Category: Western History
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
The Active Historian 