Rodeo History Over A Century Old

Rodeo was a part of Steamboat Springs' culture even before the town was incorporated over 100 years ago; and it's a tradition that is alive and well today.

No one knows for sure when Steamboat Springs hosted its first organized rodeo competition, but mentions of competitive rodeo events in the local newspaper, the Steamboat Pilot, date back to at least 1898. Looking through historical files, it seems that no local event was complete without some type of rodeo competition.

A clipping from the July 6, 1898, Steamboat Pilot writes about The Hot Time celebration of 1898. This
event included an orchestra, literary exercises, a dance, running races, and, of course, bronco riding. The article included descriptions of riders being thrown from the broncos and said, "This feature was far more interesting than had been anticipated." In September 1899, the paper wrote about Game Day, reporting that the multi-day event drew about 3,000 people to Steamboat Springs to watch rough riding, steer roping, pony racing, shooting contests, running races and dances.

Rodeo is tied to ranching, and Steamboat Springs grew up as a ranching community, so the town was full of skilled cowboys and cowgirls, and horses that were bred for work, not temperament, and tended to be large and a bit ornery. The local cowboys thought nothing of riding these hard-to-handle animals, and casual bets often resulted in impromptu rodeo-type competitions in fields or on main street.

Back at the turn of the 20th century there was no rodeo arena in Steamboat, but the area where the current rodeo arena stands near the Yampa River was the location for many rodeo events. During the summer of 1907 for Game & Fish Day, spectators formed a rodeo ring by positioning their horses in a circle, heads turned inward. In later days, cars were used to form the circle.

In the early 1900s, Steamboat also developed a reputation for rearing some of the toughest bucking animals in the rodeo, making some of the animals as famous, if not more, than their riders. Some of Steamboat's famous horses from that era include Pin Ears, Carrie Nation and General Pershing. Back then Tuffy Wren, Bill Corbett, Kid Vaughn, Walter Long, Emery Clark and Lawrence Marshall were popular rodeo heroes. Today Steamboat's rodeo arena hosts rodeo legends, hall-of-famers, world champions, circuit champions, season champions, as well as raw rookies.

Link to: Steamboat ProRodeo Series Keeps the Past Alive