The Active Historian

Viola Janet “Nettie” Schiel was born around 1883 in Ohio. Her mother, Rachel Sprague was from Ohio and her father, Wendall Schiel was from Germany.

She moved to Los Angeles at some point and married her first husband, Ralph Walter Long on November 22, 1900. She was 18 years old and he was 21 years old. They had one son in 1901, Wendel.

She married a second time to John Allen “Happy Jack” Hawn and they lived on a ranch in Fresno County, California. I couldn’t find their exact marriage date, but the earliest newspaper I could find have them traveling the rodeo circuits together as husband and wife in 1912. The Hawns competed in events and provided stock.

The first annual Border Days was held at Grangeville, Idaho in 1913. Nettie Hawn and Bertha Blancett were the contestants in the Cowgirls’ Bucking Contest. The purse for first place was $150 and a fancy box of chocolates donated by Washington Cracker Co. from Spokane, Washington. The purse for second place was $50.

Nettie Hawn was named the Champion Cowgirl Bucking Horse Rider at the Pendleton Round-Up in 1913 for her performance on “Snake.” She was up against cowgirls like Bertha Blancett and Minnie Thompson.

The Oregon Daily Journal reports, “Snake” plunged viciously and she [Nettie] kept her seat in admirable form until the takeup man took the rope from her hands…” (“New Champions Bow…” The Oregon Daily Journal. September 14, 1913.)

In October 1913, Nettie Hawn competed at the Emeryville racetrack. She “thrilled the crowd with an exhibition of bucking horse riding.” (“2 Cow Punchers Hurt At Rodeo.” The San Francisco Call and Post. October 8, 1913.)

At the 1914 Bakersfield Rodeo in California, Nettie Hawn took first place in the Cowgirl Bucking Contest earning $100. Tillie Gillis took second and Emma Holder took third respectively.

At the May 1915 Los Angeles Rodeo, Nettie Hawn took a tumble off of “Skyscraper” and was dragged along the arena for roughly 100 yards after her foot became caught in the stirrup resulting in a broken arm.

A few months later in September 1915, Nettie Hawn had healed from her injuries and competed at the rodeo that took place in Elko, Nevada. She even made an exhibition ride on “Clown” winning an additional $50 for the feat.

Nettie Hawn competed at the 1918 San Jose Rodeo with many other successful female riders in June. In July, she and her husband traveled to Salinas for the California Rodeo.

In 1921, the Hawns continued providing stock for rodeos. “Marcus” was a horse owned by Nettie Hawn that “can do most everything, but talk.” (“Cuff Burrill’s… Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, August 18, 1921)

She and Happy Jack appeared at the 1922 Santa Clara Rodeo in May.

In July 1922, Nettie Hawn took her pinto horse to the California Rodeo to perform high school tricks. This was a yearly appearance for her and the crowds loved her!

Nettie Hawn led the cowboy and cowgirls contingent of the 1923 California Rodeo parade on her horse.

In 1926, the Hawns took a new outfit of bucking horses to the California Rodeo. They also had some racing horses as well.

The Hawns took their outfit to Salinas in July 1927 for the 16th California Rodeo.

Nettie Hawn passed away on November 24, 1928 at her home in Clovis, California. She was 47 years old and had been suffering from health complications for over a year. Her funeral service was held on November 26 and she was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Fresno, California.

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Sources

Primary Sources

Nettie Hawn. 1920 United States Federal Census. Year: 1920; Census Place: Township 15, Fresno, California; Roll: T625_98; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 76.

“Viola Janet Schiel.” California, U.S., County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980.

Photographs

Champion 1913. Nettie Hawn on “Snake.” Riding for championship of the world. Round-up., 1913, PH244_0058, Photo Box: 1. Charles Wellington Furlong papers, Ax 698. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives.

Newspapers

“Births, Marriages, Deaths.” Los Angeles Evening Express (Los Angeles, California), November 21, 1900.

“Big Black Bovine Will Make Things Lively For Would Be Riders At Fair.” Oakland Enquirer (Oakland, California), September 4, 1912.

