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"Ranger Bill" is a classic Christian radio program from the 1950s, produced by Moody Radio.

The show features over 200 episodes and stars Miron Canaday as Ranger Bill, a forest ranger in the fictional town of Knotty Pine, located in the Rocky Mountains. Alongside his friends Stumpy Jenkins and Grey Wolf, Ranger Bill tackles various adventures and moral dilemmas, often with a strong Christian message.

The show remains a beloved piece of old-time radio history and is still enjoyed by many fans today.

Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradio
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Remember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio

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Transcript
00:00Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland. Struggling against extreme odds,
00:21traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job
00:26of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill. Pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat,
00:32snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the
00:39satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Do you remember back several years ago when we
00:50had so much snow from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day? And it got pretty cold at times,
00:56snow piled up. Well, then along came the middle of January and the temperature climbed to 60
01:02degrees. In a few days all the snow and ice had gone down the sewers and away. This was
01:08caused by warm winds. Well, out around the knotty pine country, a warm wind is looked
01:13upon with fear and dread if it comes in the middle of winter. You'll know why when you
01:18hear the story, Chinook. Let's take a long trip up to Mid-Mountain Dam in the mountains. It's the
01:28highest dam in the knotty pine area. Jack Kimball and Cole Mason are standing on the dam watching
01:34the thaw water run through the water gate. Neither man is too happy about the off-season thaw.
01:39The amount of thaw water is increasing daily, Jack. I'll say it is. Two days ago it was just
01:46a trickle. Now it's the size of a husky creek. I suppose it'd be like a river in a couple of
01:51more days. I don't like it. Neither do I, Cole. This is a real... Hey, did you hear that? Yeah,
01:58it's moving ice up in the mountains. That could spell real trouble. And how. As I was gonna say,
02:04this is a real Chinook. Yes, Jack, it does look like this warm wind blowing down the mountains
02:17is a real Chinook. And it's feared around knotty pine because of the premature thawing it causes.
02:23If it continues, soon floodwaters run over the frozen streams and rivers. If the Chinook continues
02:29for a long period, huge pieces of ice break off from the mountains and slide rapidly down the
02:34half-frozen rivers, just as if they were waxed floors. Let's drop in on Bill and his Rangers
02:40as they listen to the weather forecast coming over their radio in headquarters.
02:44Here's the weather forecast, folks. The high temperature today will be 59 degrees. The low
02:59tonight will be 34. The five-day forecast is on seasonably warm weather as long as the Chinook
03:05winds continue to blow down on us. And now, back to our March time. Turn it off, pal. Sure thing,
03:17Bill. Remember the last time a Chinook took a good hold in this part of the country? Weren't
03:24they funny? Not at all. This is the time of the year for freezing cold, not spring warm-up.
03:30I've heard stories about the last time we had a good Chinook around here.
03:34Yeah, they're main stories, sonny. What you heard is fact. The warm winds this time of the year
03:40ain't no good for man or beast. Ah, Chinook Indian wind come from land of Chinook people.
03:46Old-time Indian believe God's angry when warm wind blow in winter and bring much hardship.
03:52Indian believe it bad omen when come in cold of winter. Not only the Indians who believe that,
03:58Gray Wolf. These warm winds are no good for us. Should be 15 below zero, not 50 above.
04:05Bill, this is my first experience like this. Just how dangerous is this off-season heat wave?
04:11Well, pal, the warm winds burn the trees for one thing. They don't like a premature thaw.
04:18And thaw water can get into the crevices of a tree and split it open when the fast freeze
04:24comes along after this hot spell. And all the animals and plant life of the forest are stirred
04:30to a premature wakening. The melting ice and snow causes floods because the ground isn't
04:36porous enough to receive the water. The biggest danger in the mountains is from moving ice.
04:42Great chunks break off and they weigh hundreds of tons. Natural battering rams may be known to do
04:49great damage. Then the Mid-Mountain Dam and the Knotty Pine Dam could be in great danger?
04:54Definitely. An ice slide that was powerful enough could knock out both dams and then
04:59proceed to knock out most of Knotty Pine as well. Wow. Well, the only thing we can do is to hope
05:06and pray for a sudden cold snap. Right. If it doesn't come soon, other things will begin to snap.
05:12Maybe we'd better open the water gate wider, Jack. There's about three feet of it on top of
05:29the ice in the reservoir. I think you're right, Cole. Let's go back to the powerhouse and set
05:33the machinery in motion. Jack, we'd better do something about that moving ice. If a big chunk
05:39of it came down here, it would be like sliding it on a banana peel. The top of the dam wouldn't
05:44even hold it long enough to make it grunt. You're right. We'd better get somebody to go up there and
05:50find out what's going on in the ice fields. Who are you gonna call, Jack? The one man who knows
05:55that country like the back of his hand, Bill Jefferson. Ranger headquarters, Grey Wolf speaking.
06:16Grey Wolf, this is Jack Kimball up at Mid-Mountain Dam. Hello, Jack. You want to talk with Bill? Yes, may I please?
06:22Yes, hold on. Bill out and out of the room. Bill, Jack Kimball want to talk to you. Okay, Grey Wolf, I'll be right there.
06:35Jack here, Grey Wolf? No, he called from Mid-Mountain Dam. Uh-oh. Hello, Jack. What's up? Plenty, Bill. Can you come up to the dam right away?
06:49Why, sure. We'll be there as quickly as possible. What can we do for you? I'd like you to visit the ice fields on up in the mountains.
06:57No, we'll plan on it as we make the trip. Okay, Bill. Thanks. Goodbye. Bye, Jack. Maybe Chinook give us big headache. It looks
07:04that way, Grey Wolf. Let's get Stompy and Henry and take off.
07:25That's the whole story. In two more days, we'll have to open the floodgates wider
07:30to keep this top water moving. It's like a small river now. If you jumped into the water, you'd go shoulder deep before you struck ice underneath.
07:37Yeah, I believe that. Do you hear that, Bill? Yeah, I do. That's moving ice all right, or my name isn't Henry Scott.
07:45Yep. That ain't no refrigerator ice cube, neither. Bill, what do you think can be done about this? I don't know. The best suggestion I have is the fellas and I go up there and take a look.
08:00Hey, Bill, we better stop and take some of our outer clothes off. I feel like I'm in a bathtub swimming for dear life. Yeah, me too, Bill. Boy, I'm sweating to beat the band.
08:23Good idea, fellas. Let's call a halt and take off our parkas. Be careful not to take too much clothing off when sweating so much. You catch death of cold. Grey Wolf's right. Only our parkas. Leave our heavy sweaters on.
08:37Hold the pack to the right, Henry, while I adjust this strap. Okay. How's this? That's fine. Your pack comfortable? Yeah, it's okay. Stumpy, Grey Wolf, you ready to push on?
08:53Yep. Old Pack Mule Jenkins is all itched up and ready to go. I'm ready, too, Bill. All right, let's go, fellas. Hey, that's a little reminder of what we come for.
09:09This warm wind sure is making the snow skedaddle along the trail. Boy, I'll say it is, Stumpy. There isn't hardly enough left to make a good snowball. Mountain sure get in way when fellow in hurry.
09:33You said a mouthful that time, Grey Wolf. Especially since we're walking a constant upgrade. We're making some headway, though. And the moving ice sounds closer than it did.
09:45It'll probably sound suddenly closer as soon as we get to the top of this ridge. Bill, where do you think ice is moving? I'd say it's moving in Deep Valley. Why? If that's where the ice is, we've got a long way to go.
09:59Well, that's above Bottleneck Canyon.
10:16Only twelve more mountains to go, the way I figure it. Twelve? There's only six more, Stumpy. Where do you get twelve?
10:24These here rock piles have two sides to them, fella. Six mountains going up and six mountains coming down makes twelve.
10:41Here's Bottleneck Canyon. A little better than halfway to Deep Valley. Right. If we keep the same pace going now, we'll make it in good time.
