{"id":297652,"date":"2026-02-23T05:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T05:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/297652\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T05:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T05:31:14","slug":"the-story-behind-chris-navarros-15-foot-bronze-of-steamboat-at-u-w","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/297652\/","title":{"rendered":"The Story Behind Chris Navarro’s 15-Foot Bronze Of Steamboat At U.W."},"content":{"rendered":"

Bronze sculptor Chris Navarro has been creating\u00a0larger-than-life monuments<\/a>\u00a0of people and animals for 40 years. His latest monument could become the most iconic of his storied career.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein\u201d is a 15.5-foot-tall monument\u00a0that stands in the new roundabout at Ivinson Avenue and 15th Street on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie. It\u2019s more than just another broze cowboy, but the physical embodiment of Wyoming\u2019s iconic rodeo bronc Steamboat.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cMy emphasis was to make my sculpture as much like the logo as possible, and that’s what I did,\u201d Navarro told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n

Navarro\u2019s busier than he\u2019s ever been, but bringing one of Wyoming\u2019s most recognizable images from the page to the pedestal was a particularly special commission for the nationally-respected artist from Casper. <\/p>\n

As he focuses on his own artistic legacy, \u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein\u201d will stand out, personally and professionally, as one of his greatest works, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you do public art, you hope the public gets to see it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a Wyoming guy, and I can\u2019t think of a better place for this piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cA\u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein” by bronze artist Chris Navarro is the newest tribute to the Cowboy State at the University of Wyoming. It’s a larger-than-life sculpture of the iconic rodeo bronc Steamboat that’s adorned Wyoming’s license plates since 1936. Here are images from the sculpture’s casting process. (Courtesy Chris Navarro)\"\u201cA\u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein” by bronze artist Chris Navarro is the newest tribute to the Cowboy State at the University of Wyoming. It’s a larger-than-life sculpture of the iconic rodeo bronc Steamboat that’s adorned Wyoming’s license plates since 1936. Here are images from the sculpture’s casting process. (Courtesy Chris Navarro)\"DEEPArrow leftArrow rightHonoring The Artist<\/p>\n

Navarro is one of Wyoming\u2019s most renowned and sought-after bronze sculptors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His work in the Cowboy State<\/a>\u00a0includes \u201c6 Miles South,\u201d a bronze sculpture at the entrance of the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds in Casper, and \u201cChampion Lane Frost,\u201d a 15-foot monument dedicated to rodeo legend Lane Frost in Cheyenne.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Navarro was approached by the Double 4 Foundation for another ambitious commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted to honor Allen True with a monument of \u2018Steamboat,\u2019 Navarro said. \u201cHe was the artist hired by the State of Wyoming to make the design in 1936.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1936, Allen True, a Denver-based artist with a family legacy in Wyoming, was hired by Wyoming Secretary of State Lester C. Hunt to\u00a0design an image for the Wyoming state license plate<\/a>. His design of a bucking horse and rider has been adorning the Cowboy State\u2019s license plates ever since.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s the longest-running logo of any license plate in the United States,\u201d Navarro said.<\/p>\n

True got paid $75, worth roughly $1,724 today, for his image. It has become Wyoming\u2019s most treasured and recognizable icon worldwide, embodying the “cowboy spirit” of the American West.<\/p>\n

The Double 4 Foundation had good reason to honor Allen True. David True, one of the foundation\u2019s trustees, is Allen True\u2019s great-nephew.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted to honor his great uncle for coming up with a design and the drawing, so they asked me to turn it into a bronze monument,\u2019 Navarro said.<\/p>\n

On Campus<\/p>\n

The University of Wyoming (UW) has been using the image of a bucking horse since 1921. That design was inspired by a photograph of a cowboy riding the wild \u201cSteamboat,\u201d a black colt with three white stockings, during a rodeo in Sheridan in 1903.<\/p>\n

The identity of the cowboy in True\u2019s image is still debated, but the consensus is that the horse is Steamboat. Regardless of identities, the image of the outlaw horse and commanding and confident rider became the first \u201ccowboy image\u201d that introduced Wyoming to the wider world.<\/p>\n

UW quickly adopted True\u2019s \u201cSteamboat\u201d as its official emblem. That made the UW campus the perfect spot to place a three-dimensional monument of the ubiquitous image.<\/p>\n

