Homesteader Jeb Martin

Originally Aired: March 14, 1938The Lone Ranger #800, "Homesteader Jeb Martin," finds the masked man and Tonto encountering desperate homesteader Jeb Martin and his family fleeing California with a sick child. Martin explains that while the government granted settlers land in California, Spanish landowner Ortega refuses to recognize these claims, holding firm to an earlier grant from the Spanish governor for hundreds of thousands of acres. Dozens of pioneer wagons sit camped at Ortega's southern boundary, their occupants ready to fight for the land promised to them, while Ortega threatens violence against anyone who trespasses.After helping the Martin family and learning of the brewing conflict, the Lone Ranger convinces the reluctant Jeb to return to California rather than give up on his dreams. Meanwhile, a U.S. Marshal visits Ortega's ranch house, attempting to negotiate a peaceful settlement. With Ortega using only a fraction of his vast holdings and other landowners having cooperated with homesteaders, the Marshal tries to persuade the stubborn rancher to compromise before violence erupts between the two groups, threatening to spark a larger conflict between nations.