Paul Colt's Blog, page 5
November 24, 2024
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede bills itself as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. Lofty claim they seem to back up. Today the modern show features one of the largest rodeos on the circuit complete with chuck wagon races, stage shows, parade, vibrant First Nations celebrations, and the ever popular midway. The ten day celebration of western lifestyle extravaganza each July draws more than a million visitors to Calgary Alberta. It wasn’t always that way.
Stampede roots go back to 1886, when Calgary held its first agricultural show and fair. Rodeo, billed as a Stampede, joined the party in 1912. The next stampede had to wait for 1919’s Victory Stampede, in honor of soldiers returning from WWI. The event became annual in 1923.
The Calgary Stampede came into a golden age in the 1950’s, attracting star power with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby serving as parade marshals. Not to be out done Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made the first of two visits to the Stampede in 1959. The Queen returned to open the Stampede in 1973.
Attendance records were broken year after year in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, topping the million mark for the first time in 1968. Financial success attended growth in attendance and popularity of the event. Success funded continual efforts to upgrade facilities and expand Stampede park. Throughout growth and expansion, the Calgary Stampede maintained its western heritage celebration even as the community left its agricultural and ranching roots with the discovery of oil. Wealth followed oil to finance further growth and expansion.
Today the Calgary Stampede occupies a place of prominence on the professional rodeo circuit on par with the likes of The Houston Stock Show and Rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days and even the PRCA National Finals Rodeo. Calgary draws the best rodeo has to offer in terms of contestants and livestock. They make the Calgary Stampede one of the greatest outdoor shows on earth and bucket list must for rodeo fans everywhere.
Next Week: Randolph Scott, the ‘30’s.
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Ride easy,
Paul
Stampede roots go back to 1886, when Calgary held its first agricultural show and fair. Rodeo, billed as a Stampede, joined the party in 1912. The next stampede had to wait for 1919’s Victory Stampede, in honor of soldiers returning from WWI. The event became annual in 1923.
The Calgary Stampede came into a golden age in the 1950’s, attracting star power with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby serving as parade marshals. Not to be out done Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made the first of two visits to the Stampede in 1959. The Queen returned to open the Stampede in 1973.
Attendance records were broken year after year in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, topping the million mark for the first time in 1968. Financial success attended growth in attendance and popularity of the event. Success funded continual efforts to upgrade facilities and expand Stampede park. Throughout growth and expansion, the Calgary Stampede maintained its western heritage celebration even as the community left its agricultural and ranching roots with the discovery of oil. Wealth followed oil to finance further growth and expansion.
Today the Calgary Stampede occupies a place of prominence on the professional rodeo circuit on par with the likes of The Houston Stock Show and Rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days and even the PRCA National Finals Rodeo. Calgary draws the best rodeo has to offer in terms of contestants and livestock. They make the Calgary Stampede one of the greatest outdoor shows on earth and bucket list must for rodeo fans everywhere.
Next Week: Randolph Scott, the ‘30’s.
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
November 17, 2024
Steamboat
Start researching the iconic bucking horse Steamboat and next thing you come to is a legend as iconic than the horse … a license plate. The plate of course identifies the State of Wyoming, with a legend all its own. Let’s start with the horse.
Steamboat was the quintessential bucking horse. You know the old bromide, ‘Never a horse that couldn’t be rode …’ Well, the black gelding with three white socks came pretty close. Get on him, and pretty sure you became, ‘a cowboy couldn’t be throwed.’ He bucked violently. Sunfish on a horizontal plane. Land stiff legged. Launch with a twist, forelegs gone one way, hind the other. Go ahead. Stay on. It’s only eight seconds. Not many did. They called him ‘steamboat’ for a whistling sound he made courtesy of a broken nose. Night train might a worked too.
Steamboat made his way to Cheyenne Frontier Days from the Tyrrell ranch courtesy of rodeo general chairman Ace V. Tyrrell. Legend has it the Wyoming license plate image is that of Clayton Danks who rode Steamboat at the 1909 Frontier Days Rodeo. Legend has it. Steamboat is buried in Frontier Park near the bucking chute he made famous, the only livestock competitor ever to be so honored. Steamboat was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1975 and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame at Colorado Springs in 1979.
Now about the license plate. The Bucking Horse and Rider emblem owes its origin to WWI military design. It all started when 1st Sgt. George Ostrom who, with the help of a procurement officer, finagled army ‘enlistment’ for a Crow Agency Montana horse he owned called Red Wing. Red Wing caught the eye of the unit commander who selected him for his mount. All went well until unit mascots entered the parade ground. A pair of bears set Red Wing to bucking. No report on unit commander dignity. The image stayed with Ostrom who had some obvious artistic talent, winning a design contest for an emblem to signify Wyoming units among the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe.