10:51Why didn't we take a helicopter up here, Bill? Oh, it's too dangerous, pal. The updrafts and downdrafts in these mountains are awfully dangerous.
10:59Probably wouldn't see anything anyhow, because the shadows are too deep.
11:03Man alive! Feel the earth shake.
11:06A big piece of the glacier dropped off the end of Deep Valley. My name ain't Stumpy Jenkins.
11:12That sounds like whole mountain come down.
11:14There's Deep Valley right ahead, fellas.
11:16Yeah, and all you can see is a big black hole.
11:19Well, that's the place. Let's go take a look.
11:24Let's go.
11:26Let's go.
11:28Let's go.
11:30Let's go.
11:32Let's go.
11:34Let's go.
11:36Let's go.
11:38Let's go.
11:39Let's go.
11:41Let's go.
11:42All right. Let's go take a look at the rock crusher at work.
11:54There's the ice, fellas. Take a good look.
11:57Wow! These pieces are as big as a skyscraper.
12:01Yes, Henry, there are pieces of ice in Deep Valley as big as a skyscraper.
12:06The huge ice blocks weighing hundreds and possibly thousands of tons surpass any man-made crushers.
12:12Relentlessly, the giant cakes of ice grind on, slowly.
12:16Yes, very slowly, but they never stop.
12:19The ice gouges out the sides of the valley like it was putty.
12:22The ice is so thick, it's hard to see.
12:25Very slowly, but they never stop.
12:27The ice gouges out the sides of the valley like it was putty.
12:31Jack and Cole are right.
12:33If these ice blocks get loose on the reservoir, they'll make a clean sweep all the way to Dead Man's Gorge,
12:38and that includes the part of knotty pine that stretches along the river.
12:42Oh, look at that boulder! What's being crushed like nothing?
12:46You're seeing real power, Henry. Power in creation.
12:52I'm afraid that only the Lord can stop those ice giants.
12:55If the Chinook would quit, and a sudden cold blast come along, that would stop it, wouldn't it, Bill?
13:00Yes, it would, pal.
13:02But it looks hopeless.
13:04You speak truth. No man can stop ice in Deep Valley.
13:07Yep, I agree!
13:16Wow, did you see that, fellas?
13:18That ice cut under the valley wall, and the whole side came down on the ice.
13:22And it isn't even slowing down.
13:24Yeah, you've just seen what most people don't see in their whole lives, honey.
13:29When the Lord wants to show men how small and weak they are,
13:33all he has to do is send a Chinook along to get some of that there glacier over there on the move.
13:39Boy, you aren't just making noise, Tuffy.
13:42Why, just think of the power down there in the valley.
13:45I never realized, or I should say, I've never had a first-class demonstration of the Lord's power like this.
13:52Pal, this is an infinitesimal amount of the Lord's power.
13:57Well, let's clock the speed of this ice,
14:00and then we'll head back to Mid-Mountain Dam and give Jack and Cole the sad news.
14:15Bill, do you mean to tell me that all we can do is wait for the ice to come down
14:19and watch it wipe out Mid-Mountain Dam,
14:21and then grind on to Nutty Pine Dam and all the way down?
14:25I'm sorry, Jack, but you've got the answer.
14:27What can we do? We can't just stand here and watch it happen.
14:30Jack's right, Bill. Something's got to be done.
14:32I agree.
14:34But I haven't the slightest idea as to how we can stop ice blocks that crumble ten-ton boulders.
14:40He's got a point there, fellas.
14:42Only the Lord can stop that ice from coming down.
14:45What we need is some sudden cold.
14:47We just got the forecast off the ticker tape.
14:49There's a cold front moving in, and it won't be here for at least 72 hours.
14:54We're as helpless as babes in a cradle.
14:58Hey, Bill, where are you going?
15:00I'm going outside and pray.
15:02We've asked everybody but the Lord what we should do.
15:12Heavenly Father, I don't need to tell Thee the problem at hand
15:16because Thou hast known all about it before we did.
15:20Lord, I can't honestly see that it's Thy will that the ice blocks be allowed
15:25to do the terrible damage that they can do if they get loose.
