Patches (Hawkes)/Chapter 11
IN the winter of the year 1897 the leading men of the little cattle city of Wyanne dreamed a dream and beheld a vision and in this dream they saw a great three days pageant or festival which should tell in detail the story of ranch life in the great west, especially the story of cattle raising. It must not be imagined, however, that they dreamed this dream one week and staged this great show the next or even the next month. For it took weeks and months of planning and much arduous labor to perfect the first American rodeo.
As soon as this scheme had been definitely outlined a large staff of secretaries were set to work corresponding with the leading cattle raisers both east and west of the Rocky Mountains. Horsemen from far and near were finally interested while many of the richest cattle raisers both east and west of the Rockies entered into the project with enthusiasm. There was no limit to the distance from which visitors would be invited and invitations were sent out as far west as the Pacific coast, south to the Rio Grande and north ward to the Canadian border.
The great show was finally set for the first week in August. This was a quiet time on the ranches, the hay on the home ranches had all been cut and stacked, and there is a little breathing spell before the autumn round-up in September. So the time was opportune for this great western drama of the cattle men.
The first obstacle that the good people of Wyanne had to overcome was the fact that they had no arena large enough for such an event. But eons before the white men ever came to this continent nature had prepared just the place for the great show. It was about a mile from the center of the city and was a natural amphitheater which was christened the oval. There was a natural intervale about the size of a polo ground, perhaps three hundred yards by two hundred. This was surrounded by steep bluffs on three sides. The first thing that the Wyanne people did was to build a half mile race track skirting the foot of the bluffs. This was then fenced inside and out by a fivefoot board fence. The enclosure inside the inner fence was then levelled until it was as smooth as a billiard table. This arena contained between: twenty-five or thirty acres.
Bleachers were then set up on the buffs on three sides of the track. The first seats were about ten feet above the track while those perched on the highest seat could view this beautiful arena from an elevation of nearly a hundred feet. Seats for twenty thousand people were made while as many more could be accommodated on the grass.
For several weeks before the great event small companies of people both in Wyanne and in the surrounding towns and cities were very busy. They were rehearsing for their parts, practising their stunts, and also making floats for the great parade which was to inaugurate the important day.
The first day of the rodeo was ushered in by as beautiful weather as could be wished for. The air was clear and not too hot, the mountains to the west of Wyanne were looking beautiful in their summer verdure.
The great parade formed on the main street of Wyanne with its many sections resting upon the side streets. Finally at one o'clock the herald and the leading band started and the machinery which was to set in motion the first American rodeo had begun to move. Immediately following the band were five hundred mounted cow-punchers upon some of the best horses that the west could produce, cow-punchers from Wyoming, South Dakota, Oregon, California, New Mexico and Arizona. They were gay in their cow-puncher regalia with the broad Stetsons, the bright kerchiefs, the ornate chaps, and the tall, shiny riding boots. The chains in the bits of their horses jingled merrily as they marched along.
They were closely followed by two hundred cow girls many of whom were society girls from the best families in the west, girls who had taken prizes at riding shows and races and whose greatest hobby in the world was horses. Some of these girls, however, were typical cow girls, born and brought up on the ranch, who had ridden horses ever since they were large enough to climb to a horse's back. A few of them were famous riders who had ridden some of the worst outlaws in the west.
The cow girls were followed by three hundred Indians gay in their war paint, war bonnets and bright blankets. These Indians were Sioux from the local reservation, Black Feet from the hills of Montana, Navahos from Arizona, and New Mexico, all riding beautiful horses with the ornate Mexican saddles. While still others were Apaches from a distant reservation, but all were as gay in color as the traditional red man.
These horsemen were followed by nearly fifty floats representing life in the great west. First there was the log cabin of the settler, a rude affair which merely sheltered him from the wind and the rain. There was the camp of the Indian, his teepee on the edge of the forest.
