3-6 p.m., Thunder Room. Tickets are $30 at the door. Inductees are Ben Peal, Bob Swaim, Les Kamm, Julie Rugg Williams, John Growney
July 22
Bucking Horse Stampede
1:30-2 p.m. Watch the iconic busking horses stampede down Main Street in Joseph to kick off Chief Joseph Days Rodeo.
July 23
Buckaroo Rodeo
9:30-11 a.m. This rodeo is for special needs children and adults. Entry is free and open to the public.
Chief Joseph Days Rodeo
7 p.m., Harley Tucker Memorial Arena.
July 24
Chief Joseph Days Rodeo
7 p.m., Harley Tucker Memorial Arena
Concert: Lowdown Drifters
9 p.m., Thunder Room. For ages 21 and older.
July
25
Junior Parade
10 a.m., Main Street, Joseph. Registration/lineup is at 9 a.m. at the Indian Lodge Motel. Prizes for the top three entries, and all participants receive free ice cream from R&R Drive-In.
Chief Joseph Days Rodeo
7 p.m., Harley Tucker Memorial Arena.
July 26
Grand Parade
10 a.m., Main Street, Joseph. Entries are welcome.
Friendship Feast and Traditional Dance
Noon-3:30 p.m., Encampment Pavilion.
Chief Joseph Days Rodeo
7 p.m., Harley Tucker Memorial Arena
July 27
Cowboy church and breakfast
9 a.m., Harley Tucker Memorial Arena.
Tickets
Purchase tickets through https://www.chiefjosephdays.com
Prices
Wednesday & Thursday (general admission): $20
Friday & Saturday (general admission): $22
Friday & Saturday (reserved covered seating): $25
Children needing seats require tickets.
Fees & Payment Info
Online ticket purchases include a $2.50 service fee per ticket. In-office ticket purchases include a $2.75 service fee per ticket. All purchases are subject to a 3.25% credit card processing fee, as in previous years.
Thunder Room Tickets
Available for purchase at the door.
Wednesday: Family Night, $5/person
Thursday: Concert by the Lowdown Drifters, $20, 21+ only.
Friday & Saturday: Live music, $5/person, 21+ only. No pre-purchase available.
Cover photo: Ellen Morris Bishop/Wallowa County Chieftain file photo
CJD QUEEN THRILLED TO WEAR THE CROWN
Jadeyn Perin achieved a lifelong dream
| Story & photo by Bill Bradshaw • Wallowa County Chieftain
This year’s queen of the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo court couldn’t be more thrilled than to achieve a lifelong dream.
“I could not be more grateful for representing our hometown rodeo,” said Jadeyn Perin, of Joseph. “I’ve always loved royalty.”
She was introduced to the world of rodeo royalty by her mother, Erica Kasper, who was a princess at the Elgin Stampede in 2004.
“My mom showed me pictures from then and I knew I wanted to be in a rodeo court,” Jadeyn said.
She’s worked at the CJD office for many years and loves the way the rodeo brings the county together.
“I’ve always seen the community come together for it,” she said.
She does have some rodeo royalty experience, which includes serving as the 2023 Eastern Oregon Livestock Show princess, 2024 Asotin County Fair and Hells Canyon Rodeo queen, and placing as first runner-up for Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon.
She also has ranching ties in her family. The daughter of Erica and Austin Kasper, her dad’s family owns
a ranch near Grangeville, Idaho, on Idaho’s Camas Prairie. Her rodeo experience goes beyond royalty, having competed in pole bending and barrel racing in junior rodeo. She’s not competing this year.
She has competed and been active in other endeavors, such as volleyball, basketball, FFA, and FCCLA. But her favorite place is on horseback whether in the show ring, at a rodeo or helping gather cows in the mountains. She also loves camping, fishing, and the outdoors.
She has a brother, Jace, and a baby sister, Kamdyn, who is still too young to know if she wants to follow Mom and big sister into the rodeo ring.