15:29It's not Thy will that this happen, and please show us how to stop it.
15:33It's not Thine will that this happen, and please show us how to stop it.
15:37It's not Thy will that this happen, and please show us how to stop it.
15:41If it is Thy will, then Thy will be done
15:45because Thou dost have an unquestionable reason if this is to happen.
15:49In Jesus' name, amen.
15:59I'm not much of a hand at praying, but why does it take Bill so long?
16:03We haven't got time to waste.
16:05Time in prayer is not wasted time.
16:09I didn't mean it that way, Gray Wolf, but God knows we need help, and we need it quickly.
16:13You're like a lot of people, Sonny. You pray and ask the Lord for help,
16:17and if the answer doesn't come just like you want it, then you get all head up.
16:21The Lord will answer our prayers at His own pleasure,
16:25and in all probabilities, not in the way you expect.
16:29Bill?
16:31I haven't any ideas yet, fellas.
16:33We might as well spread the alarm so folks can get on while they're getting us good.
16:37May I say something?
16:39You certainly can, pal. What's on your mind?
16:41Well, I remember reading one time about the action of ice and glaciers against rock,
16:45and the book said that there are some types of rock formations
16:49that ice or glaciers can't break or move.
16:51Mm-hmm, that's right.
16:53What's that got to do with the problem at hand?
16:55Oh, I don't know. I'm just thinking out loud.
16:59Well, it seems to me that maybe Bottleneck Canyon might be made of that type of rock,
17:03for it would have been widened out hundreds of years ago.
17:07Hey, that's it! The Lord's answer!
17:09What answer, Bill?
17:11Why didn't I think of that before?
17:13Think of what?
17:15Bottleneck Canyon's made of granite! Solid granite!
17:17Well, how are you supposed to do this?
17:19Hey, hold it down, fellas.
17:21I'll give you my whole plan, and then we'll swing into action.
17:25Ah, you talk, we listen.
17:27We'll make our stand at Bottleneck Canyon.
17:30Now, the ice blocks as they are won't be able to make it through the canyon.
17:34They could and will break into smaller blocks and be just as dangerous.
17:38Won't they jam up in the canyon? It's pretty narrow, you know.
17:40No, Cole, they won't.
17:42Perhaps the last one might,
17:44but you've got to remember the terrific pressure behind the front ice,
17:48especially since another big slab broke off the glacier while we were on our way up there.
17:52Maybe more break off before Chinook threw giving us heat treatment.
17:56That's possible, Graywolf.
17:58Now, in order to stop the ice slabs from getting through the canyon as they break up,
18:02I want to make a log jam in the canyon itself.
18:06That sounds good, Bill. Maybe it'll work.
18:08Yes, the logs should do the trick, all right.
18:10A good jam takes days of dynamiting to break up.
18:12Right. If the right kind of hardwood logs can be put in there,
18:15the jam will hold for a couple of years.
18:17But where are you going to get enough logs to do the job?
18:19I know where I can get them.
18:21Henry, get Frenchy DeSalle on the phone while I make a rough map of our plan.
18:26Right. Boy, if Frenchy can't get logs, then nobody can.
18:42Now you've heard the problem and my plan to stop it, Frenchy.
18:45What do you think about it?
18:47Oh, Bill, I think the ice should have one tough job to get by Bottleneck Canyon.
18:53Your plan should sound good.
18:55Can you get enough of the right kind of logs up to the top of Bottleneck Canyon quickly enough?
18:59Remember, the government will cover the cost.
19:01Oh, Frenchy can give you enough logs to fill up the Pacific Ocean if you need them.
19:07We have enough caught now for a thousand log rafts.
19:11You let Frenchy take care of getting the logs.
19:15Okay, Frenchy.
19:17Fortunately, you'll be able to haul the logs right up to the rim of the canyon without too much trouble.
19:21The grade's steep, but it's not impossible or dangerous.
19:24Have you enough equipment to do the job, Frenchy?
19:26Frenchy get all the equipment he needs.