Enter the University of Wyoming Athletic Department. In 1921 the ‘Cowboys’ (and girls) adopted a bucking horse and rider emblem for their uniforms. The image, possibly based on a third horse, Deadman eclipsed Ostrom’s Red Wing to become the icon we admire today. In 1935 Wyoming adopted the image for its official license plate and the legend of Steamboat was born.
Next Week: Calgary Stampede
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
Steamboat was the quintessential bucking horse. You know the old bromide, ‘Never a horse that couldn’t be rode …’ Well, the black gelding with three white socks came pretty close. Get on him, and pretty sure you became, ‘a cowboy couldn’t be throwed.’ He bucked violently. Sunfish on a horizontal plane. Land stiff legged. Launch with a twist, forelegs gone one way, hind the other. Go ahead. Stay on. It’s only eight seconds. Not many did. They called him ‘steamboat’ for a whistling sound he made courtesy of a broken nose. Night train might a worked too.
Steamboat made his way to Cheyenne Frontier Days from the Tyrrell ranch courtesy of rodeo general chairman Ace V. Tyrrell. Legend has it the Wyoming license plate image is that of Clayton Danks who rode Steamboat at the 1909 Frontier Days Rodeo. Legend has it. Steamboat is buried in Frontier Park near the bucking chute he made famous, the only livestock competitor ever to be so honored. Steamboat was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1975 and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame at Colorado Springs in 1979.
Now about the license plate. The Bucking Horse and Rider emblem owes its origin to WWI military design. It all started when 1st Sgt. George Ostrom who, with the help of a procurement officer, finagled army ‘enlistment’ for a Crow Agency Montana horse he owned called Red Wing. Red Wing caught the eye of the unit commander who selected him for his mount. All went well until unit mascots entered the parade ground. A pair of bears set Red Wing to bucking. No report on unit commander dignity. The image stayed with Ostrom who had some obvious artistic talent, winning a design contest for an emblem to signify Wyoming units among the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe.
Enter the University of Wyoming Athletic Department. In 1921 the ‘Cowboys’ (and girls) adopted a bucking horse and rider emblem for their uniforms. The image, possibly based on a third horse, Deadman eclipsed Ostrom’s Red Wing to become the icon we admire today. In 1935 Wyoming adopted the image for its official license plate and the legend of Steamboat was born.
Next Week: Calgary Stampede
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
November 10, 2024
Once Upon a Pair of Bulls
This tale of two bulls borders on fairy ‘tail.’ It begins with 007 a 1,700# red brindle Brama-Herford cross called Red Rock. Red for the color and rock for the muscle pack he bunched before busting out of the chute. Some say the name came from a rock formation on his home ranch, but 309 riders he tossed over the course of his career while never giving up a qualified ride, might buy the former explanation.
He was a remarkable competitor to say the least. Bulls are strong. Some are fast. Some are smart. Red Rock laid claim to all three. A gentle soul in the pasture, you could put a child on his back. In the chute he knew his business, sensing what the rider would do. Few made it past his first jump and spin. With the would be rider bucked off, Red Rock would turn to the pen and trot off finished, occasionally preceded by a victory lap around the arena. He retired in 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the year, unridden at age eleven. This is where the fairy ‘tail’ begins.
As you may recall, PRCA’s World Champion Bull Rider in 1987 was Lane Frost, previously profiled in this series. Red Rock came out of retirement in 1988 for a Challenge of Champions, seven round match between Red Rock and Frost. Frost won the match riding Red Rock in four of the seven ‘outs’ (out of the chute). You’ll also recall the following year 1989, Lane Frost was thrown, hooked by a horn and died while competing at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Fast forward to the National Finals Rodeo that year.
Enter our second all time great bull, Mr. T. Another 1,700#er Mr. T was considered one of the meanest toughest bulls ever to grace the sport from a bucking chute. Like Red Rock, Mr. T spent much of his career unridden, though three cowboys earned qualified rides. Marty Staneart set the arena record in Cheyenne on him at 93 points. Ty Murry and Raymond Wessel also got their :08 money’s worth, before Murry went ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
Which brings us to the 1989 NFR. Jim Sharp needed one more qualified ride to win the World Championship. He drew Mr. T. The fairy stepped in. Mr. T threw Sharp, giving the title to Tuff Hedeman, Lane Frost’s traveling partner. Hedeman took the title with a second :08 added on in tribute to Frost. NFR held a memorial for Lane Frost that year. Red Rock came out of retirement to attend. In turn, Mr. T retired, joining Red Rock as happily ever after, pasture pals. The End.
