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 *
01/12/49 # 599 Peril for Preston (exists but disc so badly damaged it is not in circulation)
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: April 19, 2025
Official Number of Episodes That Are Lost: 78
Not counting the 78 above, there are two half-shows that are missing.
01/05/49 #596 Bonanza 47 (first half exists only)
01/07/49 #597 Jim Belsen's Secret (second half exists only)
Episodes That Require Upgrades
01/25/44 #314 Cabin on the Trail (scratchy)
01/01/44 #315 Lady Luck Claim (scratchy)
03/19/47 #475 The Birthday Present (scratchy)
09/06/47 #496 The Stolen Pups (hiss in soundtrack)
