Medicine Bow Officials Discuss Placement of High School Mural

APRIL 16, 2025|

Photo – Clifford Smith poses with tile mural – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99

Medicine Bow officials want to display the old high school’s mascot in town. The question is: where?

In 1969, the Medicine Bow High School student body hired the town’s postmaster, Ellen Smith, to create a mural of the school’s mascot: The Medicine Bow Wrangler. The six-by-four-foot tile mural depicts a cowboy wearing a red vest, red chaps, and a large black hat. Every piece of the mural is hand cut from linoleum tile.

The high school was closed in the late 90’s due to a lack of students. Before the building was scheduled to be demolished, Ellen Smith’s sons, Clifford and Toby Smith, cut the Wrangler mural out of the school’s floor. Clifford Smith is still in possession of the 56-year-old mural.

Last July, Smith approached the governing body with a proposal to display the former high school mascot somewhere in town. However, the mural’s size and weight limits where it can be placed.

During Monday’s Medicine Bow town council meeting, resident and Rural Health Care District member Kay Embree mentioned that Clifford Smith would still like to donate the Wrangler mural to the town.

Embree suggested displaying the mascot in the community center, where it would be visible from outside the building.

Mayor Justin George said the Wrangler is too heavy to store on the second floor of the community center. Mayor George said he is considering displaying the mural outside the town hall and the former marshal’s department. The Wrangler will need to be fully enclosed to protect it from the weather and to discourage people from touching the mural.

Mayor George said a Medicine Bow resident volunteered the services of two aircraft engineers to build a water and weatherproof enclosure for the Wrangler mural. However, the project has apparently stalled.

Kay Embree said the Medicine Bow Museum has offered to take possession of the high school mascot, but the location suggested by the museum is not ideal for the tile mural.

Mayor George said the town hall appears to be the best place to display the Wrangler. Creating a sturdy enclosure to house the mural will be the most difficult aspect of the project.

Embree said Clifford Smith mentioned the tiles are likely made of asbestos, meaning the public must be prevented from touching the mural.

Additionally, Embree said she would like to secure the pennants from inside the shuttered high school. Mayor George explained the pennants hold significant historical value for Medicine Bow. The mayor said he has tried to contact the owner of the property to inquire about retrieving the pennants, but they can no longer be reached.

Mayor George said the property may change hands. Someone has been paying the property taxes on the property and may take ownership of the building. If that occurs, the mayor said he would retrieve the pennants.

Mayor George said the new owner must contact him to settle the $2,000 lien the town has against the property for unpaid water bills. Town Treasurer and Clerk Karen Heath said the new owner has asked to reduce the lien amount.

Mayor George reported the new property owner has not attempted to contact him. Treasurer Heath suggested the lack of communication may indicate the sale has been cancelled.

Back to the subject of the Wrangler, the mayor said the mascot could be displayed either on the ground floor of the community center or in the town hall. Embree said the mural will be more visible inside the community center.

Mayor George instructed Public Works Director Brian Lashley to contact the mural’s owner, Clifford Smith, and work on constructing a frame to house the Wrangler. The mayor assured the public that the mascot is still an important part of Medicine Bow’s history.