19:29Frenchy ask Ben Larson, Matt Fitzsimons, and the other boys to get their carts and snaking gear going as you handle them.
19:37Oh, wonderful. I'll see you at the canyon.
19:39Let me know if you run into any problems.
19:41We need logs, Frenchy, all the logs we can get and as quickly as we can get them.
19:46Oh, Frenchy bring you logs like they are toothpicks in a box.
19:54It's amazing what one phone call can do if it's to the right man.
20:03All of Frenchy Dussal's six foot five inches jumps into action as he generals his lumberjacks.
20:09Frenchy has a job to do and he's going to do it if it's the last thing the big Frenchman ever does.
20:14Not only is it his personal pride in doing a good job, but his friend Bill needs help.
20:20Frenchy bellers in his booming voice and soon all of the latest logging equipment is in action.
20:24Giant diesel cats and wheeled log rollers maneuver around to pick up their loads or carry off what they've already loaded on.
20:32Frenchy weaves in and out as he shouts to his men.
20:38Hey, Bruno, how many loads you got in total?
20:41I got five, boss.
20:43Make three of take eight. Use heavier chain. You got the power to do it?
20:48Okay, will do.
20:50Hey, Ollie, how many you going to pick up?
20:54Yeah, this job will take twelve big logs.
20:56Well, you can take fifteen big logs.
20:59But boss, they'll tip the cat over backwards.
21:02Hey, Tony.
21:04What do you want, Frenchy?
21:05You know how to fix this new rig so Ollie can snake fifteen logs on skiff?
21:10Sure.
21:11Get some guarantee that it's done quick. And I mean right now.
21:18How much time we got before ice get here?
21:30I clocked the ice moving at half a mile an hour, Gray Wolf.
21:34That was when we were up here the first time.
21:36Let's assume the speed is the same and the ice has moved half the distance to Bottleneck Canyon.
21:41That'd give us about ten miles left.
21:43Then we got twenty hours to get the jam built.
21:46Let's make it eighteen hours for safety.
21:48We've got to be finished by sunrise tomorrow.
21:51Hey, Bill, the first cats are coming up the grade.
21:53Boy, are they pulling the logs.
21:55Let's get to the edge of the canyon and get the boys started dumping logs.
22:11Where's Frenchy, Bruno?
22:13He's coming. He left Ben Larson and Matt Fitzsimmons in charge of loading.
22:18Boy, it's a long way down to the bottom.
22:20It sure is.
22:21How do you plan to drop your logs?
22:23I'm going to hook the logs and pull the chains.
22:26Then I'll push them over the side.
22:28Good.
22:29Pass the word that I don't want any accidents.
22:31Keep the cats away from the edge.
22:33Right.
22:34None of the cat drivers want to go over the side either.
22:37This is good granite hog pad.
22:39It'll hold all the weight we can give it with ease.
22:42Okay.
22:43Let's help the cat drivers unhitch their logs, fellas.
22:46Okay, Bill.
22:51Watch the tension on the chains and cables.
22:54If they snap loose, you could be seriously injured.
22:57Ease those turnbuckles off before you unlock the tension levers.
23:03Okay, Bruno, push them over.
23:12Okay.
23:24Hey, some of those logs went into the ice straight up.
23:27That's what we want, sonny.
23:29They'll lock good that way when the others go down.
23:31Yeah, I'll say they will.
23:33But I didn't think they'd dry themselves through the ice and into the riverbed.
23:36Yeah, some of those logs were 50 to 70 feet long, young fella.
23:40They're three to five feet across.
23:42They weigh plenty.
23:43So does ice, old timer.
23:58Frenchy arrives at the rim of the canyon.
24:00He directs the cat drivers with great skill
24:03so a maximum number of logs are kept flowing to the canyon edge and dump.
24:07Then work goes on without a hitch.
24:10The steep grade looks like a steady stream of ants are hauling their supplies up its side.
24:14Bill looks at the sky and sends word for a generator to be hauled up.
24:18The generator arrives just at dark
24:20and soon there is enough light for the men to work safely.
