Ellensburg Rodeo | |
---|---|
Genre | Rodeo |
Frequency | annually |
Location(s) | Ellensburg, Washington |
Website | Official website |
The Ellensburg Rodeo opens every Labor Day weekend along with the Kittitas County Fair in Ellensburg, Washington. Started in 1923, the Ellensburg Rodeo has grown from a local competition among ranch hands to the Professional event of today with over 500 contestants and prize money in excess of $250,000. [1] Within the Pacific Northwest, the Ellensburg Rodeo is second in size only to the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, and is considered to be one of America's top 25 rodeos. [2] The Ellensburg Rodeo was inducted to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2020. [3]
The rodeo went on hiatus from 1942 to 1944 because of World War II, and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peter Charles Knight was a Canadian and World Champion Rodeo Bronc Rider. Knight was the acclaimed "King of the Cowboys" of the 1930s, and held the Rodeo Association of America title "World Champion Bronc Rider" for 1932, 1933, 1935, and 1936. The Rodeo Hall of Fame in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum inducted Knight in 1958. The Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame inducted Pete in 1998. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, inducted Knight in the Saddle Bronc Riding category when it opened its doors in 1979.
George Guy Weadick was an American cowboy, performer and promoter. Today, he is best known as the founder of the Calgary Stampede in Alberta, Canada. He was married to famed cowgirl, Florence LaDue. Weadick was the first to be inducted in the Builder category in the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
Tom R. Ferguson is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion all-around cowboy for six consecutive years from 1974 to 1979; breaking the previous mark of five consecutive titles held by Larry Mahan. He was also the 1974 World Champion calf roper and the World Champion steer wrestler in 1977 and 1978. In 1999, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The PRCA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
Larry Mahan was an American professional rodeo cowboy. He won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships in the Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit at the National Finals Rodeo.
James A. Shoulders, also known as Jim Shoulders, was an American professional rodeo cowboy and rancher. He is commemorated at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. At the time of his death, he was one of the most successful contestants in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), having won 16 World Championships, which was the most of any performer at that time. He was known as the 'Babe Ruth of rodeo'.
Charles "Charlie" Sampson is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He was the 1982 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion bull rider. He is the first African American cowboy to win a world championship in professional rodeo. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1996.
Myrtis Dightman is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. Known as the "Jackie Robinson of Rodeo", Dightman was the first African-American to compete at the National Finals Rodeo.
William E. Linderman was an American rodeo cowboy who competed on the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) circuit in the 1940s and 1950s. During his career, he won RCA All-Around Cowboy titles in 1950 and 1953, along with an unofficial All-Around Cowboy championship in 1945; in addition, he earned season championships in rodeo disciplines four times. Linderman was the first cowboy with three RCA world championships in a year, a feat he accomplished in 1950. A native of Montana, he joined the RCA in the early 1940s, winning his first discipline world championship in 1943 before beating out his brother for the 1945 unofficial All-Around Cowboy title. After injuries and health issues ended his 1946 and 1947 seasons, Linderman added two more All-Around Cowboy championships in the next six years.
Martin Roy Wood was a rodeo cowboy from Bowness, Calgary, in the province of Alberta, Canada. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted Wood in 1991. He was also inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1994. Wood died on August 10, 2019, in Pendleton, Oregon.
Everett Bowman was an American rodeo cowboy who competed from the 1920s to 1940s. During his career, he won the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) All-Around Cowboy championship in 1935 and 1937 and was second three times; he also won eight titles in individual disciplines. Bowman was involved in organizing cowboys, founding the first group for pro rodeo competitors, the Cowboys' Turtle Association (CTA), now known as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). From 1936 to 1945, he served as president of the organization. Bowman was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.
Roy Dale Cooper is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who competed in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events for more than two decades. He won the All-Around Cowboy world championship in 1983 and claimed seven individual discipline championships, including six tie-down roping titles. Cooper won the PRCA's Rookie of the Year award in 1976, and was nicknamed "Super Looper" for his roping ability. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted Cooper in its Tie-Down Roping category in 1979.
Trevor Brazile is a semi-retired American rodeo champion who competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2022. He holds the record for the most PRCA world championship titles with 26. He won his 26th title in 2020. He also holds the record for the most all-around cowboy world champion titles at 14, breaking the record of 7 titles held by Ty Murray; Murray's last earned was in 1998.
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame, located at Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, is a hall of fame for the sport of bull riding. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Texas, and created to "recognize, memorialize, and applaud the bull riders, bullfighters, bulls, stock contractors, events, and individuals who have made a historic contribution and attained stellar performance in the sport." Membership is open to fans worldwide.
Phil Lyne is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who competed in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA)/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Lyne was the RCA Rookie of the Year in 1969. Two seasons later at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), in 1971, he won the all-around cowboy world championship and the tie-down roping world championship. At the NFR in 1972, he repeated as the all-around world champion cowboy and added a second tie-down roping world championship. Lyne won his first and only steer roping world championship at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) in 1990. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.
Gene Rambo was an American rodeo cowboy who competed in International Rodeo Association (IRA) events in the 1940s and 1950s. Rambo won the IRA's all-around cowboy season championship four times between 1946 and 1950. He took part in numerous disciplines, including saddle bronc riding, steer roping, steer wrestling, and tie-down roping. Rambo was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1989.
Guy Allen is an American ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy and an 18-time steer roping world champion. He competes in rodeos sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He won the world title for the steer roping event 18 times when competing at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) and also won the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) Average title five times. He had won the title 11 times in a row when Buster Record broke his streak. Allen is also inducted into eight rodeo halls of fame.
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) is the governing body of professional rodeo in Canada. Its championship event is the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) held every November.
Grated Coconut #G-65 is a Canadian former rodeo bucking horse that was specialized in bareback bronc riding. He was a six-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Bareback Horse of the Year. He was also a six-time Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) Bareback Horse of the Year from. He has been inducted into three halls of fame, including the ProRodeo Hall of Fame of the PRCA, the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame of the CPRA, and the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame of the PRCA-sanctioned Ellensburg Rodeo.