“Happy Jack” Will Head Delegation of Punchers At State Fair.” Oakland Enquirer (Oakland, California), September 12, 1912.

“State Fair Exhibits Arrive.” The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California), September 12, 1912.

“McCormack Rides Into Fame on Back of Worlds Famous Outlaw.” East Oregonian (Pendleton, Oregon), September 15, 1913.

“Border Days, great Wild West Show, Now In Full Swing; Cowboys, Cowgirls, Buckaroos, Reign Supreme With Us.” The Grangeville Globe (Grangeville, Idaho), September 18, 1913.

“2 Cow Punchers Hurt At Rodeo.” The San Francisco Call and Post (San Francisco, California), October 8, 1913.

“Bakersfield Rodeo Prize Winners.” Bakersfield Morning Echo (Bakersfield, California), April 27, 1914.

“Mrs. Nettie Hawn, wife of Happy Jack…” San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), July 31, 1914.

“Salinas Rodeo Is Opened With A Lively Bill.” San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), July 31, 1914.

“Nettie Hawn Will Defend Championship.” East Oregonian (Pendleton, Oregon), August 18, 1914.

“New Champions Bow To Crowd’s Plaudits In Closing Events. The Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon), September 14, 1913.

“Round-Up Souvenir Edition.” East Oregonian (Pendleton, Oregon), September 24, 1914.

“Daring Riders To Show Life Of Range At Rodeo.” Los Angeles Evening Press (Los Angeles, California), April 16, 1915.

“Rodeo of Thrills Goes On; Injured In Hospital.” Los Angeles Evening Express (Los Angeles, California), May 6, 1915.

“Clever Cowgirl Hurt By Outlaw Steed.” Bakersfield Morning Echo (Bakersfield, California), May 8, 1915.

“Tom Mix May Die.” Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise (Bartlesville, Oklahoma), May 12, 1915.

“Another Champion Arrived Last Night.” Elko Independent (Elko, Nevada), September 7, 1915.

“Lee Caldwell Wins In Rodeo Finals.” Elko Independent (Elko, Nevada), September 10, 1915.

“Round-Up Souvenir Edition. Typical Scenes at the Pendleton Round-Up.” East Oregonian (Pendleton, Oregon), September 22, 1916.

“Women Riders At San Jose.” The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California), June 9, 1918.

“Salinas Rodeo Invites Motorists.” San Francisco Bulletin (San Francisco, California), July 6, 1918.

“Exhibition on Main Street This Afternoon.” Petaluma Daily Morning Courier (Petaluma, California), August 20, 1920

“Cuff Burrill’s Picture Chariot Show Arrives.” Petaluma Daily Morning Courier (Petaluma, California), August 18, 1921.

“Do You Know That “Marquis” Is A Regular Educated Horse?” Red Bluff News (Red Bluff, California), October 8, 1921.

“Many Favorites In At Santa Clara Rodeo.” The Californian (Salinas, California), May 6, 1922.

The Californian (Salinas, California), July 23, 1923.

The Californian (Salinas, California), June 9, 1926.

The Californian (Salinas, California), July 17, 1926.

“Rodeo Offers Lure To Santa Cruzans.” Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz, California), July 19, 1927.

Rolin G. Watkins. “Largest Crowd Ever Here On Opening Day, And The Longest Line Of Vaqueros.” The Californian (Salinas, California), July 27, 1922.

“Death Notices.” The Fresno Morning Republican (Fresno, California), November 26, 1928.

“Mrs. Jack Hawn Is Called By Death.” Hollister Advance (Hollister, California), November 30, 1928.

*All newspaper clippings in this blog post were pulled from newspapers.com. All digitized primary sources were found on ancestry.com unless stated otherwise. I am not affiliated with either website. I just wanted to let you know where I found my digitized sources.

*Blog Cover Photo: Champion 1913. Nettie Hawn on “Snake.” Riding for championship of the world. Round-up., 1913, PH244_0058, Photo Box: 1. Charles Wellington Furlong papers, Ax 698. University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives.