A Brief History of the World's Oldest Rodeo: 122 Years Young
Cowboys have been roaming the Arizona landscape with the cattle industry since the inception of the state in 1864.  The cowboy maintains the aura of an enigmatic ranch hand: enduring severe rigors of a job and climatic extremes of the seasons with the livestock they tend, all for the enjoyment of an adventurous, open-ended and individualistic lifestyle.

Historically, wranglers looked up to the vaqueros, or Spanish cowboys, as men who could rope anything that moved and ride anything that bucked - men who could successfully do just about anything from a saddle.   Generally the vaqueros tended the stock on the open range until it was time to brand the animals.  All of these events required a rounding up of the animals - "al rodear."  This was called a rodeo.  

The first “contemporary” rodeo took place on July 4, 1888 in Prescott, Arizona. A group of prominent local businessmen and merchants formed a committee to plan the event.  The members included Buckey O'Neill, later to become a captain in Roosevelt's Rough Riders; George Ruffner, later a long-time pioneer sheriff of Yavapai County; and Morris Goldwater, uncle of former Senator Barry Goldwater, and future mayor of Prescott for many years and voted “Man of the Century” during Prescott's Centennial celebration in 1964.  

The main cowboy events included bronco riding, steer roping and tying and cow pony racing.  Merchandise and cash were given as prizes.  A cowboy named Juan Levias walked off with rodeo's first professional title and was documented in the subsequent edition of the Arizona Journal-Miner.     

Prescott Frontier Days has attracted more then just local cowboys and ranchers.  The 1933 Rodeo saw Andy Devine, a Hollywood character actor, Will Rogers and Jimmy Swinnerton all in attendance.  Senator Barry Goldwater was an active participant in the events during his lifetime.

In the mid-1930's, Prescott's rodeo moved into the existing site with the help of federally funded projects.  By this time the “World's Oldest Rodeo” was attracting thousands of Arizonans from around the state.  In the early 1940s a group of local merchants and professionals, called the 20-30 Club, decided to lend a hand to help produce Prescott's rodeo.  World War II took many men and contestants from the rodeo ranks during this period, but with the help of these local volunteers the rodeo remained.

Rodeo continually grew as a spectator and contestant sport.  Purses grew to contend with rodeos in the West that sprung up to compete with Prescott's rodeo.  Prize money during this period sometimes exceeded $20,000, an astronomical sum in those days.  Rodeo has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise in 50 states since that time; through 2007, total prize money awarded by PRCA rodeos exceeds $40 million.

In 1979, Prescott Frontier Days, Inc. was formed.  This non-profit organization exists today and is the backbone of Prescott's rodeo.  Comprised of over 150 hard-working volunteers, they are dedicated to the preservation of Prescott Frontier Days, Inc. & the World's Oldest Rodeo.

July 11, 1888: Arizona Journal-Miner
“The four days celebration closed yesterday afternoon with a half-mile running race, and a cowboy tournament at the Driving Park.  The attendance was greater than ever before assembled at one time in the park since it was first started...”

June, 1934: Arizona Highways
“Forty-seven years ago in 1888, the first cowboy contest ever held in America was staged in the pines of Prescott.  Today, in the same setting, plans are being completed for the holding of the famous event, which will mark the Prescott Rodeo as the oldest in America by actual record.  These contests commemorate the spirit of the frontiersman of the west, and the name of Arizona being synonymous with the West, its romance and beauty, it is in Prescott that a week of fables may be found...”

World's Oldest Rodeo by Danny Freeman, 1988.  Foreword by Barry Goldwater
“As a small boy, teenager and grown man I have enjoyed many exciting moments at the Prescott Rodeo. If the truth were known, “to be a cowboy” was one of my secret wishes when I was growing up and spending my summers in Prescott, a center for cowboys and cattlemen.  The old-time cowboy creed was one that most could envy: work hard and play hard; shoot straight and be truthful; respect women and womanhood in any and all occasions...”

For additional information on Prescott Frontier Days & World's Oldest Rodeo, visit www.worldsoldestrodeo.com.

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