24:23On into the night they work
24:25till Frenchy stops for a few minutes at Bill's direction.
24:29Have some coffee while we compare notes, Frenchy.
24:32Oh, thanks, Bill.
24:34Frenchy needs coffee.
24:36Oh, man, you're awfully tired.
24:38I'll take over directing operations for a while.
24:41It's only two hours until sunrise.
24:43No, Bill. Frenchy finished what he started.
24:48This short rest gives me a second wind.
24:52Boy, Frenchy worked a big sweat from warm winds.
24:55Okay, but don't overdo it.
24:58According to my figures, your men have dumped 3,000 logs into the canyon.
25:05More coffee, please.
25:08Ah, this hits the spot.
25:10Frenchy think you're right, Bill.
25:12I've looked into the canyon with a floodlight from time to time.
25:15The jam looks good.
25:17Some of the logs are broken from the fog.
25:20That is good, Bill.
25:22Sometimes a short log-log jam better than long one.
25:25We take good look as soon as daylight comes.
25:28We might not have time.
25:30Stompy and Graywolf have been keeping an eye on the ice.
25:32It's picking up speed.
25:34Frenchy think we got enough logs to hold ice now.
25:38But we dump more logs for another hour.
25:41Okay. We'll stop building the log jam in an hour.
25:57Cole and I appreciate your sending for us, Bill.
26:00We'd sure like to watch the ice test its strength against the log jam.
26:03I thought you would, Jack.
26:05Well, the sun will be up in a few minutes.
26:07From the racket in the valley, it sounds like the ice is about ready to enter the canyon.
26:11Let's join the others.
26:13Yeah. Boy, this ought to be a first-class show of strength.
26:18Bill and his men and many of the lumberjacks
26:20watch the massive blocks of ice move into the mouth of Bottleneck Canyon.
26:24The first cake is about a half a block square.
26:27It grinds its way to the walls of the canyon
26:29and momentarily stops as the granite refuses to be moved or cut.
26:33There are three other blocks of ice behind the first, and they're larger and thicker.
26:37Suddenly, the first block snaps in two with a sound like thunder.
26:48This is it, fellas!
26:51Yes, Henry, this is the crucial moment.
26:53One of the broken blocks slides past the other and heads for the log jam.
26:57Soon the other follows.
26:59The ice meets the first logs and snaps them like matchsticks.
27:02The first ice block is grinding its way into the log jam.
27:04Logs crumble like paper straws.
27:06The second block is bringing pressure on the first.
27:09Now other blocks have split and are moving in behind the first two.
27:12The ice is massing its tremendous strength for the test.
27:15Henry is almost beside himself with fear.
27:18It's not going to hold.
27:20The first block's going deeper into the jam.
27:22It's got to hold.
27:24Frenzy will not jump. It's got to hold.
27:27Hey, fellas, listen!
27:29Hey, there isn't any noise.
27:31The ice has stopped moving.
27:46Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest weather forecast.
27:50Fair and warm tonight and tomorrow,
27:52but tomorrow evening our fine, warm weather will end.
27:56The Weather Bureau has put out cold wave warnings for this part of the country.
28:00The cold front will hit us about midnight tomorrow.
28:04I'm sure we're all sorry that this touch of spring didn't last longer.
28:08In a moment, I'll bring you the sports news.
28:14That fella needs to be talked to.
28:16His roof leaks a little.
28:18This Chinook just cost us 3,000 logs and left a lot of dog-tired men.
28:24Yeah, old-timer.
28:26I hope that the next time a Chinook decides to defrost us,
28:30we're well into the middle of summer.
28:32Who ever thought a warm wind could give us such a cold-blooded barrel of trouble?
28:47It's an old saying, boys and girls,
28:49that it's an ill wind that blows no good.
28:51As far as Bill and his rangers are concerned,
28:54it's a Chinook that blows no good when it comes in the middle of winter.
28:58We'll see you next week for more adventure with...
29:01Ranger Bill!
29:24Subs by www.zeoranger.co.uk