But when 18-year-old Jadeyn holds her horse still, Kamdyn shows a toddler’s eagerness to sit on the saddle with Jadeyn.
But Jadeyn won’t be alone wearing CJD crowns, as she’ll have her court — 17-year-old Tylee Evans and 15-year-old Livia DeMelo as princesses riding alongside her.
Evans is going into her senior year at Enterprise High School and is the daughter of Teah Jones and T.C.
Evans. Raised in Lostine, she’s been an active member of the Enterprise FFA Chapter and will serve as a 2025–26 District FFA officer. She also plays varsity volleyball and basketball and competes with the Idaho District 3 Rodeo Association.
DeMelo will be a junior at Joseph Charter School in the fall and is a sixth-generation cowgirl who grew up on her family’s ranch outside of Joseph. She’s the daughter of Caio and Deanna DeMilo and a sister to Amanda, Mia and Nora.
DeMelo has been active in FFA, 4-H, FCCLA, Interact Club and school sports.
In addition to the royalty, others are getting special recognition at this year’s 79th annual rodeo.
• The rodeo itself was, for the third year in a row, named the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Medium Rodeo of the Year.
• CJD founder Harley Tucker is being inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
• Tucker’s daughter and her husband, Darlene and Dave Turner, are being inducted into the St. Paul, Oregon, Rodeo Hall of Fame.
The 2025 Chief Joseph Days royalty were crowned April 19, at the Thunder Room. From left are Tylee Evans, Jadeyn Perin and Livia DeMelo. Perin was selected as the 2025 queen.
STRONG TIES TO our communities
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CHIEF JOSEPH DAYS
HALL OF FAME
This year, the 79th year of the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo, there are five inductees to the Rodeo Hall of Fame: volunteer Ben Peal, contestants Bob Swaim, Julie Rugg Williams and Les Kamm, and contractor John Growney.
Inductee criteria include Early Years of Chief Joseph Days prior to 1960, CDJ volunteer, Contestant Early Years, Contestant Later Years, Native American, Contract Personnel and Animal. Inductees may be living or dead.
Every year since 2021, the rodeo has honored those who have contributed to it in a significant way, be they contestants, volunteers or those who provide the stock. They are selected by voting members and donors to the rodeo. With this year’s class, there are now 26 members in the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will be July 20 in the Thunder Room at the Harley Tucker Memorial Arena in Joseph. Tickets are $30 at the door.
The current Hall of Fame committee is Cindy Bailey, Candi Willis, Darlene Turner, Judi Holbrook, Jill Huffman and Diane Witherrite.
The Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will be July 20 in the Thunder Room at the Harley Tucker Memorial Arena in Joseph.
HALL OF FAME 2026 INDUCTEES
Ben Peal
Ben Peal was born Dec. 16, 1901, in Cove. His family moved to Joseph to their new home on Prairie Creek the next spring.
The ranch stretched up onto the East Moraine and went from the foot to the head of Wallowa Lake.
A group contacted Harley Tucker, a local rancher who owned rodeo stock and staged the first of what would become the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo, on Sunday, July 28, 1946, because the ranch had a natural amphitheater.
Ben and Harley had put on rodeos during the early 1940s at the Wallowa Lake rodeo grounds at the head of the lake during the summers, with calf roping, and riding steers, barebacks and broncs. The partners also provided the rodeo stock with Ben providing most of the bucking horses as well as the pickup men’s horses.
For the 1946 rodeo, Ben used a bulldozer to create the rodeo arena and cut out the narrow, twisting road up the west side of the moraine. However, the road was not suitable for the cars of the day, so many had to be pulled up the side of the mountain, making the show start quite late.
Since the moraine was not the most functional place to continue the rodeo, it was decided to move it to Joseph where a new arena could be built. Ben provided most of the timber to be milled for a permanent facility in town the next year.
