A Date to Remember | Challenge of the Yukon (11-04-43)

Summary

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Old Time Radio Westerns: "A Date to Remember | Challenge of the Yukon" (11-04-43)

Podcast: Old Time Radio Westerns
Host: Andrew Rhynes
Date: July 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Old Time Radio Westerns features a restored broadcast of "Challenge of the Yukon" titled “A Date to Remember.” The focus is an engaging Yukon adventure steeped in the classic tropes of gold rush intrigue, justice, and the staunch moral compass of the Northwest Mounted Police. The digitally enhanced audio brings to life the chilling wind, bustling saloons, and the legendary dog King, immersing listeners in a timeless narrative of deception, loyalty, and frontier law.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

Setting the Stage: Law in the Wild North (02:08)

• Narrator introduces King, "the swiftest strongest of Eskimo lead dogs," and Sergeant Preston of the Mounties, tasked with keeping justice during the Yukon gold rush.
  • Quote (02:08): “King the swiftest strongest of Eskimo lead dogs blazes the trail through storm and snow for Sergeant Preston as he meets the challenge of the Yukon... the greed for gold led to frequent violence and bloodshed.”
• The dangers and lawlessness of the 1898 Klondike gold rush set the backdrop for the story.

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The Opening: Sad Tidings in Ogden City (03:53–04:53)

• Sergeant Preston arrives in Ogden City and reunites with Jack Travers, who brings bleak news:
  • Quote (04:18, Jack Travers): “Guess you didn't hear... Mr. Fodley... he died last week.”
• Jack reflects on Abe Fodley's passing, hinting at a recent mining accident ("the cave-in").
• Preston learns Jack is temporarily in town, likely to attend to affairs after the loss.

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A Suspicious Encounter: Newcomers and a Contested Will (05:16–08:21)

• King, Preston’s dog, reacts aggressively toward two newcomers—Miss Stone and Benjamin Coleman—uncharacteristically so.
  • Quote (05:23, Benjamin Coleman): “Next time I see him I’m going to be carrying a gun.”
• The strangers reveal Miss Stone is Fodley’s niece and present a will leaving her the wealthy "Mary Jane" mine; Jack is excluded but offered a “grub stake” as compensation.
• Jack initially resists the offer, but at Preston’s urging, graciously accepts.

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Saloon Talk: Foibles Revealed (09:05–11:05)

• In the Washoe Café, Red and Doc Perkins recount a comic incident involving Coleman’s wig being knocked off during a scuffle.
  • Quote (10:13, Red): “If a hair didn't come right off his head—a wig it is! He's as bald as a cue ball.”
• Jack realizes he’s seen Coleman before, but can’t immediately place him.

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Plot Thickens: Piecing Together a Fraud (11:05–13:06)

• Later, Jack recalls Coleman’s past in Boulder City—a past tied to confidence schemes and another attack by a dog (King), linking him to deception.
  • Quote (11:42, Jack Travers): “That’s it! Boulder City, seven years ago... a bald headed man... a confidence man who disappeared suddenly.”

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The Will is Contested: Courtroom Drama (13:31–16:12)

• In court, Miss Stone and Coleman attempt to probate the will. Jack, supported by Doc Perkins and Sergeant Preston, questions the validity of the signature.
• Preston points out that Fodley’s hands were crushed in the accident, making the signed will—dated after the incident—impossible.
  • Quote (14:51, Jack Travers): “In that cave in, Abe's hands were so badly crushed he couldn't even hold a glass of water, much less a pen.”
• The scheme unravels. Miss Stone, realizing Coleman’s deception, disclaims involvement.
• Preston arrests Coleman for fraud and forgery.

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Resolution: Justice Restored (16:12–17:12)

• The court awards the mine to Jack, recognizing his loyalty and labor.
  • Quote (16:12, Judge/Doc Perkins): “Since everyone in town knows young Travers worked the mine right along with Abe Podley, the court turns the mine over to him.”
• Preston credits King for his instinct and keen memory, tying the case together.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jack Travers (on accepting help):
  “I’m not looking for any charity.” (07:43)
• Sergeant Preston (decisively confronting fraud):
  “If you say so, Sergeant, I do. I think it would be a good thing for you.” (08:02)
• Red (on Coleman’s disguise):
  “The whole place was in an uproar... a wig it is! He’s as bald as a cue ball.” (10:13)
• Jack Travers (revelation in court):
  “It would have been impossible for him to sign anything...” (14:51)
• Judge (delivering justice):
  “The court turns the mine over to him.” (16:12)
• Sergeant Preston (wrapping up):
  “Yes, King, the case is closed.” (17:12)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:08: Introduction to Sergeant Preston and King; the perilous Yukon setting.
• 04:18: News of Abe Fodley’s death is revealed.
• 05:16: King’s suspicions and the introduction of Miss Stone and Coleman.
• 07:33–08:21: Conversation about the “grub stake” and Jack’s reluctant acceptance.
• 09:05–11:05: The saloon story about Coleman’s wig; Jack’s suspicion grows.
• 13:31–15:41: Courtroom confrontation, exposure of the will as fraudulent.
• 16:12: Coleman is arrested, and Jack inherits the mine.
• 17:12: Sergeant Preston’s closing words, confirming justice is served.