These were followed by the old stage coach and the ox-cart, also a canoe, all upon wheels and looking as natural as life. The plow and the reaper were also shown. Then came a dozen floats representing the industries of the state, the mining camp, the oil well, the sheep ranch and many others. Then the fraternities of Wyanne and other local towns took their turn upon the floats. After these came several marching columns representing different industries and fraternities of the city of Wyanne and other towns of the cattle land. And all this vast parade which extended for nearly two miles was interspersed with a dozen bands which blared their triumphal music as the procession moved on. It was just two o'clock when the end of the procession passed the reviewing stand at the oval. Then the cowboys and the cow girls put their horses which were to take part in the day's sport in the paddock which had been provided for them and the great crowd which had both preceded and followed the procession finally seated itself in the half circle of seats which surrounded the track on three sides.
Four bands were stationed at different points around the track to amuse the crowd and to keep it good-natured until the first event should occur. On three sides of the track, perched high in great trees which had been spared for this special purpose, were three men. Each was equipped with a megaphone, a pair of strong lungs and a stentorian voice. Previous to each event these three men lifted their megaphones and sent the announcements ringing across the intervale to the twenty-five thousand spectators seated on the bluffs.
The first event, in honor to the ladies, was the cow girls' mile and a half relay race. Each cow girl was allowed three horses, usually her own string, and two helpers. It was a half mile track and when a contestant came sweeping around to the finish of the first half mile on her madly racing pony, she had to bring him to a dead stop, changing the saddle and bridle to another horse which her first helper was holding and then when everything was in readiness, they were off again. The lightning cinch was most valuable in this race, merely a sharp pull and a twist of the wrist and the trick was done. It was incredible how quick these expert horse-women could change the saddles and bridles on their steeds. When they came around the second time there was still another pony and another lightning change and they were off for the final lap. If a buckle stuck or there was any trouble in making the change the race was lost. It was quite as much a race of dexterity of change as it was a race of good horses.
The second event was even more spectacular and thrilling than the first for it was nothing more or less than a race between four old-fashioned stage coaches. The coaches were furnished by the management. They were standing at the scratch, while the six horses which were used on each were in the paddock near at hand. Each driver was allowed as many helpers as he cared to employ. At the sound of the gong there was a great scrambling in the paddock for the horses. They came forth almost at a gallop and in an incredibly short time they were harnessed to the coach and the driver was perched upon his high seat, the reins in his left hand and the long snake-like whip in his right. Then the whip cracked and the six excited horses sprang into the collars and they were off. The coaches swayed and the axles snapped as they got up speed. The gait of the horses was a head-long gallop and each horse was trying to outdo the rest of the team. This was a race which required the greatest skill by the driver and the keenest judgment in calculating the turns as there was much jockeying for positions. The race was for two miles so the old stage coaches rattled four times around the track while the crowd cheered as their favorite drew to the front.
The excitement while the race lasted was intense, nearly every one in the grand stand was standing on his feet and shouting, when the leading coach finally thundered down the home stretch and claimed the prize money, which was enough to buy six horses and a brand new coach.
Thinking that the crowd had had excitement enough for the present, the next feature was more sober. It was the great mounted cavalcade of cowboys and cow girls. The five hundred cowboys and the two hundred cow girls who had come out in the parade half an hour before again mounted their steeds and rode slowly around the track. As they passed the judges' stand they were carefully inspected and the most typical cowboy and cow girl each received a handsome purse of gold.
The fourth event was also historic for it was nothing more or less than a relay pony express race, a race intended to show the efficiency of the pony express and what it had meant to the west as a means of communication.
Each contestant was allowed two horses and two assistants. The distance for the race was one mile, the first horse was to run the first quarter and the third quarter, the second horse the second and the fourth.
