Few could ride Steamboat without being thrown. Jake Maring, a Laramie native and championship cowboy rode Steamboat to a standstill in 1905 at the old Albany County Fairgrounds.
Steamboat the horse is arguably the most famous bucking bronco of all time. His iconic image — whether in truth or legend — represents the Cowboy State today.
In trying to break the stallion, many a cowboy came up against the toughest bucking horse he had ever attempted to ride. Today, it is said that Wyoming’s Bucking Horse and Rider image — as depicted on Wyoming license plates and throughout the state — is that of Steamboat.
“Mr. T,” a bull, earned his reputation for being mean. Mr. T. was owned by Pete Burns of the Burns Rodeo Company in Laramie who named his prized livestock for the popular television character, Mr. T. However, the difference was that this namesake bull wasn’t acting. He was born mean!
Only three cowboys ever rode Mr. T the bull — Marty Staneart, Raymond Wessel, and Ty Murray — and all of their scores set arena records. Mr. T was voted Bucking Bull of the Year in 1986 by the cowboys and was named Bucking Bull of the National Rodeo Finals in both 1986 and 1989.
Dorothy Morrell was a bronc rider and trick rider in the early 1900s. She competed with many popular female rodeo stars during a period of time when women were permitted to compete in all the same events as men. Morrell was judged World’s Champion Cowgirl Bronc Rider in 1914 at the Pendleton Roundup in Oregon.
Some accusations of rodeo cruelty are based on misunderstanding. For example, it is a myth that a bucking horse is a wild, terrified animal. The modern bronc is not a truly feral horse. A significant number of bucking horses are riding horses that learn to buck off their riders. Many bucking horses today are specifically bred for use in rodeos. A proven bucking horse can be sold for $8,000 to $10,000, making “rough stock” a valuable investment worth caring for and keeping in good health for many years. Likewise, bucking bulls are selectively bred. Most are allowed to grow up in a natural, semi-wild condition on the open range, but also have to be trained in order to be managed from the ground, safely loaded into trailers, vaccinated and wormed, and then be loaded in and out of bucking chutes.
Young bucking horses are initially introduced to work with cloth dummies attached to the saddle. Others are already well-trained on the ground. Some champion bucking horses get their start as spoiled riding horses that learn to quickly and effectively unseat riders. Due to the rigors of travel and the short bursts of high intensity work required, most horses in a bucking string are at least 6 or 7 years old before they are used extensively, and are expected to be sound performers for many years. Awards are given to the owners of the best bucking horses that are respected as equine athletes and perform for many years. Many are retired to pasture at the end of their careers. Most bucking horses understand their job well and reduce or stop their bucking, even while still wearing a flank strap, as soon as they either unseat the rider or hear the buzzer. Likewise, some bulls appear to understand that their “job” is to throw the rider; they learned not to buck when in the chute and buck far less once the rider is thrown.
Bronc Riding
There are two divisions in rodeo: bareback bronc riding, where the rider is only allowed to hang onto a bucking horse with a type of surcingle called a “rigging”; and saddle bronc riding, where the rider uses a specialized western saddle without a horn (for safety) and hangs onto a heavy lead rope, called a bronc rein, which is attached to a halter on the horse.
Bull Riding
In this event, cowboys ride full-grown bulls instead of horses. Although skills and equipment similar to those needed for bareback bronc riding are required, the event differs considerably from horse riding competition due to the danger involved. Because bulls are unpredictable and may attack a fallen rider, rodeo clowns–now known as “bullfighters”–work during bull-riding competitions to distract the bulls and help prevent injury to the competitors.
The gun proved its importance in more ways than one in the western United States. While a great deal of hunting took place on the Laramie Range, guns were also necessary for protection; both men and women learned how to shoot.
Hunting and fishing near Laramie was not just for sport, but rather a way of life. Native Americans and the pioneers who followed counted on wildlife on the open range and fish in the streams to provide sustenance. Even today, hunting and fishing attract hunters and anglers from all over the globe to the Laramie area.
N.K. Boswell was one of the first settlers in the Laramie area (1865). A Civil War veteran who served in the Union Army, Boswell helped with the building of Fort Sanders. Eventually, he and his brother became ranchers and were instrumental in establishing Laramie. Boswell was an original member of the local “Vigilance Committee”, organized to help bring order to the lawless city when after the newly elected mayor and town council resigned after only six weeks in office.
Real law and order were established when the Wyoming Territory was organized in 1869 and Gov. John Campbell appointed Nathaniel K. Boswell as the first sheriff of Albany County. He was also the first warden of the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie in the 1860s.
During his career, he arrested Jack McCall, the man who shot “Wild Bill” Hickok in Deadwood City, South Dakota as well as the notorious stage robber George “Big Nose” Parrott. Boswell was a Republican, who participated in Theodore Roosevelt’s famous 55-mile ride from Laramie to Cheyenne. Boswell’s ranch house, which was constructed by Tom Walden in approximately 1878, is now listed on the National Register of Historical Places.
Stephen N. Leek (1857-1941) was a rancher and guide who became widely known for his efforts on behalf of elk preservation. Born in Canada, he worked in southeastern Wyoming before settling in Jackson Hole in about 1888. He served in the Legislature in 1907.
