1. One quality that Americans, and especially Texans, have
always touted about their ancestors is toughness. We marvel
at the determination and fortitude of the early settlers, and
idolize the grit of the old west cowboys. As time has marched
forward, people's focus has shifted from the gruff and
grizzled John Waynes of the world, to the brilliant and savvy
entrepreneurs of the 21st century. The rodeo is one of the
last vestiges of true toughness and skill that remains in our
modern world. However, the rodeo did not just appear out
of thin air, but developed slowly over time into the spectacle
we know it as today.
EARLY RODEOS
AccordingtorodeohistorianandauthorGailHughbanks
Woerner, there is no one city or group of individuals that
can be credited with the invention of rodeo, although many
placesvieforthathonor.CitiessuchasPecos,Texas;Prescott,
Arizona; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Deer Trail, Colorado
all claim to be among the first rodeos. Payson, Arizona
claims to be “the oldest annual continuous rodeo.”
The truth, according to Woerner, is no one was really
first. When the Spaniards originally brought horses and
cattle to the U.S., the cowboy lifestyle followed. “A cowboy
is someone who breaks horses, and that's where bucking
horses come from,” explains Woerner. “He also has to rope
cattle to doctor or brand them.”
Written By: Rebecca Canfield
PhotosProvidedBy:FortWorthRodeoandStockShow
October 2015 | 9

2. The word rodeo is actually
a derivative of the Spanish
verb rodear, which means “to
surround or round up.”
The vaqueros, or cowboys, would round up
the cattle to move them to another location.
Eventually,therodeowouldbethetermused
to gather cowboys for “cowboy contests” as
they were first called. No one knows when
or where rodeos originally took place,
because according to Woerner, they began
happening everywhere simultaneously.
Woerner explains that rodeos would
spontaneously start at neighborhood events
throughout the year, perhaps at a Fourth
of July party or a Labor Day celebration.
“The ladies all brought fried chicken and
the trimmings, and the guys all sat around
and talked, visited, or played baseball. Then,
somebody challenged somebody else, and
pretty soon you had a bronc riding contest.”
Naturally, guests would argue over who was
better and small wagers were made as to
who would win.
As early as the 1850s, states with
strong ties to Mexican culture, such as
Texas and California, held charreadas,
contests of ranch and horsemanship skills
which originally began in the haciendas
of Mexico. The main event was always
bull fighting, which originated with the
Spanish matador, jaripeo, while bull-riding
was one of the secondary events. It was
a type of bull-fighting where charros, or
cowboy riders, would ride a bull until it
died. In 1852, Corpus Christi held Texas's
first charreada-style event at Lone Star
Fields. The event was a huge hit and word
of the contest spread all over the U.S. In
later years, cowboys would stop riding the
bull when it stopped bucking, which was
considered more humane. Today, the ride
lasts only eight seconds. And while bull-
riding is not exactly a necessary skill for a
cowboy, Woerner speculates the origin of
the ride was to prove that a cowboy was so
tough that he could ride virtually anything.
THE CONTEST EVOLVES
InotherareasofTexas,differentcowboy
events such as the “West of the Pecos
Rodeo” were beginning to take place. This
rodeo began on July 4, 1883, when cowboys
Trav Windham and Morg Livingston, who
both had a reputation for roping, decided
to forgo a formal match of bronc riding and
steer roping. The event ended up with more
contestants and offered prizes, eventually
becoming a growing, yearly activity.
While cities are still arguing over who
invented the rodeo today, they do all seem
to agree on one thing: the impact that
legendary Texas cowboy Bill Pickett had on
the rodeo. Pickett, a Taylor native who was
the son of a former slave, began cowboying
after completing the fifth grade. In 1880,
at the age of 10, Pickett began watching
how herder dogs could subdue humungous
steers by biting their upper lips, and decided
to attempt the same technique. Pickett
would ride horseback alongside a steer,
jump from his horse, and wrestle the steer to
the ground. Then he would bite the sensitive
nerve between the steer's nose and upper
lip, which in turn would startle the steer
into submission.
