13th Annual Montana Pro Rodeo

The 13th annual Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame Scholarship Fundraiser, Banquet and Gathering will be held today on January 30, 2016 at the Holiday Inn Grand in Billings, MT. It is the largest state high school rodeo scholarship program in America.

Holiday Inn Grand, one of the largest hotels in Billings, was recently sold for 7.85 million dollars at an auction and is in the process of conversion to Radisson.

I picked up this event card at the 2015 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Update: the card was later sent as US-3934044 to California.

National Finals Rodeo Celebrates 30th Anniversary

In the past 30 years since 1985, more than 1 million cowboys and cowgirls and their friends have invaded Las Vegas during the pre-Christmas periods for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo that has sold out 280 consecutive performances at the Thomas & Mack arena. Last year, the total attendance was over 176,000 with almost 90-million-dollar non-gaming economic impact to the city. In 2014, the competitions run from December 4 through December 13, along with Cowboy Christmas Gift Show and Cowboy Fan Fest at Las Vegas Convention Center’s North Halls.

Postcard US-2168978 to Germany was part of the postcard book Western Horseman purchased at the Cowboy Christmas Gift Show during the National Finals Rodeo in 2012. It shows the magazine's October 1950 cover and brings to mind Western heroines of that era. Barbara Stock, a Colorado University student and aspiring young horsewoman was photographed by frequent contributor Clarence Coil. Barbara Stock, who competed in local horse shows and rodeos, appears with her favorite Pinto mount at a ranch near Colorado Springs.

2014 Cowboy Christmas Gift Show

Casey Tibbs

Postcard US-2869228 to Japan shows the June 1956 cover, one of Western Horseman's most popular ever, featuring legendary world champion saddle bronc rider Casey Tibbs of Fort Pierre, South Dakota. This shot of Tibbs, in his trademark bib shirt, was taken during the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs. The magazine sells for 35 cents per copy.

National Day of the American Cowboy

Yesterday was the National Day of the American Cowboy, declared by a resolution passed by the U.S. Senate. Senator Craig Lyle Thomas (February 17, 1933 – June 4, 2007) first started the tradition by naming the fourth Saturday in July “National Day of the American Cowboy” in 2005, coinciding with Cheyenne Frontier Days, an outdoor rodeo and western celebration held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The 2014 resolution, the tenth in a row, was introduced by U.S. Senators Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), and co-sponsored by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), John Hoeven, (R-North Dakota), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jon Tester (D-Montana), and John Walsh (D-Montana). The day this year falls on July 26, 2014, acknowledging the contributions from cowboys throughout history and their continued impact to the U.S. today.

The Senate passed the S.Res.488 unanimously on July 17, 2014. It's a rare feat for the 113th Congress.

Postcard US-2680033 to Massachusetts shows a Wyoming tourism poster with a tag line "Rodeo! stamped on every plate and into every heart, in Wyoming."

Girl of the West

Outgoing postcard US-2776619 to Ukraine shows the August 1952 cover of the Western Horseman magazine. It featured Elinor Tutt who was the the "Girl of the West" for the 12th annual Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs that year. Snow-capped Pikes Peak can be seen in the background just to the left of "Squeaky's" nose. The magazine sells for 35 cents a copy in 1952, same as in 1951.

Some twelve years later on July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is considered one of the most celebrated legislative achievements in U.S. history. The law made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and barred unequal application of voter registration requirements. One of the five things to know about the 1964 Civil Rights Act was how the protection for women made into law. In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Hobby Lobby case, women's rights are not a given. They need to be kept vigil, along with the other civil rights.

#2695533 / gettyimages.com

Every Rodeo Has One

Postcard US-2663919 to New York shows another amazing cover of The Western Horseman magazine from the July, 1959 issue.

According to artist Gordon Phillips, "Every rodeo has one," meaning that for the local cowboy who saves his money to enter his hometown rodeo, more often than not, cheers from the crowd will be his only reward. The magazine costed 50 cents per copy in 1959.

National Finals Rodeo Here to Stay

The National Finals Rodeo (NFR), organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), is a 10-day premier championship rodeo event held in the first full week of December in Las Vegas since 1984, with Wrangler Jeans becoming the title sponsor since 2001.

As the current contract with Las Vegas through 2014 was up to renew in December 2013,  PRCA board, the sanctioning body overseeing the NFR, had voted  6-3 to reject Las Vegas' initial offer to keep the NFR beyond 2014. Orlando, Florida and Dallas, Texas started to pursue the role of host city by offering a more lucrative deal to move the NFR. However, after more than a month of negotiations, a new deal was reached yesterday on January 24, 2013 so that the National Finals Rodeo would stay in Las Vegas for another 10 years through 2024.

Outgoing postcard US-2598769 to New Zealand shows a giant cowboy boot at the Cowboy Fan Fest and the Cowboy Christmas Gift Show during the National Finals Rodeo on December 7, 2013.