BH&R (Bucking Horse and Rider)
Our culture is filled with symbols and icons. They are used on every electronic device, on social media, and to convey messages on our highways, packages, and to represent companies. Wyoming’s bucking horse and rider is such a longstanding symbol that anyone recognizes the connection to Wyoming’s cowboy spirit, resilience, and how it embodies the state’s tough, independent nature. Two forces of nature - cowboy who cannot be thrown, and a horse which cannot be ridden.
The bucking horse and rider icon is a registered trademark of the state of Wyoming because of its long history in the state. It has become a cultural icon for Wyoming, but a symbol that has been adopted by other cultures and institutions as well. There have been many versions of the identities of the famous Wyoming duo, and many origin stories as well. Versions of the figure date back as early as 1918.
Many Wyoming residents know of the stories of George Ostrom’s 1918 icon used by the Wyoming National Guard E Battery, Third Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment in France during World War I.
Others have contested that Dewey Jones’ version which he used in the U.S. Army Air Service also during World War I is the original. A few years after World War I, the University of Wyoming began using an insignia that was different from the versions of either Jones or Ostrom. A similar logo, created by artist Wallace Smith in 1924 was created for and registered by the Pendelton Rodeo.
Over the decades, there were many who argued who was the actual horse and rider used to inspire the Wyoming icon. Today, most say that the bronc and rider which inspired the artist Allen True used to design the 1936 Wyoming license plate were Albert “Stub” Farlow and probably Steamboat, the ornery legendary horse with a broken nose which many said could not be ridden. Yet, the debate continues about the true identity of both horse and rider.
According to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website, in 1935, then Secretary of State Lester Hunt proposed legislation to make changes to the Wyoming license plate to combat problems of wide-spread license plate counterfeiting. Colorado artist Allen Tupper True was commissioned $75 to create a unique license plate which incorporated the bucking bronc and rider. True had been painting murals in the Wyoming House and Senate at the time and had used many images for reference when designing the commissioned artwork for Hunt’s license plate.
Wyoming first required registration plates for residents beginning in 1913. By the 1920s, most states were issuing embossed metal license plates. States began incorporating symbols and slogans to reflect their identity such as the Idaho Potatoes (which began in 1928). 1936 was the first year that Wyoming license plates featured the famous horse and rider. A trademark for the image was acquisitioned that same year.
Both Secretary Hunt and Stub Farlow were from Lander. Another local story that helped inspire the myth of the bucking horse and rider originated in Dubois. In 1934, Leslie (Les) Wright and Tom Hulett opened the Branding Iron Club. Wright had moved to Dubois from Dayton, Wyoming in 1920, and became the president of the Dubois Chamber of Commerce. In a 1974 article in the Sheriden Press, Wright recounted the story. “Since Dubois was, at the time, a ‘tourist’ town, and since it was also noted for its rodeos, I decided to create a bucking horse and rider as an eye-catching sign calling attention to the club.” He explained that he acquired a piece of tank steel, and using chalk, drew an outline of a bucking horse and rider. He then hired a local mechanic to cut out the silhouette with a torch. The finished sign was over six feet tall which he painted with black paint. It became popular with the tourists, and postcards of the sign were produced for sale.
Wright was well acquainted with Lester Hunt, who had been Wright’s dentist in Lander. Upon request, Wright supplied Hunt with images of his new sign. Although the sign’s image was not used by the artist Allen True, Wright claimed that it was still inspiring. The Branding Iron eventually sold in 1939, and the sign was relocated to the ranch of G. H. Sheeley, Wright’s brother-in-law, between Dayton and Parkman. Today, the building which had been the Branding Iron no longer has an image of a bucking horse and rider; however, the new owner has modified the concept by placing a steel horse and skeletal rider on top of the Outlaw Saloon.
The original bucking horse and rider sign created by Wright still hangs over the Sheeley Ranch, a lasting symbol of Wyoming pride.
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
November 13, 6pm at the Riverton Museum, “Preserving Personal Photographs and Heirlooms” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
November 15, 1pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Christmas Stocking Party” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
December 13, 2pm at the Riverton Museum, “Santa’s Workshop” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
December 13, 10-4pm at the Riverton Museum, “Christmas Open House”
December 13, 6-8pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Old Fashioned Christmas in the Pioneer Village’ Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
December 13, 11-3pm at the Dubois Museum, “Holiday Open House”
Thru December, 9-5 at the Riverton Museum, “History Day Exhibits” Shoshone Schools
Call the Dubois Museum 1-307-455-2284, the Pioneer Museum 1-307-332-3339 or the Riverton Museum 1-307-856-2665 for detail regarding their programs.
The Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and the Riverton Museum need your financial support. In the current economic environment, the museums are more reliant than ever on donations from the private sector to continue to provide the quality programs, collections management, exhibits and services that have become their hallmark over the last four years. Please make your tax deductible contribution through the Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation www.windriverccf.com or by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.
