Centennial's story spans over 200 years and 12 episodes. This recap page will stay within the story as it is presented in the television adaptation.
By his adulthood in the late 1700's, Lame Beaver was an Arapaho warrior without peer and unofficially became the leader of his tribe, encamping upon the banks of the South Platte River. It was then that he witnessed the arrival of the White Man in the area, specifically a French-Canadian trapper that went by the name of Pasquinel. During one night, the two confronted each other through the Indian practice of "counting coup" where they strike the weapon of the enemy or make physical contact with the enemy himself. Though they were in a position to kill each other, the Arapaho leader and the Canadian trapper became allies. Pasquinel was allowed to trade with the Arapaho and became a trusted companion of Lame Beaver, who warned the trapper about the potential dangers of the area, specifically the opposing Indian tribes like the Pawnee. Lame Beaver also requested that Pasquinel would give him a gun the next time he visited. On his way out of Indian Territory, Pasquinel encountered the Pawnee, whose chief initially allowed the trapper to pass through safely provided that he be provided a gun too. Later however, Pawnee braves attacked the trapper, stole his prized beaver pelts, and shot an arrow in his back. When Pasquinel confronted the Pawnee braves again, they were subsequently attacked by river pirates, who stole the pelts and swindled Pasquinel.
Upon arriving in the city of St. Louis with nothing but an arrowhead for his troubles, Pasquinel was introduced to the local silversmith, Hermann Bockweiss, and his daughter Lise. Bockweiss saw a business opportunity by partnering with the trapper and agreed to finance his expeditions. Resupplied and rearmed, Pasquinel returned to the heart of Indian Territory. When he returned to the Pawnee encampment, gave the chief his promised gun and confronted him over the braves that attacked him, he met with a prisoner: a fellow trapper and Scotsman named Alexander McKeag. The two became partners and had various adventures; one of which was encountering and killing the pirates that robbed him the year before. McKeag, much to his chagrin, was used as bait to lure them out, but Pasquinel simply saw the matter as business. During another incident, McKeag was wounded by braves from the Ute Indian tribe and was put out of commission for the rest of the journey to the Arapaho encampment, where Pasquinel was reunited with Lame Beaver.
While Pasquinel was teaching Lame Beaver how to use his newly acquired gun, McKeag was nursed back to health by Lame Beaver's daughter Clay Basket. During their stay, the two bonded and fell in love, but Clay Basket was told by Lame Beaver when the trapper duo departed that, upon Pasquinel's return, they are to marry. Lame Beaver sensed that Pasquinel's arrival was only the beginning for the White Man to come and make their mark. He knew that a time would come with their culture would face a great change, and that Pasquinel was a man to be trusted and to keep her safe. Clay Basket, with no choice in the matter, accepted.
Back in St Louis, at the suggestion of Bockweiss, Pasquinel married Lise. Though the French-Canadian trapper loved her, he used the marriage as a means for more profit and flourishing trade. Furthermore, Pasquinel's line of work drew the attention of the aristocratic denizens of St. Louis, who regarded the Indians as inferior people who must conform to their educated ways. Pasquinel, openly disagreeing with them, felt like an outcast. Meanwhile, Lame Beaver was still a major leader of the Arapaho. His past deeds (Including a moment in his youth where he valiantly stole horses from the rival Comanche tribe) have made him legendary and for a while, they roamed the open plains. He was, however, old, and knew that his time would soon come. During a visit to a creek while he was getting new stakes for his village, he came across strange "yellow rocks" that he made into bullets, remarking that they're "Bullets I don't have to melt".
When Pasquinel and McKeag returned to the area a few months later, they discovered that a number of events have taken place. The Pawnee encampment was attacked by Lame Beaver and his braves, who killed their chief. Lame Beaver, too, was dead. The Pawnee showed them the strange yellow bullets that came from Lame Beaver's gun, and the traders knew what Lame Beaver didn't: Gold. The two hastened to the Arapaho camp, where they discovered Lame Beaver's corpse ceremoniously buried, and Lame Beaver's wife, according to their custom, frozen dead in the wilderness after his death. Pasquinel questioned Clay Basket about the gold, but she was unaware of its location. When she relayed Lame Beaver's wishes of Pasquinel being wed to her, Pasquinel accepted knowing that she could help find the gold. McKeag, knowing that his partner was using the marriage as an excuse to strike rich, accepted the decision with bitter disappointment as the three departed the Arapaho encampment to begin their search.
Some time later, Pasquinel intended to take Clay Basket and his sons to St. Louis to introduce them to his family there. McKeag, aghast at Pasquinel's foolishness, instead suggested to Clay Basket for them to be taken to the nearby Fort Osage along the river, to which Pasquinel accepted. Their stay at the fort was anything but fun, as drunken soldiers stationed there accused Pasquinel of being a traitor and insulting his "half-breed" sons. During a scuffle, Jacques was scarred by a soldier's knife, brewing deep resentment in the nine-year-old boy over the White Man. On the eve of their departure, Pasquinel decided to take the opportunity to stay in St. Louis to be with Lise and Lisette, leaving McKeag to once again look after Clay Basket and the boys. During an attack on their home by braves from the Kiowa tribe, Jacques loses part of his finger to an arrowhead, mentally scarring him even further and igniting hatred for McKeag. As the years passed, McKeag took it upon himself to teach the boys how to trap beaver themselves. Though Marcel is open to learning, Jacques resents it and takes matters into his own hands.
