Outdoors

By the year 1955, there were around 600 rodeos taking place in the country, and this was also the year that the concept of Miss Rodeo America was developed by the International Rodeo Management. Gas rationing and other restrictions from WWII put a financial dent on the rodeo in those days, so women's ranch events began replacing the most expensive acts with barrel racing and beauty pageants.

In 1930, a very interesting thing happened at the Miller’s 101 Ranch rodeo in Ponca City, Oklahoma. First a little nature lesson: when it rains heavy in Oklahoma, it is not uncommon to see turtles climbing toward higher places such as roads, hills, and even commercial and residential areas. That’s exactly what happened at the Ponca City rodeo; turtles started showing up all over the place.

Calf Roping derives from an actual practice used by vaqueros and cowboy hands, requiring them to catch and restrain calves for medical purposes, or for branding. Cowboy hands not only took pride in their speed of restraining calves but also started to place small bets and have contests.

Rodeo Clowns weren’t necessarily “clowns” in the beginning days of rodeo as a spectator sport. The name was given for the cowboys who entertained the crowd in between acts or, if certain events were delayed, their job was to keep the crowd enthusiastic with comedic shows. As time went on, rodeo clowns began to wear more outlandish costumes, such as baggy pants and make-up. It was also their job to help manage the bulls and steers in the arena.

Although Today’s rodeo is considered more of an American tradition, its roots lie in the practices of Spanish and Mexican Ranchers (vaqueros). These cultures included a combination of cattle wrangling and bullfighting which date as far back as the 1500s.

Without Bill Pickett, you probably wouldn’t even see steer wrestling at the rodeo. Pickett was known for designing his own technique for bulldogging (wrestling) steers. Pickett would leap from his horse to the back of a steer and wrestle it to the ground by grabbing and twisting the horns. Pickett performed at various rodeos and fairs all over Texas until he was discovered by local talent scouts.

There has been much debate on where the first rodeo was held. In 1983, Pecos, Texas celebrated the 100th birthday of what was called “The World’s First Rodeo.” However, the next year, Payson, Arizona celebrated its centennial in 1984 as the “oldest annual continuous rodeo.” Finally, Prescott, AZ recently made their claim as “The World’s Oldest Rodeo” (taking out a trademark on the title) and even provided a 200-page book by Danny Freeman to support their claim.

It’s no secret that rodeo in America is one of the most popular spectator sports continuing today. States such as Wyoming, South Dakota, and Texas have even declared rodeo as their official state sport. The word “rodeo” is derived from Spanish and basically means to “round up.” Vaqueros (Spanish cowboys) used the word “rodeo” for the process of gathering up cattle.

Bodacious was not a bull for the faint of heart, in fact, he was one of the most dangerous and feared bulls of his time. Born in Longdale, OK, he was also known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Bull.”  Weighing in at an enormous 1900 lbs., Bodacious was known for often injuring riders with his explosive aggression. Sometimes using his head as a weapon, he would buck and throw his head back to attack the rider on top.

There are so many great things to say about this particular 3-time World Championship Bull. During his glory days, he was one of the most challenging bulls that a rider would ever encounter, but he was specifically known for not injuring riders after they were bucked off. In fact, most of the time, Little Yellow Jacket would move as far away from the rider as possible after they were off.