Information in this article was gathered and collected by the Bonnyville Museum’s supervisor and museum technician Danna Kamaleddine. Ray Croteau’s original chuckwagon can be viewed at the Bonnyville Museum during its regular hours of operation.
BONNYVILLE – It sits quietly behind glass at the Bonnyville and District Museum, but the iconic rainbow chuckwagon driven by the late Ray Croteau and eventually his son and grandson, saw its fair share of action in its hay day.
The famous Spirit of Bonnyville chuckwagon, most recognizable by its rainbow exterior, is on display for the community to see and read about its vibrant history and the impact the man holding the reins had on the community.
The chuckwagon was ridden by Ray Croteau, whose racing career began in 1967 with the Northern Chuckwagon Racing Association.
From there, Ray and his son Bert and grandson Rae Jr., were the first family to have all three generations qualify for the Calgary Stampede final four dash.
Ray competed in the Calgary Stampede from 1979 to 1997 and finished competing at the age of 69.
That same year they put in place new age rules and restrictions stating that nobody over the age of 65 was allowed to compete.
This was not the reason Ray decided to retire from his Chuckwagon racing career. It also did not stop the next generation of Croteaus from continuing the family's chuckwagon legacy, as Rae was not yet ready to put the legacy rainbow chuckwagon to rest.
Rae Croteau Jr. took over as he wanted to keep his father and grandfather's tradition alive a bit longer. He continued the racing family tradition until he retired in 2017 at the age of 34.
Because of Ray Croteau's impact over the years, locally and around Alberta, to honour him and all of his accomplishments, the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo and Chuckwagon Association named the local rodeo the Spirit of Bonnyville in 2018.
In 2022, the iconic rainbow chuckwagon was placed at the Bonnyville Museum with all the history, photos and memories for everyone to come and enjoy.
That same year, Rae Jr. left retirement after a six-year break and returned to the World Professional Chuckwagon Association circuit.
He would finish in fifth spot in the 2022 driver standings, and earlier this month Rae Jr. finished in second place at the Bonnyville chuckwagon races. Rae Jr. now resides in Rapid View, Sask.