Back in St. Louis, after a tense argument between the two, Pasquinel and Lise reunite and reaffirm their love for each other. For the next few years, Pasquinel stays in St. Louis, watching Lisette grow into a young girl and becoming the apple of her grandfather's eye. The French-Canadian trapper, however, still feels outcasted, particularly when rumors of his Indian wife and possible other wives spread. Pasquinel relates to Lise his troubles, that for all his good intentions, he feels himself to be a coward because of his isolation in his line of work. Lise, after being told by Pasquinel about the gold, reluctantly let him go back. Upon his return, he found that the diminishing beaver trade has left all of the traps set by his sons and McKeag to be empty. This culminated with McKeag and the teenaged Jacques fighting, the former being stabbed in the leg and the latter nearly being choked to death. Finally being unable to tolerate Pasquinel's double life, suppressing his bitterness of his inability to love Clay Basket, and being disgusted by the twisted-ness of Jacques, McKeag ends his partnership with Pasquinel leaves, much to the French-Canadian's dismay and protests.
While Pasquinel and his Indian family continued to search through the mountains and joining with the Sioux tribe, McKeag left to occasionally visit St. Louis and to trap on his own. Still unable to tell the truth to Bockweiss about Pasquinel, he left St. Louis to return to the mountains, only to find that Pasquinel has long since gone from their original area. Half-crazed by his isolation and near death from being trapped in the snow in the Fox Canyon area, he came across fellow mountain men and trappers, who told him of an annual "rendezvous" where trappers from all walks of life and various Indian braves from all tribes gathered together for festivities. While taking part in a dance where he has to wear a yellow apron, he was reunited with Pasquinel. Together, both danced their troubles away and seemingly reconciled. The Pawnee arrowhead, however, began to take its toll on Pasquinel and he collapsed. To Jacques irritation and with Marcel's help, McKeag cut out the arrowhead. In the aftermath of the operation, Pasquinel revealed that Clay Basket and the boys, now adults, are staying with the Sioux, and he asked McKeag to come back and trap together again like old times so he won't be alone. At this, the bitter feelings returned, and McKeag, questioning what it's like to be alone, parted ways with Pasquinel again.
A few years later, McKeag returned to St. Louis and met with Lise and and an adult Lisette and discovered that Herman Bockweiss passed away. Lise had long since accepted that Pasquinel was not coming back and listened to McKeag's troubles. He unintentionally revealed the truth about Clay Basket and reasoned that McKeag was in love with her. Lise convinced McKeag that he should return to him and reconcile, that his untold love over Clay Basket may help and that reconciliation. Emboldened, McKeag left for the mountains. His arrival, however, could not be at a worse time. Pasquinel finally discovered the lost gold and accomplished his dreams...as Pawnee braves arrive. Shot by multiple arrows, Pasquinel died in the arms of a heartbroken McKeag.
After relating that both are and have been alone, McKeag and Clay Basket reaffirm their love for each other. Taking Clay Basket's young daughter as his own, he led his new family out of the mountainous area to start a new life, leaving the gold in the river to lay abandoned and forgotten.
At St. Louis, the couple met a number of people. The first was Oliver Seccombe, a fellow traveler and Englishman headed for Oregon who wanted to write a book about the "unexplored myths" of the origins of the Indians. The second was America Army captain Maxwell Mercy, who intends to travel with the Levi, Elly and Seccombe as far up to Fort John along the trail to help in establishing an army fort as a means for save travel among those bound for Oregon. Levi and Elly also meet Mercy's wife, Lisette Pasquinel. Right before their departure, the Zendts and Mercy was introduced by Seccombe to their guide, an unsavory but knowledgeable mountain man named Sam Purchas. Purchas was to be their guide on the trip to Oregon, but his questionable ethics and his extreme disdain towards the Indians rubbed the party the wrong way. This was exemplified on the path when Levi, standing guard over their wagon and the wagons of three other families, alerted them to the arrival of a party of Sioux. Leading the Sioux was none other than the Pasquinels, Jacques "Jake" and Marcel "Mike".
Mercy intended to talk peacefully with the Pasquinels, and invited Jake, Mike, and the chiefs of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes to Fort John to discuss the possibility of an additional fort. Despite misgivings and Purchas nearly killing him, Jake agreed to meet Mercy at Fort John. At the Fort, while resting and re-supplying, the Zendts and Mercy met the proprietors of the fort store: Alexander McKeag, his wife Clay Basket and their grown daughter, Lucinda, who shared a tender moment with Mercy after showing them a picture of Lisette. While the Zendts, Seccombe, Purchas and their party left the fort to continue to Oregon, Mercy stayed behind to meet with the Pasquinels and the chiefs of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, Broken Thumb and Lost Eagle respectively. Jake and Broken Thumb argued that a fort would mean more soldiers, and more potential harm to the Indian tribes, while Mercy, with the help of McKeag, admitted that truth while swearing that the fort would help punish such men who went out of line. After some counsel with Lost Eagle, Mercy showing genuine sympathy for the Indians, and showing Jake and Mike Lisette's picture, a fort was agreed to be established, though Broken Thumb knew that such a measure would only increase the inevitable conflict between the Indian and the White Man.
