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The rider whippin' around like an empty flower sack in the wind. When he finally lets loose, sailin' into the dirt. The crowd cheers and the rodeo clowns run in, flailing their arms trying to steer a 2,000 pound beast, held bent on revenge, back to where he came from. It's the rodeo. So familiar, so timeless. But it's more than just spectacle in Brevura. It's the tail end of hundreds of years of ranching history, and the hard one skills developed out there. Open that gate, and history comes alive. Still bucking, still dangerous, and still there. Well, how do all welcome to American History Hip? Time to climb into those chaps, pop on your lids, slide into your kicks, and give your jinglers a spin. All rigged up and ready to rodeo. Yeah! Today's episode of American History Hip can't get much more American. Rodeo, the all-American sport. Or is it? What are the true origins of rodeo? Where'd all that ropein' and riding and buckin' and Broncoin' really come from? And then somehow become a billion dollar industry. It is today, with ropers and riders, sometimes earning six figures, and Western gear per raid to city folk who've sidle up nowhere near a horse. Much less roped and tied a squealing calf. Let's talk history of rodeo, with historian Tracy Hanchu, assistant professor of history at Eastern Oregon University, raised on a family ranch she knows of what she teaches. Dr. Hanchu is the author of Oklahoma rodeo women, a landmark study of women's roles in the development of modern rodeo culture. Her article, here she comes, wearing them bridges. Battles, riding skirts, and social reform in the turn of the century, Royal West was published in Montana, the magazine of Western History, and earned the Western Heritage Wrangler Award for Excellence in Western Riding. Very impressive. Professor Hanchu, Tracy, we've corralled you for a conversation and we're lucky for it. Nice to see you. Thank you. It's nice to be here. Now, I don't mean to brag, Tracy, but about a decade ago, I did a full episode of rodeo in Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Stock Show and rodeo, where they ride cattle through town and bring the tourists in. But it is a fabled arena. And when I did this, I got on a bull in the shoot and I got wrapped in and I was ready to ride. And that's when my producer made the call that our insurance wouldn't cover my injuries. I was so close. They got me right off that bull and said, sorry, and we watched somebody who really knew how to do it. Have you ever ridden a bull? I have not. I thought I wanted to as a young child and my dad was a bull rider, so we all thought better of it. Excellent. There you go. So let's cover the basics. What is rodeo by definition? A bunch of competitions as far as I know, with set rules and such, right? Correct. Yeah. Today's rodeo is, in some cases, an extreme sport. And it kind of brings part of ranching life in the Old West onto the stage for all of the fans today, which there are millions globally. rodeo contests are split into two different categories. So we have timed events and on those the fastest time within the rules, wins, those are calf roping, steer wrestling or bulldogging, also barrel racing and team roping and breakaway roping. So the judged events, which are judged in the professional rodeo, Cowboys Association are judged by sanctioned judges. And those are the backing events. So bulls, saddle broncs and bear back bronc riding. And so those have scores of up to 100. They score the animal and the rider and out of the zero to 25 for each judge. And so that's where they come up with whatever the score is. You grew up in Texas. And as you've already mentioned, lots of experience on the ranch, but you also did early, you rode rodeo, right? I grew up riding and helping work our cattle. We did not ride competitively when my sisters and I were young. Back then it took a lot of money. Didn't have sponsors so much for rodeo. So we did competitively team pin, which is not officially a rodeo sport, although it certainly could be because it has to do with cutting out cattle from a herd. And again, that's a timed event. And it's one that the whole family can do. So we did do that for a bit. We'll talk a lot about it. And certainly from my perspective as the show and the spectacle of this, but it really has its roots in very hard one, as I've mentioned, skills of the ranch. Those that are still used, even in the modern day, you'll know it's of course evolved in different ways. The early origins of the sport itself, you know, I always figured it was because a bunch of bored cowboys were between cattle drives and it was a way of showing off your stuff. But this goes back way before the American West, right? It does, yes indeed. When Spaniards actually brought cattle and horses into North America, they had an early form of what they called, it was a round up and the Spanish word for that was rodeo, which we have Americanized to rodeo. But there were some contests there, kind of like you said, it started with one cowboy or Vicaro at that time, a Vicaro challenging another to rope faster than other Vicaros. So we have this competition, which is more of a ranch to ranch kind of thing. I'm sure back in the 1500s, moving through of course, then we move ahead towards what becomes the Texas Revolution all that time period in the early 1800s. That's when it really becomes an Americanized thing because of course we're moving out there. So let me understand, we have this very Spanish ritual almost, maybe competition between ranches, 1500s and the 1600s. Everything we did a show a long time ago about the arrival of horses in North America, which comes traditionally