Lasting Legacies: Rodeo Legends T.R. Chytka Bronze Statues

laStiNG Legacies

Bronze sculptures exhibit rodeo legends

Some of the best rodeo performers in the annals of Belle Fourche history have been immortalized in bronze by sculptor Tony Chytka, allowing visitors to downtown Belle Fourche a chance to see the town’s “Lasting Legacies” while simultaneously gazing into the region’s Old West past.

Sculptor T.R. “Tony” Chytka is a rural South Dakota native, a rancher, and a former champion bull rider whose art reflects his own life experience. A Chytka bronze is an entirely hand-made piece — from the clay model, to the bronze final castings and patina work — Chytka molds and creates the entire package.

Visitors coming from the south on Highway 85 will receive a welcoming site in Chytka’s tall figure of a cowboy “breakin’ his bronc,” located at the intersection of 5th Avenue and National Street. The sculpture is six-feet tall, composed of bronze, and has come to be known as one of the “Lasting Legacies” that embody the heritage of this Western town. This salutary cowboy embodies the stamina of the original wrangler as he prepares his horse for adventures out on the prairie.

The horse, known as Tipperary, is a legend himself. He’s credited with dumping more than 80 riders before

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famous rodeo rider, actor, and stuntman Yakima Canutt tackled the first successful ride on the bronc in 1920. Canutt rode the horse a second time at the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche in 1921.

Another figure stands on the corner of State Street and 5th Avenue, where Chytka has sculpted modern-day buffalo trainer and Belle Fourche native Jerry Wayne Olson sitting on his buffalo, Chief. Olson performed for many years as an equine entertainer at rodeos and western events across the nation — but he’s also known for his time with that buffalo, Chief, and has even been known to ride on the back of the giant animal. He is the third generation of a family of rodeo entertainers, with one of the most amazing trick roping and horse shows in the area.

Walk several blocks down State Street and see a pair of famous brothers — the Garrett brothers were top professional rodeo contestants who hail from the Belle Fourche area. The likeness of Marvin Garrett is found on the northwest side of the corner of State Street and 6th Avenue, while Mark Garrett is on the southeast corner of the same intersection. Marvin was a four-time National Finals World Bareback champion and has been inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Mark was National Finals World Bareback Champion in 1996 and has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Numerous other statues can be found along the River Walk and at the Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center, including The Peace Memorial statue and the Overpeck Family Memorial statue.

These sculptures of Belle Fourche’s own legends serve as a nod to the “Lasting Legacies” that comprise so much of this town’s storied past.

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