Back on the trail, the Zendts continued to butt heads with Purchas over various things, from lending spare oxen to a family in need, to Purchas unceremoniously flirting with Elly. Despite Seccombe attempting to keep the peace, the last straw for the Zendts came when Purchas attempted to rape Elly. On the turn towards the Rocky Mountains, the Zendts turned back while Purchas, the rest of the families and Seccombe continued onward. The Zendts returned to Fort John, with only half a wagon, nearly all their Oxen dead, and their supplies lost. It was at that point that McKeag approached Levi with a proposition: For a while, McKeag intended to return back to the South Platte River to where Lame Beaver's original Arapaho encampment was and to start a second trading post there, but he could not find a suitable partner. McKeag saw potential in Levi, and the young Mennonite accepted without hesitation.
The Zendts, McKeag, Clay Basket and Lucinda traveled down towards the river and the Zendts witnessed a land that was lush with beauty. Levi and Elly were further emboldened when Elly discovered she was pregnant. The following morning however saw tragedy: While Levi rode off towards the mountains for a prayer, Elly was bitten by a rattlesnake and was killed instantly. McKeag and his family could do nothing but watch as a heartbroken Levi cradled Elly in his arms and buried her along with their marriage certificate. Though Lucinda wanted to help Levi, McKeag forbade it, stating that Levi needed that time alone. Levi spent the winter and the next several months in a cabin occupied by McKeag when he was alone, and the older Scotsman was confident that Levi would eventually pull through.
The time spent together kindled romantic feelings between the two, and Levi intended to marry Lucinda. With McKeag's blessing, Levi suggested that Lucinda travel to St. Louis to be educated and to be confirmed as a Christian. McKeag and his family returned to St. Louis, where McKeag reunited with Lise Pasquinel and Lisette Mercy, and Lise met Clay Basket for the first time. The two half-wives of Pasquinel bonded and Lise promised to help Lucinda during her stay. Lucinda was watched over by John McIntosh, who wanted to get to know Lucinda better. Lucinda, in return, welcomed John's company. Meanwhile, Levi continued to acquaint himself with Jake and Mike. From Jake, Levi gained the courage to stand his ground and protect the trading post without fear, to which Jake respected. Mike, always the more sympathetic, helped Levi in building the post and teaching him the Arapaho language. Despite Levi's optimism, Mike knew that such a peace between them was only temporary, and that the day may come when Levi and Mike met in battle to the death.
When McKeag returned to the trading post with supplies for trade, Levi got wind of John and Lucinda and began to worry, despite McKeag's assurance that it was just a fling. Lucinda is further conflicted when John asked for Lucinda's hand in marriage. Lise and Clay Basket knew that if Lucinda was to marry John, it would cause possible confrontation when the army and the Indians went to war. Thus, upon their return to the trading post, Levi married Lucinda. Their wedding was a happy time, with McKeag dancing jovially and even finally putting Jake's long standing hatred towards McKeag to an end as the two danced their troubles away like he did with Pasquinel. Tragedy cuts it short however as the elderly Scotsman collapses. Reaffirming his love for a heartbroken Clay Basket, McKeag dies in her arms.
Several months later, at the newly established Fort Laramie, Mercy and his wife Lisette arrived to help with the ratification of a treaty between the Indian tribes and the United States. The officials stationed at the fort appalled at the idea, for the Indians could not get along with each other, let alone the White Man. At the urging of Mercy, Levi left the trading post to be looked after a pregnant Lucinda to communicate with the Indians as McKeag once did. Despite Jake's and Broken Thumb's protests, cooler heads like Lost Eagle prevailed and agreed to send word to the various Indian chiefs in the surrounding area to meet for a grand convocation at Fort Laramie, where a large supply of gifts and food were to be given as compensation. What nobody counted on was that instead of just the chiefs and other noted Indian dignitaries, the entirety of the tribes were brought too, causing anxiety amongst the army officials. To Mercy's further aggravation, the promised supplies were delayed, and the Indians began to get antsy. With Levi's and Lisette's help, the treaty discussions went underway and the supplies were given. Mercy's talking and the re-distribution of land however only served to confirm to Jake and Broken Thumb that war would happen sooner or later, and the two lambasted Lost Eagle for being an idealistic fool. The treaty, in the end, accomplished little, as attacks on innocents on and by both sides continued to occur.
During this uneasy peace, Lise passed away, and Levi & Lucinda lived happily at the flourishing trading post with Clay Basket and their son, Martin. The post led to more people arriving and intending to start their lives in the area. One such person was Hans Brumbaugh, a Wolgadeutsche immigrant, and his travel companion, Larkin. The two intended to pass through the area and find the lost gold trove of the Arapaho warrior Lame Beaver. While Hans made friends with Levi, Larkin was more obsessed with finding the gold, made no better when Hans seemingly makes friends with Lucinda and departs ahead of him, under the impression that he was told the location of gold. After a confrontation, Lucinda held Larkin at gunpoint and ordered him to leave.