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains the classic, earnest tone of old-time radio—a blend of rugged frontier camaraderie, sly humor (especially at the expense of the villain), and a deep respect for law and loyalty. The drama is punctuated by atmospheric sound effects (howling winds, barking dogs, bustling saloons) that the restoration brings to the fore, enhancing the sense of immersion.

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Conclusion

“A Date to Remember” weaves a tale of deception, loyal friendship, and ultimate justice beneath the chill Yukon skies. Through the keen instincts of both man and dog, a fraudulent plot is undone and honor is restored to the deserving. This restored episode exemplifies the storytelling and production value that define Old Time Radio Westerns, making both the legend of King and the Mounties, and the golden age of radio, feel as vital as ever.

Transcript

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[Jack Travers]

com foreign

[Andrew Rines (Host)]

welcome to the old time radio westerns i'm your host andrew rines and i'm excited to bring you another episode this is one of over eighty episodes released monthly for your enjoyment you can find more western shows at our website by going to otrwesterns dot com now let's get into this episode the

[Narrator (Challenge of the Yukon)]

challenge of the yukon on king on

[Narrator (Foreign Language Intro)]

you husky

[Narrator (Challenge of the Yukon)]

king the swiftest strongest of eskimo lead dogs blazes the trail through storm and snow for sergeant preston as he meets the challenge of the yukon sergeant preston was typical of the small band of northwest mounted police who preserved law and order in the yukon during the gold rush of ninety eight that was the year that brought over fifty thousand men swarming into the klondike region and the greed for gold led to frequent violence and bloodshed but in spite of the odds against them the force preserved a splendid record in maintaining the right the challenge of the north was answered and justice ruled triumphant

[Andrew Rines (Host)]

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[Narrator (Challenge of the Yukon)]

it done the wind was cold and biting as sergeant preston pulled up in front of a small square building in

[Jack Travers]

ogden city ho king ho you huskies

hi there sergeant preston jack how are you hi it sure is good to see you gonna be here long oh

long enough to look around then king and i will be off again are you just coming in or are you leaving for me well i'm staying in

town now at least i will be for the next couple of days why guess you didn't hear hear what mister fodley he died last week i'm sorry

to hear that jack the last time i saw him i thought he had a chance to pull through yeah i

figured the same way but it wasn't in the cards i reckon doctor atkins did all he could for him but it didn't do much good the cave in's a funny thing you can't tell how much damage is is done inside

a man i plan to stop by

the cabin a day or so well

i suppose that leaves you in charge of things now yes i won't be

in town long i'm planning to get back to the cabin in about three days i sure am glad i bumped into you how's king huh what's wrong with him i never saw him act

like that no say it's those people coming this way couldn't be king hey

[Red]

what's up king down down king

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

dogs don't usually like me but i never had one go for me like that

[Miss Stone]

they must be men i'm sure you have jumped on you pet man that's

[Jack Travers]

your dog no dog is mine i assure you he's never done a thing like this before i'm sorry it happened

[Benjamin Coleman]

so am i sure is a powerful looking animal next time i see him i'm going to be carrying a gun

[Jack Travers]

king's never out of my sight mister coleman well i'm sure it won't happen

again quiet king sergeant i'll be shoving along i guess i'll see you again

before you leave all right jack just

[Benjamin Coleman]

a minute you're jack travers aren't you

[Miss Stone]

yes we we were just coming to see you mister travers see me you're

[Jack Travers]

strangers in these parts aren't you you

[Benjamin Coleman]

might say so yes as a matter of fact i'm glad there's an officer

[Jack Travers]

of the law here what's wrong nothing's

[Benjamin Coleman]

wrong exactly it's just that i have some news for you that might not be very welcome you see my client here miss stone is abe fodley's only

[Jack Travers]

surviving relative relative i didn't know he had any living relative and this will

[Benjamin Coleman]

i have shows that mister fodley left his mine and all his possessions to

[Jack Travers]

mister may i see the will mister coleman yes certainly

this is kind of a surprise i didn't hear him say anything about any will i knew you'd

