what cowboy won the 1927 chicago rodeo calf roping event |
Request for Question Clarification by
huntsman-ga
on
31 Aug 2002 14:36 PDT
Nuevonerdo,
First a little explanation, then some additional questions.
During the 1920s, rodeos were mainly staged as independent events by
individual promoters. Records of events and winners were not regularly
kept until national rodeo associations were formed.
Rodeo organizers formed the "Rodeo Association of America" (RAA) in
1929. In 1938, the "Southwest Rodeo Association" (SRA) was formed, and
changed its name to the "National Rodeo Association" (NRA) in 1942. In
1946, the RAA and SRA merged into the "International Rodeo
Association" (IRA) which later became the "International Professional
Rodeo Association" (IPRA) of today:
International Professional Rodeo Association
http://www.iprarodeo.com/
Cowboys wanted their own organization, and so created the "Cowboys
Turtle Association" (CTA) in 1936. They changed their name to the
"Rodeo Cowboys Association" (RCA) in 1945, and then to the
"Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association" (PRCA) in 1975. The PRCA is
headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO:
Professional Rodeo Cowboys' Association (PRCA)
http://www.prorodeo.com/
Unfortunately, neither organization appears to have records before
1929, but I have contacted them anyway and will let you know what I
find out.
To try and narrow things down a bit more, please answer a few
questions:
1. How do know there was a 1927 rodeo (with calf roping) in Chicago?
2. Do you know what arena or stadium the rodeo was held in?
3. Do you know the names of any other participants?
4. Are there any other details you can think of?
Thanks,
Huntsman
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Clarification of Question by
neuvonerdo-ga
on
01 Sep 2002 05:48 PDT
appreciate your help...good historical information...a little
background on me...i am a major western buckle collector....web site
www.buckles.com ...may want to note it as i may be able to help you
in the future....i recently purchased a gold trophy buckle that i feel
sure is authentic...face reads "Worlds Champion 1927-Chicago
Rodeo-Calf Roper-Donated by Yellow Cab Co"....i contacted the Chicago
Historical Society and in a Chicago Tribune article they verified the
1927 rodeo but found nothing re: any of the events....they did send a
Tribune article about one Capt. Thomas Hickman being a judge at the
rodeo...i can't tell you if there were more rodeos in Chicago at that
time but feel there weren't....
as for you questions:
1. How do know there was a 1927 rodeo (with calf roping) in Chicago?
...see above
2. Do you know what arena or stadium the rodeo was held in?....no
3. Do you know the names of any other participants?....no
4. Are there any other details you can think of?....no
thanks again for your efforts.... Robert Brandes 830-990-0885
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Request for Question Clarification by
huntsman-ga
on
02 Sep 2002 11:18 PDT
Nuevonerdo,
Thanks for your clarification.
Nice Web site, BTW. The "ranger" style is the big loop & tongue
buckle, and a "trophy" buckle is the flat plate style, correct?
One other historical note. Before things got organized nationally in
the late 20's, more than one individual rodeo organizer declared
"World Champions" at their events, perhaps more for publicity than
anything else. There may not be an exclusive, nationally-recognized
calf roping title for 1927.
I have emailed the following organizations and am waiting for a reply:
International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA)
http://www.iprarodeo.com/
PRCA - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
http://www.prorodeo.com/PRHOF/index.htm
United States Calf Ropers Association
http://www.uscra.com
A few more questions, if you don't mind:
1. Can you post a closeup photo of the buckle on your Web site?
2. Is there any other text on the front or back of the buckle?
3. Do you have any idea who might have made it? Any buckle shops in
Chicago at the time?
4. What's the title, date and byline of the Chicago Tribune article?
5. Can you post the whole text of the article?
6. If "No" on #5, are there any other specific names, dates, or
locations given in the article?
Appreciate the extra details,
Huntsman
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Clarification of Question by
neuvonerdo-ga
on
03 Sep 2002 07:24 PDT
1. Can you post a closeup photo of the buckle on your Web site?
Ans....No but can send some to an email address
2. Is there any other text on the front or back of the buckle?
Ans....no
3. Do you have any idea who might have made it? Any buckle shops in
Chicago at the time?
Ans....has stylized initials "JA" on back...assume that was the
jeweler who made it
4. What's the title, date and byline of the Chicago Tribune article?
Ans....8/14/1927..."Rodeo Judge"..."Capt. Thomas Hickman"
5. Can you post the whole text of the article?
Ans....no
6. If "No" on #5, are there any other specific names, dates, or
locations given in the article?
Ans....article in part reads: "Capt. Thomas Hickman, senior officer
of the Texas Rangers, will be one of the judges at the Chicago rodeo,
to be held on Soldiers Field beginning next Saturday."
"Ranger" style is normally a three or four piece set...buckle w/one or
two keepers/loops and a tip
"Trophy" style is a single large flat plate style as you described...i
try and differentiate between the non rodeo related "trophy" style and
the rodeo related "rodeo trophy" styles....but both are "trophy" style
buckles....hope this helps -- robert
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Request for Question Clarification by
huntsman-ga
on
05 Sep 2002 22:31 PDT
Nuevonerdo,
Thanks for the reply.
I have an anonymous email address set up on Yahoo!. If you email your
belt buckle photos to the following address, I will make them
available for all to see:
huntsmanga@yahoo.com
I heard back from the US Calf Roping Association: they had no info and
suggested I contact the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The
PRCA confirmed that their records only go back to 1936.
I'm still waiting for a response from the IPRA. Since they were
originally an association of rodeo organizers, they may have something
more helpful.
Using the following calendar, you can see that the Chicago Tribune
article came out on Sunday, August 14, 1927. It states that the rodeo
was "next Saturday", which means that the rodeo took place on
Saturday, August 20, 1927:
CalendarHome.Com
1927
http://www.calendarhome.com/cgi-bin/tycyear.pl?year=1927&change=1
A bit of history about Soldier Field in Chicago:
Soldier Field
http://www.soldierfield.net/history.html
"It officially opened Oct.9, 1924 — on the 53rd anniversary of the
Chicago Fire — as the 45,000 seat Municipal Grant Park Stadium. Within
a year is was renamed Soldier Field and dedicated on Nov. 11,1925. It
was formerly [formally] dedicated during the Army-Navy game on Nov.
27, 1926."
Here are some biographies of the rodeo judge, Captain Thomas Hickman:
The Handbook of Texas Online
Hickman, Thomas R. (1886-1962)
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/HH/fhi2.html
"His early interest in rodeo contests led to his appointment in 1924
as judge of the first American rodeo in England; in 1926 he judged the
first rodeo held in Madison Square Garden, New York City. In 1930 he
toured Europe with the Cowboy Band of Simmons University."
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame
Thomas R. Hickman 1886-1962
http://www.texasranger.org/HFM/HallofFame/Hickman_Tom.htm
"In addition to his job as a Texas Ranger, Hickman remained involved
in rodeo. He judged the first American rodeo in England in 1924 and
the first rodeo held in Madison Square Garden in 1926."
One other clue worth investigating are the "JA" initials on the back
of the belt buckle. I wonder if these might be the initials of the
event winner, not the jeweler?
I've been looking for ropers of the time with the initials "JA" but
haven't found any thus far. On the outside chance that the initials
are last name/first name, there was a championship roper in the early
1930's named "Andy Jauregui", and I am trying to find more info on
him. He would have been about 24 years old at the time.
Huntsman
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