Mercy's position as peacekeeper between the White Man and the Indian put him in a tight spot, especially when several of his soldiers protested over the peace at the request of the people. When a new general named Asher, accompanied by now-Captain McIntosh, arrived and presented a new treaty to Mercy, Levi, Jake, Mike and the Indian chiefs, all were outraged. The dictations of the new treaty declared that all the Indian tribes were to be relocated to a patch of dry land near Rattlesnake Cliffs, and all the former lands would go to the White Man. Lost Eagle, still believing in peace, agreed to sign the treaty, but Jake, Mike and Broken Thumb rejected the treaties and left the gathering in anger. Levi and Mercy told Asher that it was over, and war between the White Man and the Indian had begun.
The war between the army and the Indians took an ominous turn with the arrival of a Minnesotan colonel named Frank Skimmerhorn. With his local militia, he was convinced that he was sent by God Himself to punish the Indian heathens and kill them all. Overriding the command of the local general Asher and Major Maxwell Mercy, he made his intentions (and his madness) clear. In an attempt to bide time, Mercy visited Zendt's trading post to ask for the whereabouts of his brother in laws Jake and Mike Pasquinel. Nobody at the post, including Levi, his wife Lucinda, children Martin and Clemma knew where they were, except for Jake's and Mike's mother, Clay Basket. Before Mercy could leave though, Skimmerhorn arrested Mercy and the Zendts for consorting with the enemy and locked down the trading post. To give Mercy a chance to escape to Fox Canyon and alert the Pasquinels, Levi and Clay Basket distracted the guards. In the process, Clay Basket is shot and killed.
Despite Mercy's intentions, Jake and Mike are incensed. Angered over the waste of their mother's death, not fearing Skimmerhorn, and lambasting Mercy for daring to visit them and calling him their brother, Jake and Mike refused to leave and intended to make their stand. Mercy then attempted to visit the relocated Arapaho tribe of Lost Eagle. As the previous treaty intended, the relocation to Rattlesnake Cliffs removed the warriors and weapons of the Arapaho encampment, leaving it in a sad, sorry state. Lost Eagle, bitter over his decision and having enough of being told what do to by the White Man, refused to heed Mercy's warnings about Skimmerhorn. Skimmerhorn, in his first act, led a small army to the Arapaho encampment and opened fire, killing most of the inhabitants, including the elderly, women and children. Captain John McIntosh, placed under Skimmerhorn's command, refused to take part in the battle, leading to his arrest and court-martial. Mercy, in the process, is arrested too.
Hans, meanwhile, began to see an opportunity for his newly acquired land to truly flourish; by using irrigation and digging a big ditch near the South Platte River, he will attain the right amount of water for his crops to grow. He visited the Zendts to ask for the land and opportunity, and stumbled upon a despairing Lisette Mercy. Without anyone to testify for her husband, she knew that the trial presided by general stationed in the nearby city of Denver would be one-sided. At that, Hans recalled how he met with a young Private that took part in the "battle", and he was called to testify. The graphic testimony and the courage of other soldiers that took part in the battle relieved McIntosh and Mercy of the charges, and the army to relieve Skimmerhorn of his command. The news, however, did little to relieve Jake, Mike, and the Cheyenne chief Broken Thumb, who requested that nothing less than Skimmerhorn's head would bring an end to the conflict. On his way back from the failed meeting in the plains, Mercy is seemingly ambushed by Indian Braves that severely wound him. In reality, they are disguised soldiers sent by Skimmerhorn.
News of the attack on Mercy spread to the people of Denver, who wanted Skimmerhorn back in command. All too happy to continue the conflict, Skimmerhorn agreed and organized his militia to attack and eradicate the Cheyenne, leaving Jake and Mike the only survivors to escape. On the eve of their departure to find Jake, Skimmerhorn is joined by his son, John, who resigned from the army and did not have the stomach to be a soldier. Jake and Mike, holed up in Fox Canyon at the ruined cabin of Alexander McKeag, could do nothing but wait for inevitable. At Jake's request, Mike escaped to implore Levi to re-supply them. It is too late however, as Jake is arrested. Despite John's protests, Skimmerhorn and his men hang Jake.
The next day, a repentant John visited Levi to tell them of Jake's execution, but in the process, Skimmerhorn and his men set fire to the trading post and burn it to the ground. Jake and Lucinda convince Mike to stop the fighting and surrender to the army in Denver for a fair trial. On the way however, Mike is shot in the back by Skimmerhorn. Appalled by this act of cowardice, John turns his back on his father, and public opinion once again turns back against Skimmerhorn, who is relieved of his command by his own men. Mercy, in anger, challenged Skimmerhorn to a sword duel. The duel quickly turned bloody when Mercy nearly strangles Skimmerhorn, but he is stopped by Levi and John. With his actions, Skimmerhorn is outcasted out of Colorado, and he and John tearfully part ways. Mercy is then ordered by the army to ask Lost Eagle for his surrender. When he, Levi and John happen upon the ruined encampment, they find only a few survivors, and a saddened Lost Eagle and Mercy shake hands and declare that "All the wars are over".
