Historic Rodeo Photos

Rodeo Rewind

he National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the Museum collects, preserves and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to promote interest in the enduring legacy of the American West.

In half a century it has grown from a Hall of Fame honoring the American cowboy to a world-class institution housing extraordinary collections of history, material culture and art. The Museum today collects a broad array of material that reflects the variety of peoples, cultures and historical currents found in the West.

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum shared the photography collection of historic rodeo falls with Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine.

1945

•LOOK OUT BELOW.

Jim Whiteman falls beneath a steer. (Photo: Ralph R. Doubleday)

1969

•DOWN FOR THE COUNT. Mike

Waters on the wrong end of #51 NorEaster in Richmond, Va. (Photo: A. Stone)

1968

•DON’T STAY DOWN.

Walt Lore fell off Chopper #68 in Springfield, Va. (Photo: Oppy)

1964

•HEAD BELOW HEELS. Ray

Watson fell off Thump Thump at Klamath Falls. (Photo: DeVere Helfrich)

1970

•OFF HE GOES. Myrtis

Dightman flew off #434 Tex M at the ’70 NFR in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Photo: Ferrell Butler)

1970

1971

1969 1967

•SAVE THE HAT. Jack

Busby fell off Pinky in LaGrange, Calif. (Photo: Eugene F. Hyder) •AIR MAIL. Ken Stanton flew off his ride at the ’67 NFR in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Photo: Ferrell Butler) •PREPARE FOR LANDING. Gary

Leffew flew off 425 Playboy at the ’71 NFR. (Photo: Ferrell Butler)

1969

•AN EARLY EXIT.

Myron Ross flies off Hooker in South Bend, Ind. (Photo: Unknown)

1930

•GOODBYE AND GOOD

NIGHT. Pancho Villa was tossed by a bull at J.E. Ranch Rodeo. (Ralph R. Doubleday)

1965

•BETWEEN A BULL AND A

HARD PLACE. Robert Biddinger on #22 Super Charge in Woodtown, N.J. (Photo: Bryant Foster)

Texas Proud

AMERICAN HAT Company has been based out of Texas since 1915. Keith and Susan Maddox moved the business from Conroe to Bowie in 2003.

“The city’s economic development enticed us to come here,” Mundee said. “They have been a help to us every step of the way.”

American Hat Company is now represented in more than 1,300 retail outlets across the country. To find a hat store near you, use the store locator on www. americanhat.net.

American Hat Company

FOR OVER 100 years, American Hat Company has been committed to producing the finest quality, handmade cowboy hats in the world.

WEB: www.americanhat.net

PHONE: 1-800-392-4197

TWITTER: @AmericanHatCo

FACEBOOK: @americanhatcompany

INSTAGRAM: americanhatco

YOUTUBE: American Hat Company

PINTEREST: americanhatco

American Hat Company: Keith Maddox’s Dream Fulfilled

If there was any question about whether American Hat Company would survive the pandemic, the company’s history of overcoming adverse market conditions was certainly an accurate indicator that

it would. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

While American Hat Company has a rich history dating back to 1915, it’s safe to say the company didn’t embark on its current path to becoming the nation’s finest quality hat company until 2003. That’s when Keith Maddox purchased American Hat Company from the bank, saving the business from going into bankruptcy under its previous ownership.

While Maddox laid down the foundation for the thriving business, it hasn’t entirely been an upward trend since Maddox’s purchase.

In 2005, a grass fire at the company’s Bowie, Texas, headquarters caused Maddox to lose $13.5 million in inventory. Unwilling to give up on his dream, Maddox doubled down and bet it all on American Hat Company. He emptied his savings and retirement accounts, sold his stocks and borrowed against a house he owned outright. American Hat Company fought its way back to earn the title of being the highest-quality hat company in the United States.

“Now, in 2021, we’re kind of at the point where (Maddox) always dreamed of being,” said American Hat Company President Keith Mundee. “We’re not looking to be the biggest; bigger is not always better. Better is better, and that’s our focus. Keith left us with the goal of making the finest quality cowboy hats in the world. To this day, that’s what we do.”

Maddox, also known as “The Hat King”, died in September of 2019, leaving his beloved wife Susan as the owner of the company and the de facto “Hat Queen”.

Mundee shared the vision for American Hat Company is a recent Q&A.

WHAT MAKES AMERICAN HAT COMPANY’S COWBOY HATS THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS?

Our straw hats are hand woven, and then everything gets hand-finished. For most bigger manufacturers, hats are made on machines. Ours are made by hand and finished by hand. We don’t have hard and fast recipes. Everything is based on feel. Does that feel good? At the end of the day, we have our people feel each and every hat to meet our quality standards.” •American Hat Company President Keith Mundee

HOW DID THE GRASS FIRE OF 2005 IMPACT THE WAY THE COMPANY DOES BUSINESS TODAY?

“We’re fairly frugal. We don’t spend money on outlandish things. We have comfortable offices; we call it a working museum. It’s all old equipment with 106 people working to make hats every day.”

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT THAT THE HATS ARE AMERICAN MADE?

“At one point, kids hats were imported from Mexico. We wrote a constitution and vowed to discontinue importing finished goods. We don’t do that at all now. Importing hats from Mexico became unconstitutional. Now, we make our regular hats in kids’ sizes.”

DOES THAT MAKE IT CHALLENGING FOR THE BUSINESS TO THRIVE?

“Quality is the No. 1 thing. We can’t cut any corners. If for some reason we’re out of material to make a 20X hat, we always go to the next quality up at 40X. We can’t send you a 10X.”

WHAT ELSE IS IN THE COMPANY’S CONSTITUTION?

“The goal is always to give four things from the constitution

1. World-class quality 2. World-class service 3. Deliver on time. 4. Do all of the above at a fair price.

“We always say it’s not going to be hard to find a cheaper hat. The hard part is that when you find a cheaper hat, you have to wear it. We want to make something you’ll be proud to put on your head.”