Prescott Frontier Days®, Inc. presents the annual World’s Oldest Rodeo® at the Prescott Rodeo Grounds. Since 1888, this traditional event has occurred annually over the 4th of July weekend with eight breathtaking performances.
The act of rodeo is as old as cattle raising itself. Stemming out of the Spanish traditions of the vaquero, it has become a world phenomenon. But only in America has rodeo reached its zenith. Of all the sports that we the viewer, or the participant, have to choose from, no other is directly related to the natural world like rodeo. And unlike any other sport, rodeo is a reflection of the skills used in real life. The knowledge, tenacious spirit, and athletic ability are inherent in the ranching world and are exemplified in the competitive arena of the rodeo.
The earliest editions of Prescott's rodeo were most appealing to the local cowboys and ranchers because it gave them the chance to bring their ranch-bred skills to town for people to see. The fancy rodeo arenas that we know today were simply nonexistent in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Prescott's rodeo "arena" was merely a tract of land, in what was called Forbing Park, off of what today is, Iron Springs Road, very much unimproved, and roped off to keep the broncs from running away after they unseated their riders. The exact numbers of total contestants were often confused but total purses of less than $1,000 were common.
The name, Prescott Frontier Days—a committee of the Yavapai County Fair Association, came into being in 1913, the year the July 4th celebration began at its present location; then the Yavapai County Fairgrounds; today the Prescott Rodeo Grounds. Participation by the likes of Tom Mix and attendance by celebrities such as Will Rogers increased the awareness and popularity of the event. 'Rodeo' is a Spanish word meaning "to roundup", and the word 'rodeo', for cowboy contests wasn't used anywhere until 1916. It was first used in Prescott in 1924.
Whereas the Yavapai County Fair ceased operation from 1933 until 1947, the rodeo continued uninterrupted and has never missed a year since 1888. In the mid-'30s, the Grandstand, the two Rock Buildings (today called the Pardee and the Freeman buildings), and the stone 'Fish Pond' were built at the existing site with the help of federally funded WPA and the CCC projects. Recovered artifacts from that construction are on display at the Smoki Museum today, along with other rodeo artifacts and memorabilia at Sharlot Hall and Phippen Museums. A week-long celebration marking 50 years of Prescott rodeo was held in 1937. Several locals participated in the gala event and many former rodeo contestants helped put on festivities that also attracted thousands of Arizonans from around the state.
In the early '40s, a group of locals called the 20-30 Club decided to lend a hand to help produce Prescott's rodeo. In those days, problems of a financial nature were pressing on the producers of the rodeo so much that there was talk of postponing or canceling it entirely, but they didn't! The 20-30 Club, composed of young men from 20 to 30 years of age was led by local historian Lester "Budge" Ruffner. These men decided to promote the "working" cowboy concept of rodeo, and any professional cowboy was banned from 1941-1946. World War II took many men and contestants from the rodeo ranks during this period, but with the help of local ranchers and volunteer workers, the show went on.
During the late '40s and '50s, Prescott saw the rodeo tradition continue with the help of die-hard supporters such as Gordon Koch, Danny Freeman, Fred Schemmer, and Andy Jauregui. These men garnered considerable support from rodeo lovers from around town and Yavapai County. Rodeo grew as a spectator and contestant sport continually for a period of years. Purses grew to compete with rodeos in the West that sprung up to compete with Prescott's crowds. Purses grew to astronomical sums for those days, often exceeding $20,000. With the competition for the rodeo, spectators came the increases in charges for quality livestock. No longer could the local rancher provide enough calves, steers, and broncs to fulfill the needs of the larger number of cowboys coming to Prescott.
The 1960s saw the transition of rodeo production change hands until 1968 when the Prescott Jaycees took control. The Jaycees made many changes, perhaps the most important being to hire a stock contractor named Harry Vold in 1972. Vold continues to furnish some of the best stock available today to Prescott's Frontier Days Rodeo, attracting top cowboys to compete on the top stock. That same year, the Hollywood movie, 'Junior Bonner' with Steve McQueen was filmed around the actual rodeo and parade and thrust the Prescott Rodeo into the national and worldwide spotlight.