A time of renewal had come for the area. The Brumbaugh family was brought over to start a new life with their rich farmland, Levi and Lucinda establish a new trading store and other buildings for a future town, and Oliver Seccombe, Levi's travel companion during his previous trek, returns with a new proposition: purchasing land to start a cattle ranch at the request of an Earl named Venneford in Britain. With Levi's help, the land is set up, and Levi recommends that John Skimmerhorn be the one to travel down to Texas, bring a herd of cattle up to Colorado, and potentially prepare it for statehood. Despite Hans's misgivings, Levi is confident that their gamble will pay off, and the future town will become part of that gamble too.
Back in Texas, with the cattle marked and with additional hired hands, including Bufe Coker, Amos Calendar, and a young boy named Jim Lloyd, Poteet and Skimmerhorn began the long, seven-month trek to Colorado. The journey allowed lifelong bonds to be made, particularly for Jim Lloyd; being acquainted with the cowboy lifestyle by Nate, Bufe and Calendar, learning Nacho's culture and lifestyle, learning how to use a gun that he bought from Canby that he promised to pay back, and learning about Colorado from John. The journey was also rife with danger; from the toll prices of a group of outlaws, to raids by Apaches, to attacks by an infamous group of outlaws called the Pettis Boys. Not all who made the trek would survive unscathed. During an attack by the Apache, Canby's arm was nearly cut off, and some, like Lasseter, did not live to see journey's end.
Eventually, the party made it to Colorado, with Seccombe immediately securing the deal for the cattle with Poteet, and John being hired as foreman of the ranch. Jim, still unsure of what do to, was urged by Poteet to follow what was given to him, for he knew that the cattle drive would point the way for other men to come to the town and start their own lives. Jim was hired by John to be a ranch hand, and the Venneford Ranch was established.
When Seccombe returned to town, he was questioned by his foreman John Skimmerhorn about the killings, but Seccombe assures John that he had nothing to do with it. Accompanying Seccombe was one of the British investors and his daughter, Charlotte Buckland. Also on the train were two hired killers that are immediately recognized as the Pettis Boys by several veterans from the Venneford cattle drive, including Nate Person and Amos Calendar. In an effort to show that Seccombe meant no harm, John and Jim rode to Han's homestead to talk with him, but in the process, they helped the Brumbaugh family fight off the Pettis Boys, who set fire to the barn. Confident that they will build another one, John and Jim rode back to the Venneford to relay to Seccombe the attack, though once again he was aloof of the whole incident. On top of that, Seccombe was being questioned by his fellow investor about the exact amount of cattle he really had at the ranch, and that the estimates would not satisfy some back in Britain, in particular a dour Scottish accountant named Finlay Perkin. In these stressful moments of Seccombe’s life, Charlotte had taken a romantic interest in him.
Jim had become acquainted with the children of Levi and Lucinda Zendt: Martin, who was a hardworking responsible young man, and Clemma, who toyed with Jim's emotions and was self-conscious of her Indian status. Jim was saddened when he found out that Clemma would be going to St. Louis to get an education like her mother did. To cheer himself, Jim went to the saloon and was reunited with fellow cattle driver Bufe Coker. Levi accompanied him to meet with Hans, who once again lambasted Levi over the issue of Seccombe, the Venneford, and the lack of an arrest made towards the Pettis Boys. Bufe, Nate and Calendar discussed the coming of another rancher in Centennial, who hired the three over a really important job. When Jim and another cowboy argued, Bufe decked the latter in the face and a bar fight ensued, only to be stopped by the local sheriff, Axel Dumire. Dumire confronted Levi over not stopping the fight, when Hans accused Dumire over not doing the same with the Pettis Boys. Dumire made it clear that, until a time when the made a crime with proof, they could not be arrested.
Hans was also facing another problem. The wide berth of his land required him to hire Russian and German workers, but often these workers would want land of their own. Hans, not one to let fellow farmers down, often let them leave and was left on his own, despite his son Kurt's insistence to help while balancing a law degree in university. Charlotte's romantic interests culminated in her marrying Oliver, and she stayed in Centennial after her father left, with Finlay Perkin set to arrive in the next few months. The next train that arrived in Centennial brought about a number of changes. First was the Takemoto family from Japan, who were workers that were hired by Hans. The second was Levi's nephew, Christian Zendt, visiting from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The third was Messmore Garrett, a fellow rancher that intended to set up his own herd after buying land from Levi. It was Garret that hired Nate, Bufe and Calendar to be his hands, and to the shock of the townsfolk and the cattle ranchers, Garrett brought with him a full herd of sheep. Hans complimented Garrett for putting a wrench in Oliver's plans, while the Venneford manager, having his hands full with the farmers, decided to switch targets. Jim also confronted Levi about selling land to Garret, and left with the news that Clemma had disappeared from St.Louis. Jim also felt betrayed by Bufe, who could not believe that a cowboy would become a shepherd.