Next Week: Steamboat
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
He was a remarkable competitor to say the least. Bulls are strong. Some are fast. Some are smart. Red Rock laid claim to all three. A gentle soul in the pasture, you could put a child on his back. In the chute he knew his business, sensing what the rider would do. Few made it past his first jump and spin. With the would be rider bucked off, Red Rock would turn to the pen and trot off finished, occasionally preceded by a victory lap around the arena. He retired in 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the year, unridden at age eleven. This is where the fairy ‘tail’ begins.
As you may recall, PRCA’s World Champion Bull Rider in 1987 was Lane Frost, previously profiled in this series. Red Rock came out of retirement in 1988 for a Challenge of Champions, seven round match between Red Rock and Frost. Frost won the match riding Red Rock in four of the seven ‘outs’ (out of the chute). You’ll also recall the following year 1989, Lane Frost was thrown, hooked by a horn and died while competing at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Fast forward to the National Finals Rodeo that year.
Enter our second all time great bull, Mr. T. Another 1,700#er Mr. T was considered one of the meanest toughest bulls ever to grace the sport from a bucking chute. Like Red Rock, Mr. T spent much of his career unridden, though three cowboys earned qualified rides. Marty Staneart set the arena record in Cheyenne on him at 93 points. Ty Murry and Raymond Wessel also got their :08 money’s worth, before Murry went ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
Which brings us to the 1989 NFR. Jim Sharp needed one more qualified ride to win the World Championship. He drew Mr. T. The fairy stepped in. Mr. T threw Sharp, giving the title to Tuff Hedeman, Lane Frost’s traveling partner. Hedeman took the title with a second :08 added on in tribute to Frost. NFR held a memorial for Lane Frost that year. Red Rock came out of retirement to attend. In turn, Mr. T retired, joining Red Rock as happily ever after, pasture pals. The End.
Next Week: Steamboat
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Ride easy,
Paul
November 3, 2024
Frontier Days 'Fandango'
Sally Rand performed at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1935. Not generally known for breathtaking attire, she arrived wearing a stunning white buckskin outfit the rodeo committee was so impressed they made it tradition. Cheyenne’s Miss Frontier rodeo queen wears white buckskin. The outfit evolved over the years that followed with styles and tastes of the queens who wore them, but white buckskin remained the signature look.
Sally Rand was better known for white ostrich feathers than buckskin, she used those feathers in the act she took to Cheyenne’s entertainment stage. Her famous fan dance performed fanciful illusions between fans to the accompaniment of Clair de Lune. The dance made its first appearance at the Paramount Club in Chicago and later gained notoriety at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, where her act, illusion or not, ruffled the feathers of decency for an arrest or two. No convictions resulted as the judge, after examining the evidence, decided he liked the show.
Rand’s career was colorful to say the least. She got her start in showbiz early, performing as a chorus girl at thirteen. She worked her way to Hollywood in part performing as an acrobat in Ringling Brothers Barnum & Baily Circus. In Hollywood she caught on in silent films where none other than Cecil B. DeMille came up with her stage name inspired by Rand McNally’s Road Atlas. The name stuck in more ways than one.
A deceptive football play called ‘Sally Rand’ borrowed her moniker. It featured a run fake flowing in one direction while the ball carrier, usually the quarterback carried the ball in the opposite direction without blockers on what some to this day call a naked reverse. Sally had her moments on the small screen too, appearing on 1950’s game shows, ‘What’s My Line?’ and ‘To Tell the Truth,’ using her given name Helen Beck. Neither panel was stumped.
A brief romantic fling with Charles Lindbergh made for a life long interest in flying. She earned her pilot’s license and flew herself to performances crisscrossing the country. Deeply in debt, Rand died of congestive heart failure in 1979. Sammy Davis Jr. paid her final expenses.
Next Week: Full of Bulls
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Ride easy,
Paul
Sally Rand was better known for white ostrich feathers than buckskin, she used those feathers in the act she took to Cheyenne’s entertainment stage. Her famous fan dance performed fanciful illusions between fans to the accompaniment of Clair de Lune. The dance made its first appearance at the Paramount Club in Chicago and later gained notoriety at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, where her act, illusion or not, ruffled the feathers of decency for an arrest or two. No convictions resulted as the judge, after examining the evidence, decided he liked the show.
