Stettler mourns loss of chuckwagon legend

The greater Stettler community is saddened by the passing of hometown chuckwagon legend Orville Strandquist last Thursday at the Stettler hospital.

He would have been 92 in February.

“He was one of a kind,” said Strandquist’s daughter, Faye Blakely.

“They broke the mould after him.”

Blakely was referring to her father’s colourful character.

Strandquist had a long and distinguished career in rodeo and especially chuckwagon racing, having driven a wagon at the Calgary Stampede longer than anyone else in a career that spanned more than 50 years.

Strandquist was predeceased by his wife Doris in 2008 and is survived by seven children — Faye (Chuck) Blakely, Judi Melville, Ron (Sue) Strandquist, Wanda Strandquist (Randy Armstrong), Cindy (John) Parks, Rocky Strandquist and Vicki (Darren) Anderson, 13 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and Ethel Molchan, his first wife and the mother of his first three children.

The funeral service will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Stettler Funeral Home and Crematorium.

Born at Stettler on Feb. 22, 1920, to Louis and Bernice Strandquist, Orville had an interest in rodeo at an early age. He got his first exposure to competition in 1931 at the Stettler Stampede, where he entered in the flat horse race, winning the $5 purse, which he split with his brother Merle, owner of the horse.

That was considered a large sum of money for the time and the sweet taste of success further prompted his interest in the sport of rodeo, eventually leading him to compete in standing roman racing, bull riding, steer decorating, wild horse racing and wild cow milking.

Strandquist was a two-time Canadian and Calgary Stampede wild horse race champion, the 1958 Canadian and Calgary Stampede wild cow milking champion and a record three-time Cheyenne Frontier Days wild horse race champion.

It was chuckwagon racing that was Strandquist’s greatest passion, and he won the hearts of racing fans everywhere, being a crowd favourite wherever he travelled.

“It was not the money that kept him in wagon racing,” said daughter Faye. “It was the people, friendships made and the thrill of competition.”

His wagon was easily distinguishable with its playing card (heart, club, diamond and spade) design painted on the side.

In 1992, the Calgary Stampede retired the design, so it has and will only belong to him.

During his professional career, Strandquist has been honoured with a number of accolades, which include induction into the Canadian Rodeo Hall of Fame, the Calgary Stampede Pioneer of Rodeo Award, the World Professional Chuckwagon Association Special Tribute Award, and he was the first chuckwagon driver to win the Calgary Stampede’s prestigious Guy Weadick Award.

In addition to those feats, the Calgary Stampede further honoured him by creating the Orville Strandquist Award, given annually to the top rookie driver of the Rangeland Derby. He was also the first Canadian chuckwagon driver to be inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame in 2007.

Although the Calgary Stampede chuckwagon racing championship title was illusive to him, Strandquist did win dozens of championships throughout his career, including the larger shows at Cheyenne, Edmonton and Cloverdale. In addition, he was a Calgary Stampede champion outrider a record 12 times, riding for fellow legends Garry Dorchester, Tom Dorchester, Ronnie Glass, Hally Walgenbach and Hank Williard.

In a career that had its share of wrecks and up and downs, Strandquist emerged as a legend that has done Stettler proud.

The legacy of Orville Strandquist carries on as his son Ron Strandquist is a chuckwagon judge at the Calgary Stampede, while grandson Eddie Melville is a chuckwagon outrider and another grandson Billy Melville is a chuckwagon race commentator.

It’s unlikely there will be another man who can match the longevity, the unwavering passion for the sport and the utmost esteem held by colleagues and fans alike in the rodeo chuckwagon profession as garnered by Orville Strandquist, a true legend.