The three-way conflict between the farmers, the cattlemen and the shepherds came to a head when Nate and Bufe were killed by the Pettis Boys on their homesteads. Calendar, escaping the killings, rallied with Jim and Hans to attack the Pettis Boys on their own turf. All of the gang members stationed there was killed, and Sheriff Dumire began to get suspicious, warning that as of that moment, the three-way range war must stop. He knew that sooner or later, the remaining members of the Pettis Boys would arrive, and they would have their revenge. At the urging of Lucinda and Christian, Levi decided to return to Lancaster for a visit, and he promised he would be back soon.
As the weeks passed, the weather started dropping to abnormal temperatures. Perkin's presence at the Venneford is anything but welcome, as he has been questioning John and Jim over Oliver's performance as manager and about the precise amount of cows they have and the estimated amounts, culminating in the demand for Oliver's resignation for fraud and embezzlement of funds. The farmer Hans Brumbaugh is also questioning the work ethic of the Takemoto family that was hired as his workers, particularly when he got wind that they wanted to own and farm their own land. Levi returned to Centennial to the happiness of his family, and in particular his prodigal daughter Clemma, missing for the past few years. Also on the return train were Mervin & Maude Wendell, and their son, Phillip. The Wendells were a traveling group of actors that performed in various towns, but also left unpaid bills and scams, much to the ire of their old acquaintance, Sheriff Dumire. Levi's other child, Martin, intended to leave and start a life of his own. Recognizing that his son knew his responsibilities, Levi agreed.
At the local hotel, the Railway Arms, the Wendells put on a spectacular show, but Dumire intended to give them no quarter, removing them from their hotel room, much to the protest of Levi and his wife Lucinda. In a show of compassion, the local reverend, Holly, offered them lodgings in the charity house. With Clemma's return, Jim once again tried to offer his love, but Clemma refused and started drinking. In her drunken stupor, she kicked Jim out of the store and fought with her parents, lamenting how, as a "half-breed", she was mistreated and put into prison, explaining why she was missing all those years. Vowing to help their daughter, Levi and Lucinda confined Clemma to her room. Meanwhile at the Venneford, a confinement of a different sort was happening. The extreme drop in temperature caused a blizzard, leaving Perkin stranded to butt heads with Oliver and Charlotte. John and Jim also attempted to salvage the cows, but knew that most would not survive the harsh winter, possibly putting Oliver into more hot water.
To Levi's and Lucinda's dismay, Clemma disappeared from her room. Levi attempted to catch up with her when she was spotted on a departing train, but after slipping in the snow and falling under the train, Levi was dead. All those who knew him, including Hans, Oliver, John and Jim, knew that his death marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one.
Meanwhile, the traveling actors/con artists-in-disguise Wendell family made themselves comfortable, first by attaining the love of the townsfolk, then by conning the local reverend, Holly, out of his spare house with a trick called "The Badger Game". As the months passed, normal life resumed in Centennial. The farmer Hans Brumbaugh once again faced trouble when his workers, the Japanese Takemoto family, intended to buy their own land and leave him. At first Hans was outraged, but after some reasoning with Jim and assurance from the Takemotos that were in fact settling Hans's affairs for the next season, the farmer acquiesced. Sheriff Axel Dumire was still on the lookout for trouble, whether it be from the Wendells, or Hans, Jim and the shepherd Amos Calendar regarding the murder of several members of the Pettis Boys gang. Despite his parents’ worries about him, Phillip Wendell hung around with Sheriff Dumire, starting a friendship.
When Charlotte returned to Centennial with the blessing of her uncle, Lord Venneford, she was greeted jovially by Jim, and Charlotte resumed running over the ranch. As time passed, Charlotte and Jim began to grow romantically closer. The return of Reverend Holly worried sparked renewed suspicion towards the Wendells by Sheriff Dumire, and began to keep a closer eye on Phillip. This came to a head during a birthday party of sheep rancher Messmore Garrett's wife, when a businessman named Soren Sorenson visited Centennial to buy land. Slipping away from the party, Phillip's parents Mervin and Maude attempted the Badger Game, but Sorenson saw through the ruse immediately and intended to turn them in. In a panic, Mervin murders Sorenson, and Phillip is unintentionally brought into the fray when he and Maude hide Sorenson's body in an unknown cave in the South Platte River. To Mervin's delight, Sorenson's bag had $5,500 in raw cash, but they knew that as long as Sheriff Dumire was around, they could not spend it. So they waited.
Word of Sorenson's disappearance spread throughout Centennial, and Sheriff Dumire was immediately on the case. After questioning Reverend Holly, Hans, and Levi's widow Lucinda, he knew that the Wendells had something to do with and was on the lookout for proof. Meanwhile, at the suggestion of Hans, Jim wrote to his friend Nacho Gomez in Mexico to come up with anyone who was willing to be a farm hand. Nacho tried to convince his nephew Tranquilino Marquez to visit, but failed. Jim in the meantime could not think of that, for he and Charlotte had fallen in love, and the two intended to get married. Sheriff Dumire, finally suspicious of Phillip, ended their friendship, to the boy's sadness.