It was decided that all the men were not to shave until after the rodeo and that offenders would have to serve time in the pillory with their heads and hands sticking out. A contest for the best beard was held and Ben and Glen Sprague tied for the honors and split a $15 prize.
Ben lived in Wallowa County most of his life until he was seriously injured and paralyzed in a logging accident near Joseph in 1956. He died at the age of 63 in Walla Walla, Washington, on May 21, 1965.
Robert (Bob) Eugene Swaim
Bob attended his first rodeo in Molalla, Oregon, around age 11 and he knew this was the life for him.
He told his family that all he ever wanted to be was a cowboy.
He joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1947. Bob participated in bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, calf roping and bull riding. Amongst his many achievements, he won the bareback riding at Chief Joseph Days Rodeo in 1952, 1960 and 1965, as well as the all-around in 1960. He retired from active competition in 1968.
Swaim served as secretary for Chief Joseph Days Rodeo and many other rodeos in the West from 1963-1980, including Omak, Spokane, Grangeville, Moses Lake, Kennewick, Las Vegas and the Pendleton Round-Up. His longest position was 23 years as secretary for the Ellensburg, Washington, Rodeo.
As secretary, he coordinated the many complex transactions happening behind the chutes. He managed the registration and processing of all cowboy contestants, ensuring they knew which animal they drew, the competition order and their location. Swaim welcomed and recorded each entrant, collected fees, and oversaw the stock draw, event placements, day money and final payouts.
All of this was meticulously tracked in a spiral notebook — before the days of computers and centralized entry systems — when most transactions were handled in cash.
In addition to his secretary roles, Swaim also flagged the line at Pendleton into the 1990s and he judged the High School National Rodeo finals in Wyoming.
Swaim remained involved in rodeo nearly to the end of his life and was often praised for his character and dedication as a rodeo secretary.
He and his wife, Shirley, even named two of their sons after rodeo legends — Gerald Roberts and Casey Tibbs. His passion for the sport lived on through his middle son, AJ, who also competed at the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo.
The family is honored to accept this award on his behalf.
CHIEF JOSEPH DAYS HALL OF FAME 2026 INDUCTEES
Julie Rugg Williams
Julie Rugg Williams was born and raised in Athena, and started riding at age 4. Her first pony was named Georgia Brown.
She had success in barrel racing early and at the age of seven, she won her first buckle at Mustangers playdays in Pendleton. High school rodeo was her training ground, and she won the 1973 and 1974 All-Around titles along with a barrel racing and a pole bending championship. At the National High School Finals Rodeo, Williams won the first two rounds in the pole bending but tipped a pole in the short round and ended up third in the average that year.
In 1974, she won the Oregon High School Rodeo Association crown, and she then competed at the National High School finals and was crowned the National High School Rodeo queen, in a sea of mud, in Tomah, Wisconsin. She traveled all over the U.S. and Canada to promote High School Rodeo.
In 1976 Williams was crowned the Pendleton Round-Up queen and 1977 Miss Rodeo Oregon. She traveled to the Miss Rodeo America Pageant, in Oklahoma City and was selected first runner up.
The mount Julie rode to six Chief Joseph Days titles came from a local veterinarian. Dr. Frank Lieuallen raced Appaloosa horses. He called her in 1973 because he wanted this talented gelding to go onto another career. Buck held three world records on the track at three different distances.
Williams became a WPRA member in 1977 where she won her first Chief Joseph Days Rodeo buckle. She won that title five more times. Buck carried Williams to win the National Intercollegiate Barrel Racing title in 1978. She and Buck won the Columbia River Circuit Barrel Racing title in 1980. They qualified for the 1982 NFR in Oklahoma City and ended up sixth place in the world. They currently hold the CJD arena record of 16.99. Buck was laid to rest on the ranch at age 37. He was buried with his first Joseph buckle.
Williams is a Gold Card member of the WPRA and currently competes in barrel races across the West.
