Category: Western History
-
Stockyards Museum: Fort Worth, TX
Hey, friend! Welcome back to another post! Today, I want to show you around the Stockyards Museum located in the historic Fort Worth, Texas Stockyards. Let’s get started! I have heard people say that the cattle industry made Fort Worth, but I am inclined to believe that Fort Worth had…
-
Breaking Trail: Tad Barnes Lucas
Barbara Barnes, better known as “Tad Lucas” was born in 1902. She grew up around Cody, Nebraska learning to ride horses. She was given the nickname “Tadpole” as a baby and it was eventually shortened to “Tad.” Tad would become one of the most fearless and innovative trick riders in…
-
Breaking Trail: Bertha Kaepernik Blancett
Bertha Kaepernik was born in 1883. Her family moved to Colorado and she was riding horses by the time she was five years old! She would become known as “the most famous woman rider in rodeo.” She helped pioneer women’s competitions in rodeo, but also wasn’t afraid to compete against…
-
Breaking Trail: Bobcat Twister, the “Famous Educated Steer”
*Originally written for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum blog series “Breaking Trail.” Are you ready to meet Bobcat Twister, the “Famous Educated Steer?” Monte H. Reger of Buffalo, Oklahoma owned and trained the steer. They performed in hundreds of rodeos and fairs together across the United States. Bobcat…
-
Breaking Trail: Fannie Sperry Steele
“To the yesterdays that are gone, to the cowboys I used to know, to the bronc busters that rode beside me, to the horses beneath me (sometimes) I take off my hat. I wouldn’t have missed one minute of it.” Fannie Sperry Steele (Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Website) Fannie…
-
Breaking Trail: Prairie Rose Henderson
Ann Robins was born in Wyoming in the 1870s, but she later was known as ‘Prairie Rose.’ She grew up on a ranch roping and riding then became one of the best bareback riders and relay racers on the rodeo circuit. Cowgirl, Vera McGinnis said Prairie Rose Henderson “was the…
-
Breaking Trail: Fox Hastings
Eloise Fox Hastings was active during the first golden era of rodeo and competed in steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding and trick riding. She would be known for steer wrestling though! She appeared in the Irwin Brother’s Wild West Show in 1914. She performed trick riding and rode broncs in…
-
Breaking Trail: Annie Oakley
Phoebe Ann Moses was born on August 13, 1860 in Ohio. Her family called her ‘Annie.’ Sadly, her father passed away from pneumonia when she was six years old. Her mother remarried and her stepfather passed away as well. Annie was sent to live with the Edington family who ran…
-
Breaking Trail: Mabel Strickland
Mabel DeLong was born in 1897 and raised in Walla Walla, Washington. In high school, she began trick riding and relay racing which set off her twenty-five-year career. She married Hugh Strickland who was an all-around hand and they traveled together on the rodeo circuit for the next two decades.…
-
Breaking Trail: Lorena Trickey
Lorena Trickey was born in 1893 near Palmer, Oregon. In 1917, she joined the Clarence Adams Wild West Show as a trick and Roman rider. One of the stockmen recommended she try rodeo and the rest is history. Lorena began competing in 1918 in Ladies Relay Racing and Saddle Bronc…
-
Breaking Trail: Bonnie McCarroll
*Parts of this blog post were originally written for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum blog series “Breaking Trail.” When you think of iconic cowgirls who comes to mind? I think of cowgirls like Tad Lucas, Mabel Strickland, Lorena Trickey and Bonnie McCarroll! Today, we’re going to explore the life…
-
Breaking Trail: Abilene, the Longhorn Mascot of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
*Originally written for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum blog series “Breaking Trail.” What do you think of when you think about the American West? Often, cowboys, cows and vast areas of land come to mind. While these things might be true – the history of the American West…
-
Breaking Trail: Jackson Sundown
*Originally written for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum blog series “Breaking Trail.” Did you know the cowboy in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s logo is based on an ACTUAL cowboy?! That’s right, his name was Jackson Sundown and today I’m going to tell you about his…
-
Breaking Trail: Bill Pickett
*Originally written for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum blog series “Breaking Trail.” Would you ever bite a bull on the nose? Would you wrestle a steer? No…? What if I told you this was an actual event in every rodeo called, “bulldogging” invented by the great cowboy Bill…
-
A Short History of Dogs in the American West & Their Role in Rodeo
Hey, friend! Welcome back to another post! Today, we’re exploring a couple of questions that were posed to me a few months ago: What role did dogs play in the American West? What kind of dogs were most common in the West? Do dogs have a role in rodeo? These…
-
Welcome to the Active Historian Blog!
Hey there friend! My name is Kaitlyn Weldon. I am so glad that you found my blog. I hope that you will find something useful here that you can apply to your own life. This is my first blog post and I thought I’d introduce myself and tell you little…