[Benjamin Coleman]

be disappointed mister travers but you see that's the way he wanted it a

[Miss Stone]

secret mister travers i well there isn't much to say really you stood by my uncle i understand when he was all alone and needed help i i appreciate it you needn't oh that's all

[Jack Travers]

right ma' am he was mighty good to me and i thought an awful lot of him well i guess there's nothing much to do but wish you luck with the mary jane mind i'll say this much you got the richest stake in the yukon oh but i

[Miss Stone]

won't let you go off with with nothing mister travers i've told mister coleman to set you up with a grub

[Benjamin Coleman]

stick yes you'll be taken care of son even if the old man didn't

[Jack Travers]

mention you in the will i'm not looking for any charity wait a minute jack don't feel that way about it i think you should accept miss stone's offer after all it's a gesture of

[Miss Stone]

appreciation yes that's the way i meant it i wasn't thinking of charity at

[Jack Travers]

all i don't

if you say so

sergeant i do i think it would be a good thing for you thank

you ma' am i'll take you up on your offer then fine glad you

[Benjamin Coleman]

feel that way about it now we'll

[Jack Travers]

be on our way we have to

[Miss Stone]

stop at the courthouse with the will goodbye sergeant don't forget mister travers i meant what i said about that state

[Jack Travers]

goodbye ma' am goodbye goodbye goodbye mister jack i suppose you're disappointed well who

knows maybe i'll bump into another streak of luck with this grub steak where you heading for i was just going

in the washoe cafe here it's been a long time since i've seen red

and pete might as well go in with you you don't mind oh not

at it sure is crowded red's probably very happy business is good oh there he is let's go over

red hello

[Red]

there very serge impressed with breed how

[Jack Travers]

are you fine fine red no need to ask how you are pretty busy

[Red]

these last couple of days hi there

[Jack Travers]

jake hello red everybody gonna hear i just came by to talk for a

[Red]

few minutes red i don't know but in to offer you anything stronger than a cup of tea by this time i sergeant how about you jackie oh

[Jack Travers]

no no no thanks i'm not celebrating

[Red]

today red no well you should have been in here last night my boy the whole house was celebrating the best joke we've seen in a long time what was that well i don't know

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

if you've met this coleman fella yet

[Jack Travers]

here in town yes we met him this afternoon

[Red]

last night there wasn't a sour face in the po place like i said leslie was combing himself well

[Jack Travers]

tell us what happened red well if

[Red]

you met him chances are you've already noticed the head of hair he's got

[Jack Travers]

well i can't say i paid much attention to it except that he has a lot of it

[Red]

that's the way it looked to everybody till the argument standard you see jeff shy of micah hair always having some words over in

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

the corner like they do when they're

[Red]

playing carrots you know before you know

[Jack Travers]

it the whole place was in an

[Red]

uproar somehow coleman got mixed up in it he was standing up beside the bar right where you are standing now glory being in the scuffle if a hair didn't come right off his head a wig it is he's as bald

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

as a cue ball

[Red]

when the boys saw that they got to laughing so hard they forgot what they were fighting about

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

that is kind of funny you

[Jack Travers]

say he was wearing a wig standing

[Red]

here as ginny the boy when we

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

were talking to him i bron talked

[Jack Travers]

oh nothing nothing i'm just trying to imagine what he'd look like without that wig and the mustache he's wearing what are you talking about i've seen that man somewhere before jack right now i'm trying to place him

[Narrator (Challenge of the Yukon)]

later that day as ben coleman walked down main street with the short uneven step of one who's never grown used to walking in the snow he heard footsteps coming up

[Jack Travers]

behind him hello mister coleman looks like we meet again yes it does i

[Benjamin Coleman]

see your dog's a bit more quiet

[Jack Travers]

this time you know dogs don't often jump on men why you seldom hear

[Benjamin Coleman]

is that so why i remember in boulder city seven years ago one of the meanest looking malamute you ever saw

[Jack Travers]

nearly killed a man in boulder city

[Benjamin Coleman]

that's right i saw it myself

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

well

[Jack Travers]

that's it boulder city seven years ago i begin to remember now it was in boulder city that a bald headed man kicked you king a confidence man who disappeared suddenly

[Narrator (Challenge of the Yukon)]

doc perkins looked up from the open book on the table in front of him as his sharp ears caught the sound of approaching dogs visitors were rare he listened a moment

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

strange

[Jack Travers]

glory be o king oh you

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

husky sergeant preston is anything wrong yes yes doc there is well come inside man and rest yourself only for a

[Jack Travers]

minute doc how far have you come

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

can i get anything for you are

[Jack Travers]

you hurt oh no thanks and i'm not hurt king and i left ogden city about noon and i've come to ask you to go back with me