we understand as with this Spanish. Indeed our episode was about horses having been here a long time before in prehistoric times and then they came back with this Spanish. It's so fascinating. But so much of this has to do with the arrival of horses and the skills that are required to use the horses for this kind of work. Ramps up of course as this area becomes Mexican and then Americanized and certainly in the 1800s, the first Anglo-American settlers move into Texas. And that's where all of this starts to get a little more, I guess formalized would be the word, right? Yes. And that really starts with roping contests largely in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle where cowboys and becarrots and anyone else that worked on the ranch as a cowhand and as we know now that was a much more diverse culture than what we have overall in the historical record. And so they would have these roping contests but still no audience. So what we know today really starts with an audience and there are three main rodeos to claim, they're claimed to fame is that they're the first rodeo. But historians do not necessarily agree with any of them. So dear trail Colorado started in 1869 and so people would have come to watch the event but they didn't sell tickets. And so some historians began that history with the selling of tickets for audiences to come. And so North Platt Nebraska which kind of it's 1882 kind of coincides with Buffalo Bialcotes start to Wild West shows which happens a year later. And then pick a Texas is the first one that really we have record of that charges admission and has people come in that's also 1883. So they're all kind of right there at the same time. They overlap with Wild West shows and Wild West shows will start to incorporate exhibition contest. So they'll have a bucking contest or maybe some recreation of a roundup. And that's kind of how they live parallel for a good while into the 19 teens and then the 101 ranch and Wild West show from Oklahoma last until 1931. It's really you said parallel it really goes parallel with the development of the cattle industry also I mean the whole commercialization of the West and comes first of course with the railroad but then these cattle dries moving so many cattle to these places like Kansas City and so forth. All of that is getting written about in the media. It's becoming quite a story. It becomes glamorized romanticized all of that which happens to the West is hyper focused on this kind of cowboy mythology that is expressed so much by these by these rodeos. Which kind of where it all becomes the profit making show that it will become but by the 1880s the need for cowboys as they were has been replaced by fencing which has really changed the open range so much and that's also so you've got all these guys with these great skills but they have not so much need for them as they used to have right. Correct. Correct. And so that gets channeled into this in this very popular spectator sport which is it's just such an interesting 50 year period that happens against the backdrop of the American West and the development of that you mentioned Buffalo Bill's Wild West show 1883. There's also the Chicago World's Fair the Colombian exhibition which happens in 1893 which was such a huge event in the telling of the American story never mind the world and rodeo happens at Chicago doesn't it? It absolutely does. There's a transition there too though so we go from rope in contest to more organized rodeo that coincides with wild West shows and then we have rodeo troops for a bit and rodeo troops travel they signed contracts for all of the cowboys and cowgirls to travel with one rodeo producer. And so this really spreads that culture toward the end of the 19th century and so they will travel all over the United States in those troops as I said they have contracts so it's not necessarily a contest. Some of the cowgirls that rode with the rodeo troops would sign to ride X number of bucking horses within the week that they were going to be in one location and so that's how the city really starts to notice and recognize Western women. So the Wild West shows and the rodeo troops that travel separately and then we kind of start to get to rodeo but some of those early rodeos in Chicago in Madison Square Garden and in Boston Garden. They drew between in the 19 teens around 10,000 members in the audience by the 1920s when we get to the Golden Age of rodeo the audience numbers are as high as 25,000. Yes, it's really got a huge following. Why was it happening in the 20s do you think? Well, it's a Golden Age of sport and with the cultural changes in the 20s and the celebration of life there's so much social change during the 1920s that I think people were really looking for kind of maybe an exotic entertainment and that certainly provided that also the nostalgia for the West. I mean, in some ways rodeo is a living history of the frontier west to some people. So I think that has a lot to do with it. Yeah, exactly. By 1929 as I understand the rodeo association of America has been organized several different rodeo committees to people who put these rodeos on not the cowboys. They standardize these rules establish a point system to determine world champions. I mean, it all gets very official judging. They establish this fair practice and advertising. I mean, they're getting the idea this is a this is a money making business and we got to get more organized about this. There's even a first cowboy union 1936, right? Correct. So the RAA was a producer's organization and an attempt to standardize. The cowboy turtle association is the union that organized in 1936. We do have an early form of standardization though in 