As part of the Oklahoma black rodeo digital history project, The Oklahoma Black Rodeo Roundup Archive (OBRRA), I decided to read and review Kristine Fredriksson’s 1985 text about the history of rodeo in the U.S. from the 1860s to the 1980s. Up front, it should be mentioned that I read this book explicitly to probe whether or not the author integrated any mention of African-American rodeoers. I noticed early on that throughout the arc of the story it omits any relevance to black cowboys. Because my background is in African-American baseball history, I also quickly discovered a parallel: that baseball and American rodeo have an incredible amount in common when examining their histories through the lens of race. Quite pointedly, race is virtually absent in sports texts that precede the 1990s; many books have been written about the birth and growth of each sport, but very little exists about the long-neglected African-American contributions and significance within each sport. Only in the mid-1970s did writers and historians beginning documenting the history of the Negro baseball leagues (some thirty years after Major League Baseball’s integration). Likewise, it should be noted about rodeo past, there still exists a black cowboy void in academic history today. For instance, despite producing a book that effectively recounts the rodeoer’s genealogical family tree from Buffalo Bill to high-dollar “big business” payouts in the 1980s, scholar Kristine Fredriksson misses a grand opportunity to include the colorful history of black rodeoers from the nineteenth century to the late twentieth century. For this reason, the OBRRA strives to tell the forgotten side of a familiar story.
There is no question about the level of Fredriksson’s research. American Rodeo is an excellent source to procure the history of the sport from its inception during open range ranching and cattle drive days, to Wild West shows and the bad reputations projected upon cowboys during that era, to how the sport became a professional “big business” organization that competes year-round. The author’s sources are meticulously cited and are many. The book notes how “a man on a horse” became a status symbol among cowboys and how he represents the “last frontier hero” (11). Early rodeo organizers recognized the need to improve the morally corrupt character that preceded cowboys from town to town. Within a couple generations, the rodeo name shifted from a negative moniker to one that established professionalism that held rodeoers accountable to higher standards. “Mister” quickly entered cowboy lexicon as the proper way to address each other, especially when interacting with the judges (109). Fredriksson recounts how even during the bleakest depths of the Great Depression and rationings during World War II, rodeo competitions flourished. Even during an era when qualified athletes between the ages of 18 and 35 were sparse, a deficit caused by the World War II military draft, the rodeo-going public banded together to keep the sport vibrant throughout wartime. Rodeoing was considered a morale builder for athletes and fans alike, and rodeo advocates sought to maintain the positive reputation that they had deservingly earned (74). By the end of the war, as rodeo entered a new decade, the 1950s soon burgeoned into what would later be revered as the “golden age” of the sport (89). The author later notes the grim reality that within rodeo there exists the “occupational hazards” that if a cowboy competes 450 times in a year, he risks 450 times to get hurt or 450 times he might be killed by a rogue steer or bronc (121). Modern day rodeo has even witnessed technological advancements in how the athletes view health and how now medical care centers have become a mobile part of rodeo culture (129). For a thirty-two year old text, the book reads well and is quite informative. Fredriksson successfully provides useful snapshots of cowboy ingenuity, self-funded travel and entry fees to contests, the anticipatory moments when a chute unleashes the fury of a thousand-plus pound steer or bronc, and the broken bones and former homes of the professional athlete. But for all its information, I keep returning to the omissions and drawing additional points of comparison.
When Fredriksson opens the narrative with a portrait of a modern rodeo event that occurs on Independence Day, she emphasizes how important the 4th of July date is to spectators and competitors alike. In fact, many in the community endearingly refer to that date as “Cowboy Christmas” (4). The author could have easily drawn a parallel to point out that all-black rodeos are held typically on or around Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Anniversary Day (when Texas slaves received emancipation) in early August. Each of these dates symbolizes tradition and community, both of which are heralded as much as the competitions themselves. Interestingly enough, the author dedicates the majority of three chapters to the role of humane societies presence in the sport to insure the safety and well-being of rodeo stock from the 1860s to the 1980s when the book was published, but not once is the term “African American” or “black” or any other derivation that sympathizes with a marginalized group in society ever sees mention. There was a key moment when the author harkens back to the integral role of the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch in Ponca City, Oklahoma and how it “served for years as a school for future wild-west performers” (106). It appeared that she might find mention of a famous black cowboy, but, glaringly, she glosses over “The Dusky Demon” bulldogging innovator Bill Pickett’s contributions to the 101’s legacy. Fredriksson simply misses her chance to explore the presence of African Americans in the sport—both within the various organizations and the separate traditions of all-black rodeos around the country.
For all of the useful frills about rodeo exploits throughout the text about key developments and people in the sport, the book continues to beg the question why? Why do minorities, of all backgrounds, fail to make it into the book? Fredriksson barely mentions women in rodeo, only a few times does she refer to Indians, and she lacks any real coverage of Mexican/Spanish cowboys throughout rodeo history. Only through imagery and geographical location can it be inferred that they were involved. Black cowboys are nonexistent throughout the entire text. Perhaps the absence in American Rodeo simply was an oversight because all-black rodeos most often were separated from white amateur, independent, and professional events. Was this a conscience decision on Fredriksson’s part? Her biographical sketch on the book flap states that she is a rodeo school alumnus and that her academic background is in western history. With the growing fields of minority histories that blossomed in the 1970s and 1980s, it begs the question why such an oversight? Such lack was not because scholars failed to talk about these issues. One thing is certain, black cowboys participated in rodeo for as long as there has been rodeo. For all of the colors brought to life through the characters in rodeo history that dates back to cattle drives, Wild West circuses, and modern day winnings, American Rodeo whitewashes the true history of the sport and falls just short of 8 seconds in the saddle.
Source: Fredriksson, Kristine. American Rodeo: From Buffalo Bill to Big Business. College Station, Texas, Texas A&M University Press, 1985.
The Horsehide Historian - W. Jacob Cornwell, M.A. 