Back in Centennial, life for the Wendell family continued under suspicion by Sheriff Dumire, and the Wendell son Philip continued to observe his moves and be wary not to spill the beans regarding the murder of businessmen Soren Sorenson by his parents. Dumire's attention however was diverted when word reached him that the remaining members of the Pettis Boys gang were headed towards Centennial to kill shepherd Amos Calendar. With the help of Calendar, Jim and Hans, all but one of the gang members was killed in a shootout. The remaining gang member was still loose, and during a night ambush, was killed by Sheriff Dumire with the help of Philip. Unfortunately, Dumire was fatally wounded. On his deathbed, he requested for Philip, and the two finally rekindled their friendship. With his last breath, Dumire correctly guessed that Sorenson's body was hidden in an underwater cave by Philip. As Dumire died, Philip finally lost his composure, and told him that he was right all along.
Along the path of the Venneford cattle drive, now renamed the Skimmerhorn Path after Venneford administrator John Skimmerhorn, Nacho and Tranquilino continued their trek towards Centennial. Nacho, knowing his death would come, requested that Tranquilino continue to make the journey on his own as was was laid to rest, reminiscing of his time during the cattle drive. In Centennial, with Sheriff Dumire dead, Philip's parents Mervin and Maude were free to use Sorenson's money. Earlier, Mervin met a real estate agent that specialized in housing development and property management, and the Wendels began their corrupt rise to fame and riches. Jim's plans to marry Venneford co-administrator Charlotte Seccombe were put on hold when Jim's old sweetheart Clemma Zendt returned to town, and Jim made his intentions clear he wanted to marry her. Charlotte, amused, disgusted and saddened by this development, fought back dirty. After digging up all of the secrets of Clemma and her vagrant lifestyle during her years away from Centennial, she threatened her into leaving town forever and even provided the train ticket and money to do so. After some counsel with her mother Lucinda, Clemma left for good. Jim, realizing his foolishness, resumed his love for Charlotte and eventually the two married.
Tranquilino eventually arrived in Centennial, and was picked up by John and send him over to Hans and start work. To ensure that his workers would not run out on him again, Hans offered Tranquilino and other Mexicans who traveled to Centennial a place to stay. Tranquilino was all too happy to accept and traveled to Denver to send word to his family back in Mexico. However, in a scuffle with some locals, Tranquilino was knocked unconscious and arrested under false accusations. When Jim and Charlotte returned from their honeymoon, they found out that John was contacted by their old friend and trail boss R.J. Poteet to help administer and start a ranch back in Texas. Knowing that he was now full administrator of the Venneford by marrying Charlotte, Jim said farewell to his old friend, and the Lloyds were left in charge of the mighty ranch.
Hans had been a widower for some time now and had been living alone, when the wife, son and daughter of his missing worker Tranquilino Marquez arrived. His wife revealed to Hans that he had been imprisoned in Denver and upon being released, was too ashamed to return to Centennial and went back to Mexico to fight in the war there. Hans, believing in Tranquilino's innocence, took the family in. Jim, in the meantime, was getting new family too, when ranch hand Beeley Garrett took interest in Jim's daughter and intended to marry her. Laughing at the friendly rivalry between him and Beeley's father Messmore, Jim gave his blessing. As the decade was drawing to a close, so too did Mervin's life. Hans, too, had nearly died after an accident where he suffered a stroke. During one day at the river, a paralyzed Hans gave Jim the idea of cutting through the Rocky Mountains to bring more water to be used by the conned dry land farmers. But before the idea could be developed, and just as Tranquilino returned from Mexico, Hans died.
As the 1930's rolled in and the Great Depression began, Tranquilino's son, Truinfador, started to become a troublemaker among the law enforcers. During one incident when he protected his sister from an unruly man, Truinfador was nearly arrested, only to be bailed out by Jim and Beeley, the latter of whom now ran the Venneford. Much like what happened with the Indians nearly a century earlier, now it was the Mexicans that were being treated as second-class citizens. Truinfador's hotheadedness would come to a head when he was arrested on account of starting up a place of business on private property. Desperate to resolve this injustice, the local Spanish priest appealed to Jim's wife, Charlotte. At Truinfador's trial, Charlotte was quick to point out the real reason the arresting him; his cantina had the potential of stirring discord among the Mexicans. Using blackmail and dirty tactics, including buying the private property, the trial was quickly brought to a close, and Truinfador and his family were free to live their lives.
For Earl and Alice, who now had four children of their own, like their youngest boy Timmy, the depression caused a free-fall in crop prices and the family was struggling, made no better by Philip, who took over his father's business, threatening foreclosure. The Dust Bowl also hit, leaving the family the inability to produce their own harvest, and slowly unnerving Alice. She would further fall into despair when her eldest son would die in an accident caused by the Dust Bowl. In an attempt to help raise money, Timmy volunteered to become a bull wrangler and would practice at the Venneford, watched over his best friend and Jim's & Charlotte's grandson, Paul. During a time when Jim was presented new, smaller cattle for the Venneford, he was outraged that the animals are being tampered with, and in the process, Jim would die of a heart attack.
