The Ellensburg Rodeo in Washington state is celebrating its centennial this year! Founded in 1923, this Labor Day weekend rodeo is considered one of “America’s Top 10 professional rodeos.”
The Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame (ERHOF) Association was founded in 1997 to preserve the history of this very important rodeo. The ERHOF also publishes articles in “The Ketch Pen” produced and published here at The Cowboy. You can receive your own copy of “The Ketch Pen” by signing up for the Rodeo Historical Society at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum!
Now, let’s go look at some photos from the Ellenburg Rodeo throughout the years at the Dickinson Research Center!
Photos from the Dickinson Research Center
Ellensburg Arena 1930 (L) & 1961 (R)
Harry Tompkins (1948)
Devere Helfrich took this photo of Harry Tompkins in 1948 at the Ellensburg Rodeo. Harry Tompkins was born in New York in 1927 and grew up working on an Eastern dude ranch. He began competing in 1946 at Madison Square Garden.
Tompkins competed in Bull Riding and Bareback Bronc Riding. Jim Shoulders was his contemporary and they traded top honors for several years. Tompkins won five Bull Riding Championships, one Bareback Bronc Riding Championship and two All-Around titles.
Dorothy Looney Ring (1948)
Dorothy Looney Ring is shown trick riding at the 1948 Ellensburg Rodeo in this photo captured by Jim Chamberlain. Dorothy was an Ellensburg local, graduating from the area school in 1945.
Harry Masterson (1960)
Harry Masterson is shown riding #3 at the 1960 Ellensburg Rodeo.
Pat Hawley & B.J. Miner (1962)
Pat Hawley (Left) and B.J. Miner (Right) were just a couple of the Barrel Racing competitors at the 1962 Ellensburg Rodeo.
A group of unidentified men working the chutes (1962)
Devere Helfrich captured this photo of a group of men working the chutes at the 1962 Ellensburg Rodeo.
This particular photo stood out to me because we often forget how many people it takes to make a rodeo a success. While the photos of the riders and stock are amazing, I find this group of unidentified men to be equally important because without them there is no rodeo.
Dave Garstad (1963)
Dave Garstad is shown on Umpqua in 1963. Garstad was from Canada and traveled to the United States to compete often.
He began riding on the amateur circuit in 1959 and turned pro within 3 months. Garstad rode bulls, bareback horses and wrestled steers.
He was named the 1967 Canadian Champion Bull Rider. In 1980, he qualified for the CFR, but he was injured in the finals losing sight in one of his eyes.
Kenny McLean (1963)
Kenny McLean is shown riding Dry Ice in 1963.
McLean was born in Canada in 1939. He competed in Canada and the United States for decades, rewriting the Canadian rodeo history books as he went. He was named the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) Rookie of the Year in 1961 and captured the Saddle Bronc Championship in 1962. He won two RCA Linderman Awards as the best all-around cowboy. He won five Canadian Pro Rodeo Association (CPRA) Saddle Bronc Championships, one CPRA Calf Roping Championship, one CPRA Team Roping Championship, and one Steer Wrestling Championship. Additionally, he was named the CPRA All Around Champion four times.
He competed in the American and Canadian Senior Pro Rodeo tours. In 2001, he won the World Championship titles in Calf Roping and Ribbon Roping. He was also the Reserve All Around Champion Cowboy.
Buzz Seeley (1965)
Buzz Seeley and Smitty are completely off the ground in this photo captured by Devere Helfrich in 1965.
Dick Powers (1972)
John P. Foster captured this image of Dick Powers looking ready to rope the calf in 1972.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed reading about and celebrating the centennial of the Ellensburg Rodeo with us! A hundred years of a single rodeo is a long time, and it was interesting to see how it has evolved throughout the years. I loved learning the stories behind the cowboys and cowgirls in these photos from the Dickinson Research Center.
I hope you’ll join us next time further down the trail as we continue talking about the stories from The Cowboy!
If you’re interested in more information on the history of rodeo, check out these books from Persimmon Hill!
Richard C. Rattenbury, “Arena Legacy: The Heritage of American Rodeo.”
Heidi M. Thomas, “Cowgirl Up!: A History of Rodeo Women.”
Sources
Websites
“2014 – Dave Garstad,” Canadian Rodeo Historical Association.
“Kenny McLean,” National Rodeo Hall of Fame, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
“Dorothy Looney Claxton,” Find a Grave.
“Harry Tompkins,” National Rodeo Hall of Fame, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
Photographs
Ellensburg Rodeo–Ellensburg, Wash., 1930, Photographic Study Collection, Dickinson Research Center, 2005.067.
Ellensburg Arena, 1961, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.19196-12.
Kenny McLean on Dry Ice (CB), 1963, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.22377.
Buzz Seeley on Smitty (CB), 1965, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.26897.
Harry Masterson on #3, 1960, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.17212.
Unidentified men in chute, 1962, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.20824-06.
Harry Tompkins, 1948, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.04351.
Pat Hawley Barrel Racing, 1962, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.20819-17.
B.J. Miner Barrel Racing, 1962, DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 81.023.20819-18.
Dorothy Looney Ring Ellensburg ’48, 1948, Gene Lamb Collection, Dickinson Research Center, 1990.016.164.
Dave Garstad on Umpqua (CB), Ellensburg, ’63, 1963, PRCA Rodeo Sports News Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 1998.008.6465.
Dick Powers, Ellensberg (sic) ’72, 1972, PRCA Rodeo Sports News Photographs, Dickinson Research Center, 1998.008.0491.
