EVENTS
Saddle Bronc Rider
Rodeo Relay Racer
Born in 1887, Fannie Sperry was raised on a small ranch in the Bear Tooth Mountains north of Helena, Montana. A lover of horses, she broke them in her youth and came naturally to rodeo competition in the early 1900s. In her teenage years she made a good living in relay racing.
Among the finest lady bronc riders of the early 20th century, Fannie Sperry won Canada’s major Stampede two years in a row–first at Calgary in 1912 and then at Winnipeg in 1913–earning the title of Woman Saddle Bronc Riding Champion of the World. She was noted for never using hobbled stirrups or other “cheat straps,” which were common among women contestants of the era.
In 1913 Fannie Sperry married W. S. (Bill) Steele, a bronc rider and rodeo clown. The pair rodeoed for the Miller Brothers’ Wild West Show until about 1930. When her husband died in 1939, she retired to her Montana ranch and worked as a guide and outfitter. Fannie Sperry Steele died in 1983.
