One of the country’s first rodeos took place July 4, 1869, in Deer Trail, Colorado. Today, top rodeo prizes can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Back then, the winner won a new set of clothes.
The word “Rodeo” means “roundup” in Spanish. And Every year cowboys and -girls compete across Colorado. In winter, there’s the National Western Stock Show. Summertime brings weekly competitions in Steamboat Springs, and annual events like the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, Cattlemen’s Days in Gunnison, and the Greeley Stampede, which was first called the Spud Rodeo in 1922 in tribute to the potato crops around town.
Celebrating all things rodeo is the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, for the people and animals who’ve made their marks in arenas around the country — like the bucking bull who threw almost every rider who tried him before “retirement” in 1995. His name was Bodacious.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
