The Active Historian

Irene “Goldie” Wooden was born in Kanas in 1890/91 to Stephen and Katie Wooden. The Woodens lived in Kansas during Goldie’s early childhood, but they eventually packed their belongings and moved to Oklahoma. By 1900, the Wooden family was living in McElroy, Oklahoma.

Goldie loved riding and often chose some of the most difficult to ride horses.

She first appeared with the Miller’s Brother 101 Ranch Wild West show in 1905 for two weeks at age 15. The Miller Brothers promised her parents that Mrs. George Miller would her chaperone during the trip. Her parents accepted their offer and Goldie was off!

The Miller Brothers contacted Goldie again in 1907 for a show they were doing in Jamestown, Virginia and Chicago, Illinois. Goldie received a medal shaped like a steer head in the mail for her performance at Jamestown. The medal inscription read, “Goldie Wooden, Champion Lady Bucking Horse Rider of the World; Jamestown Exposition and World’s Fair, Jamestown, Virginia, 1907.”

In 1908, she began riding in Dickey’s Circle D Wild West Show that was housed in Milwaukee. She performed multiple times a day every day for sixteen weeks.

On June 8, 1908, she married Vernon “Burney” T. St. Clair in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was 18 years old and he was in his mid-twenties at the time. Burney was a fellow performer in Dickey’s Circle D Wild West Show.

Next, Goldie and Burney took their talents to work for Charlie Irwin. They were invited to participate in the Cheyenne Frontier Days show in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They finished their contract with Irwin in the fall of 1909.

In 1910, Goldie won the Bronc Riding title at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming after successfully riding Red Wing. Former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt witnessed her riding and was impressed, but he feared a “bad horse would finally get her” some day.

Soon, Will Rogers came calling. He wanted Goldie to perform in his show on Broadway. She agreed to a six week contract. She showed off roping skills and the show ended with her on a bucking horse. The advertisement on the right lists Will Rogers and Goldie St. Claire in a “miniature Wild West” show.

In April 1911, she suffered serious injuries when the vicious horse, Roan Devil, reared up and fell backwards on top of her. Many people thought she would succumb to her injuries, but she made a full recovery and continued performing.

In 1912, Goldie and Burney were invited to attend and compete in the very first Calgary Stampede from September 2-6. Goldie competed in the ‘Cowgirls’ Bucking Contest’ against Annie Sperry Mitchell, Annie Shaefer, Bertha Blancett, Hazel Walker, and Blanche McGanechy. On September 3, Burney gave an exhibition where he rode a bucking horse without stirrups. Goldie placed second in the ‘Cowgirls’ Bucking Horse Riding’ winning $500.

Goldie and Burney moved to Edmonton West, Alberta, Canada around 1913. Her parents and younger brother also moved to Canada to homestead. The St. Clairs became naturalized citizens of Canada in 1917. They lived and worked their land for several years, but then moved to Texas in 1927. Shortly thereafter they moved back to Morley, Alberta. In 1929, Goldie and Burney divorced after 21 years of marriage. They had spent time working together on their ranches in Texas and Alberta, Canada. Goldie chose to remain in Alberta, and Burney went back to Texas.

Goldie later married Alberta rancher, Tom Hillis. They operated a ranch approximately 40 miles southwest of Brooks for J.J. Bowlen throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Goldie St. Clair passed away on November 30, 1956 at the age of 66 from injuries she had sustained in a car accident.

Concluding Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed reading about the life of Goldie St. Clair and learned something new today. Join me next time as we continue ‘breaking trail’ and uncovering more stories from the American West!

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Sources

Secondary Sources

Books

Chris Enss. “Along Came A Cowgirl: Daring and Iconic Women of the Rodeo & Wild West Shows.” [Pages: 51-53]

Richard Rattenbury. “Arena Legacy: The Heritage of American Rodeo.” [Page: 54]

Websites

Chris Enss. “COWGIRL Iconic: Goldie St. Clair.” COWGIRL Magazine.

“Goldie Irene Hillis.” Find A Grave Index.

Primary Sources

Marriage License

“Goldie Wooden.” Milwaukee Public Library; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Milwaukee Vital Records; Call Number: 929.3.

Census Records

“Goldie Wooden.” Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1895 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: v115_31; Line: 20.

“Gold Wooden.” United States Federal Census. 1900; McElroy, Pawnee, Oklahoma; Roll: 1341; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 0177.

“Verna T. St. Clair.” United States Federal Census. 1910; Lagoon, Pawnee, Oklahoma; Roll: T624_1268; Page: 12a; Enumeration District: 0178; FHL microfilm: 1375281.

“Goldie J. St. Clair.” United States Federal Census. 1910; Lagoon, Pawnee, Oklahoma; Roll: T624_1268; Page: 12a; Enumeration District: 0178; FHL microfilm: 1375281.

“Goldie St Clair.” Canada Census 1916; Census Place: Alberta, Edmonton West, 29; Roll: T-21951; Page: 45; Family No: 557.

“Golda St Clair.” 1921 Census of Canada. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 6; Census Place: Spirit River Municipality, Edmonton West, Alberta; Page Number: 1

Photographs

“Goldie St Clair of Oklahoma, World’s Champion Lady Rough Rider, Wyoming State Fair.” Ralph R. Doubleday. 1910. Gelatin silver print. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas. P1976.48.198. (Public Domain)

Newspapers

“Pawnee County Fair.” Maramec Weekly Monitor (Maramec, OK), October 8, 1909.

“Amusements: Temple.” Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), February 25, 1911.

“Trampled By Horse.” Detroit Evening Times (Detroit, MI), April 18, 1911.

“Fearless Woman Bronco Buster Dying After Fall.” The Spokane Press (Spokane, WA), April 25, 1911.

“‘101 Ranch’ Spectators See A Thrilling Sight.” The Brooklyn Citizen (Brooklyn, NY), May 3, 1911.

“Champion Girl Rider With Wild West Show.” The Times-Tribune (Scranton, PA), May 31, 1911.

New Castle Herald (New Castle, PA), June 12, 1911.

“101 Ranch Real Wild West Show Will Hold Exhibitions in Allegheny Tomorrow Afternoon and Evening.” The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA), June 18, 1911.

“Prefers the Saddle to College Life Does Miss St. Clair.” Detroit Free Press (Detroit, MI), July 3, 1911.

“Many Thrills Attend Opening of 101 Ranch.” The Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL), July 9, 1911.

“Crack Girl Rider to Perform at Stampede.” Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), June 19, 1912.

“Dashing Cowgirls Here For Stampede.” Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) , August 28, 1912.

“Riders Raised $1,900 For Widow of Le Mar Who Met Death Here.” Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), September 3, 1912.

“Ed Echols Sets A Low Mark In Roping.” The Calgary Albertan (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), September 5, 1912.

“Stampede Results in Detail.” Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), September 9, 1912.

“Western Frontier Day’s Celebration.” The Topeka State Journal (Topeka, KS), November 6, 1914.

“Deaths.” The Ottawa Journal (Ontario, Canada), November 30, 1956.

“Goldie St. Clair Was A World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider.” Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), July 3, 1970.

“Goldie St. Clair.” Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), July 28, 1998.

*All newspaper clippings in this blog post were pulled from newspapers.com. I accessed the digitized Census records and the marriage license on ancestry.com. I am not affiliated with either website. I just wanted to let you know where I found my digitized sources!

*Blog Cover Photo: “Goldie St Clair of Oklahoma, World’s Champion Lady Rough Rider, Wyoming State Fair.” Ralph R. Doubleday. 1910. Gelatin silver print. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas. P1976.48.198. (Public Domain)