Rand’s career was colorful to say the least. She got her start in showbiz early, performing as a chorus girl at thirteen. She worked her way to Hollywood in part performing as an acrobat in Ringling Brothers Barnum & Baily Circus. In Hollywood she caught on in silent films where none other than Cecil B. DeMille came up with her stage name inspired by Rand McNally’s Road Atlas. The name stuck in more ways than one.
A deceptive football play called ‘Sally Rand’ borrowed her moniker. It featured a run fake flowing in one direction while the ball carrier, usually the quarterback carried the ball in the opposite direction without blockers on what some to this day call a naked reverse. Sally had her moments on the small screen too, appearing on 1950’s game shows, ‘What’s My Line?’ and ‘To Tell the Truth,’ using her given name Helen Beck. Neither panel was stumped.
A brief romantic fling with Charles Lindbergh made for a life long interest in flying. She earned her pilot’s license and flew herself to performances crisscrossing the country. Deeply in debt, Rand died of congestive heart failure in 1979. Sammy Davis Jr. paid her final expenses.
Next Week: Full of Bulls
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
October 27, 2024
Chris LeDoux
Chris LeDoux credits his rodeo career to Cheyenne Frontier Days. Might ought a credit his music career that way too. LeDoux’s Frontier Days credits begin when his family moved to Cheyenne while Chris was in high school. He attended Cheyenne Central High School. Competing in high school rodeo bareback bronc riding he twice won the Wyoming State Rodeo Championship in that event. From there he went on to win the Intercollegiate National bareback riding title as a Junior at Eastern New Mexico University. In 1970 he joined PRCA and turned pro.
What do you do traveling the pro rodeo circuit to defray expenses? Write songs. Cut tapes and sell them out the back of your pick-up between events. Actually, his introduction to music started with a family booth below the Frontier Days grandstands. He made it to Cheyenne as a contestant in 1974, realizing a boyhood dream of competing in the ‘Daddy of ‘em All. Along the way he became the only person to participate in and perform for crowds at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In 1976 he won world championship honors with its coveted gold buckle at the National Finals Rodeo. He hung up his spurs in 1980, moving his family to a ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming.
Music followed Chris into retirement. He played concerts accompanied by a mechanical bull he rode between songs. In 1989 his work caught the eye, or should we say ear of Garth Brooks. Following a duet with Brooks Chris LeDoux found his place on the country music walk of fame. His vocal collaboration with Brooks was honored with Grammy a nomination in 1992 and similar recognition by the Academy of Country Music. Thirty six albums later, two gold, one platinum, earned him ACM’s Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award.
Chris LeDoux was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 2005, the only person so honored in two categories, bareback bronc riding and notable music entertainer. He died of cancer that same year. The sculpture titled Good Ride Cowboy stands in a memorial park in Kaycee Wyoming dedicated to his honor. Good ride indeed.
Next Week: Cheyenne Frontier Days ‘Fan…dango’
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Ride easy,
Paul
What do you do traveling the pro rodeo circuit to defray expenses? Write songs. Cut tapes and sell them out the back of your pick-up between events. Actually, his introduction to music started with a family booth below the Frontier Days grandstands. He made it to Cheyenne as a contestant in 1974, realizing a boyhood dream of competing in the ‘Daddy of ‘em All. Along the way he became the only person to participate in and perform for crowds at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In 1976 he won world championship honors with its coveted gold buckle at the National Finals Rodeo. He hung up his spurs in 1980, moving his family to a ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming.
Music followed Chris into retirement. He played concerts accompanied by a mechanical bull he rode between songs. In 1989 his work caught the eye, or should we say ear of Garth Brooks. Following a duet with Brooks Chris LeDoux found his place on the country music walk of fame. His vocal collaboration with Brooks was honored with Grammy a nomination in 1992 and similar recognition by the Academy of Country Music. Thirty six albums later, two gold, one platinum, earned him ACM’s Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award.
Chris LeDoux was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 2005, the only person so honored in two categories, bareback bronc riding and notable music entertainer. He died of cancer that same year. The sculpture titled Good Ride Cowboy stands in a memorial park in Kaycee Wyoming dedicated to his honor. Good ride indeed.
