Incident at Indian Ford: Gunsmoke (March 15, 1959)

“Incident at Indian Ford” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 15, 1959. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Dillon escorts a cavalry detachment returning Mary Tabor, a young woman ransomed from the Arapaho after a wagon train attack. As they camp by a river on the journey back to Dodge, Dillon discovers that an Arapaho brave named Two Eagles, who purchased Mary during her captivity, has been following the group. Mary sneaks out to warn him of danger, forcing Dillon to confront a complicated situation where the girl's heart and her duty to return home stand in conflict.

A cavalry camp by a river, one day's ride from Fort Dodge, on the way back from Fort Dodge after ransoming Mary Tabor from the Arapaho.

Characters: Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal, Chester, Doc, Lieutenant Dick, Sergeant Cromwell, Mary Tabor, Two Eagles, an Arapaho brave

Listen for: The tender and conflicted relationship between Mary and Two Eagles, told through their conversations and Mary's anguished choices. Dillon's quiet understanding of her heart's struggle as he navigates the tension between the cavalry's duty and human emotion.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.