Origin of the Lone Ranger
Does anyone know when the standard origin of the Lone Ranger was first told? Six Rangers including the Reid brothers, Butch Cavendish, Bryant's Gap, Tonto finding the lone survivor. As a kid I watched the Clayton Moore show and the Filmation cartoon. I don't remember seeing the origin episodes, but I knew the origin from a mini-comic that came with my Gabriel action figure. Later I had a Peter Pan record that told the origin. I never even knew there was a radio show until years later.
The 1948 TV origin is probably the most familiar version. The earliest radio scripts do not have that origin. The Republic serials did not have that origin. The 1941 novel, "The Lone Ranger Rides," has some elements, but is still quite different. More of the familiar elements show up in 1943's "The Lone Ranger Rides North," which tells about the Ranger finding his nephew. The origin was re-told in the 20th anniversary radio episode "Return of Cavendish." It must have been finalized somewhere between '41 and '43, but where was it first told in the now generally accepted form?