Next Week: Cheyenne Frontier Days ‘Fan…dango’
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
October 20, 2024
National Treasure Icons
Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo is a national treasure for giving the sport of rodeo roots. The history of this iconic event led to a list of stars, those with two legs and some with four. The stories of these stars deserve their own telling so let’s spend a couple of posts or a few on some of the more interesting. To illustrate the point, we’ll start with bulldogger Bill Pickett.
Bill Pickett was born in Williamson County Texas in 1870, a generation removed from slavery. The whereabouts of Jenks Branch, the community where Pickett was born, is best left to GPS location. Pickett left grammar school to ranch hand. Ranch work led to … his calling.
Bill Pickett’s claim to fame? He invented ‘bulldogging,’ forerunner to the event we now know as steer wrestling. What’s the difference? Pickett didn’t grab the bull by the horns. He grabbed the bull by the neck, twisting the animal’s snout to his, enabling him to bite the startled critter’s lip until it stopped in its tracks and dropped to the ground. The run ended with Pickett raising his arms like a tie down roper, holding the steer subdued on the ground with only his teeth. Really.
In 1905 Picket took his act to Cheyenne Frontier Days as part of the famed 101 Ranch Rodeo. The sport of bulldogging was born. Cowboys competed in the event for several years using Pickett’s ‘lip-lock’ technique until some clever soul decided grabbing the bull by the horns worked better than a snoot full of … snot. With that innovation bulldogging became steer wrestling as we know it today.
The 101 Ranch Rodeo claimed more than Bill Pickett to its fame. Buffalo Bill Cody came along for the ride along with the likes of Will Rogers, Tom Mix, and other notables of the time. Pickett continued his rodeo career until retiring from the ranch wild west show. He died in 1932, after being kicked in the head by a bronc. He is buried on the 101 Ranch in Texas.
Bill Pickett was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1971 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. In 1989 he was recognized by induction into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Still waiting for some hall of fame to induct his dentist. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo tours the country recognizing the achievements and contributions of Black cowboys.
Next Week: Chris LeDoux
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
Bill Pickett was born in Williamson County Texas in 1870, a generation removed from slavery. The whereabouts of Jenks Branch, the community where Pickett was born, is best left to GPS location. Pickett left grammar school to ranch hand. Ranch work led to … his calling.
Bill Pickett’s claim to fame? He invented ‘bulldogging,’ forerunner to the event we now know as steer wrestling. What’s the difference? Pickett didn’t grab the bull by the horns. He grabbed the bull by the neck, twisting the animal’s snout to his, enabling him to bite the startled critter’s lip until it stopped in its tracks and dropped to the ground. The run ended with Pickett raising his arms like a tie down roper, holding the steer subdued on the ground with only his teeth. Really.
In 1905 Picket took his act to Cheyenne Frontier Days as part of the famed 101 Ranch Rodeo. The sport of bulldogging was born. Cowboys competed in the event for several years using Pickett’s ‘lip-lock’ technique until some clever soul decided grabbing the bull by the horns worked better than a snoot full of … snot. With that innovation bulldogging became steer wrestling as we know it today.
The 101 Ranch Rodeo claimed more than Bill Pickett to its fame. Buffalo Bill Cody came along for the ride along with the likes of Will Rogers, Tom Mix, and other notables of the time. Pickett continued his rodeo career until retiring from the ranch wild west show. He died in 1932, after being kicked in the head by a bronc. He is buried on the 101 Ranch in Texas.
Bill Pickett was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1971 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. In 1989 he was recognized by induction into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Still waiting for some hall of fame to induct his dentist. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo tours the country recognizing the achievements and contributions of Black cowboys.
Next Week: Chris LeDoux
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
October 13, 2024
Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo
Cheyenne Frontier Days, ‘Daddy of ‘em All,’ owes its start to Frederick Angier, Union Pacific ticket agent in Cheyenne. In 1890 he got the idea for a frontier days celebration to draw passengers out of Denver. One hundred thirty-four colorful years later you have one of the world’s iconic redoes. Some history let me tell you.
The first Frontier Days featured a sham battle staged by the U.S. Army 8th Infantry under Captain William Pitcher who had temporary command while the commanding general was out on maneuvers. The Captain and his men put on quite a show while the boss was away and without War Department authorization. Still Frontier Days’ historic military tradition was born.
The following year Frontier Days went big time when Buffalo Bill Cody brought his Wild West Show to town for the first of several Frontier Days performances. Cody’s Wild West featured dramatic reenactment performances with cowboys, a band of Sioux showcasing tribal culture, along with events soon to become rodeo tradition. The parade beginning the show included the original Cheyenne to Deadwood stagecoach. Know that one well. Have held it up a couple of times in my books.
