Rod Salmond
July 1, 1942 – June 16, 2024
Photos Courtesy of Fred Vidiuk
The World Professional Chuckwagon Association is mourning the loss passing of former chuckwagon driver Rod Salmond on Sunday, June 16, 2024 at the age of 82 years.
As the grandson and great-grandson of old west stagecoach drivers from Minnesota, Rod Salmond was born to drive horse drawn vehicles.
Rod started his career racing pony chuckwagons 1971, and enjoyed a successful 17 career, winning many show championships along the way, with his most prestigious win coming at the Northwest Round-Up in Swan River, Manitoba in 1979. In 1979 with help from his father and two sisters, and along with his brothers Roger and Rene, the Salmonds staged a pony wagon race in front of 100,000 fans at the 10 day Perth Agricultural Exhibition in Perth, Australia.
After 18 seasons driving pony wagons, Rod decided to move up to driving big chuckwagons, and joined his cousin Ray Salmond in the upstart Parkland Thoroughbred Chuckwagon Association (PTCA) in 1988. He took out a permit with the Northern Professional Chuckwagon Association (NPCA – now the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA)) and drove his first race in a thoroughbred chuckwagon at Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan that year. At the same time Rod took out another permit with the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) and competed at the Big M Stampede in Morris, Manitoba in 1988 where he got hooked alongside future superstar drivers Norm Cuthbertson and Jerry Bremner.
Rod won his first show with the PTCA at the Northwest Stampede in Swan River, Manitoba in 1989, and again took out a permit with the WPCA in 1989. At the 1989 Big M Stampede, Rod got hooked with the defending Big M Stampede champion George Normand and his Majestic RV World outfit who would ultimately go on to win the World Champion Chuckwagon Championship later that year. It was one of the early thrills of Rod Salmond’s career driving big chuckwagons.
In 1990, the opportunity to go to the United States and race at the Cheyenne Frontier Days presented itself to Rod, and he decided to forego the Big M Stampede that year in order to race in Cheyenne. It was the first of what would be nine consecutive starts at the Cheyenne Frontier Days for Rod. He continued to race with the PTCA until it ceased operations after the 1991 season, at which point he joined the NPCA as a full member driver in 1992, placing 20th overall in his rookie season. The following year he placed 16th in the NPCA standings which qualified him for his first Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby in 1994.
Rod’s first trip to the Calgary Stampede in 1994 was a successful one. Over the ten day show, Rod either won or placed second in his heat eight times while amassing just 1 penalty second. He finished the show an impressive 14th overall in the aggregate standings, and won the Orville Strandquist Award as the the Rangeland Derby’s Top Rookie Driver. At 52 years old, Rod Salmond was the oldest driver to win the Top Rookie Driver at the Calgary Stampede, and its a record that still stands to this day.
Over the next few years Rod continued to be a strong competitor on the CPCA circuit, and continued to qualify for the Calgary Stampede. The 1998 season became a breakout year for Rod Salmond. He won his first show on the CPCA circuit at one of chuckwagon racing’s oldest events at the Meadow Lake Stampede. At the Calgary Stampede he posted two third place runs – his career best at the Rangeland Derby, and finished 14th in total money won. Following the Rangeland Derby, Rod captured the most prestigious victory of his career at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in a dominating performance that saw win win first place six-times in nine nights – the last year the Cheyenne Fronter Days had the chuckwagon races. He finished the 1998 season off a career best 4th place in the CPCA Standings, and qualified for the Championship Final Heat to decide the CPCA Champion.
Rod continued to compete at the Calgary Stampede until 2007 when he reached the maximum age, missing twice in 2001 and 2003, and on the CPCA circuit until 2009 and maintained a consistently fine record over that time. He was co-winner of the CPCA’s Most Improved Driver in 2003 and along with his wife Diane, the Salmond’s were the recipients of the CPCA’s Family of the Year Award in 2006. Rod won the final show of his career on the CPCA circuit at Cold Lake in 2007. In 2010 Rod joined the Western Chuckwagon Association (WCA) where he set a track record at the Teepee Creek Stampede, and ran his final race as a Chuckwagon Driver in the championship final heat of the Dawson Creek Exhibition. His finished the year off in 4th place in the WCA Standings, and wrapped up a distinguished career at the age of 68.
Rod Salmond started his career driving thoroughbred chuckwagons at an age when many chuckwagon drivers started considering retirement (46), and even then he gave the sport of Chuckwagon Racing nearly a quarter century of his life. Over the course of his 23 year career driving big chuckwagons, Rod Salmond was a well liked and well respected horseman, competitor and individual among his peers. He was a fan favorite throughout North America, and found success driving in four different chuckwagon associations. Rod took a lot of pride in the horses he trained that found success with several drivers after Rod’s competitive days were over, and he was truly an inspiration to many chuckwagon competitors, fans, and sponsors over his lengthy career.
Rod is survived by his wife of 59 years, Diane, and his sons Troy (Donna), Trent (Angie), Mark, and daughter Christy (Joe); grandchildren Riley, Justin, Stetson, Dennea, Hayden, Seth, Taegen, Taezen, and Kirsten; great- grandchildren Ivy, Isla, Harleey and John. Rod is also survived by his older sister Eleanor, and younger brothers Rene (Gayle) and Randy (Trish). He was predeceased by his infant son Dwayne, parents, Ralph and Jeannette, younger brother Roger, and younger sister Marilyn.
As per Rod’s wishes, the internment will be immediate family only, and a celebration of life will be held following the end of the racing season.
Rod will be missed by all in the WPCA, and we extend our sincere condolences to the Salmond family.
Billy Melville