LEGENDARY TEXAS
COWBOY BILL PICKETT
PhotoCourtesyOf:WilliamsonCountyMuseum
PhotoCourtesyOf:WilliamsonCountyMuseum
LIFESTYLES

3. Eventually, Pickett made quite a
reputation as a “bulldogger,” the term
given for his special method. He frequently
gave exhibitions as a part of the 101 Ranch
Show and was part owner of the Pickett
Brother's Bronco Busters and Rough
Riders, which specialized in taming wild
cattle. Pickett, who was often banned from
rodeos because of his race (white, black, and
Native American), was believed by many to
be the greatest cowboy of all time, although
lack of access to rodeo events prevented him
from setting any real records. Bulldogging,
referred to as steer wrestling today, is still
a rodeo event, although contestants subdue
the animals differently.
Up until the early 1900s, rodeos were
sporadic, and the listed events, prizes
awarded, and rules varied from town to
town. Some cities had bronc riding and
steer wrestling, while others had horse
racing and roping, and still others had
bull-riding competitions. This all changed
in 1929 with the formation of the Rodeo
Association of America, bringing together
rodeo promoters and managers. By then,
the rodeo had become more mainstream,
and cities like Fort Worth had begun
holding rodeos in large, indoor coliseums,
adding events for women such as the ladies’
bucking bronco event.
RODEO AS
WE NOW KNOW IT
It was not until 1936 that rodeo
developed any uniform structure. The
formation of the Cowboy's Turtle
Association (CTC) helped cowboys to
collect larger purses. They also provided
competent judges, set up uniform rules,
and enforced safety regulations for both
the contestants and the animals. Since then,
the CTC has grown and evolved and is now
known at the Professional Rodeo Cowboy
Association (PRCA).
From the early 1930s to the mid-1980s,
the rodeo scene found inspiration in a
rather unlikely place. A prison manager
from Huntsville, Texas named Marshall
Lee Simmons came up with the idea to
hold a prison rodeo in 1931. He believed it
would provide a diversion for prisoners as
well as recreation for families. He held the
first rodeo behind “The Walls” on the prison
baseball field.
The successful prison rodeo earned a
reputation as the wildest cowboy show,
growing dramatically each year. It hosted
traditional events such as calf roping, bronc
riding, and bull riding, but also included
bareback basketball, wild cow milking,
and the “mad scramble,” an event where
10 Brama bulls would be loosed and the
inmates would race them to the other side
of the arena. Another popular competition
was the “hard money” event, where inmates
in red shirts would attempt to remove a sack
full of cash from in between a bull's horns.
The inmate to successfully do this would be
allowed to keep the cash.
Within two years, the prison rodeo
began charging admission. The funds were
used to subsidize a successful education and
recreation fund for the city of Huntsville.
The rodeo continued prospering until 1986
when the stadium that hosted the rodeo was
condemned and shut down.
Rodeo today has taken on a life of its
own. A far cry from its humble beginnings
in the dusty towns of Texas, the big city
rodeos such as the Fort Worth Stock Show
and Rodeo have all but taken over. Fort
Worthnowhostsoneofthelargestrodeosin
the U.S. with over 150,000 visitors per day.
Today's rodeos operate on a much larger
scale, and in addition to larger purses and
meaner bulls, they also offer corresponding
activities such as large parades, shopping,
concerts, carnival rides, children's exhibits,
and livestock shows, ensuring that rodeo
patrons stay entertained.
Although Texas rodeo history began
a little rocky, Texans still cherish their
cowboy culture today, and will probably be
enjoying rodeos for years to come. Look for
the second installation of this rodeo series
next month as we dig deeper into the world
of bull riding.
PhotosProvidedBy:
FortWorthRodeoandStockShow
October 2015 | 11