This iconic 1903 image by Burt C. Buffum, whose collection of photographs and other documents is preserved at UW’s American Heritage Center, is on Wyoming’s new rodeo specialty license plate. (Burt Buffum/AHC)
One of the most iconic rodeo photographs ever taken is now featured on Wyoming’s new
rodeo specialty license plate.
The scene depicted on the license plate comes from an original 1903 image by Burt
C. Buffum, whose collection of photographs and other documents is preserved at the American Heritage Center (AHC),
the archive of the University of Wyoming.
The photo -- titled “Guy Holt Pulling Leather on Steamboat” -- has an element that
few other rodeo scenes have, one that shows the Western prairie rising to meet rugged
foothills. The landscape format of the image with the horse and rider positioned to
the left, instead of being centered, is ideal for use on a rectangular license plate.
The rodeo plate is the first Wyoming license plate to use a photograph in its design.
Drivers who get the plate also can donate $20 or more to the rodeo programs at UW
and Wyoming community colleges.
When the Holt family learned about their ancestor appearing on the new license plate,
they were thrilled. Robert Holt, the great-grandson of Guy, says of his great grandfather’s
appearance on the new rodeo plate: “It is very cool that they (Wyoming Department
of Transportation) used the actual original Buffum image on the plate … Our family
is thrilled to see both horse and rider honored in this way.”
UW rodeo Head Coach Seth Glause, left, and UW American Heritage Center Director Paul Flesher hold the new specialty license plate next to one of UW’s bucking horse and rider statues, with the AHC in the background. (UW Photo)
For the state to have a rodeo license plate made sense to state Sen. Brian Boner,
of Douglas. The scene depicted on the plate recognizes rodeo as Wyoming’s official
sport while also creating a revenue source for the rodeo teams across the state.
Boner sponsored legislation to approve the new plate during the 2025 legislative session.
After the bill was approved authorizing the Wyoming Department of Transportation to
issue the new plate, the effort began to design the plate. The final image and design
were selected in July by a committee that included representatives of Laramie County
Community College, UW Institutional Communications, the UW rodeo team, a member of
the public and a representative of law enforcement.
“This iconic image of Steamboat is a grassroots reminder of all that came before us. I love the Western tradition that is embodied in the image and what it means to our state to live the Western lifestyle and code of the West it embodies,” says UW Rodeo Head Coach Seth Glause. “We are thankful to the state of Wyoming and our Legislature for their continued support of rodeo and helping advance our team at the University of Wyoming.”
