Four Northern Utah cowboys honored in Utah hall of fame
OGDEN — Four local cowboys are among those to be inducted Friday into the Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 2017 Hall of Fame.
Darrel Christensen, of Plain City, is the only living inductee. He will join five other cowboys honored posthumously, including these locals: Lon Hansen, formerly of Hooper; Vern Oyler, formerly of Garland; and Chuck Story, formerly of Liberty.
Also honored will be the late Flip Harmon, formerly of Magna. Receiving an emeritus induction is the late Preston Nutter.
The public portion of the induction ceremony is set for 7 p.m. Friday at the Ogden Union Station, 2505 Wall Ave., Ogden.
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Photo Supplied/Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
Darrell Christensen is one of six cowboys who Friday will be inducted into the Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 2017 Hall of Fame. The cowboys will be honored at a public ceremony at 7 p.m. July 7 at the Ogden Union Station, 2505 Wall Avenue in Ogden. Those who will be honored are Darrell Christensen, Lon Hansen, Flip Harmon, Vern Oyler and Chuck Story.
Darrell Christensen
Christensen, known to many as “Breezy,” is a longtime family man and rodeo announcer, according to his biography.
He has spent countless hours behind the scenes of the sport, including committee work and serving as president of both the Utah High School Rodeo Association and Rocky Mountain Professional Rodeo Association, according to a news release from the museum.
“He laid the foundation for the Utah High School Rodeo Association so that it became known for what it stands for today,” said the news release. “He has been involved with the sport for 58 years and has seen rodeo from many different angles — as a contestant, as a pick-up man, and since 1975, as an announcer.”
He has announced senior pro rodeos, youth rodeos, college rodeos, amateur association rodeos, county fairs, high school rodeos, queen contests and auctions, said his biography.
“Darrell has announced hundreds of rodeos across the Western states, and is noted for his knowledge of the sport,” said the news release.
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Photo Supplied/Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
The late Lon Hansen is one of six cowboys who Friday will be inducted into the Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 2017 Hall of Fame. The cowboys will be honored at a public ceremony at 7 p.m. July 7, at the Ogden Union Station, 2505 Wall Ave. in Ogden.
Lon Hansen
The favorite saying of the late Lon Hansen was: “You’ve got to get the vision.” “This vision was what made him an amazing artist,” according to the news release.
His talents ranged from painting and drawing to saddlemaking, taxidermy, wood carving, furniture building, and welding, said the release. Many times, his creations would be donated to benefit others, according to his biography.
He learned to shoe horses as a young man and took advantage of every opportunity to expand his knowledge about how to fit the needs of the individual animals, said the news release.
Known as “The Cowboy” at school, Hansen competed in bareback riding and sometimes bull riding. As a young father, he enjoyed helping young ropers and participating in the Utah Paint Horse Club.
“He died too soon,” said the news release. He was 56 in January of 2016 when he passed away from complications of muscular dystrophy.
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Photo Supplied/Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
The late Vern Oyler is one of six cowboys who Friday will be inducted into the Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 2017 Hall of Fame. The cowboys will be honored at a public ceremony at 7 p.m. July 7 at the Ogden Union Station, 2505 Wall Avenue in Ogden.
Vern Oyler
In 1945, Vern Oyler and a couple of friends gathered a small herd of wild horses and Brahman-cross cows and started producing amateur rodeos in Utah, according to the news release.
He bought out his partners in 1947 and started the Vern Oyler Rodeo Company, producing rodeos throughout the area for 11 years.
When approached by the head of Garland’s Wheat and Beet Days to come up with a cowboy activity for the children, he developed the “World’s First Miniature Rodeo,” with bucking chutes and corrals that could be assembled anywhere, said the release.
“It was a success from the start and the beginning of a new business for the family,” said the release. “It was so popular that a story was written about it for Life magazine.”
He also is credited with developing the first “quick release” flank strap, still used by used by cowboys today, according to his biography.
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Photo Supplied/Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
The late Chuck Story is one of six cowboys who Friday will be inducted into the Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 2017 Hall of Fame. The cowboys will be honored at a public ceremony at 7 p.m. July 7 at the Ogden Union Station, 2505 Wall Avenue in Ogden.
Chuck Story
An early member of the Weber County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, Chuck Story helped the organization grow to where it not only performed intricate drills at the rodeo each year, but also provided search and rescue services for Weber County and re-enacted the Pony Express ride.
In 1955, he and Earl Jones organized the Weber County Junior Posse. The posse organization is credited with helping hundreds of youth learn about horses, according to the news release.
Story served a two-year term as county commissioner, according to his biography.
He started a cutter racing association in Ogden Valley and volunteered with Ogden Pioneer Days when it was first organized, starting what is now known as the Horse and Hitch Parade. He was the grand marshal in the Pioneer Days Grand Parade of 1976.
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Photo Supplied/Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
The late Flip Harmon is one of six cowboys who Friday will be inducted into the Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 2017 Hall of Fame. The cowboys will be honored at a public ceremony at 7 p.m. July 7 at the Ogden Union Station, 2505 Wall Avenue in Ogden.
Flip Harmon
The late Flip Harmon was active in the horse world beginning in 1947, when he organized the Magna Mountain Riders. He is known for building two arenas in Magna before he died in 1997.
Harmon was chairman of the Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City from 1963 to 1997, starting the horse parade in 1965. He was president of the Days of ’47 for 30 years, starting in 1977.
“He was the driving force behind the Days of ’47,” said his biography. He received a Days of ’47 progress award in 1991 and was honored posthumously with the Quiet Pioneers of Progress Legacy Award in 2009.
His interests included belonging to the American Quarter Horse Association, according to his biography. He was elected president of the Utah State Western Riding Clubs Association, where he was named the state calf roping champion in 1964 and the men’s western pleasure champion in 1972.
He was a gold card member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, where he received the committee member of the year award in 1986, according to his biography.
Preston Nutter
A Southern Utah cattle baron from the early 20th century, Preston Nutter (1850-1936) is remembered as a rancher who supported legislation to allow careful cattle grazing on public lands, according to his biography.
Orphaned at 9, Nutter ran away from relatives who took him in and worked as a cabin boy on the Mississippi, according to his biography.
After attending business school in San Francisco, Nutter bought a small herd of mixed-breed cattle in Colorado, according to his biography, and drove them to Utah for grazing opportunities. Soon, he traded 1,000 head of his cattle for Herefords before that breed was popular..
According to his biography, many ranchers lost their herds to droughts and winters in 1886 and 1887. His cattle were spared; he wintered them near a railhead where he could ship in feed. Despite economic downturns, Nutter was able to build herds through wise business practices.
You may reach reporter JaNae Francis at jfrancis@standard.net or 801-625-4228. Follow her on Twitter at @JaNaeFrancisSE or like her on Facebook at facebook.com/SEJaNaeFrancis.