She credits her family for their support and encouragement. She has been married to Larry Williams for more than 40 years and they have two married children.
SILVERSMITH MAKES MEMORABILIA FOR CJD
Don and Sandy Mallory are 2025 grand marshals |
By Bill Bradshaw • Wallowa County Chieftain
This year it’s a Flora couple who are the grand marshals of the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo.
Don and Sandy Mallory, who have lived in the tiny “ghost town” near the Washington state line for about 30 years, were selected after spending many of those years creating silver jewelry and tack for the rodeo and its participants.
Don happened onto silversmithing in retirement after more than 30 years working for the Oregon Department of Transportation. It was a transfer by ODOT that brought the Mallorys to Flora and they were there until the state closed the Flora shop. At 59, he retired and was free to pursue other ventures.
“I’ve done whatever I felt like doing” since then, he said. “I haven’t had what you’d call a steady job since I retired.”
But the craft became more than just a hobby.
“I figured I’d need something to occupy my time,” he said. “It turned into a job after I got started at it.”
In 1993, a cousin, Larry Bacon, who lives near Lost Prairie in the northern part of Wallowa County, went to a silversmithing school in Nampa, Idaho. Bacon invited Mallory to accompany him, but he didn’t think he should leave because he was still working for ODOT.
“I didn’t go because I thought sure it would snow — it was January,” he said. “He came back with a bit and spurs. He’s the one who helped get me started in it.”
From there, he taught himself.
“It was all hit and miss. I basically taught myself,” Don said. “When I needed help, Larry would help. … The rest of it I would learn on my own.”
And he certainly has. His silver work drew the attention of the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo organizers who prevailed on him to make decorative items for the rodeo.
Sandy is just as involved in Don’s silver work, although she doesn’t do any of the smithing.
“She helps me sell stuff, She’s the salesman,” he said. “I do all the products. She cleans the stuff and helps with the sales.”
Sales are often crafts shows around Oregon and the wider Northwest. Locally, silver enthusiasts can find
Mallory’s work at various shows and bazaars, such as one held around Valentine’s Day at the Hurricane Creek Grange, during Hells Canyon Mule Days in September and, more recently, at bazaars held during the Christmas season.
He also reaches nationwide and foreign markets.
“I got invited to Sheridan, Wyoming, to the Great Western Silver Exposition in 2011 by a silversmith out of California, Jeremiah Watt,” Mallory said. “Somehow, he got my address and invited me. He invited several silversmiths from Australia, Germany, Canada and all over the United States. About 20 people were at that deal. It was to show off your engraving and what you can do.”
Both Mallorys are natives of the Northwest. Don was born in Enterprise and lived his life in Wallowa County, other than the three years he served in the U.S. Army. Sandy grew up in Craigmont, Idaho, and lived there, in Grangeville and Lewiston, Idaho, before taking a teaching job in Clarkston, Washington, where she met Don.
They married in 1986 and have two sons, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The Mallorys are lifelong rodeo fans.
Don said much of his life was spent working on ranches, mostly hauling hay.
“But when the bales got heavier than I was, I got out of that,” he said.
Don’s been going to Chief Joseph Days since childhood.
“I was about 7 first time I went to the rodeo and been every year except three years I was in the service,” he said.
Sandy, too, spent much of her life on ranches on Idaho’s Camas Prairie.
“I was raised on rodeo,” she said. “Been going to rodeos my whole life.”
They both find it a bit sad that Flora is little more than a ghost town these days and few people live there.
But Sandy’s realistic about the future of the onetime thriving farming and ranching community.
“When I moved here, they told me Flora was one of the first original ghost towns in the state of Oregon,” she said. “Young people don’t want to live here; there’s nothing for young people to do in Wallowa County.”
Don Mallory, left, speaks while wife Sandy and others listen April 19, 2025, at the Thunder Room of the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo grounds. The Mallorys were named grand marshals of this year’s rodeo. — Paul Freidel, NP Ranch Images photo
