Facebook/Friends of the Bar U
The Friends of the Bar U are asking the public for help bringing home a painting that was recently sold in error.
The painting, Bison on the Western Range, was created by local artist Corrie Buwalda and depicts the land as it may have looked before the ranch was established.
"The significance of this is that she was able to visualize the Bar U site before it was a ranch," said Friends of the Bar U director Laurie Rowe. "So she painted it when the bison were there, before the barbed wire fences even arrived."
Buwalda approached the society about the painting last year, and the Friends of the Bar U purchased it to display in the ranch’s gift shop.
"It was actually the perfect storm in all ways," said Rowe. "We had a brand new staff member, who literally had opened the store 15 minutes beforehand. The gentleman walked in and said, 'Is that for sale?'"
When the new employee checked the system, the painting was listed as available.
"It shouldn't have been in our store inventory, because when we purchased it, we had a contract for doing reproductions with it, so we could use it, say, on a placemat, or on towels for sale at the Bar U, or things like this," said Rowe. "It was still in inventory, it had not been transferred over to assets, as it should have been a year ago when we purchased it. So it was just the perfect storm, that everything added up to this gentleman walking in, and walking out with a painting that should never have left the Bar U."
The Friends of the Bar U took to Facebook shortly afterward to ask for help from locals in locating the painting and, hopefully, bringing it back.
The post states that the association’s board will provide a full refund and can even arrange to pick it up.
Rowe said it’s an unusual situation, but she’s hopeful the person who bought it will realize a mistake was made.
“It’s not a crime. It was basically sold in error, and we’d just like to bring the painting back home.”
The painting’s frame is also unique, having been handcrafted from teepee poles by another local artist, Donna Murray.
"The braiding in between the arrows on it is hand-tied and hand-braided horsehair. The braiding is by Donna Murray, she's also a well-known local artist, famous for her horsehair braiding," explained Rowe. "So the whole thing, the frame, the love that went into the frame and the artistic value and the fact that this is a visualization of what it was before. You look at this painting, and you know exactly why they wanted to homestead and create the ranch where it is."
The appeal has already gained traction, with the Facebook post shared hundreds of times over the weekend.
Anyone with information about the painting’s whereabouts is asked to contact gsmanagerbaru@gmail.com, office@friendsofthebaru.com, or one of the phone numbers listed in the Facebook post.
Rowe added a lighthearted note to the search, pointing out that the group’s president is none other than Mantracker himself, Terry Grant.
“We’ve been joking and laughing that even Mantracker needs help tracking this painting down,” she said with a laugh.
The Bar U Ranch attracted 17,000 visitors last year, and Rowe said she’d love to see that number double this year, and to have the painting there to greet everyone who walks through the door.