Ray Ostrum ~ Master Wagon Builder

WHEEL TO WHEEL | BILLY MELVILLE

Ray Ostrum

Master Wagon Builder

The invention of the chuckwagon has been attributed to Texas rancher Charles Goodnight, who introduced the concept in 1866. Goodnight modified the Studebaker wagon to suit the needs of cowboys driving cattle from Texas to New Mexico.

When it comes to the sport of chuckwagon racing, the art of making chuckwagons is not something that readily comes to the minds of fans. However, it has probably been one of the biggest evolutions that the sport has quietly improved on over the past 35 years. Because of this, Ray Ostrom of Biggar, Sask., has be able to turn his hobby into a full-time occupation.

Ray got his first taste of wagon building in the early 1960s, when he built his own pony chuckwagon to race on the local Saskatchewan circuit. Little did he know that this was the seed that would one day grow and become bigger than he ever could have imagined. He built his first Thoroughbred wagon in the early 1980s, and according to Ostrom, “it just snowballed from there.”

Ray Ostrum of Biggar, Sask., earned a welld eserved reputation as a master wagon builder

Photo Credit Billy Melville

“I don’t know if it’s a real secret (to building a good chuckwagon) per se,” says Ostrom, “but there are certain little idiosyncrasies that you should know, and I happened to figure it out.”

Unlike many of the other wagon makers, Ostrom built everything from the wheel hubs (which were usually only available from the Amish in the U.S.), the spokes and 100 per cent of the running gear. Everything else is an option above that.

Ray never thought he would see the day when four of his chuckwagons would race against each other in the same heat at the Calgary Stampede GMC Rangeland Derby. It happened for the first time in 2004, and many times since at just about every chuckwagon show. As Ray puts it, “I never ever thought it would ever happen, but it did. And it’s a feather in my hat. I never dreamt of it.”

Former World Champion Chuckwagon Driver Tyler Helmig was one of the first drivers to run a Ray Ostrom wagon. He had driven other wagon makers’ wagons but preferred those made by Ostrom. Helmig maintains that Ray’s wagons stayed “tighter,” were “well balanced” and “tracked” very nicely. He is the first to point out that Ray took the time and care and paid attention to the smallest of details.

Tyler Helmig’s Ostrum-built wagon

Photo Credit Billy Melville

“Ray took a lot of pride in what he did,” says Helmig, “and you can see it in the final product.” Today, no less than half of the drivers on the WPCA Pro Tour are running Ray Ostrom chuckwagons.

Sadly, Ray Ostrom passed away on March 29, 2019, after a brief battle with cancer, at the age of 72. He was known not only as the “Wagon Builder” but also as a master of his craft.

Billy Melville is an author, noted historian and chuckwagon colour commentator on Rural Radio (SiriusXM Ch 147) and CBC Sports. He is the grandson of Orville Strandquist.