Early Contestants

In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner wrote his thesis about the closure of the Frontier. Since that time, people became fascinated with the idea of the Frontier and "Wild" West. Men like Buffalo Bill Cody, the Miller Brothers, and California Frank Hafley treated eastern audiences to displays of western skills performed by top showmen and women.

The most popular part of the Wild West Show were the cowboy skills of bronc riding and steer roping. Producers like Tex Austin and Colonel William T. Johnson started promoting rodeos and paying contestants prize money. Two of the biggest rodeos were the Madison Square Garden Rodeo and the Boston Garden Rodeo. Both held at the end of the year in these eastern cities.

In looking at the picture above, how do the cowboys and cowgirls look the same or different than what you know of cowboys and cowgirls today?

By 1936, rodeo producers would send out flyers advertising their rodeo. They would list the rules, the entry fee, and the prize money for each event. Cowboys and cowgirls would then travel to the location for the rodeo, sign-up, pay their entry fee, and compete in the rodeo. After the performance, they would be paid what they won. This system worked until some producers would fail to pay the contestants what was promised or even not pay at all.

How would it make you feel as a cowboy or cowgirl to not be paid after you did the work?

The cowboys and cowgirls complained about the unfair treatment, but they continued to compete in the events. At the Boston Garden Rodeo, everything changed. The producer of the rodeo was offering prize money that was less than what the contestants paid to enter the event. Even if a cowboy won an event, he would go home with less money than when he started. The contestants were not happy and chose to walk out of the rodeo and not perform.

Why do you think the producer would pay the contestants so little?