What do you do with a frontier park when you’re not hosting frontier days? Use it for an aerodrome. That’s what they called ‘em before they were ‘ports.’ Aeroplanes were a spectator curiosity in 1911 when Guy Stoddard attempted to fly a home built wonder out of frontier field. The exhibition never got off the ground back then. A little later that year race car driver Harold Brinker flew his plane out of frontier park and continued to use it as an airfield until 1913.
There’s plenty more history when it comes to Cheyenne Frontier Days. That rodeo has given us iconic stars with two legs and four. Last week we profiled the life and times of bull rider Lane Frost, who tragically lost his life competing at Cheyenne. Frontier Days has a museum dedicated to the history of this rodeo national treasure.
Next week we’ll take a look at some of the stars memorialized in the lore that is the Daddy of ‘em All.
Next Week: Icons of a National Treasure
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
The first Frontier Days featured a sham battle staged by the U.S. Army 8th Infantry under Captain William Pitcher who had temporary command while the commanding general was out on maneuvers. The Captain and his men put on quite a show while the boss was away and without War Department authorization. Still Frontier Days’ historic military tradition was born.
The following year Frontier Days went big time when Buffalo Bill Cody brought his Wild West Show to town for the first of several Frontier Days performances. Cody’s Wild West featured dramatic reenactment performances with cowboys, a band of Sioux showcasing tribal culture, along with events soon to become rodeo tradition. The parade beginning the show included the original Cheyenne to Deadwood stagecoach. Know that one well. Have held it up a couple of times in my books.
What do you do with a frontier park when you’re not hosting frontier days? Use it for an aerodrome. That’s what they called ‘em before they were ‘ports.’ Aeroplanes were a spectator curiosity in 1911 when Guy Stoddard attempted to fly a home built wonder out of frontier field. The exhibition never got off the ground back then. A little later that year race car driver Harold Brinker flew his plane out of frontier park and continued to use it as an airfield until 1913.
There’s plenty more history when it comes to Cheyenne Frontier Days. That rodeo has given us iconic stars with two legs and four. Last week we profiled the life and times of bull rider Lane Frost, who tragically lost his life competing at Cheyenne. Frontier Days has a museum dedicated to the history of this rodeo national treasure.
Next week we’ll take a look at some of the stars memorialized in the lore that is the Daddy of ‘em All.
Next Week: Icons of a National Treasure
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
October 6, 2024
8 Seconds
8 Seconds is a contemporary western, biographical film chronicling the life of bull riding legend Lane Frost. While the film is an excellent tribute to a rodeo star, there is more to Frost’s legacy than film would allow. His contributions to the sport and friendships with traveling partners Tuff Hedeman and Cody Lambert exemplify the qualities that make rodeo so special.
Lane Frost grew up riding bulls, starting with calves around age six. He turned pro after graduating high school in 1982, qualifying for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) four years later in 1986. The following year at the NFR he became PRCA World Champion bull rider at age 24. He would return to the NFR each year for the next five years. As you may recall, competitors qualify for the NFR by being one of the top fifteen money winners for the year in their event.
The film follows Frosts professional career with a focus on something called the Challenge of Champions. In 1988 the Challenge matched Frost against Red Rock, 1987 PRCA Bull of the Year, unridden in 309 attempts. Frost and Red Rock would go one on one through seven showdown rides at selected rodeos across the west. Frost, the only man ever to ride Red Rock, did so in four of seven attempts. The only footnote – they brought the Red Rock out of retirement for the Challenge, though he was only one season removed from retiring undefeated.
The following year 1989, found Frost matched against a rank Brama, Takin’ Care of Business at the ‘Daddy of ‘em All’, Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Cheyenne Wyoming. Frost rode the bull to a muddy dismount. The bull turned on him knocking down and pinning him to the ground on the business end of a horn. Bleeding internally, Frost died where he fell.
The film ends as it did in real life later that year with Frost’s friend and traveling partner Tuff Hedeman riding for his second NFR World Championship. He capped off his :08 second qualified ride by staying aboard :08 seconds more in memorial tribute to his pal. Never done before or since. The real life story doesn’t end there either. The ‘third pard’ in the trio, Cody Lambert designed the protective vest professional bull riders wear to this day.
I have it on good authority, Montez Farrell-Wilkerson, one of our regular readers here, Mt. Olivet cemetery where Lane Frost rests in Hugo Oklahoma, is well worth a visit.
