African Americans on the Rodeo Circuit

Most folk don't think of black people and rodeo in the same sentence. They are wrong. Bill Pickett invented bull-dogging.

I missed this year's Bill Pickett local appearance--it closed July 11 in Hayward--but you can find out more at the site.

There's also the Cowboys of Color National Rodeo Tour (the site also hosts the National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame website; you can take a virtual tour.)

Update: The more you know, the more you find out. An enormous Black Rodeo. Black Rodeo in Harlem . There's the Black Rodeo, and the Federation of Black Cowboys
(Phone: 718-925-0777 Fax: 718 -925-0474). Here's a page of photos; a biography of Alonzo Pettie and an amazing album here.

3,000 attend Bill Pickett Rodeo Competition reminds spectators of the part

By William Brand, STAFF WRITER
ROWELL RANCH -- Cowboy legend Bill Pickett would be proud, but really not surprised that more than 3,000 spectators -- predominantly African Americans -- turned out here Saturday afternoon for the 20th annual Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.

When Pickett -- the cowboy who invented the rodeo sport of steer wrestling -- was born in 1870, one out of every three cowpokes riding the range and driving cows up the Chisholm Trail was black, said Jesse Guillory, the rodeo's general manager.

But segregation and discrimination wiped the saga of America's black cowboys from the history books, he said.

The rodeo this weekend -- it concludes today -- was a mix of a highly professional rodeo with top-notch cowboys and a Wild West show.

"I've been coming for the last five years,** said Casandra Coleman, of San Francisco. **It's nice to see black cowboys.**

It sometimes surprises Americans looking at historical photos from the era to see a huge mix of ethnicities, including many, many African Americans -- all wearing trademark angora chaps and tall Stetsons, historians point out.

Even Pickett, who toured the world and won many a championship buckle was often billed as "The Dusky Demon" with no mention of his ethnicity.

No longer.

The son of freed slaves, he was the first African-American cowboy inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in   1971 and into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs a year later.

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo began in Denver in 1983. The rodeo came to Rowell Ranch rodeo grounds near Dublin the next year.

Founder Lu Vason started the rodeo to destroy the perception that African Americans took no part in the development of the West.

Today -- the circuit features 300 cowboys and cowgirls -- who compete in Bill Pickett Invitationals around the country. There now are other predominantly black rodeos as well, including rodeos sponsored by the Southwest Cowboys of Color and the Real Cowboy Association.

World champion Fred Whitfield lends his name to the calf roping event, for example. And Saturday and today, Gary Richards, a champion bull rider who regularly appears on television as a competitor in the PBR -- the Professional Bull Riders -- was a judge in the bull-riding.

The truth is, black cowboys and cowgirls never went away, Guillory said. There are lots and lots of black cowboys in Oklahoma and Texas.

Nearby, bareback bronco rider Harold Miller unloaded his rigging bag, waiting for his event to come up. "I used to ride bulls, too," said Miller, 48, of Liberty, S.C. But now it's just bareback broncos; they're easier, he said.

He tied for first in his event -- even though he was riding with cracked ribs. He has a crack at a share of more than $15,000 in   cash prizes today.

Behind the chutes, barrel racer Carolyn Carter and her muscular quarter horse "Katt" waited for their event. "I got into this by accident," Carter said. "I was 16 and my sister dragged me to an event. I had a horse that worked on auto-pilot and I won $900."

Twenty-seven years later she still has her hat in the ring, she said. Racing time are fast and there's real competition. Barrel racers from the Bill Pickett Rodeo haven't made it to the PRCA, mostly because of money, she said. A good barrel horse in that league can cost $100,000 or more. But a good ride, turning tight around all the barrels and sprinting home -- it's a feeling that's hard to beat, Carter said.  