1915. The wild bunch which was put together by Lucille Mulhall from Oklahoma and Homer Wilson was that's actually the first time that we see a standardized rules for ropeing contest. So it's not necessarily a union, but there is that early standardization in the 19 teams. And part of that is because each rodeo kind of has its own flair at that time. They had their own specialized events. They also had real variations. And between the teens and the 1930s, they started to see more kind of scandalous activity with the producers. There was a lot of trouble with bloomers, which is what they called producers that would set up the rodeo. They would take all the entry fees and all the ticket money. And then before the last event on the last day, they would take all of the money including the prize money and run and leave those contestants stranded wherever they are. And sometimes it was not too convenient for them to get back to their homes. Yeah, they get right in that horseless carriage and take off. Right. I'm not going to get full of cash. On bookin.com, it's easy to book your holiday home. And thanks to no hidden fees, there's no more. Guys, found a villa. I'm confirming. Where were we? Added fees. We don't do sneaky added fees. So you can go from home to holiday home with no dramas. And relax. On bookin.com, finding a holiday home is easy. Bookin.com, bookin.com. Yeah. Wrong tool for the job? Don't make that mistake with your van. Get up to 30% off, selected new Toyota vans and pickups with a warranty up to 10 years or 100,000 miles with every qualifying routine service. Visit your nearest Toyota Center, Jemker N Field. Or visit Toyota.co.uk forward slash van savings for more details. Savings on selected vans and pickups ordered by the 31st of March, 2026. UK residents, see Toyota.co.uk for full details, teasing cities apply. In a world where swords were sharp. And hygiene was actually probably better than you think it is. Two fearless historians. Me, Matt Lewis. And me, Dr. Alan Aryanaga, dive headfirst into the mud, blood and very strange customs of the Middle Ages. So for plagues, crusades, and Viking raids, and plenty of other things that don't rhyme, subscribe to Gone Medieval from History Hit wherever you get your podcasts. And I'm not sure if you're interested in the history of the American or the American, but I'm sure you're interested in the history of the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the American or the professional cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering cheering believed that George Fletcher, who was the African-American cowboy, was the true winner of that bucking contest. And the audience truly did not settle until they agreed to give him a people's choice award, so to speak. But then society kind of takes over. So professional rodeos never had rules that exclude anyone. But racism ramps up in the 1920s across the country. We see an increase in lynching and riots. And so a lot of black cowboys would experience going to the rodeo. They'd paid their entry fee. And then we're not allowed into the back area, which is cut off to the public, to get to the bucking shoots by some gateholder who said you're not supposed to be here. And so that's how that really unfolds for quite some time. And out of that, we see Bill Pickett, the Bill Pickett rodeo start. We see black rodeo kind of separate and organize on their own professional level, the same with Native American rodeos. Yeah. And with baseball, I mean, this is what happens as an unfortunate upshot of all of this racism you end up with these sub venues, sort of sub genres of this thing. Black rodeos, gay rodeo, women's rodeos emerge, right? Because they were in the beginning involved, but then were excluded. Am I right? That is correct. In the 1930s. So in the 1936 union organization with the cowboy turtle association, they allowed women to be members, but they were not voting members. And so there really wasn't much of a benefit to them, although they did make some demands, verging on the edge of striking, which we had three big cowboy strikes in 1935 and 36. And they did do that a couple of times the women did to try to ensure that they were going to get the prize monies. But in 1948, they have been excluded from rodeos for seven years from professional rodeo. And in 1948, they organized the Girls Rodeo Association, which is meant to be a professional rodeo association for the women to compete. And now that is the women's professional cowgirl association. Oh, that must have driven you crazy when you were a kid. I mean, the idea was that it was too physical for women. It was too much of a ride on one of those bucking Broncos. Some had died because of the hobbling, tying a foot to the stair, of course, not any more than men had done. That was the same old story and everything. Over time, of course, the sport gets safer, right? This is there are measures taken along with the standardization of it to prevent mishaps like getting kicked in the chest and so forth. I imagine. Yeah, I think the biggest safety changes have been for bull riders after the death of Lane Frost. And actually, it was the cowboys who organized and created the bull vet, the vest that the bull riders wear today so that they cannot be hooked. They also blunted the horns of the bulls so they weren't so sharp and piercing. And so that vest has helped save hundreds of cowboys lives. And in the mask, also, which became popular after a tough heat emin had suffered so much from a bull stepping in his face. Yeah, exactly. We did a recording. We're recording this during Black History Month. And I just want to point out that one of the best episodes I think we ever did was in our first year long