A new roundabout was being constructed at the intersection of 15th Street and Ivinson Avenue in Laramie, and everyone wanted it to be centered around something special. That\u2019s why the Double 4 Foundation approached Navarro to bring \u201cSteamboat\u201d to life in bronze.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cA\u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein” by bronze artist Chris Navarro is the newest tribute to the Cowboy State at the University of Wyoming. It’s a larger-than-life sculpture of the iconic rodeo bronc Steamboat that’s adorned Wyoming’s license plates since 1936. (Wendy Corr for Cowboy State Daily)2D To 3D<\/p>\n

Taking \u201cSteamboat\u201d from a two-dimensional silhouette to a three-dimensional, detailed sculpture was a tricky task, even for a sculptor as skilled as Navarro. He felt the importance of his task immensely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got Steamboat decals on my car,\u201d he said. \u201cI painted it on the tail of my airplane. That\u2019s the coolest logo going, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

True didn\u2019t directly copy the 1903 photograph for his Steamboat drawing but used it as inspiration for an image representing Wyoming. That was at the direction of Hunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have, in the intervening years, been pleased that I had Mr. True do the drawing rather than use a photograph of a bucking horse,\u201d Hunt said of the iconic image, \u201cMr. True, through his knowledge of art, understood what design could be stamped out in steel and retain its identity at some distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

True\u2019s artistic liberties included only one bridle rein, only one front left foot on the horse, and with only one of the rider\u2019s feet. It was meant to be a striking silhouette rather than a detailed portrait of horse and rider.<\/p>\n

Navarro had to account for these details while sculpting the monument. It had to look good from all angles, not just from the same right-side perspective of the image.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drawing of Steamboat is more of an abstract deal,\u201d he said. \u201cWe wanted to make it look as close to the logo as possible but still make it life-like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting Steamboat right was easy enough, given the historical images that exist of the colt. As for the rider, Navarro decided to sculpt a Wyoming everyman rather than err towards one of the still-debated riders from the original photos.<\/p>\n

It took over a year for Navarro to create \u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein.\u201d It started as a small, to-scale clay sculpture that transitioned into a full-scale clay sculpture for the bronze pour.<\/p>\n

Navarro poured and finished the 15.5-foot bronze monument at\u00a0Eagle Bronze in Lander<\/a>, which is currently the only Wyoming-based foundry capable of lost-wax casting of a project this size.<\/p>\n

\u201c’I\u2019ve been working with Eagle Bronze for almost three and a half years,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re the last foundry in Wyoming that could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once it was welded together and patinaed, \u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein,\u201d complete with Double 4 and Bar UW brands, was ready to be installed at the Laramie intersection. <\/p>\n

After almost a century of iconography, \u201cSteamboat\u201d had been taken from a license plate emblem to a\u00a0fully-realized\u00a0monument for the people of Wyoming.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cA\u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein” by bronze artist Chris Navarro is the newest tribute to the Cowboy State at the University of Wyoming. It’s a larger-than-life sculpture of the iconic rodeo bronc Steamboat that’s adorned Wyoming’s license plates since 1936. (Wyohistory.org)A Great Ride<\/p>\n

\u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein\u201d was dedicated at the 15th Street and Ivinson Avenue roundabout on Oct. 13. It was a cold, rainy day, but that didn\u2019t do anything to dampen Navarro\u2019s spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe monument is in a very prominent place,\u201d he said. \u201cCars are going to be driving by it all the time, so thousands of people will see it every day. Hopefully, it’ll make people feel good about being from Wyoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein\u201d was the 40th monument of Navarro\u2019s 40-year career. The symbolism wasn\u2019t lost on him, especially as he considers his own artistic legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have three more monuments to install before next September,\u201d he said. \u201cI am busier and working harder than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Navarro doesn\u2019t believe he\u2019ll ever truly retire, but he recognizes that no one can go on forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cI turned 70 years old in January, and I\u2019ve been a professional sculptor for 40 years,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how many more monuments I have in me, so I\u2019m working on a lot of them right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Navarro has been \u201cconcentrating his career\u201d on larger-scale monuments as he secures his own artistic legacy in Wyoming, much like Allen True did with the beloved \u201cSteamboat.\u201d \u00a0Regardless of his past and future pieces, \u201cA Deep Seat and a Long Rein\u201d will hold a special place in his extensive portfolio of bronze sculptures and monuments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been nearly 90 years since the \u2018Steamboat\u2019 drawing was first done,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody recognizes \u2018Steamboat.\u2019 \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s more than just a symbol of UW. It\u2019s a symbol of Wyoming. I have been blessed to make a living doing what I love and sculpt my favorite symbol for the people of Wyoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bronze sculptor Chris Navarro has been creating\u00a0larger-than-life monuments\u00a0of people and animals for 40 years. His latest monument could…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-297652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}