HISTORY OF THE RODEO Black Hills Roundup

Started in 1918 as the “Tri-State Roundup” to raise funds for the Red Cross during World War I, the Black Hills Roundup drew 15,000 spectators to Belle Fourche its first year — an incredible number, as the population of the town was under 1,500, with no roads and few cars to speak of in the area. The Roundup started on the Fourth of July and raised nearly $20,000 for the war effort. Though the war ended the year after, the popularity of the rodeo made it an annual event.

The benefit raised money through an auction. Items included everything from livestock, to a pet antelope, to doughnuts.

Another fundraiser was the “German Kaiser Bill Coffin Scene,” where a person paid 25 cents to hammer a nail into the coffin and received a war Thrift Stamp for the effort of hammering the Kaiser’s coffin shut.

The first Roundup consisted of saddle bronc riding, wagon, horse and relay races, bulldogging, steer and calf roping, cow pony races, and a ladies’ bucking contest.

Simple in setup in its humble beginning, the rodeo had no chutes or stands, and the arena was barely fenced in enough to keep the horses from getting out. This made for more risk, as the contestant would have to catch the bronc before a ride. The rules were simple: choose a bronc, “ear” it, climb on, nod, and start.

To “ear” a horse, two or three cowboys would catch its head and bite its ear to control it, distracting it long enough to saddle up and hop on. In the ladies’ bucking contest, women were required to “shackle” their horse — tying the stirrups together underneath the horse — as it was believed to be safer and easier for the women to participate.

The feature of the first Roundup was the appearance of Tipperary: the famous Harding County bucking horse. Thirteen years old and over 1,000 pounds, Tipperary drew a huge crowd, and though the crowd saw Sam Brownell of Cheyenne, Wyo., finish his ride, a technical error disqualified him. He switched hands in the middle of his ride, and though the judges did not see it, he admitted his mistake and Tipperary remained a “one man” bronc.

Roundups through the 1920s consisted of whatever the organizing group at the time decided to do, as there was no standard for a rodeo. Many events at the early Roundups were organized by the Bit and Spur Saddle Club, which added to the entertainment and fun of the rodeo atmosphere. The Hide Race consisted of a rider racing across the arena pulling a cowhide behind his horse to where his partner waited to jump onto the hide for the ride back across the arena.

The rodeo events were canceled in 1929 because of the mud in the arena, and an early newspaper clipping tells of what replaced the events: “a burlesque show was put on for two or three hours …” Outdoor rodeos today are rarely, if ever, stopped due to weather, and there is plenty of evidence of mud on many horses and competitors throughout the Roundup.

The 1930s brought the chance for the younger generation to participate in the events of the rodeo. A rancher would agree to bring a dozen calves, and children could earn $1 to ride a calf in the arena. Many youngsters also practiced their trick riding during the Roundup.

Since the 1940s, buffalo have been present throughout Roundup events. In the ‘40s, a buffalo hunt would be staged — actors dressed in Native American garb to chase the buffalo through the arena. In more recent years there have been trick acts, with buffalo performing a variety of feats.

Chariot racing became a favorite in the 1950s and ‘60s, where a two-wheeled cart pulled by one horse held a racer, and many contestants readied their horses for this event as they traveled. The horse would pull the family and rodeo supplies to Belle Fourche in true practical training, and later race against one another with much lighter loads.

The formation of the PRCA (Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association) standardized seven events for the Roundup: bareback riding, tie-down roping, team roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing and bull riding. Additionally, steer roping will be held. In 2019, the Roundup celebrated its centennial.

“Very few PRCA rodeos can say that,” said then-Black Hills Roundup Committee Chairman, Clay Crago. “To carry on the rodeo and the cowboy tradition for 100 years is just phenomenal.”

Its committee earned induction into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2018. The Roundup has garnered top honors from the PRCA in recent years. It received the Medium Outdoor Rodeo of the Year award five straight years: 2018 through 2022, inclusive.

The facility was named WPRA Badlands Circuit Ground of the Year in 2018.

March

4 First Saturday Brunch, Soap Suds Row Archaeology

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

6 Belle Fourche High School Band & Choir Concert

7 pm, Belle Fourche Rec Center

9 Center of the Nation Concert

Dan Millers Cowboy Music Review

7 pm, Belle Fourche Area Community Center

14 Family Fun Day, “Wild Wacky Weather”

2 pm, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

17-18 1903 Readers Theater Company Performance

17th: 7 pm, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center 18th: 2 pm, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

17-18 Belle Fourche Middle School Play 7 pm, Belle Fourche Rec Center Theatre 25 Belle Fourche High School Prom 30 Center of the Nation Concert

Take 3 Violin, Piano, & Cello

7 pm, Belle Fourche Area Community Center

April

3 First Saturday Brunch, Leo Orme - Historical Hydro Electric Plants on the Redwater

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center 9 River Run on the River Walk Belle Fourche Rec Center 9-10

OCTOBER

7 First Saturday Brunch, Viola Colombe - Quilts and Quilting

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

15 Family Fun Day, “Creepy Creatures”

2 pm, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

21 7th Annual Pumpkinfest

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

21 Moonlight Madness & Chili Contest

Throughout Belle Fourche

28 “Homesteading” Mini-Exibit Opens

Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

31 Halloween Spooktacular

Belle Fourche Rec Center

31 CONBA Halloween Parade

Downtown Belle Fourche

TBD Belle Fourche Area Community

Theater, TBD Halloween Show

Belle Fourche Rec Center

TBD Belle Fourche High School Band & Choir Concert 7 pm, Belle Fourche Rec Center

TBD 11th Annual Fearless 5k

TBD Purple Pride Haunted House TBD

NOVEMBER

4 First Saturday Brunch, David Super - The Sheriffs of Meade County

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

AUGUST

7/31 –

4-13

5

19 Family Fun Day, “Thankful for Thanksgiving”

2 pm, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

24 Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce

Parade of Lights Downtown Belle Fourche

24 CONBA Light Up the Night & Fireworks

Downtown Belle Fourche

TBD Belle Fourche High School Fall Play

TBD Veterans Day Program Belle Fourche Middle School

December

9 ............ Gingerbread Village Opens

Thursday, July 6, 13, 20, & 27

Riverside with Hometown Thursdays

6-9:30 pm, Center of the Nation Park Area

7/4 Amusement Carnival

Downtown Belle Fourche

September

2 First Saturday Brunch, Mary Chantry Nelson - Having a Baby in the 1920’s

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

9 “History of Quilting”

Temporary Exibit Opens

Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

10 Belle Fourche Rec Center Fall Kickoff

Open House

1-4pm, Belle Fourche Rec Center

17 Family Fun Day, “The Sounds of Music”

2 pm, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

23 Annual Autumn Tea, “The Colors of the Rainbow”

Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

15-16 Tri-State Performers Production Holiday Play

TBD, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

17 Family Fun Day, “Christmas Crafts”

2 pm, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

TBD Belle Fourche High School & Middle School Band & Choir Concert

TBD K-4th Grade Concert

TBD Festival of Trees

JANUARY 2024

6 First Saturday Brunch, TBD

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

TBD 11th Annual Resolution Run Belle Fourche Rec Center

FEBRUARY 2024

3 First Saturday Brunch, TBD

10 am, Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center

TBD 11th Annual Wellness Fair

Schedule subject change.