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo concludes its Bay Area run this afternoon at 2:30. Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for children

If the website is broken, try this:
Mailing:
Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo
PO BOX 39163
Denver, CO 80239-1163

Street: Bill Pickett
Invitational Rodeo
4943 Billings Street
Denver, CO 80239

Phone:
303-373-1246
303-373-2747 fax

Cowboy from black rodeo circuit deserving of honor

By Bob Ray Sanders Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Long before I had ever heard of Bill Pickett, the ranch hand credited with inventing the rodeo sport of "bulldogging," there was another black cowboy who had become my hero.

He was a man who was born and grew up in Mosier Valley, Tarrant County's oldest African-American community, and someone I've known all my life.

Walter Charles "Budah" Morse was the first man I ever saw jump off a running horse onto a steer and wrestle it down to the ground.

One of my most vivid childhood memories -- and I think it was a Fourth of July evening -- was seeing an angry steer lunging toward Morse's abdomen, quickly jerking his horns upward and tearing off part of Morse's brand-new western shirt.

Those were fascinating times.

You see, in those days the famed Fort Worth Stock Show permitted black people on the grounds only one day out of the run, and even then we were not allowed to attend the rodeo performances.

But so what?

There was always the "colored rodeo," which played in small arenas in Fort Worth, Mansfield and a few other North Texas towns, often around the holidays of Juneteenth and July Fourth.

Those events had everything that the stock show rodeo had -- bareback bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, barrel racing and, of course, clowns. Naturally, they also had what the stock show didn't have, and wouldn't have, for a long time to come: black cowboys. All the participants were African-American, including the women racing on horseback around the barrels and the kids who chased after a bandanna tied to a calf's tail.

Morse, who has been a part of many other western events through the years, including being one of the drovers for the Fort Worth Herd, didn't make a living on the limited black rodeo circuit. But he always worked around animals (horses in particular) as a trainer, groomer and veterinarian's assistant.

He was one of the original members of the Tarrant County Black Rodeo Association, which was started by Wayman Alexander, the black Tarrant County extension agent and 4-H Club leader. In 1954, Morse won the bulldogging championship at a rodeo in Denton.

It is only fitting that on May 21 he will be inducted into the National Cowboys of Color Hall of Fame, where he will join the legendary Bill Pickett, inducted posthumously in the first class last year. Pickett died in 1932.

The induction ceremony will be at 7 p.m. at the National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame, 3400 Mount Vernon Ave. in Fort Worth.

The brainchild of Jim and Gloria Austin, the museum and hall of fame was founded "to give recognition to outstanding pioneers who contributed to the settling of the early American Western Frontier as well as acknowledge individuals who continue to be trailblazers committed to the legacy of western culture."

Fort Worth Councilman Jim Lane, a champion of American Indian and western culture as well as a staunch advocate for the Fort Worth Stockyards, will also be inducted into the hall of fame.

The two other honorees this year are: the first female inductee, "Stagecoach" Mary Fields, an ex-slave who, with her mule, Moses, delivered the mail in the Cascade County region of Central Montana; and the late film star Mantan Moreland, known mostly for his comedy roles but who was in two early films that featured black actors as heroic cowboys.

Although the induction ceremony is free, organizers ask that those planning to attend call (817) 922-9999.

Comments

[liz]

There is also some current photos from Lenny Foster
Lenny Foster's Living Light Photography Gallery
246-A Ledoux Street,
Taos, NM  87571    

(I actually met him I think when we were in New Mexico)

[Liz]

Another trailblazing black cowboy was Vincent Jacobs, who became an inspirational speaker after a documentary about his life, "Preserving the Legacy: African American Cowboys in Texas," was entered into the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. in 1994.

http://www.ghgcorp.com/tfnc/Jacobs.htm

[Liz]

Another trailblazing black cowboy was Gene "Sugarfoot" Johnson

[Liz]

Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport; 3/1/2001

http://www.aahperd.org/aahperd/template.cfm?template=rqes_main.html

Demetrius W. Pearson, University of Houston, published an article on black rodeo, Shadow Riders of the Subterranean Circuit: A Contemporary Analysis of the Nuances of Black Rodeo in the Texas Gulf Coast Region