On the eve of Timmy's competition outside of Colorado, Charlotte personally picked him up and took him to the competition. Thus, Timmy was able to escape a great tragedy; the penetration of the dust into their household drove Alice to insanity, leading her to stab her two remaining children to death. Earl, in despair, killed Alice then himself. Timmy would later be adapted by a neighboring family. When Paul questioned his grandmother about what happened she had choice words to say: That a lot of the men who came to town did not take great care for the land they were given, and that somehow, the land always strikes back. She told Paul that if they were not careful with their land, humans would become extinct much like the dinosaurs. Charlotte would remind her grandson of the Indians, who really knew how to take care of the land. She regarded them as caretakers of the land, and told Paul that the likes of his father Beeley, his grandfathers Jim and Messmore, Hans Brumbaugh, Levi Zendt, and Alexander McKeag were caretakers too. She told Paul that soon he would become part of these caretakers that would take part in a battle for the land. Thus, as was told centuries earlier to the Arapaho Lame Beaver, Paul was told the same thing: "Only the land lives forever".
When Georgian professor Lew Vernor arrives to do a piece on Centennial, he is unknowing of the town's history. With help from fellow writer Sidney "Sid" Enderman, Vernor was introduced to some of the important places in the town, including the Railway Arms, the site of Zendt's store, the Marquez restaurant, and a gone-to-seed South Platte River. When Vernor was exploring the town on his own after meeting Cisco, he happened upon a strange sight: Morgan Wendell climbing out of a sinkhole with something in his jacket. Upon further investigation, Vernor discovered what appeared to be a human bone. Morgan later introduced himself to Vernor, hoping to use the writings of a distinguished professor to earn him a position in an upcoming election. Vernor was later introduced to Nate, Manolo and Paul by Sid, and they explained that Morgan running for a new office in Colorado: Commissioner on Resources, who would determine the economical, environmental, and historical preservation & development of the state. Though everyone wanted Paul to run against Morgan, Paul himself did not particularly care, and often kept to himself in running the Venneford. Nate, Manolo and Sid thus requested Vernor to convince him, all the while being observed by some of Morgan's men.
After Paul introduced the ranch and related the history of Centennial to Vernor, Vernor showed Sid the human bone. Sid, aware of the stories of Sheriff Axel Dumire, took it and went to New York to verify if it really was part of the body of Soren Sorenson, the businessman that was killed by Morgan's grandfather Mervin. Paul later recounted the disgraceful massacre of the Arapaho by Frank Skimmerhorn, and is embittered about the event. Morgan later approached Paul about the election, that if the two were to work together, it would be very beneficial to the town, and indeed, Colorado. Though Paul respected Morgan as a person, he did not agree with Morgan on a number of things, such as Floyd Calendar’s trial over the killing of a bald eagle. Paul declined Morgan's offer, to the latter's disappointment.
That disappointment would later turn to anger when Paul was eventually convinced to run against Morgan in the election by Vernor. Morgan then went on the offensive, using the trial as a way to bait Paul into a smear campaign. Paul's testimony about threatening to kill Floyd over his animals and unintentionally involving the Marquez's turns Colorado's hunters and Centennial's bigots against him, not helped by a paparazzi shot of Paul and Flor Marquez in each other’s arms. In the end, Floyd is only sentenced with a fine over an entirely different incident, and not the matter of killing eagles. Paul's depression would only sink further after visiting his Indian relatives in their shabby and slummy reservation in Wyoming, but he cheers up after he marries Flor.
With help from Vernor, Paul began his campaign against Morgan by taking a pro-conservation stance and observing how to save the South Platte River from completely drying up. Sid later returned from New York with the confirmation that the bone did indeed belong to Sorenson and that the Wendell murder was true. At Vernor's suggestion, the decision whether to reveal the discovery or not was to be put in Paul's hands. When Morgan gets wind of what happened, he confronts Paul and requests not to let the news out. Paul, unknowingly agrees, particularly when Morgan would sooner drop out then let the news go public. When Paul does find out from Vernor and Sid later, he strengthens his resolve to win the election and ensure people like the Wendells will no longer be in power.
On television filmed in Denver, Paul and Morgan debate over their stances. Paul makes his desire for conservation clear while Morgan likewise does so for progress. Morgan's proposal of closing down Central Beet and abolishing the cattle industry anger Paul and leads him to go on a tirade and personal attack against Morgan. This action costs Paul's chances in the election as the bigger cities of Colorado voted in favor of Morgan. Back in Centennial in a drunken stupor, Paul laments how the caretakers of the land always seem to be alone and that it may be time for men like Morgan to take over. To cheer him up, Vernor and Cisco take him to one of Cisco's performances at the Marquez restaurant. Nate also reveals more good news: while the bigger cities voted in favor of Morgan, the outlying counties voted in favor of Paul and seemingly makes the vote tally near-even. Morgan is stunned, lacking understanding of why they would vote against progress.
In the end, the result of the election is unknown, as flashbacks of the story are shown after one another: from the legends of Lame Beaver, to the exploits of Pasquinel, the love of Alexander McKeag & Clay Basket, the foundation of Centennial by Levi Zendt, the hard work of Hans Brumbaugh, the cattle drive of R.J. Poteet, and the legacy of the Venneford Ranch by Jim & Charlotte Lloyd; all while Paul's speech against Morgan is repeated. Thus, the story of Centennial ends as an eagle, perched on a branch, looks into the setting sun.
