Montana’s famed ‘Storyteller in Bronze,’ Jay Contway, was paid tribute by the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame when he was awarded their highly prized Saddle of Honor.
The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame was founded on the vision of Montanans with a strong desire to honour, preserve and pass forward the values and culture of those who have made a meaningful impact to the state’s heritage. The MCHF fulfils this duty by recognizing the notable contributions, in part, of their Montana cowboys, cowgirls, American Indians, and settlers. To enhance these standards and principles, their goal is to bring new opportunity in which to pay tribute, with a prestigious award, to past inductees of the MCHF who epitomize the soul of the American West.
Contway is a famous bronze artist on both sides of the Medicine Line, whose works grace the homes of collectors and the rodeo greats as the top prize awarded by the Calgary Stampede.
Sadly, Jay is stricken with dementia, and when Gurnett announced his name, with a roar of applause the crowd stood to congratulate the artist as he was presented his award, a bronze replica of Charlie Russell’s saddle, sculpted by famed bronze artist… Jay Contway.