saddlebag dispatches
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As for bulldogging, also known today as “steer wrestling,” like bullriding it was not a part of cowboy skills used on a ranch. Fact is, it didn’t come about until the late 1890s when black-cowboy Bill Pickett rode his horse next to a runaway steer and jumped on the critter to catch it. Pickett grabbed the runaway by the horns and twisted it back to wrestle it to the ground. Pickett bit the steer on the lip while wrestling it. Yes, he bit its lip! Among cowboys at the time, it was known that a bulldog could catch a stray steer by biting the steer's lip to gain control. It's said that Pickett figured he could do the same thing. So, he practiced his technique and each time Pickett would bite the steer in the lip while wrestling the steer to fall backward. Bulldogging hasn't changed much, but modern-day steer wrestlers don't have to bite a steer's lip anymore. Of course, most are happy about that. As for women in rodeo, they did it all. They busted broncs, steer roped, and even bulldogged. They raced horses, did trick riding and rope tricks, jumped over automobiles, and did several other stunts. Some were bronc riding and horse race champions. The gal who was born Rose Gale—and later used the stage name of Prairie Rose Henderson—married Arthur Columbus Clayton in Nebraska in 1892. The newlyweds moved to Bristolville, Ohio, and almost immediately she had two children, May Cora and Henry Arthur. After a few years, they relocated to Wyoming. That's how Rose first became acquainted with the state. In Wyoming, Rose and PRAIRIE ROSE HENDERSON (CENTER) POSING WITH FELLOW Arthur competed in the first RODEO PERFORMERS KITTY CANUTT (LEFT) AND RUTH ROACH Cheyenne Frontier Days in (RIGHT) DURING THE PENDLETON ROUNDUP 1899. Most reports agree that she won the first Cheyenne Frontier Days horse race for women. Her prize was a $45 silver saddle. While a $45 saddle might not sound like much today, $45 in 1899 is equivalent in purchasing power to $1,304.98 in 2018. So really, a $45 saddle was nothing to laugh at. Soon after that, Rose joined the Irwin Brothers Wild West Show. She became an instant sensation, famous for her riding clothes dubbed "Turkish Trousers." In reality, they were her bloomers which she made into a costume. She was known for making all her outrageous