time ago on Black Cowboys episode 113 in the archive, which you can find in the list. What we think of as a white man's West was anything but and that went, of course, for the women as well. Absolutely. My primary research focuses on how girls in the rodeo and they were present all along. Lucille Mall Hall from Oklahoma is the woman who really opens the the arena so to speak, opens the sheets for those cowgirls in that 1904 and then again, she roaps for Teddy Roosevelt who was in Oklahoma City at the time and happened to see her and and ask her father to bring her to Washington DC. And she and her family roped in the inaugural parade for McKinley. Then there was Annie Oakley, of course. I mean, there were these these iconic women who were involved in this realm, right? Yes. Annie Oakley was a shootest and she she does some of her stunts on horseback. She was never a working cowgirl. But she does make a transition for women. So it's really important. Her role is really important in this story because she was always a very proper and wanted to appear very feminine, which kind of offsets those concerns about women becoming too manish or too masculine if they participated in these types of events. And although she's an advocate for women to learn to shoot, she does not necessarily align herself with a lot of what would be the upcoming new woman's activism and goals. But she does play an important part because people can see that she can do this type of activity and still be feminine enough that's it's suitable for society. Of course, very very nice pictures taken over all those postcards you could get. You mentioned this other one named Lucille Mulhall. I just want to circle back to her. She was a ropper who competed against men, beat all of them. So much so they didn't believe she was a woman, right? Correct. That happened in El Paso, Texas at a roping event. She was roping against the men there. She was still quite young. And she beat all of the men who jumped into the arena and tried to start ripping her clothes off because they didn't believe she was a woman. And that a woman could beat them. And thankfully her brother Charlie comes to her rescue before it gets too embarrassing for her. But yeah, she's a ropper. She's also the first woman to produce a rodeo. She has her own rodeo trick for a bit. She also has her own vaudeville show that highlights the west and roping and incident where a steer gets into the audience in Tulsa. And she has to rescue the audience from that steer, roping that steer in Tulsa. But she really does a lot for women in rodeo. And she's another good transitional figure because she rodeoed in long split skirts. And so it looked like a dress when she was riding. But women change their styles for safety reasons. She gets hung up in their New York at Madison Square Garden. And then she gets her skirt hung and is drug for aways from by her horse. And so women start to influence fashion changes as well. Yeah, I mean, I think of rodeo now and I think of it as a mixed gender sport, right? I mean, I can't remember when I went last time how it worked out that way. But I don't think of them as separate nowadays. Is that true? Yes. So the women still have a professional association and they still do have their separate shows and contests. But for the most part, it is co-ed. They're not competing against each other right now. The way they did at the turn of the century and into the early 1920s and early 30s. But the schedule always includes women into events and women participate in other ways too. We have pickup riders that take the cowboy off of the Bronx. And for the longest time, those were men. But now there are several women who are pickup riders in the professional association. So yeah, I would say it's co-ed. It's such an interesting thing to consider. 1920s, Chups coming off of the suffragic movement. Women's right to vote very recently. And suddenly we're seeing women who are doing the same thing if not better than men in in a Western arena. It really had a lot to do with the changing perception of women's roles in America, didn't it? I think that speaks to the popularity of it. Yes. These women are very influential nationally with changing the part of the dress reform change. Also, rodeo cowgirls at that time were able to manage their own careers. They continued competing after they married and had children. So while they were on the road, they made arrangements for their children. Once they were school age to attend school part of the year and travel with the parents the rest of the year. And so they're really exceptional for women during the time when they were expected to not have outside activities after they married and had children. Also rodeos, the first professional sport for women. Interesting. I never thought of that. Today is it on rodeo still on the rise? It has a plateaued in terms of popularity. I know it comes and goes with the professional bull riding series that I see on television and so forth. But that's very specific. It is. I would say there's a resurgence of rodeo in part because of media. So they have the cowboy channel. Now that's part of our FDTV. There's a cowgirl channel as well. And so that they can reach millions of viewers there. But I think in part two pop cultures played a role in that. The reconnection and interest in the Western or the modern Western as we're starting to see more Western film being done again in Western series on television. There's more interest. And so we've seen an increase in Western wear across the globe. And also, you know, audiences come from around the world sometimes to see rodeo. Yes. It is one of those sports that if you're not keyed into it and aware of it yourself, you