Next Week: Daddy of ‘em All
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
Lane Frost grew up riding bulls, starting with calves around age six. He turned pro after graduating high school in 1982, qualifying for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) four years later in 1986. The following year at the NFR he became PRCA World Champion bull rider at age 24. He would return to the NFR each year for the next five years. As you may recall, competitors qualify for the NFR by being one of the top fifteen money winners for the year in their event.
The film follows Frosts professional career with a focus on something called the Challenge of Champions. In 1988 the Challenge matched Frost against Red Rock, 1987 PRCA Bull of the Year, unridden in 309 attempts. Frost and Red Rock would go one on one through seven showdown rides at selected rodeos across the west. Frost, the only man ever to ride Red Rock, did so in four of seven attempts. The only footnote – they brought the Red Rock out of retirement for the Challenge, though he was only one season removed from retiring undefeated.
The following year 1989, found Frost matched against a rank Brama, Takin’ Care of Business at the ‘Daddy of ‘em All’, Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Cheyenne Wyoming. Frost rode the bull to a muddy dismount. The bull turned on him knocking down and pinning him to the ground on the business end of a horn. Bleeding internally, Frost died where he fell.
The film ends as it did in real life later that year with Frost’s friend and traveling partner Tuff Hedeman riding for his second NFR World Championship. He capped off his :08 second qualified ride by staying aboard :08 seconds more in memorial tribute to his pal. Never done before or since. The real life story doesn’t end there either. The ‘third pard’ in the trio, Cody Lambert designed the protective vest professional bull riders wear to this day.
I have it on good authority, Montez Farrell-Wilkerson, one of our regular readers here, Mt. Olivet cemetery where Lane Frost rests in Hugo Oklahoma, is well worth a visit.
Next Week: Daddy of ‘em All
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
September 29, 2024
Kids and Clowns
They call it family entertainment for a reason. Rodeo is a sport rich in fun activities often involving the family. Let’s start with ‘Mutton Bustin’. What could be more fun than watching kids as young as four, six to ten more commonly, ride a sheep? It’s a ‘scored’ event with prizes often including that iconic rodeo winner’s belt buckle. Generally, not gold, though the winner’s folks might toast him or her with a Gold Buckle, beer that is.
The kids and their sheep bust out of a chute and head for the flock at the other end of the arena. The sheep has family too. Riders are ‘scored’ by how long/far they stay on. Scores are tallied by a murky reckoning ranging from 70 points for making it out of the chute to whopping scores in the 90’s for making it all the way to the flock. Technique? Some of the best mutton busters ride backwards. No idea why that works, but it seems to with a bit of added humor thrown in for good measure. Oh, and the winners? They get interviewed by the rodeo clown. You can’t fake five-year-old swagger.
Somewhat akin to mutton bustin’ wild pony racing is for older kids. Don’t know how common this one is, maybe exclusive to the Calgary Stampede, but it’s fun to watch. Preteen and teenage kids compete in teams of three. Two try to hold a wild pony with the aid of a lead rope while the third tries to mount for a ride. Rides are scored for duration. The ponies win if they get away.
Chuck wagon racing is another fun event. My writing mentor Dusty Richards used to ‘call’ chuck wagon races as an announcer. A typical race pits three wagons, that look to have about as much pulling weight as a balsa wood kite. Wagon and driver are drawn by a four-in-hand team. Teams race from a serpentine staggered start to a two lap spin around the arena. Winner take all.
Trick riding, roping, and animal acts are often found on rodeo programs along with the ever present rodeo clown. The rodeo clown, not to be confused with bull fighters, is all clown. They come with a patter, usually at the expense of the arena announcer intended to keep folks entertained between contestants and events. Some get the audience into the act with sing alongs, silly contests, and something called a Kiss Cam. Best know the person you are seated next to when you hit the big screen. ‘G’ rated responses only please.
Next Week: :08 Seconds
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
The kids and their sheep bust out of a chute and head for the flock at the other end of the arena. The sheep has family too. Riders are ‘scored’ by how long/far they stay on. Scores are tallied by a murky reckoning ranging from 70 points for making it out of the chute to whopping scores in the 90’s for making it all the way to the flock. Technique? Some of the best mutton busters ride backwards. No idea why that works, but it seems to with a bit of added humor thrown in for good measure. Oh, and the winners? They get interviewed by the rodeo clown. You can’t fake five-year-old swagger.
