Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo:
"It's a rodeo, African American style!"
The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is an innovative, educational and exciting perspective on the history, challenges, and excitement of Black Americans in the western United States. It celebrates the life of the legendary Black cowboy Bill Pickett and other blacks who greatly contributed to the development of the west.
This season marks our 25th year of producing the rodeo and sometimes has been a lot like Bull Ridin' i.e., we get tossed around and jostled, but we stay on top. The ride has been worth it.
Most of the credit belongs to all the people that make the rodeo the great event it is; the cowboys and cowgirls, the sponsors, and the terrific fans who come year after year to see the some of the greatest
riders in the world.
The ?cowboy mystique? has had a strong influence in all of our lives. That influence begins in childhood and continues throughout adulthood. Rodeos exemplify this influence and are an important part of the
western culture.
Blacks have played an integral part of the history of the American West from the earliest 1500s through the present. In fact, Texas was explored in the early 1500s by a Black explorer named Estavanico. In 1804, An African slave named York was the lead scout in the Lewis and Clark expedition. He served as emissary and interpreter with the Native Americans. The famous black fur trader and explorer James Beckwourth founded the trading post Pueblo, Colorado, Beckwourth Pass,California, Beckwourth Trail California, and the city Beckwourth California. These discoveries played a major role in facilitating the migration of settlers from east to west.
During the height of the period of cattle drives (1866-1890), over 35% of the cattle trail drivers in Texas were Black. Overtime, a number of Black communities developed on the frontier of the old west. Over a half million families settled in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas alone.
Born in 1870, Bill Pickett invented bulldogging, the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground. Pickett's method for bulldogging was biting a cow on the lip and then falling backwards. He became legendary for his performances and work as a cowboy.
Realizing the historical significance of the Black cowboy, Lu Vason developed the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo Series. This series is the first of its kind. In September, 1984, the first Bill Pickett Black Rodeo drew thousands of spectators and has grown into a series that is witnessed by over 70,000 spectators annually.
The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo continues to showcase this important element of Black western history by entertaining audiences all across America.
