Lucas McCain is a widower, a Civil War veteran, and a top-notch marksman. When he buys land just a few miles outside of North Fork in New Mexico Territory, his only intent is to work his ranch and raise his son, Mark, with high morals. Unfortunately, North Fork tends to attract unsavory characters who are decidedly immoral—from corrupt cattlemen to crooked lawmen, vicious outlaws, and vengeful ex-Confederates, to name a few—and the town marshal can barely handle it all on his own. Lucas wants to keep his son and the innocent townspeople safe. So, he trades his quiet like and takes up his rifle again. In not shielding his son from the cruel reality of frontier life, Lucas imparts many valuable lessons to young Mark.
In a 2017 interview with Cowboys & Indians magazine, Johnny Crawford, who played Mark, said of The Rifleman, "The strongest thing about it has always been that father-son relationship. That, and the fact that there was always a lesson at the end of every episode."
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