I hear people say the current trend is to put everything on the computer! Here I am on the computer telling you “that’s just not so!” Please don’t take away my treasured books and favorite western magazines because there is nothing I like better than to sit and read about the world of rodeo.
Forgive me, but I’m a senior, and proud of it. I have seen many changes in our world through the 20th century and here we are a decade in to the 21st century. I use the computer for many things. I communicate across the world via computer. I research on the computer and compose books and articles on the computer. But I will always want to pick up a book or magazine to read, and to keep in my library.
These are two of the good reads I have found recently. If you are interested in how rodeo developed and some of the most famous people in it and the most historic rodeos these two books need to be on your library shelf, after you have enjoyed reading them.
THE DUKE OF THE CHUTES, HARRY VOLD’S SIXTY YEARS IN RODEO
by Loren R. Whittemore.
The stock contracting business in rodeo requires a certain type of person and Harry Vold has all the attributes that made him a top notch rodeo man for the last sixty years. His life story unfolds in this book by neighboring cattle rancher and author Whittemore.
Life began for Harry in the Alberta province of Canada, between Edmonton and Calgary. It was a tough time and little money but his parents always had food and clothing for the four boys born to them. Harry was sent away to school with ten dollars, all they could afford to give him, but he found a variety of jobs which earned him spending money. The school taught him proper manners. Harry’s father owned a livery stable, but also raised draft horses and traded them from time to time. His father, Nanson Vold, would hold an auction when he needed additional income and in time this new venue opened up another profession for his dad as well as Harry.
No one ever knows when a problem will open up a new direction. The Vold boys were always interested in rodeo and put together their own version of the famous Calgary Stampede which started in 1912, near the small community of Asker. They called it the Asker Stampede and from 1944 theyput it on annually for the next four or five years. Although it barely broke even the boys learned the basics of the rodeo business which would serve Harry well in years to come.
Auctioneering helped his father make it through the Depression and later. When Harry was fifteen his father turned to him during an auction, pointed at the horse in the sale ring and said, “Sell her.” He started at $25.00 and sold the mount at $50. For the next ten years the Volds bought and sold horses and Harry and his dad auctrioneered. One of their customers was Leo J. Cremer from Montana, whose reputation during the 1940s had grown as a good stock contractor in the States. His right-hand man, Shirley Hussey, would buy potential bucking stock. Harry knew what Cremer liked and kept an eye out for that type of horse. In 1952 Harry had twenty head of horses to ship to Cremer. An outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease in Mexico shut both the Mexican and the Canadian borders of the United States. Cremer advised Harry to keep them in Canada and buck them until the quarantine was lifted. Harry’s ingenuity and good horses found rodeos and before he knew it he was furnishing stock for rodeos.
The stories that unfold Harry Vold’s career and how he eventually became a premier stock contractor on both sides of the United States and Canadian border will not only show his creative genius, but also give insight in to his congenial nature. This is a man who not only believes but lives by the code of the west. His word or his handshake is all that is required and you can ‘take it to the bank’.
Harry’s connection and association with numerous cowboys, cowgirls and the best stock in rodeo are told. When the reader finishes the book they will understand why the DUKE OF THE CHUTES has been voted Stock Contractor of the Year by the PRCA eleven times and inducted to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the National Rodeo Hall of Fame.
To order contact online: www.ranchhousepublications.com. The book sells for $25.00 plus $4.00 shipping.
PENDLETON ROUNDUP AT 100, OREGON ‘S LEGENDARY RODEO
By Michael Bales & Ann Terry Hill
When I first attended the Pendleton RoundUp I was shocked at the fact that the rodeo is performed on grass. I saw world champion competitors ride their best horses slipping and sliding across this green arena to rope a steer, and bronc riders get tossed onto the mowed arena. When I asked a native Pendletonian “How do you get these cowboys to compete here?” He answered with a big grin, “RoundUp separates the men from the boys!” It took me awhile to understand that historic Pendleton RoundUp is unique in many ways from the other rodeos throughout the country.
The new coffee-table sized book is a plethora of information and photographs about all the different events that make RoundUp so spectacular. It includes how it began and the movers and shakers that made it happen. Chapters on the great bucking contests and the early day cowboys as well as stories about the early-day cowgirls that were so revered in Pendleton are included. The story of the Westward Ho! Parade, allowing no motorized vehicles, and the evening Happy Canyon Show, that tells with humor and respect the history of the area, also add to the annual event something rare in any community. The evolution of these venues are wonderfully told and photographed.
The Indians that come to RoundUp make up the largest annual Indian encampment in North America during RoundUp are primarily members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians, but other tribes also attend. These days there are around 300 teepees in the Indian Village. The Indian races during the rodeo bring lots of excitement as they ride ‘all out’ and with tremendous speed. The middle of the rodeo becomes a time the tribe members dress in their traditional finery and parade in to the arena and Indian dance contests are held. The stunning array of clothing made of leather or wool adorned with beads, quill work, and shells are works of art. Many items have been passed down from generation to generation, and are worn by family members with total respect.
I don’t think these writers missed much in their research of RoundUp’s past 100 years. Both are Oregonians and know how much tradition in steeped in this history. Their biggest challenge was to decide which stories and photographs to include in the 300 pages contained within this book. It is a ‘must have’ for anyone who has ever attended, competed in, or wanted to be associated with Pendleton RoundUp. As Roy Raley was quoted in the East Oregonian (the local newspaper) in 1910; “This is not going to be any ordinary “Wild West” show. It will be the best exhibition ever given in Pendleton or any other place also in the west for that matter. It will be worth coming many miles to see.” A century later it hasn’t changed a bit!
The book sells for $50.00 plus shipping (and well worth it), and can be ordered through: eastoregonian.com/roundupbook or by calling 503-385-4911.
