The Official List of "Lost" Episodes of SERGEANT PRESTON OF THE YUKON

When Challenge of the Yukon premiered in January of 1939, the program aired "live" over the Michigan Radio Network, originating from the flagship station WXYZ in Detroit. When the radio broadcasts concluded, the cast and crew tossed their scripts into the box in the corner of the studio and departed knowing next week another episode would be dramatized. It was not until the spring of 1943 that the series was transcribed with the intent of syndication. While collectors cry hue and foul over the fact that the first 284 episodes in the series were never recorded, the fact remains that producer George W. Trendle never invested the money into recording radio broadcasts until a market was large enough to warrant the investment. In short, this was purely a business decision.

In 1947, the program expanded from a 15-minute format to a 30-minute format. In the summer of 1951, the name of the program was changed from Challenge of the Yukon to Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. 

Throughout the years I have been reading the radio scripts, often digitizing many. On top of which, I have been listening to the extant recordings. The following list is being provided in the hopes that a collector or two have copies of the following so we can remove them from the list. If a transcription disc appears for sale on eBay, this list can act as a guide to establish value. (Transcription discs for "lost" episodes certainly have more value than an episode that already exists in collector hands.) For this reason, as I am progressing through the recordings, I am also making note of which episodes require upgrades.

A year ago I posted a similar list for "lost" Lone Ranger episodes which resulted in the discovery of more than two dozen episodes that were thought to be lost, proving how beneficial this list can be to collectors. If you believe you have any of these episodes, please contact me.

  

Date        Episode    Title

06/19/43  # 288  Dealing in Death *

07/17/43  # 292  When the Law Helps an Orphan *

11/13/43  # 309  No Escape for a Murderer *  

06/08/44  # 333  A Lesson Learned *

10/14/44  # 349  A Wrong Righted *

08/08/46  # 443  Blind Wolf *

09/05/46  # 447  The Man Who Couldn't Remember *

10/10/46  # 452  One-Man Cat *

10/17/46  # 453  False Alarm *

10/24/46  # 454  The Deer Head *  

10/31/46  # 455  The Timber-Wolf *  

05/21/47  # 483  The Maniac *

04/03/48  # 525  The Scent Of Murder *

04/10/48  # 526  The Lesson *

04/24/48  # 527  Rusty *

05/01/48  # 528  False Alibi 

05/08/48  # 529  The Mail Robbery 

05/15/48  # 530  The Million Dollar Case

05/22/48  # 531  Murder At The El Dorado *

05/29/48  # 532  The Rainbow Claims *

06/05/48  # 533  Starvation Camp

06/19/48  # 534  The Sweetwater Fire

06/26/48  # 535  Breakup 

07/03/48  # 536  King Of The Castle

07/10/48  # 537  The Wolf Dog 

07/24/48  # 538  Pit Of Disaster *

07/31/48  # 539  Canyon Trap *

08/07/48  # 540  The Tattooed Star *

08/14/48  # 541  King's Revenge *

08/21/48  # 542  Vindication *

08/28/48  # 543  Rusky *

09/04/48  # 544  The Champion *

09/10/48  # 547  King's Feud *

04/07/50  # 766  Showdown On Shotgun Creek *

04/10/50  # 767  Rusty Wins A Home *

04/12/50  # 768  Den Of Thieves  *

04/14/50  # 769  The Yukon Pirates *

04/17/50  # 770  A Slight Case Of Poison *

04/19/50  # 771  The Gullible Grubstaker *

04/21/50  # 772  A Job For Jim *

04/24/50  # 773  The Three Black Dots

04/26/50  # 774  The Blackwood Treasure *

04/28/50  # 775  Blacky Does His Bit *

05/01/50  # 776  The Runaway Princess * 

05/03/50  # 777  The Young One

05/05/50  # 778  The Servants Of The Queen *

05/08/50  # 779  The Sleeping Man *

05/10/50  # 780  Convict's Son *

05/12/50  # 781  Madge And The Mounties 

05/15/50  # 782  The Gold Convoy * 

05/17/50  # 783  The Hangman's Noose *

05/19/50  # 784  Miaku's Vow *

05/22/50  # 785  Pursuit By Night *

05/24/50  # 786  Trouble With Running Dog *

09/01/51  # 915  Redcoated Crook *

09/02/51  # 916  Boy Alone *

09/06/51  # 917  The Grudge *

09/08/51  # 918  Junior Partner *

09/09/51  # 919  Dividend On Murder *

09/13/51  # 920  Gold Cache *

09/15/51  # 921  The Landlady *   

09/16/51  # 922  The Killer Cree *

09/18/51  # 923  Three Men In Black *

09/20/51  # 924  Chance Meeting *

06/29/52  #1020  Calumet Gold Robberies *

02/18/54  #1150  The Pawnbroker *

02/25/54  #1152  Dog Race *

05/03/55  #1249  Chinook Gold *

05/10/55  #1251  Cornered Killer *

05/12/55  #1252  Freight Robbery *

05/17/55  #1253  A Store For The Trader *

05/19/55  #1254  Guardian For Jane *

05/24/55  #1255  White River Gang *

05/26/55  #1256  Glare Of The Sun *

05/31/55  #1257  Lucky's Rabbit Foot *

06/02/55  #1258  Bait For The Trap *

06/07/55  #1259  The Yellow Streak *

06/09/55  #1260  The Long Trail *

An asterisk (*) above indicates I have read the radio script and summarized the plot. If a "lost" recording is found, I can verify the recording to the plot summary.

Last Update: January 7, 2025

Official Number of Episodes That Are Lost: 78

Episodes That Require Upgrades

01/25/44  #314  Cabin on the Trail (scratchy)

01/01/44  #315  Lady Luck Claim (scratchy)