I’ve been wanting to attend the Sister’s Rodeo in Sisters Oregon for a few years now, and this year it finally happened! I had heard from many people that it was a good rodeo, but often that depends on one’s definition of “good.” Many fans like the big show feel of the National Finals in Vegas, others the traditions of Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Pendleton RoundUp. All good rodeos in their own way. But I grew up going to smaller county rodeos like the Johnson County Sheriff’s Posse in Cleburne, Texas or the Erath County Rodeo at that time held in the Erath County Livestock Association arena in Stephenville, Texas. So, I’m fond of the traditional rodeos, park in the dirt, sit on the bleachers, and hurricane wire fencing that thankfully now has been upgraded for safety reasons. 

This is where cowboys and cowgirls still get their beginnings–many, if not all of them, hoping to make their way to the NFR in Vegas. One of the things I always admired about rodeo is that unlike some professional sports, anyone can walk into an area to compete.1 While of course it would not be advisable to jump on a bronc without some training, my point is athletes do not have to try out in front of a coach or have endorsements to begin a rodeo career.

Anybody can Walk into an Arena

Historically many athletes have proved this from rodeo cowgirls Vera McGinnis, who got her start in rodeo as a ‘fill in’ for a relay race or Tillie Baldwin who … to in my lifetime Bobby Delveccio and Charlie Sampson. At that time reaction to Delveccio’s rise in bull riding was shock that he was a “city slicker” from Brooklyn.2 Similarly, Charlie Sampson who bridged a big gap between Myrtis Dightman’s career and Fred Whitfield each made important contributions to the sport and to the history of Black Cowboys.3 Both Delveccio (2006) and Sampson (2004) are in the PBR Hall of Fame and Dightman (2016) and Whitfield (2004) in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. 
Of course, rodeo, like everything else, ain’t what it used to be, nevertheless, hometown rodeos continue to create a good environment for athletes to earn their PRCA cards. Offering the best of both worlds, outdoor arenas like the one in Sisters Oregon maintain historical authenticity combining a small town feel for fans and professional athletic competition as a PRCA sanctioned rodeo. Sisters rodeo began in 1940 just before World War II hosting by then fairly common events: “bull and bronc riding, calf roping, bulldogging, wild cow milking, and wild horse races.” Like many smaller rodeos, Sisters was and is run by volunteers. Perhaps it is their love for rodeo and dedication that helped Sisters get through some tough times. All rodeos struggled through WWII to some degree. But hometown rodeos both create and build community and that is something that makes it special.   

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1.  Corr, Wendy, “Buffalo Girl Wins Two Grand Championships At 2023 National Western Stock Show” Cowboy State Daily published in Wyoming Life/News, January 25, 2023 (Accessed January 25, 2023) https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/01/25/buffalo-girl-wins-two-grand-championships-at-2023-national-western-stock-show/
2. The term “city slicker” is an American term dating to around 1910. It was added to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary in 1914. The term is generally used by rural people when referring to someone from urban areas to point out their difference in upbringing or way of life.
3. For more on the history of Black Cowboys, some suggestions are: Keith Ryan Carwright’s Black Cowboys of Rodeo: Unsung Heroes from Harlem to Hollywood and the American West. University of Nebraska Press, 2021.  Bruce A. Glasrud and Michael N. Searles, eds. Black Cowboys in the American West: On the Range, on the Stage, and Behind the Badge. University of Oklahoma Press, 2026. Bailey C. Hanes, Bill Pickett: Bulldogger (Biography of a Black Cowboy). University of Oklahoma Press, 1989.  Mia Mask, Black Rodeo: A History of the American Western. University of Illinois Press, 2023. Sara R. Massey, Black Cowboys of Texas. Texas A&M University Press, 2004.