Turtles Strike Back
In 1936 a hallmark moment happened in the history of rodeo. A group of roughly 60 cowboys at the Boston Garden Rodeo, became angry over promoter W.T. Johnson’s refusal to advertise the rodeo and to add their entry fees to the prize money. They decided to stage a walk-out and refused to compete. Johnson tried to find replacements without success and finally conceded.

With their demands met and a new found sense of worth, the cowboys formed the Cowboy Turtles Association. They called themselves “turtles” because, as the story goes, they were slow to organize but finally stuck their necks out. The Cowboy Turtles changed their name in 1945 to the Rodeo Cowboys Association and the modern sport of rodeo was born. Many early cowboys such as Fritz Truan, were also boxers, which is how the rodeo buckle became the preferred trophy of rodeo events.

The Modern Era (1960’s - Now):
In the modern era, rodeo has continued to grow from its roots as a working ranch competition to a huge national sport. With the continued success, rodeo has seen growth in the number of associations at regional and state levels.

Rodeo has also established itself at the high school and college level. There is even an association for younger children known as the National Little Britches Rodeo Association.

In 1975 the Rodeo Cowboys Association became the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association or PRCA, the largest sanctioning body of rodeo in the United States and Canada. The National Finals Rodeo originally held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and now in Las Vegas, Nevada is the culmination of the PRCA’s rodeo year. The business of rodeo is now as legitimate as any other national sport, and the PRCA has achieved a status on par with the NFL or NBA. Rodeo not only offers a chance to compete, it also offers a way of life that the other less historied sports can't.

Rodeos Lasting Traditions
There is no doubt that rodeo will continue through the 21st century. Whether we see continued growth or leveling off remains up to us, our ability to change while remaining true to the spirit of rodeo will be a challenging obstacle to face. As we move further away from the agrarian / livestock culture that dominated our early history, the importance of rodeo will undoubtedly increase. Despite repeated attempts to destroy rodeo from severely misguided groups, rodeo will continue on where there remains a love of animals, competition, excitement, and the western experience. The individual nature of rodeo competition which offers a chance to rely on ones own ability to succeed is something that is grossly lacking in our modern culture.

Our duty as rodeo fans and participants is to learn all we can about the valuable history of our rodeo traditions in order to better defend it from those who wish to see it gone. It has been said, if you don't know where you come from you cant know where you're going. Where am I going? To a Rodeo!

by Ralph Clark