ProRodeo Hall of Fame

Follow the organization of individual rodeo contestants into a professional sport.

Group of men - cowboys, cowgirls, officials, and band members standing on the steps of New York City Hall. Written across the bottom: Col. W.T. Johnson and his World's Championship Rodeo Contestants. City Hall -- New York City -- Oct. 7th, 1936. Written at the lower right corner: Photo by, E.J. Kelty, Century, 110 W 46 St. 267-B.

Photograph, 1936 Madison Square Garden

1936 Madison Square Garden Contestants

Typed demands across the top of the paper with the date October 30, 1936. Sixty-one signatures are below the typed message. This is a copy of the original that was given to all of the members.

Document, Boston Petition

Boston Garden Petition

Photograph of the front cover of the 1936 Boston Garden Rodeo program. The center picture is an image of Colonel William T. Johnson.

Photograph, Boston Garden Rodeo Program Cover

1936 Boston Garden Rodeo Program

Orange felt patch with a black elastic band across the back. Black felt numbers are attached to the front, 79. Black paint above the number reads Boston Garden. Black paint below the number reads 1936.

Artifact, Contestant Patch

1936 Boston Garden Patch

Portrait of a man wearing a black cowboy hat, white shirt, dark jacket, and striped tie.

Photograph, Everett Bowman

Everett Bowman

Dark wooden plaque with a silver buckle attached to the center. Etched plates are on the top and bottom. Scroll etching with a central ribbon on the top plate. In blue enamel letters in the ribbon: Donated by Gist, Inc. Scroll etching on the bottom plate with a central ribbon. In blue enamel letters in the ribbon: In behalf of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy. The central silver buckle is oval with button edging. In raised letters across the top: Cowboys Turtle Assn. In raised letters along the bottom: Pro Rodeo Cowboys Assn. At the center left is a raised image of a turtle. At the center right is a raised PRCA logo. Raised numbers in the center: 50th. A silver ribbon with blue enamel letters is below the number: Anniversary. Raised numbers above the 50: 1936. Raised numbers below the ribbon: 1986.

Artifact, Turtle Plaque

Cowboys Turtle Association 50th Anniversary

White, button-style pin. In the center is the image of a turtle. Above the turtle is the word Cowboy. Below the turtle is the word Association.

Artifact, Cowboy Turtle Association Pin

Cowboy Turtle Association Pin

Group of men standing posed for the camera. Building at the left side of the frame. Trees across the background. Written along the bottom edge: Cowboy's Turtle Ass'n of America at Cheyenne Frontier Days, July, 1937.

Photograph, 1937 Cowboys Turtle Association

Cowboy's Turtle Association 1937

Silver, oval pin with a screw back. On front of pin: Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Image of a horse and rider in the center.

Artifact, PRCA pin

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association pin

Portrait of a man wearing a light-colored cowboy hat, a white shirt, and dark tie.

Photograph, Everett Shaw

Everett Shaw

The Formation of a Sport

Cowboys Turtle Association, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 1937.

The United Cowboys Turtle Association

The contestants at the 1936 Boston Garden Rodeo were upset about the low pay for their performances. They banded together by signing this petition. It was delivered to the producer of the rodeo by Richard (Dick) Truitt, Hugh Bennett, Herman Linder, and Richard (Dick) Griffith.

Petition from Cowboys to Colonel William T. Johnson

Cowboy and Cowgirl Contestants at the 1936 Madison Square Garden Rodeo.

Early Contestants

At the 1936 Boston Garden Rodeo, 61 cowboys refused to participate in the rodeo because they were not going to be paid what they had been promised. Look at the Petition in the last activity and answer the questions below.

Cowboy Strike

Colonel William T. Johnson chose to offer less money to the contestants at the Boston Garden Rodeo than originally promised. Upset by this change, the contestants refused to participate in the Rodeo. The documents in the slide show document the strike by the contestants.

Cowboys Strike!

While rodeo began on the plains of Kansas, Texas, and other western states in the 1880s, it took many years before it became a professional sport. In 1936, sixty-one cowboys joined together to fight for proper payment and representation. They were the first to speak out against the injustices practiced by rodeo producers. These men created a new organization for the cowboys and cowgirls for whom rodeo was becoming a career.

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Becoming a Profession: Rodeo Becomes a Sport

The Formation of a Sport

Reflection

Escape The Gallery