Rodeo, like baseball and other sport forms, was participated in and influenced by minority athletes whose legacy within the sport has frequently been overlooked, trivialized, or blatantly omitted. Unbeknownst to many a rodeo circuit exist in Texas comprised primarily of African American cowboys. The participants, past and present, have received minimal media exposure as well as the venues housing this sport form. This study examined African American involvement in professional rodeo in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. Special emphasis was placed on the "ethnic rodeo," as opposed to the more prevalent White-dominated rodeo, because of its unique sociocultural and historical significance. Similarities and differences between the two venues, as well as the nuances of the ethnic rodeo were documented. Qualitative and archival (historical) research methodologies were employed. This included conventional ethnographic tech...

[Liz]

There's yet another rodeo circuit: Latting Rodeo Productions

Tri-State Defender 01-27-1999 RIDING THE RANGE IN MEMPHIS

The Thyrl Latting Rodeo Spectacular, the country's premier Black rodeo, will visit the Mid-South Fairgrounds Feb. 6 for two big shows, 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. (Tickets available at all Ticket Master locations, call (901) 525-1515 for more information.)

The event was founded and developed by Thyrl Latting, a former inner-city teacher and nationally renown championship rodeo producer. Latting grew up on the west side of Chicago and dreamed of becoming a cowboy since childhood. Later in life, that dream became a reality, as he became a professional bull rider.

After his bull-riding career was over, he became a rodeo producer. And for over 35 years, his company has produced some of the best championship rodeos the country has ever seen. Together with his rodeo, he has taught inner-city kids the value of a good education and pride.

Thirteen years ago, Latting decided to develop a Black rodeo..

[adam fletchner]

do you know who was the rodeo legend that broke more bulls than bones and owned his own ranch?

[Frank Penny Edwards]

We have one of the largest Black Rodeo Tours in the Southern US. Check us out...

Real Cowboy Association

http://realcowboyassociation.com/

[charlotte]

Who's the rodeo legend that broke more bulls than bones

[beverly rainey]

looking for an african american rodeo in the dallas area from 3/30 to 4-2 2005.

[elaine harsten]

if anyone has any pictures of will dawson please contact his sister in mich thank you elaine harsten

[Akili Moses Israel]

Hello, I am a member of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association and I really enjoyed your postes "African Americans on the Rodeo Circuit" and "Cowboys (and Girls) as They Really Were".

Is there any chance of seeing more information like this?
Akili

[Solomon Sweeting]

Does anyone out there know of any black cowboys and cowgirls in the reno area that might want to start a riding club or assosiation.I live in plumas county and am one of probably three black cowboys in the area.I would like to hear from anyone from Chico,Ca to Elko,NV.Thanks Solomon Sweeting

[elaine owens harstenn]

my brother was will dawson who left mich to settle in california to follow his dream of being an cowboy. who is now deseased. we lost most of his pictures in an family fire. if anyone has any news stories or pictures please contact me at eharsten8@aol.com thank you the owens family

[elaine owens harsten]

still looking for information concerning black cowboy and trick rider who was from detroit mich but settled in burbank calif.his name will dawson [a.ka. oliver or billy owens.

[rena bibbs]

looking for black rodeo in mi in 08

[English]

My uncle Clarence "coon" Gonzales was one of the first black bull riders to ride at Madison Square Garden. He is still alive, he is a nursing home. He was incredible.

[Pamela Hudson]

I would like information on bringing the rodeo to Saint Petersburg, Florida for Black History Month. Can someone please contact me at (727) 898-5332. I have tried to contact a few people and got no response.

Thank you

[Carol Hendrix]

I am looking for a African-American rodeo rider from the 1950's named Earl Shaw. He was from Milwaukee, WI.

[Anita White]

I'm looking for any information about Clarence "Coon" Gonzales who I saw and met in my first rodeo many years ago. I've been trying to get my children and grandchildren to go on a trip with me to see the rodeo when it comes to a city near me . I found out too late about the latest one. I'm looking for some history about Mr. Gonzales to show and pass on.