There’s a method to the dirt Hours of labor go into preparing the rodeo grounds for each performance. By Emily Mieure
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ook down. Take a good look. Hours of labor go into making the dirt just right for the Jackson Hole Rodeo. “It’s a work in progress all year long,” rodeo arena director Phil Wilson said in 2019. “If we
don’t get it right, then what happens is the barrel racers have trouble with it. The team ropers have trouble. It has to be good for the contestants, the animals and for the cowboys.” On a rodeo day Wilson starts prepping the arena’s dirt early in the morning. Three thou-
sands gallons of water are sprayed on the arena floor, and then a Black Widow groomer breaks up clumps and levels the ground. After the water settles, around midday, Wilson is back in the cab of the water truck, sprinkling more water on the dirt.
RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE FILE
The Jackson Hole Rodeo’s Phil Wilson readies the water truck. Watering the dirt ensures the rode doesn’t create “a whole bunch of dust,” he said.
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2021 ROUNDUP SOUVENIR PROGRAM