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

well i don't know what this is all about but whatever you say is all right with me i'll get my mackinaw hey i guess you heard about poor old abe potley yes i was

[Jack Travers]

talking to jack he's caving

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

once a man pinned beneath rocks the size of a pool over him you can expect

[Jack Travers]

anything

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

ready whenever you are sergeant good

[Jack Travers]

we have no time to waste i'll explain to you as we arrive get the dogs up king on king on

[Narrator (Foreign Language Intro)]

you huskies

[Narrator (Challenge of the Yukon)]

the great dog king led the mounties pack on and on back over the trails to ogden city in the small settlement the clock in the courtroom showed twelve noon the hour to probate the last will and testament of abraham fotley jack travers had slipped to the back of the room drawn by curiosity and a nameless loyalty to the old man he'd befriended the circuit judge looked at the woman named in the will as the niece of the deceased

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

i guess you know the mary jane's one of the richest minds in the

[Miss Stone]

north yes sir i'd heard uncle abe

[Jack Travers]

had a fine place and you you

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

say he asked you to draw up

[Jack Travers]

this will that's right a short time

[Benjamin Coleman]

before the accident i stopped in to see him and drew up the will i told him i'd stop back later for him to sign it that's how

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

it happened to be in your keeping yes well i see no reason why

[Jack Travers]

this will just a minute judge sergeant

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

preston what is it i believe you're

[Jack Travers]

about to accept the will mister coleman has presented on behalf of miss stone

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

you believe rightly sir i'd like to

[Jack Travers]

ask mister coleman a few questions i

[Benjamin Coleman]

don't see what this man has to

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

do with the will sergeant has any questions about the will they better be

[Jack Travers]

settled now go ahead mister coleman did abe fodley sign this will himself yes

[Benjamin Coleman]

he did that's mister fodley's signature as

[Jack Travers]

you can see you witnessed him signing the will i did but i don't see what judge what's the date on

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

that will seventeenth of january did he

[Jack Travers]

sign the will on the seventeenth of january yes he did now if that's all i know mister coleman judge there was a cave in at the mary jane mine on the twelfth in that cave in abe's hands were so badly crushed he couldn't even hold a glass of water much less a pen five days before the seventeenth of january and until his debt four days later it would have been impossible for him to sign anything that's a lie jack travers can tell you judge that doc kirk took care of abe after the cave in doc is right here now and he can tell you that what i've

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

said is true that's right judd abe's hands were in such bad shape that even if he'd lived he never could have held a pick again i had both of them so bandaged up and then it didn't do much good he couldn't use his fingers anyway you have anything to say mister coleman you'd better say it now before he starts saying

[Jack Travers]

anything he might as well think of an explanation for the disappearance of benjamin cole confidence man in boulder city seven years ago he wasn't seen again but he turned up in ogden city as ben coleman no no that isn't true

[Miss Stone]

i didn't know anything about this he came to me with a story of the mine and said if i'd turn it over to him he'd take care

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

of it for him he would have

[Jack Travers]

taken care of it all right miss stone but for himself you're under arrest for fraud and forgery coleman and as for the mine it's up to the court to decide about that well since

[Judge / Doc Perkins]

everyone in town knows young travers worked the mine right along with abe podley the court turns the mine over to

[Jack Travers]

him come on coleman this is one scrape you won't get out of when king growled at you i knew he had a reason but i couldn't figure out what it was till i heard about that wig of yours and boulder city and benjamin cole they all tied up now remembered abe's hands when i first saw the will i didn't think of them it did seem strange abe would sign away the mine so soon before his death when all these other things added up and king remembering you as he did i knew there was something wrong you'll have a long time to think it over in jail yes king the case is closed

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[Narrator (Challenge of the Yukon)]

the yukon a copyrighted feature of the challenge of the yukon incorporated brought to you every saturday at this time originated in the transcription studios of wxyz detroit the characters and events in tonight's drama were fictitious bill morgan speaking this is the michigan radio network

[Andrew Rines (Host)]

this has been a presentation of otrwesterns dot com and we hope you enjoyed please take some time to like and rate this episode within your favorite podcast application follow us on facebook by going to otrwesterns dot com facebook and subscribe to our youtube channel by going to otrwesterns dot com youtube become one of our ranch hands and unlock some exclusive content we want to thank our most recent ranch hands steve and tom ford who joined us recently you too can join by going to otrwesterns dot com donate send us an email podcasttrwesterns dot com and you can call and leave us a voicemail seven zero seven nine eight six eight seven three nine this episode is copyrighted under the attribution non commercial share like copyright for more information go to otrwesterns dot com copyright have a great day and thanks for listening

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