Who is That Bucking Bronco on the License Plate?
The rousing game of “License Plates” in the backseat will probably be interrupted by, “Dad, who is that bucking bronco on the Wyoming license plate?” Well, for all you parents who would still like to be considered omniscient by your children, the horse is purported to be the famous Steamboat. The rider is widely believed, particularly in the town of Lander, to be Landerite Albert Jerome “Stub” Farlow. Not only is Steamboat depicted on the license plate, but he is also the logo for the University of Wyoming. Cowboys named him Steamboat because his snort sounded more like a steamboat whistle than a horse. Owned by C.B. “Charlie” Irwin, Steamboat was a star in bucking bronco contests from 1901 until 1914. Charlie Irwin isn’t as well known around the world as Buffalo Bill, but he and his brothers had a Wild West show that rivaled his competition’s. He was also a prosperous rancher, one of the founding fathers of Cheyenne Frontier Days, a movie producer, a racehorse breeder, a lobbyist for
