Wyoming Wrangles With Postal Service

The silhouette of a bucking horse, a hat-waving cowboy on its back, has been Wyoming’s registered trademark since the 1970s. But its use by the state goes back almost a century.

The Wyoming National Guard carried the symbol when it marched off to World War I. It has been on state license plates since 1936. It is the logo of the University of Wyoming.

So when a bucking horse, a hat-waving cowboy on its back, appeared on Montana’s stamp in a 50-state U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp series, Wyoming felt like rustlers had hit.

Secretary of State Joe Meyer filed an objection with Karla W. Corcoran, inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service.

“Using the Wyoming Bucking Horse & Rider trademark on a Montana stamp makes about as much sense as using the Texas Lone Star on a Louisiana stamp,” Meyer protested.

The “Greetings From America” series, which is modeled after 1940s-era postcards, is scheduled for release in April. Each stamp has a colorful illustration and says “Greetings from . . . “ followed by the name of the state.

Meyer said Thursday that state officials asked the Postal Service several times to use the bucking horse and rider for Wyoming’s stamp but never heard back from the agency.

“We didn’t know they were going to use it for some other state,” he said. “We cannot let a use by someone else occur without raising the objection that it’s ours.”

It is not the first time Meyer has ridden to the rescue of Wyoming’s cowboy symbol. He has threatened a handful of colleges and universities for using similar logos. In August, he persuaded McNeese State University, in Lake Charles, La., to alter its bucking horse and rider logo to reduce a resemblance to Wyoming’s.

Gayle Shirley, spokeswoman for Montana Secretary of State Bob Brown, said that after previewing the stamps on the Internet she can understand Meyer’s concern. But she noted the decision was not Montana’s.

“Certainly if we had anything to do with the decision, we would have recognized the strong association people would have with Wyoming when they see the bucking horse and rider,” she said. “We’re sorry things reached this stage without getting resolved.”

Meyer agreed his showdown is with the Postal Service, not Montana. But he doesn’t want the Postal Service to scrap the stamp. Nor does he want the logo on Wyoming’s stamp.

He wants money--ideally the 7.5% royalty charged to those who sell items bearing the logo.

“If they want to come in and make an offer because they don’t know how many stamps they’re going to sell, I will be satisfied,” Meyer said.

Al DeSarro, spokesman for the Postal Service’s Western regional office in Denver, questions Meyer’s claim that the stamp constitutes a misuse of Wyoming’s trademark.

“It isn’t the same symbol,” he said. “It’s just a similar image.”

DeSarro said all the stamps were designed under independent contract by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Ariz., and were illustrated by Lonnie Busch of Franklin, N.C. Sheaff referred all questions Friday to the Postal Service.