Mountain Trail

Additional Information

Olaf Wieghorst was born in Denmark but was fascinated with the American West ever since he snuck into a “Wild West” circus at the age of 12. He managed to get a job as a cabin boy on a steamship headed to New York City and arrived in the United States in 1918. Early on, he recognized the importance of becoming a U.S. citizen and joined the army to do so. He was assigned to the 5th Cavalry and patrolled the U.S./Mexican border. He returned to New York City and worked as a police officer where he was assigned to the horse-mounted division and patrolled Central Park. In 1924, Wieghorst was married and then, in 1945, he moved his family to the El Cajon Valley in Southern California where they lived for the next forty years. He built a studio and started to focus on his painting career.

Wieghorst’s love of horses carried through to his paintings and along with equine work, he also became known for paintings of adobes, landscapes, cowboys, Native Americans and landscapes. He was known for bringing a beauty to the ordinary events of the West, campfires, cattle drives, stage coaches and trail rides. Among the famous horses Wieghorst painted were Gene Autry’s Champion, Tom Morgan’s stallion and Roy Rogers’ Trigger. He also appeared in two Western movies alongside John Wayne and had his paintings hung in the White House.

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