Charles Burton Irwin

What is now Grier Furniture, at one time also housed the Hobbs, Huckfeldt and Finkbiner Funeral home. It was from this parlor that Charles Burton Irwin was buried after dying as the result of an auto accident. I truly hope that you can enlarge this and see the detail.

One of the best sites that I've found online, not only for information about Charlie, but about all of Wyoming is http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com . It is truly worth the days one can spend exploring the site.

I found C.B.'s grave at Lakeview and made a wee page for him at Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=irwin&GScid=84061&GRid=11549782&pt=Charles%20Burton%20Irwin&&
the following is a clip showing C.B.s connection with horse trainer, Tom Smith -
http://www.washingtonthoroughbred.com/WaTbStats/HOF_Smith.htm
When the Unaweep ranch sold in 1921, Smith landed at a county fair in Wyoming where he handled all the training and shoeing of six racehorses that were used in rodeo relay races. His success at patching-up these often-sore steeds to display speed caught the eye of C. B. “Charlie” Irwin, a respected horseman and noted racing figure during the “roaring twenties.” Although his stable was perhaps the most sizeable in the country of the time, Irwin’s act, was largely of the circus variety, and his cast of characters traveled North America by rail. A mountain of a man, “Ten Ton” Irwin, as he was known to associates, was also a noted raconteur and promoter; sort of a cowboy P. T. Barnum. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Jones would opine years later that “the minute [a man] got any money, Irwin would rob him of it. He was an old racketeer.” Tom Smith was hired as Irwin’s assistant trainer and blacksmith in 1923, positions he would hold for 10 years. Before he would train Irwin’s better horses, Smith was first tasked with patching-up old cow ponies for cavalry charges and Indian chases for Irwin’s wild west show.
These were tough times for Smith, who was sleeping on a cot in a horse stall and now caretaker and farrier for upwards of 50 head. Irwin worked his horses as hard as his help, often racing them every other day. As he nursed their maladies, Smith would concentrate on learning from the rag-tag lot, while Irwin was racking up the wins and being credited as the nation’s leading trainer. Irwin led the nation in Thoroughbred wins in 1923 (147) and 1930 (92). In the early 1930s, Irwin sent Smith with a string of horses to train on his own in Cheyenne. He won 29 races from 30 starts, which surely must have been a record of some sort, had such records been kept. Shortly thereafter, Irwin sent his top runners with Smith to race at Longacres. Smith would train at the Renton, Washington, oval during that track’s first four seasons. In March 1934, Irwin died in an automobile accident and Smith wound up in Seattle on his own. He trained for Mrs. C. B. Irwin the rest of that year and the next.

there is much much more about this man to be found and posted. I am absolutely fascinated by him and am currently reading a book written about him by Anna Lee Waldo - titled Prairie. She is the same author that wrote Sacajawea. I am enjoying the book and will be posting much more info about "Charlie".. who is probably responsible for rodeo being as famous as it is from Coast to Coast.

Charlie was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1907. I imagine there was some dilemma in choosing the category. Champion roper, horse breeder and trainer, rancher, cowboy and friend to "powerful people". At one time, Charlie was the foreman on the I-M ranch, owned by John Coble and one of the cowboys under his command was Tom Horn. Charles and John Coble are darned near toe to toe in the Lakeview Cemetery. The house which C. B. bought for his wife, Etta, in town was or is located at 2712 Pioneer- I have not gone exploring in that direction yet. I will soon and of course, I'll bring back photos. :)