end up in one of those arenas and you say, Oh, I've seen what I've been missing. It's a gigantic spectacle. It's really fun to see that. But when you back up Tracy, because you study this a scholarship and so forth, what do you think rodeo has given to America? What's what's what's your takeaway from that standpoint? Sociologically speaking? Well, historically it gives us a couple of things when my students take the rodeo history class that I created. They study the way that it affects local and regional relationships, the cause and effects that rodeo brings into those areas. In a sense, I mentioned a living history. It's nostalgic. So people go and see what they think was a part of the Western frontier. Even though it's quite different than it was before it was so commercialized. And so we look and study at the culture, we look at the continuity of that culture. And it also helps us to kind of understand how that's been a longevity, especially in the West. And so it kind of perpetuates that idea of American individualism and a part of the American character because the Cowboys, one of the most recognized American icons from the West. So I think it really gives us a great deal of information. And when you start killing back those layers, you find even more about the effects that it has nationally and globally. At some point, I know that Queen Victoria was fascinated by rodeo. I mean, and that because of Buffalo Bill, I'm sure, but does it go international at some point? Yes, indeed it does. There are tours that rodeo producers put on in 1924. There was a brief tour through the UK, the London rodeo was so popular that they extended their time there so that they could have more shows for the audience. They perform for royalty while they're there. And so they become very popular. In fact, I think it was Prince Albert that gives a horse to one of the cowgirls who was a very good bronch rider. And she treasured that horse for the rest of her life. And does it continue? I thought that this was a modern version of it. We're talking about it. Is it not today? So today, yes, there is some travel today. We have also cowboys that hold rodeo clinics to teach in the South of France to teach bull riding there. So it is still very international. A lot of the cowgirls would also perform competitions in the off season. So in Spain, they would do some steer riding, also some rodeo in Mexico. Others went to the far east. So in former Siam and they were very popular there as well. So it is very international. The 1924 London rodeo was a big hit with the fans, but also one of the places that they saw a great deal of demonstration from animal rights activists in 1924. And I imagine there must be South American rodeo, right? I mean, the Argentinians must have their version of this. Yes. In fact, many countries do. So we have rodeo in the United States in every state. It's a national sport in Mexico and in Brazil. We get there are actually a lot of bull riders who come to the United States from Brazil to participate in the professional bull riding association. Argentina also Australia is another country that we see a lot of reciprocal exchange with the contestants. So yeah, there are some style of rodeo in most countries. I'm curious. What is your favorite activity when you go see one of these rodeos? My new favorite is again a local interest. So a lot of rodeos kind of separate their history with Native Americans in the area, but here in eastern Oregon at the Pendleton Roundup, which is a long standing rodeo embraces that. And so they have a connection with the confederated tribes of the Imitilla. One of the things that they do is that they have the relay races. And there is a separate circuit for Native Americans on this relay race. They ride bearback. It's a very fast. So it's kind of the horse race that I like. And I enjoy the team roping. My sister and her husband are team ropers. And so I always enjoy watching the team roping team. Wow. So it's a regular thing for you. You go on a regular basis. Yes. I actually am part of our first year experience students with our summer bridge program at eastern Oregon. So we take students who are new to eastern Oregon and many of them are international. And so we take them to the Roundup every fall. And it's always so much fun because they have the best questions having never seen rodeo at all. So it's a good time. Dr. Tracy Hanshu grew up on a Texas ranch where a dad was a bull rider and she helped move that cattle from pasture to pasture. Nowadays she's a assistant professor of history at eastern Oregon University. Her most recent publication here she comes wearing them bridges. Look it up. It was in Montana, the magazine of Western history. I earned her national recognition and a nice Western Heritage Wrangler award. What's new on the horizon for you, Tracy? What's what's coming up? I have a couple of things in the works. So I have a chapter that analyzes the role of women in the Western in Taylor Sheridan's 1883. That will be part of a two-volume collection. And I also have a book coming out hopefully later this year that will really look at cowgirls influence and experiences for women in comparing them with women in labor and their influence with women establishing their own careers. So that hopefully will be out later this year through University of Nebraska press. How cool. Well nice to meet you. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Nice to meet you too. Thanks for listening to this episode of American History Hit. As you've made it this far, why not like and follow us wherever you get your podcasts. American History Hit, a podcast from History Hit. 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