EVENTS
Saddle Bronc Rider, Champion
Legendary bronc buster Turk Greenough was one of the toughest hands to grace an arena. Born in 1905 in Montana, Thurkel James “Turk” Greenough saw Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in 1910, and he made up his mind to be a cowboy. In 1926 he entered his first bronc-riding contest at Claremont, Wyoming, placing second. Later he performed with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and Wild West Show and with Tex Austin’s rodeo extravaganza.
Greenough claimed rough-stock trophies at Pendleton in 1928 and at Cheyenne in 1933, 1935, and 1936. In 1936 he became the first American to capture the “Triple Crown” of rodeo, winning at Cheyenne, Calgary, and Pendleton. He successfully rode the infamous bronc Midnight and mastered Five Minutes to Midnight three times.
A natural entertainer, Greenough worked part-time as a movie stuntman. Among his credits are “Beau Geste”, “Gone with the Wind”, and “The Angel and the Badman” with John Wayne. He doubled for Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Randolph Scott. Turk Greenough retired from active competition in 1948 and started his own production, “Turk Greenough’s Wild West Rodeo.” In later years he helped organize the National Old Timer’s Rodeo Association. He died in 1995.
