Orville was a seventy-six-year-old walking encyclopedia filled with historical knowledge of The Calgary Stampede, and he wanted to share with it all with Jay. In his seven-decade career, Orville participated in numerous rodeo events, was a sought-after outrider, and was one of the greatest all-around chuckwagon competitors, racing for over fifty years. Orville ran one of the most recognizable chuckwagon designs: the playing card symbols. His wagon design was retired by The Calgary Stampede in 1992. In addition to his successes at Calgary, Orville won dozens of show championships throughout his career.

Orville became the first chuckwagon driver to be honored with the prestigious Guy Weadick Award in 1985. In 1992, The Stampede created the Orville Strandquist Award, presented annually to the top rookie driver.

“Orville came and made himself acquainted with me years before he ever sat for me as a model. In the beginning I did not know he was a wagon driver. We talked about art, horses, and cowboys. Orville was a very good aspiring artist in his own right. We had a long friendship. He was so happy when I made the bust of him that he wanted to give me a gift. He took the first prize he ever won as a wagon driver, a rusty old shot-gun, stuck it in a barrel of oats, and headed down to Cheyenne Frontier Days. A fellow called me from a local gas station and told me come pick up a package a Canadian had left there for me. The gun was a treasure to Orville, a valuable gift to me.“

– Jay Contway