Wieghorst worked with the mounted patrol of the 7th
Cavalry Regiment of the United States Cavalry (1920-1922) with occasional
interludes as a wrangler on ranches in the western states. Wherever he went, he
sketched and painted the Western culture he loved, often selling his work as
calendar and magazine illustrations. His work appeared in Zane Grey's Western
Magazine and Hoofs and Horns, an
honor he shared with fellow cowboy artists including Daniel Cody Muller (1889–1976).[3]
In 1924, Olaf Wieghorst married Brooklyn native Mabel Walters,
In the same year, he joined the New York City Police Department (1924-1944)
where he became a Mounted
Police Officer with the Department. Due to his knowledge of
horses, he was quickly sent to the Remount Section of the Mounted Unit where he
broke and trained horses for the Unit. Wieghorst retired from the New York City
Police Department in December, 1944, and once again headed west, with Mae and
their son Roy. In 1945, Wieghorst settled in El
Cajon, California, San Diego County, California and spent the rest
of his life there working on his art. He was a self-trained artist and learned
to work with oil painting and water colors himself. Over time he became a
proficient painter and as a result, Grand Central Art Galleries chose to display his
paintings. He also painted horses and studied their nature. The most famous of
his models were Gene
Autry’s Champion and Roy Rogers’ Trigger. [4]
He appeared in two John Wayne movies in the 60's; McLintock! (1963)
and El Dorado (1966). Some of his art work was
used in the open titles sequence in the film El Dorado (1966).[5]
A retrospective of Wieghorst's work was presented at the National Cowboy
and Western Heritage Museum (1974–75). In 1985 two of his
works, The Navajo Madonna and The Navajo Man were
sold for over $1 million. He died on April 28, 1988 in La
Mesa, CA.[6]