Centennial is a 12-episode American television miniseries that aired on NBC from October 1978 to February 1979. It was based on the novel of the same name by James A. Michener. The miniseries was produced by John Wilder.

The miniseries follows the history of the area of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado from the late 18th century to the 1970s. Its star-studded cast includes Raymond Burr, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Conrad, Barbara Carrera, Richard Crenna, Timothy Dalton, Sharon Gless, Andy Griffith, Mark Harmon, Gregory Harrison, David Janssen, Alex Karras, Brian Keith, Sally Kellerman, Stephen McHattie, Lois Nettleton, Donald Pleasence, Lynn Redgrave, Clive Revill, Robert Vaughn, Dennis Weaver, Anthony Zerbe, Stephanie Zimbalist, and numerous other well-known actors.

The miniseries was one of the longest (26½ hours including commercials) and most ambitious television projects ever attempted at the time. It had a then huge budget of US$25 million (about $80 million in modern terms), employed four directors and five cinematographers, and featured over 100 speaking parts spanning 26 hours of television viewing time

The story begins in the mid-18th century among the Indian tribes of what is now northern Colorado. A young Arapaho boy named Lame Beaver (Michael Ansara) grows up during this period. He becomes a great warrior after a single-handed raid on a rival tribe brings horses to the Arapaho for the first time, enabling them to become part of the great plains horse culture. By the end of the 18th century, Lame Beaver's band is camped along the South Platte River, and they begin to encounter white trappers for the first time.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_(miniseries)
 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076993/