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Introduction of the Rodeos
Rodeo was first introduced in North American by the Mexican Vaqueros. In the late 1680s, these primitive cowboys gradually began to move north from the Hispanic territories, spreading their heritage and influencing the development of the cowboy life style in the United States and Canada. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Act to Regulate Rodeos was to merit legal status in California
"An Act to Regulate Rodeos (April 3, 1851)...Every owner of a stock farm shall be obliged to give, yearly, one general Rodeo, within the limits of his farm, from the first day of April until the thirty-first day of July, in the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and San Diego; and in the remaining counties, from the first day of March until the thirty-first day of August...in order that parties interested may meet, for the purpose of separating their respective cattle." -
Rodeo mixing with settler ways
http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introductionIn the latter half of the 1880s, the Vaqueros' traditions, from which rodeo originated, rapidly matured in the Canadian prairies. The cowboy lifestyle was ideal for Alberta's countryside, which was dominated by wide plains and grasslands optimal for ranching and farming. During Sunday gatherings or holiday celebrations, men and women, most commonly referred as cowboys and cowgirls, would participate in informal rodeo events and competitions to refine their skill and test their ability. -
Running Without Interruptions
Pecos, Texas, first rodeo on July 4, 1883, and in 1929 began running annually without interruption. -
Olddest Annual Running Rodeo
Payson, Arizona, oldest annual continuous running rodeo in 1888. -
First to Charge Admissions
Prescott, Arizona, in 1888 was the first to charge an admission. -
Raymond Stampede, Canada's First Pro
Raymond Stampede, Canada's first professional rodeo and longest running, started in 1902 -
The First Reconized Rodeo
The first recognized Canadian rodeo was held in 1903 in Raymond, Alberta when Raymond Knight sponsored and promoted a rodeo competition called the Raymond Stampede. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Rodeo Attracting Spectators
It was not until 1912, when Guy Weadick, and four major investors, created the Calgary Stampede that rodeo began to attract several Alberta sports fans and spectators. Reassured by the outstanding success of the Calgary & Raymond Stampedes, other cities and towns in Alberta organized their own rodeos and festivals. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
First Woman Bulldogger
The first woman bulldogger appeared in 1913, when the great champion trick and bronc rider and racer Tillie Baldwin exhibited the feat. However, women's bulldogging contests never materialized. But cowboys did take up the sport with enthusiasm but without the lip-biting, and when rodeo rules were codified, steer wrestling was among the standard contests.Two halls of fame recognize Bill Pickett as the sole inventor of bulldogging, the only rodeo event which can be attributed to a single person. -
World War 1 Delay
World War I temporarily delayed the successful development of rodeo competitions in western http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
After the War
In 1919, Weadick's Victory Stampede, dedicated to retuning soldiers, reintroduced rodeo to Canadian sports fans. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Chuckwagon Racing Being Introduced to the Rodeo
Chuckwagon races were introduced into the 1923 Calgary Stampede after Guy Weadick witnessed a similar competition at the Gleichen Stampede in Gleichen, Alberta. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Longest Weekly Running Rodeo
Cowtown Rodeo, longest running weekly rodeo in the United States, started in 1929. -
Bonnie McCarrolls' Accident and Women being baned from the Rodeo Competitions
In 1929, women's rodeo events suffered a major setback due to the unfortunate bronc riding accident and subsequent death of a famous American cowgirl. Tthis caused the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) to issue a regulation banning women from participating in rodeo competitions. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Bonnie McCarroll's accident
The RAA inaugurated the first national champions in 1929. However, they didn't include any women's events. Bonnie McCarroll (1897–1929) was killed after being thrown from a bronc at the Pendleton Round-Up. This tragedy initiated a national outcry against women competing in rodeo events. -
Rodeo Becoming a Profitable Career
By the late 1930s, several investors and businessmen began to sponsor rodeo events, transforming rodeo into a profitable career. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Earning go up
In 1934, the annual average earnings of a cowboy were between $2,000 and $3,000, well above the standard salary for teachers and close to that of dentists'. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Events that are included in the Rodeo
By 1934, every rodeo that Johnson produced had set attendance records. A typical Johnson rodeo featured sixteen events, of which six were contests: cowboys bareback and saddle bronc riding, cowgirl bronc riding, cowboys steer riding, steer wrestling, and calf roping. Steer riding has now become bull riding, but other than that they are mandated by the PRCA today. On the other hand, entertainment features such as basketball games on horseback and horseback quadrilles have largely disappeared. -
What Brought Stunt and Trick Riding to the Rodeo
