For a young boy, listening to the radio program ‘Sergeant Preston of the Yukon’ could fire the imagination of daring adventures in the great northern expanses. Accompanied by his faithful dog Yukon King, Sergeant Preston patrolled the Northwest Territories rendering assistance, confronting criminals, and escaping the challenges of weather and wild animals.  

Of course, each challenge was resolved in a 15-minute (later 30-minute) radio program. 

In the early 1950s, sitting at home in Midland, Texas – a long way from the frozen north – a young Orbin Smith listened intently. Those daring episodes of Sergeant Preston never left him.

Smith would come to spend 20 years in Alaska, much of it above the Arctic Circle.  When asked if he really was influenced by Sergeant Preston, Smith leaned back in his chair and recited from memory the full prologue of the radio program.  

That certainly was a ‘yes’ answer. Of course, there was a whole lot more to it.

As a young man, Smith realized some significant success, at one point running a division with ARA Food Services Company. Like many, however, he fell to the temptations of youth. 

Seeking a different path, Smith packed up his truck and drove to Smith County. He pitched a tent on some family land in Swan, just south of Lindale, and looked up an old friend who was associated with the Bible school at Twin Oaks Ranch. 

Smith eventually relented to his friend’s request to accompany him to church. That evening, while sleeping in his tent, he was awakened with a start, and began speaking loudly in tongues.

“I know I will lose some folks right here, but I can only tell you what happened to me,” Smith remarked.

He became a regular in church, and, in 1974, at the age of 28, Smith accepted Christ as his Savior. 

Smith spent seven years as a work crew supervisor at Twin Oaks. However, when change became afoot at the ranch, Smith decided it was time to head north.

“I never forgot about Sergeant Preston,” Smith noted, “so I planned a two-week trip to Alaska.” 

He smiled, then added, “That lasted 20 years.”

A series of hints preceded the decision. They ranged from a message within Psalm 4, to sighting a boat being towed north up Highway 69. It was an unusually large boat being hauled on a lowboy trailer. On the transom of the boat was written ‘Cordova, Alaska.’ 

Smith reflected on the pull that Alaska has on many people. 

“A lot of folks come to Alaska to start anew. Not many stay,” he said. “A lot of people get saved, but many die on the vine because they do not surround themselves with others who can nurture them and help them. I wouldn’t have had any success in Alaska if I hadn’t been a Christian.”

Smith used his faith to seek out other believers. Among those who helped him learn to survive in Alaska were Don Nelson of KJNP (the ‘Gospel station in North Pole, Alaska’), Jimmy Barefoot at the University of Alaska, and Steve Weisse, who helped Smith build his first winter cabin.

He fell in with the Mackey family, one of the foremost names in Alaskan mushing. Training sled dog teams was just one of many occupations which Smith undertook during his time up north. He also led dog sled expeditions for an outfitter at the foot of the Brooks Mountains.

He also trapped animals for their pelts and meat, and drove commercial trucks, as is featured on the television program ‘Ice Road Truckers.’

Smith spent time in the tiny village of Chicken (along the Taylor Highway) and North Pole (just south of Fairbanks), but most of his time was in Wiseman (on the middle fork of the Koyukuk River) and further downriver in Bettles.  Wiseman and Bettles are in the shadow of the Brooks Mountains, above the Arctic Circle.

In Alaska, Smith explained, survival is the first priority. 

“The cold affects everything. You have to recognize the danger and take immediate action to survive,” explained Smith.

A short course in cold weather preparedness at Eielson Air Force Base helped Smith understand those dangers. 

He developed expertise in survival through trial and error, consulting residents and practicing the Alaskan art of ‘siwash’ which loosely translates as ‘making do with whatever is at hand, especially in an emergency.’

Smith offered an example.  Having crashed through ice while mushing a team with a fully-loaded supply sled, both of his boots filled with river water. Immediately, Smith stopped his sled recovery efforts in order to start a fire, knock the (by then ice) off his feet and change into caribou-skin mukluks. 

Once the danger posed by his ice-encased feet was addressed, he could turn his attention to tending to his dog team and recovering his sled.

His adventures in the Last Frontier were many, and Smith is working on a book to detail his experiences. 

While visiting family back in East Texas, Smith connected with a former co-worker from decades past at Twin Oaks. A romance flourished, and in 2000 he and Norma Jean Brown married. The couple remained in Texas.

“It was just the right thing to do,” Smith admitted. 

Norma was skilled with the accordion and the guitar, which complemented Smith, who has played the harmonica since childhood. The two enjoyed seven years of wedded bliss before Norma passed.

Now residing in Van, Smith is a frequent visitor to Mineola, where he attends Sunday services at Lake Country Bible Church. You will find him at many events around town, quick to arm himself with his harmonica and play a tune.

A certified auctioneer – he graduated from the Missouri Auction School – Smith also still calls auctions.  His card introduces him as ‘Colonel Orbin Smith.’ 

“The Colonel is an honorary title, as it goes back to the Civil War, when colonels were authorized to auction off surplus material after the war,” he explained. 

One might also recognize his car, which has four whip antennas atop, and carries a customized license plate. That plate is Smith’s ham radio operator call sign: KL7XP. 

When asked to reflect on his varied life, Smith said, “My relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life. Many people dream, but only trade troubles here for troubles there. Everything I do, I want to glorify God in some way. You cannot be happy in this world until you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.”

On the way out of the interview, Smith flashed a big smile and said, “I still have a homestead up in Alaska, and I know where gold is.”  

That is a story for another day.