Michaela allowing her to help in the clinic. Academically inclined, and exceedingly proficient in mathematics, she plans to attend college in Denver to get her M.D.
- Birds of a Feather: She and her love interest and eventual husband Andrew Cook are both children of doctors who seek to follow their parent's footsteps.
- Book Worm: Colleen loves to read, and initially acts as the town's librarian (when not helping Michaela at the clinic).
- Commuting on a Bus: She leaves the show for a while while attending the Colorado Seminary College.
- Following in Relative's Footsteps: Inspired by Dr. Quinn's deeds during the inluenza epidemic, she declares she wants to become a doctor like Mike, who'd become her and her brothers' adoptive mother.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: She's very feminine, the main cook at home, and has a boy-crazy phase, but also shows to be very talented at baseball in "Travelling All-Stars" and pursues a medical career like Michaela.
Brian Cooper
The youngest of the three Cooper children. He was very young when his mother, Charlotte Cooper, died of a rattlesnake bite. He welcomed Michaela warmly, and was the first to refer to her as "Ma." Brian has a true love of animals, and has had two dogs, Pup, and Fifi. Brian has varied interests, including the ways of the Cheyenne, painting, baseball, and writing. He has a close relationship with Loren Bray, who would like Brian to work for him. Instead, he becomes a reporter for Dorothy's Gazette.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Being the youngest of the Cooper children, he occasionally succumbs to this. (Though rarely with any ill intent.)
- Friend to All Living Things: He loves all animals, and tries hard to accept and get along with everybody.
- Morality Pet: To Loren, who has a soft spot for him and even manages to control his temper when he's around.
Recurring Characters
Townsfolk
Horace Bing
- Endearingly Dorky: He's quite awkward, pays Hank just to be able to talk to Myra, and has jitters during his wedding night (not surprising since he's a virgin marrying a prostitute). He's also a pro at telegraphy, making him (more or less) the 19th century equivalent of an IT specialist. He's a nice man and Myra likes him, but other than that he's not seen as extra cute or attractive.
- Inciting Incident: His mistaking the last a in "Michaela" for an initial led the town to accept Dr. Quinn, unaware that she was a woman, which is was what kickstarted the events of the show.
Myra Bing
Myra is introduced as a prostitute, working at Hank Lawson's saloon. She develops a romance with Horace Bing, later leaving her old life behind and marrying Horace. She later gives birth to their daughter Samantha. She eventually accepts a job from Preston to work as a bank teller.
- Florence Nightingale Effect: She started getting close to her eventual husband Horace while tending him when he was struck with influenza.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: When there was an outbreak during the pilot, she was one of the few people who offered to help tend for the sick people, even though Olive nitially dismissed her for being a "whore".
Loren Bray
The elderly owner and proprietor of the town's mercantile.
- Big Brother Instinct: According to his sister Olive, he used to protect her from the other boys when they were young.
- Grumpy Old Man: And how. He's irritable, sarcastic and mean-spirited but still has a good relationship with the other townspeople.
- Intergenerational Friendship: He's close to Brian, often acting like a grandfather to the kid.
- Outliving One's Offspring: His daughter died in childbirth along with her baby daughter. He blamed Sully for it and once even tried to take away his house out of spite.
Robert E.
The blacksmith of Colorado Springs. Once a slave, his children were taken from him to face the same fate. He later marries Grace.
- The Blacksmith: He's the local blacksmith at Colorado Springs.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He was once a slave, and ran away after killing his master.
Grace
Originally from New Orleans, Grace was formerly Olive's housekeeper, and the two collaborated to open Grace's Café. When Olive passed away, Grace inherited her half of the café. She's later married to Robert E.
- The Alcoholic: She starts drinking after the death of her and Robert E.'s adopted son.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Although she starts as one of Olive's cattle hands, she's also an excellent cook and eventually opens her own café in town after inheriting one of Olive's lands.
Dorothy Jennings
The sister of Maude Bray, sister-in-law of Loren Bray, and best friend of Dr. Mike. She is the editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette.
- Character Development: At first she didn't like or trust the Cheyenne, and refused to let them treat her son with their medicine. She comes to respect them and form a relationship with Cloud Dancing.
- Dark and Troubled Past: She came to Colorado Springs to escape her abusive husband.
- Mistaken for Pregnant: She notices what she thinks are signs of pregnancy, despite being separate from her husband for years (she did meet him once and is said to have done "more than just talking"), but it turns out that she's starting her menopause.