Somewhat akin to mutton bustin’ wild pony racing is for older kids. Don’t know how common this one is, maybe exclusive to the Calgary Stampede, but it’s fun to watch. Preteen and teenage kids compete in teams of three. Two try to hold a wild pony with the aid of a lead rope while the third tries to mount for a ride. Rides are scored for duration. The ponies win if they get away.
Chuck wagon racing is another fun event. My writing mentor Dusty Richards used to ‘call’ chuck wagon races as an announcer. A typical race pits three wagons, that look to have about as much pulling weight as a balsa wood kite. Wagon and driver are drawn by a four-in-hand team. Teams race from a serpentine staggered start to a two lap spin around the arena. Winner take all.
Trick riding, roping, and animal acts are often found on rodeo programs along with the ever present rodeo clown. The rodeo clown, not to be confused with bull fighters, is all clown. They come with a patter, usually at the expense of the arena announcer intended to keep folks entertained between contestants and events. Some get the audience into the act with sing alongs, silly contests, and something called a Kiss Cam. Best know the person you are seated next to when you hit the big screen. ‘G’ rated responses only please.
Next Week: :08 Seconds
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
September 22, 2024
WPRA Barrels and Breakaway
Remember that cowgirl from the ‘30’s a few weeks ago? The one who helped found The Cowboy Turtles Association? Yeah, that one. Well not to be outdone by a Professional Rodeo Cow b o y s Association, she and the sisters who followed in her boot tracks formed the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Today WPRA sanctions women’s rodeo events in Barrel Racing and Breakaway Roping. Rodeo wouldn’t be rodeo today without ‘em.
Barrel Racing is a speed and action timed event. Horse and rider turn three barrels set in a triangular clover leaf pattern. Patterns vary in length depending on the size of the arena. Riders have their choice of beginning with the right hand barrel or the left with each turn accompanied by a flying lead change to the next. Contestants strive to make the tightest turns possible without tipping over a barrel. Knocking a barrel down draws a penalty, usually :05, sufficient to drop a competitor out of the money in an event timed in tenths of a second.
Also noteworthy in barrel racing are the horses and conditions in the arena. Barrel horses need to be both athletic, agile, and fast. A good round of turns can easily be given up on the sprint to the finish. While breeding and market conditions enter into it, a good barrel horse can go from $25,000 to as high as $100,000. In recent years events have taken to dragging the pattern midway through a large field to give equal footing to competitors running later in the event.
Newest of the rodeo events, Breakaway Roping joined the professional ranks in 2019 and is gradually making its way into major rodeo programs. Primarily a women’s event, Breakaway Roping is a timed event similar to calf roping though the calf is not thrown and tied. A calf legally roped around the neck breaks the rope away from the saddle horn when the horse sets the rope with a sliding stop. Time stops when the rope breaks away from the saddle. Also similar to calf roping the calf gets a head start with the roper behind a barrier. If the roper breaks the barrier before the calf a :10 penalty is assessed to the time. The calf must be roped around the neck. Any other ‘catch’ results in no-time.
Next Week: Just for Fun: Kids and Clowns
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
Barrel Racing is a speed and action timed event. Horse and rider turn three barrels set in a triangular clover leaf pattern. Patterns vary in length depending on the size of the arena. Riders have their choice of beginning with the right hand barrel or the left with each turn accompanied by a flying lead change to the next. Contestants strive to make the tightest turns possible without tipping over a barrel. Knocking a barrel down draws a penalty, usually :05, sufficient to drop a competitor out of the money in an event timed in tenths of a second.
Also noteworthy in barrel racing are the horses and conditions in the arena. Barrel horses need to be both athletic, agile, and fast. A good round of turns can easily be given up on the sprint to the finish. While breeding and market conditions enter into it, a good barrel horse can go from $25,000 to as high as $100,000. In recent years events have taken to dragging the pattern midway through a large field to give equal footing to competitors running later in the event.
Newest of the rodeo events, Breakaway Roping joined the professional ranks in 2019 and is gradually making its way into major rodeo programs. Primarily a women’s event, Breakaway Roping is a timed event similar to calf roping though the calf is not thrown and tied. A calf legally roped around the neck breaks the rope away from the saddle horn when the horse sets the rope with a sliding stop. Time stops when the rope breaks away from the saddle. Also similar to calf roping the calf gets a head start with the roper behind a barrier. If the roper breaks the barrier before the calf a :10 penalty is assessed to the time. The calf must be roped around the neck. Any other ‘catch’ results in no-time.
Next Week: Just for Fun: Kids and Clowns
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