When a madly racing express pony reached the end of the first quarter his rider had to dismount, then put the saddle and bridle on the new horse who was standing nearby and also to change his mail bags. When everything was in readiness he was off again. At the end of the second quarter he found his first pony waiting for him and once more the saddle and bridle and the mail bags had to be shifted. At the end of the third quarter the second pony was again waiting and the shift was again made. So it will be seen that this race was also a race of dexterity in shifting the trappings of the horses as well as a race testing the speed of the ponies. A slip with the bridle or saddle, or the mail sacks and the race was lost.
The cow girl bucking contest was also a spectacular event and awaited with eager interest because of the fact that the contestants were women. The horses that they rode were not the outlaws that the men rode in their contest, instead they were what are called show buckers, horses that had been trained and encouraged to buck, horses that enjoyed bucking and took it as a sort of game. They never tried to kill their riders, but they did try to dismount them and these cow girls stuck to their saddles like leeches. Crowhopping, sunfishing, straight bucking, and swapping ends were nothing to them, even when a horse stood on his hind legs they did not mind, provided he did not try the back throw. These maneuvers were so tremendous that the average horse-women gasped with fear just to watch them and they breathed a sigh of relief when the contest was over.
The pony race for the Indians was in lighter vein and intended partly for fun. The Indians rode without saddles guiding their horses merely with halters, and clad only in their war bonnets and breech cloths. The ponies that they rode were of all sorts and sizes and the race always created much amusement although the Indians rode with great ease and skill.
The steer roping contest was eagerly watched by the thousands of cow-punchers and cattle men. This event was staged on the arena inside the track. The steer was driven in through a gateway in the board fence and allowed a thirty foot start of the cow-puncher who was mounted on his favorite pony. The steer was a dogie, the long horn Texas variety, as wild as an antelope. As soon as the cow-puncher came within roping distance, his lariat shot out. If it fell true it would catch the steer over the horns. At a sign from his rider the cow-pony stiffened his legs like pile drivers and braced to meet the shock of a thousand pounds of madly galloping steer. As the lariat came taut the steer usually reared into the air three or four feet and, if the rope or cinch didn't break, he landed heavily upon his side. Then the clever cow-pony held the rope taut while his master jumped to the ground and with two or three passes of a rope hog-tied the steer. All this had to be done inside two minutes and the quickest time took first money.
Bull-dogging steers was a kindred event and that was also staged on the glass plot. As in the case of roping, the steer was driven in and allowed a thirty foot start. The cow-puncher mounted upon his favorite pony went after the steer like the wind and at just the right moment sprang from the saddle and threw his right arm over the neck of the madly galloping steer. Then with each hand he seized a horn and with a sharp pull of his left hand brought the steer's head around and threw him heavily upon his right—side. He had to be thrown with all four legs stretched out and with his head laid down flat on the ground. The cow-puncher had to hold him with one hand while he waved his other hand to the judges.
The cowboys' bucking contest was one of the great events of the rodeo. For this occasion the country for hundred of miles around had been scoured for outlaw horses. Some of them even rated as killers. The conditions were very hard, a cow-puncher was allowed an assistant to help saddle the horse. He was not allowed a bridle but had to guide the horse with a halter. He had to ride sitting erect, he couldn't pull leather, that is catch hold of the saddle to save himself from a bad fall and each time the horse bucked he had to wave his hat to the audience. _15.png)
Altogether it was a very spectacular performance and one which required supreme horsemanship.
For the first and second days of the rodeo in each contest the winning horse was held and passed up to the finals for the third day and the rest were eliminated from the contest. So those who survived for this supreme effort were in what was called the world's championship class.
The third day of the Wyoming rodeo dawned as auspicious as the other two had and by half past twelve every seat in the vast arena had been taken and ten thousand were sitting on the grass. The contests for that day were many and the sports were to begin at one o'clock. We will pass over most of the events and come at once to the cowboy's bucking contest. For this occasion an outlaw horse with the fearful reputation as a killer had been reserved. He was a stallion called Big Thunder.