Reverend Timothy Johnson
The town Reverend, he doesn't always want to get involved in things. Was once a heavy gambler and card shark before being saved and becoming a Reverend.
- Dark and Troubled Past: It's revealed that he was once a criminal, living a life of crime and gambling, before finding his path in religion.
- Good Shepherd: He's a genuinely pious, caring minister who seeks to help the townspeople in God's path.
- Sense Loss Sadness: He's stricken with an infection that costs his sight.
- Ship Tease: Michaela tried her luck with him when everyone was pushing her to find a man, but it was soon clear they weren't romantically compatible.
Hank Lawson
Co-owner of the Gold Nugget Saloon and Hotel. Hank also runs a brothel out of the Gold Nugget (and formerly ran one in town). An antagonist to most people in the town, Hank has a bad reputation.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Well, grandma. Hank is not the nicest man, but he adores his grandmother and when she comes to visit him, he tries to hide the fact that he owns a brothel from her and pretend he has a respectable business and a family.
- Hidden Depths: He's shown to be highly observant, with a good understanding of human behavior. In Season 3, he correctly deduces that Mike's sister Marjorie is antagonistic and bitter because she's envious of Mike's engagement to Sully (due to her own failed romances), and that she has an STD (based on her symptoms). He alerts Mike to both."The fevers, those stomach aches that come and go. I seen it in my girls plenty of times... That husband left her a little more'n anybody suspects."
- It's also revealed that he was jealous and possessive of Myra because he was in love with her — and that he'd previously married another of his "girls" (who gave him an autistic son).
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A downplayed example; he's a man of seemingly poor moral character who runs a brothel, and is condescending and deliberately antagonistic to almost everyone in town. Yet when it comes down to it, he usually does the right thing.
Preston A. Lodge III
The owner of the Bank of Colorado, and the Colorado Springs Chateau and Health Resort. His role is often antagonistic, shifty, and somewhat showy due to his business-driven personality.
Jake Slicker
Originally from Philadelphia, Jake is Colorado Springs' barber. He was once relied upon as the doctor as well (until Michaela came to town). He is later elected mayor of Colorado Springs, and becomes co-owner of the local hotel / saloon, the Gold Nugget.
- The Alcoholic: He still struggles with alcoholism, in part due to his Dark and Troubled Past.
- Dark and Troubled Past: His father abandoned the family when he was very young, leaving Jake to be raised by his highly abusive mother.
- Everyone Has Standards: Jake doesn't like children, and often chases them away from his barber shop with a broom. However, he would never hurt a child, having been abused as one himself.
Cheyenne
Chief Black Kettle
Minor Characters
Townsfolk
Maude Bray
Loren Bray's wife and the sister of Dorothy. She dies in the pilot.
- Outliving One's Offspring: She and Loren outlived their daughter Abigail, who died in childbirth along with her baby daughter.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: She dies in the pilot, and her death haunts both her husband and Dr. Mike due to it happening when she ran out of meddical supplies to properly tend for her.
Bostonians
Elizabeth Quinn
Michaela's mother.
- Book Ends: The series started with the death of Michaela's father, and the final TV movie involves her mother Elizabeth's death.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Parent: She's the most cynical at her daughter's idea to pursue a job as doctor after her husband dies, since she knows the chances someone would hire a woman as a doctor are almost nonexistent. She later comes to accept Michaela's life choices after seeing what she accomplished in Colorado Springs.
- So Proud of You: She eventually warms up to her daughter's ambitions and shows her pride by describing her as "single-handedly bringing modern medicine to Colorado Springs" during a party she attended with Michaela and Sully.
Dr. Josef Quinn
Michaela's deceased father.
- Hidden Depths: According to Michaela, he was an abolitionist and taught her "we're all equals", boosting his daythers opposition to bigotry.
- Open-Minded Parent: He encouraged Michaela's becoming a doctor, partially because after having several daughters, she was the closest he ever had to a son.
- Parental Favoritism: He was closer to Michaela than any of his other daugthers, due to encouraging to be like the son he always wanted.
- Plot-Triggering Death: His death meant the end of patients at his office where Michaela worked with him, leading her to pursue a job somewhere else, kickstarting her journey to Colorado Springs.
- Posthumous Character: He died shortly before the events of the first episode.
- Wanted a Son Instead: Which is why he encouraged Michaela to become a doctor.