In 1935, Earl W. Bascom, along with his brother Weldon, Mel and Jake Lybbert and Waldo "Salty" Ross produced the first rodeos in southern Mississippi, working from Columbia, in the process holding one of the world's first night rodeos held outdoors under electric lights and bringing in brahma bulls for the bull riding event. These rodeos also featured trick roping, stunt riding and other novelty acts. Mississippian Sam Hickman financed their operations, which were successful from 1935 to 1937. -
Cowboys on Strike for Overpriced Entry Fee
In 1936, American and Canadian cowboys protested against the overpriced cowboy entry fee introduced by the RAA and rodeo producers. The cowboys involved in the protest staged the first strike in rodeo history at the Boston Garden Rodeo and formed the Cowboys Turtle Association (CTA) with the goal of organizing and representing cowboys as independent athletes. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Pete Knight, A Death with the Most Championship Titles in the World
In 1937, Pete Knight died after suffering from internal injuries after being thrown from the horse "Duster" at a rodeo in Hayward, California. At the time of this death, he had more champion titles and prize money than any other bronc rider in the world. -
Attraction spectators
By 1939, rodeos attracted twice as many spectators as auto racing and baseball. -
CAA Encourages Women to Join the Rodeo
In 1940, the Cowboys Amateur Association (CAA) formed in California. Its purpose was to allow amateurs to compete and gain more experience before moving up to the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA). Members were required to move up to the RCA once their earnings reached $500. The CAA also encouraged participation from women in barrel racing and cutting contests. -
After WW2 RCA formed
By the end of World War II, the Cowboys Turtle Association and the Rodeo Association of America were merged and the Rodeo Cowboy Association (RCA) was formed. The RCA became one of the first sports' associations to have both athletes and managers as representative, therefore protecting the interests of both sides. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Gene Autry
In 1947, movie star Gene Autry signed a contract to star in the Madison Square Garden Rodeo. He got a salary of $1,500 a day for a 33 day run as a performer. -
Girl's Rodeo Association
In 1948, the Girl's Rodeo Association was started by a group of Texas ranch women. Today, the organization has two sister associations - The Professional Women's Rodeo Association (PWRA) and the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). -
Requirements to Participate in NFR
In the 1950s, the RCA began to promote the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) to determine world champion cowboys and cowgirls. Several Albertan rodeo schools, some founded in the late 1930s, experienced a boost in the number of enrolments. From 2005 onward, the RCA introduce a regulation stating that only the top fifteen cowboys who earned at least $100,000 in the course of the rodeo season could compete in the NFR. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Miss Rodeo America
By 1955, it was estimated that there were over 600 rodeos in the country. The Miss Rodeo America pageant was organized with the first pageant held by International Rodeo Management in Casper, Wyoming. The pagent tests not only beauty but as well as sportsmanship, talent, and purpose. -
Hall of Fame
In 1975, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame opened in Hereford. It was subsequently located to a modern, much larger facility in Fort Worth. Many of its inductees have been rodeo competitors.
In 1979 the PRCA established the ProRodeo Hall of Fame located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the only museum in the world devoted to the sport of professional rodeo and the PRCA rodeo cowboy. The statue in the front of the hall depicts Casey Tibbs riding the bronc Necktie. -
Chuckwagon Racings Purpose
Rodeo events were often accompanied by demonstrative chuckwagon races. These competitions were initially exhibition competitions, held in between rodeo events, to give cowboys enough time to prepare for the following competitions. However, in the late 1990s, this sport began to branch away from rodeo competitions, obtaining several sponsors and fans. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Chuckwagon Racing Transitioning
After the foundation of the Northern Chuckwagon Association (NCA) in 1997, chuckwagon racing gradually transitioned away from rodeo. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Chuckwagon Associations
The NCA was founded by the chuckwagon committees of Lloydminster, Pierceland, and Meadow Lake, and in 2000 this association became known as the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA). http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
Half Mile of Hell
The popularity of this event sparked the production of a television reality series called the Half Mile of Hell. This television program aired from 2005 to 2007 on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) and in 2008, Zoom Communications took the series online, transforming it into a video-integrated website called Half Mile of Hell.com http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction -
GMC Pro Tour
Another notable chuckwagon organization was the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) formed in 1986 by a group of successful businessmen and chuckwagon drivers. In 2011, this organization began promoting the GMC Pro Tour as the world championship of chuckwagon racing. In this event, competitors raced for thirty-eight days in eight cities across Canada, attracting over one hundred thousand fans per night. http://ashfm.ca/absportslibrary/rodeo/introduction