The first cow-puncher who undertook to ride him lasted about ten seconds. After several high bucks and the sunfishing maneuver, and then a combination of bucking and sunfishing which was all his own, Big Thunder sent his rider sprawling in the dust and he was out of the contest.
The second cowboy fared no better for after three high straight-away bucks of terrific proportions blood spurted from the man's nostrils and he clung to the saddle and so was disqualified.
The third man lasted through all the preliminary bucking and sunfishing, but when Big Thunder attempted the back throw he was obliged to drop from the saddle to the ground to save his life.
The fourth man lasted for twenty seconds and then dropped the halter rope and the black fury bolted for the board fence that skirted the track. He went over it like a deer and started for the distant paddock. The cow-punchers were barely able to stop him and because he had lost control of the horse by dropping the rope he was disqualified.
Because of the fact that Big Thunder had spilled four of the best cow-punchers east of the Rockies there was only one more left and this was a lank Californian who fared no better than his predecessors. After a series of maneuvers which combined everything that the black fury had done to the other four contestants the Californian was dismounted and Big Thunder was still unridable.
At this stage in the performance the announcers from the crow-nests on the three sides of the track gave out an announcement calling for a volunteer to ride the black fury.
"What, gentlemen," cried the announcers, "will you let this horse beat you? Is there no one in all this vast audience who dares to ride Big Thunder?"
For a moment no one seemed forthcoming, then a tall, slim young man sprang to his feet and cried, "I will ride him, gentlemen, I will tide Big Thunder."
At the sound of his nephew's voice, Hank Brodie sprang to his feet. "Gentlemen," he called, "I forbid it. He is a minor and I am his guardian. He is booked for the great two-mile race which follows this contest and I forbid him to ride Big Thunder."
At this point two strong hands reached up and pulled Hank Brodie down. His two friends, Pony Perkins and Long Tom, had taken him in charge.
"Don't spoil the boy's fun," pleaded Long Tom, "I bet you he can ride him. He is a wonderful rider and he has a great way with horses."
"I will bet on him, too," put in Pony. "I will bet the Jack Rabbit he can ride the black devil."
"What is your decision, Mr. Brodie, will he ride?" cried one of the judges and Hank nodded his head.
Whether Big Thunder had worked off a lot of his steam and pure cussedness was not known but it was certain that Larry fared much better than had any of the others. He mounted with a quick spring and caught the halter rope with a strong sure hand. The black fury executed his three long high jumps which had put the second contestant out of business, but at each jump Larry raised slightly in the saddle and took a part of the blow on the stirrups and so saved himself. Sunfishing and swapping ends did not discomfort him, but Hank Brodie felt his heart in his throat when the black fury reared upon his hind legs for the back throw.
"By God, he is going over!" exclaimed the head cow-puncher of the Crooked Creek ranch, "the boy will be killed."
But the black stallion did not lose his balance, instead he cavorted about upon his hind legs for a few seconds and then came down with a vicious slap of his fore feet upon the ground. Then the deviltry seemed to go out of him and instead of going through the fence as the crowd expected he went straight around the race track at a terrific gallop, just the thing Larry wanted him to do. The second time he came around Larry was able to pull him down before the judges' stand and make him stand quietly, entirely subdued for the first time during the contest.
As Larry waved his hat to the judges, the thirty thousand people in the amphitheater rose to their feet as of one accord and gave vent to their enthusiasm in a mighty chorus of cheers, cheers that even drowned the utmost efforts of the four bands which sought to swell the bedlam. It was a great triumph for the young man but sweetest of all his praise was that from Long Tom and Pony when they came down from their seats and shook him warmly by the hand.
"We knowed you could do it," said Long Tom. "We was betting on you. It was us that made your Uncle Henry let you ride."
"That first night when you came to the ranch," said Pony, "you said as how your riding master reckoned you could ride any kind of horse that lived. We cow-punchers sort of snickered in our sleeves that night, but today the joke is on us and we all have to admit you can do it."