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Home , Jack Dempsey, Union Stockyards (Omaha)

THE FIRST 25 YEARS

A circus big-top is home to the 1906 and 1907 stock shows.

By Keith and Cheryl Chamberlain gathered to show their animals, buy and sell breeding stock and encourage a meatpacking center to rival those in Kansas Editors Note: As the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo and City and . From this beginning, the National Western Horse Show approaches its 100th birthday, we offer this first in Stock Show, Rodeo and Horse Show was born. The grand cham- a series of four articles recalling the colorful history of the show. pion steer that first year was a Shorthorn that tipped the scales at 1,150 pounds and befitting its status, fetched an he year was 1906. Theodore Roosevelt was in the White eye-popping 33 cents a pound. T House, there were 45 states in the Union, was getting ready to celebrate its thirtieth birthday and sirloin was The West Needs A Stock Show ten cents a pound. On the outskirts of , a growing town In the early years of the 20th century, western stock grow- with a population of 200,000, stockmen from around the West ers faced a problem. They lacked a large market center in the

2003 NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW • 1 THE FIRST 25 YEARS

West to receive their animals and the cost of shipping to east- The National Western Comes To Town ern markets cut into already lean profits. Though there was a On opening day of the "Western Livestock Show", Monday, small in Denver, it was a poor cousin to January 29, 1906, Denver basked under clear skies and enjoyed its larger rivals in Chicago and Kansas City. There was also the a balmy afternoon temperature of 63 degrees. Northeast of feeling among western stockmen that they weren’t getting fair downtown at the Denver Union Stockyards, a circus big-top prices for their cattle, sheep and hogs. Livestock raising in the had been erected and the city was abuzz with excitement. The West was a tougher proposition than in the more humid East Rocky Mountain News reported that throngs of stockmen were where concentrated corn and grain feeds were used to fatten filling local hotels. City leaders urged Denverites to attend the livestock. The solution would be improved breeds that could show and lend their support for what was hoped would become thrive in this more arid region and a meat packing center in an annual affair. To encourage them, "Denver Day at the Stock the West to compete with the big eastern packers. Show" was declared for Wednesday the 31st. The Rocky Moun- Beginning in the 1890s, there had been efforts to get a reg- tain News reported that "The city has declared a holiday, banks ular livestock convention established in Denver, but what was and other private enterprises will close their doors and the needed was an ongoing stock show that met every year. In July schools will not be in session." The paper urged citizens to of 1905, Elias Ammons, Fred Johnson and G.W. Ballantine met attend and attend they did- by the thousands. There was a bit to talk over ideas for an annual stock show. Ammons was a of rain that day, but admission was free and Denver’s citizens Douglas County swarmed over the rancher, Colorado show grounds, State Senator, and tramping through newly elected presi- the mud, milling dent of the Col- about the stock- orado Cattle and yard pens, gawking Horse Growers Asso- at blueblooded cat- ciation. Johnson tle, sheep and hogs was the president and filling the big of the Daily Record tent to watch the Stockman, a live- judging. stock industry What they newspaper, and G. found at the show W. Ballantine was were the best cat- associated with the tle the West had to Denver Union offer. There were Stockyards. four breeds pre- Ammons proposed sent: Herefords, that they organize Aberdeen-Angus, An eager crowd surrounds the new National Amphitheater in 1909. a show to be held Shorthorns and Gal- in conjunction with his association’s convention in Denver loways. Livestock for the first show totaled 336 entries. The coming up in January, 1906. January was a practical choice two horse breeds came from the ends of the spectrum: draft because, coming after the fall harvest and before spring calv- horses and ponies. The Colorado Agricultural College in Fort ing, it was a convenient time for stock growers. Denver busi- Collins (now Colorado State University) sent a trainload of 600 nessmen liked the idea of a January show because the post- students, who brought their own livestock and pretty much Christmas period was the slowest time of the year for sales. cleaned up in the judging, leading to a rule disqualifying the What better fix for the mid-winter doldrums than a convention school from competing in subsequent shows. that would draw large numbers of visitors and get Denverites When the six-day show closed on February 3, and things in out of their homes to see the stock show. Denver returned to normal, there was little doubt as to the When the stockmen’s convention and the stock show were success of the event. The first show was reported to be a real set to open in January 1906, an editorial in the Rocky Moun- eye-opener for eastern meat packers, putting them and the rest tain News declared that "No convention to be held here this of the nation on notice that Denver’s goal of making itself a year will exceed in importance the gathering of this week. It major livestock market and agricultural center was serious. should not be necessary for stock raisers to send their cattle, Plans were immediately underway for a repeat the next year. sheep and hogs to the Missouri River and Chicago in order to In 1907, work crews had no sooner finished erecting the mon- find a favorable market. This city will not be satisfied until it is ster tent than a Front Range gale flattened it. The crews went the livestock center of the West and all the related industries back to work the next morning, repairing huge rips and pitching are firmly established here." the tent again in time for the show’s opening. When the second

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show opened on Janu- ary 21, it was the "Western National Stock Show," a name that would be used again in 1908 and then altered to the current "National West- ern Stock Show" in 1909. It was an even bigger and more fes- tive event than the first. An admission of 25 cents was charged and folks streamed in by streetcar, horse- drawn rigs and even a few automobiles. The latter drew many a horse laugh as they passed by the stables. The pens of the Denver Union Stock- yards were crammed Trolley from downtown delivers visitors to 1913 show. with cattle and the bustling show grounds might have remind- filling their predictions about the popularity and usefulness of ed us of the modern terminal at DIA. The big-top was in use such a show but also sending them scrambling for a solution to again but was now joined by a host of other tents. Exhibits of the crowding problem. For the 1908 show they built a wooden farm and ranch machinery filled five large ones. Among the lat- stadium topped with the canvas roof of the huge tent that had est equipment on display was a "traction engine," a harbinger housed the show in its first two years, but this was to be only of things to come. In smaller tents, stock show guests could a temporary solution. That summer ground was broken for the find hot Coney Island chowder and roasted peanuts. A large construction of a large, permanent stadium and it was ready for wooden barn had been added for the comfort of the equine the opening of the fourth stock show on January 18, 1909. The contestants. National Amphitheater, now known as the Stadium Arena, was As the centerpiece on the show grounds, the big-top, awash built with the latest technology of the times and has faithfully with color and commotion, presented quite a spectacle. The served the National Western ever since. Rocky Mountain News boasted that the big show tent was "dec- When the big-top was replaced by the National Amphithe- orated more lavishly, mayhap, than were the arenas of ancient ater none of the festive atmosphere was lost. Inside brick walls Rome." There had been no arrangement for heating it at the and under a modern glass and steel roof the building was fes- 1906 show, but to ward off January’s chill in 1907, "big coke tooned with red and green banners, crescent-shaped American braziers, each holding 200 pounds of good, enlivening heat, flags, and brightened by electric lights. Green tanbark covered kept the visitors in the big tent warm and comfortable." the floor and the building was still filled with brass music. Entering the tent, visitors found green tanbark spread on The tramway company ran special streetcars every two min- the floor, lending a grassy outdoor atmosphere that was com- utes to carry visitors from Denver Union Station over rail lines plemented by the aroma of hay, bedding and livestock feed. that passed through the heart of the show grounds. By 1912, Brightly colored flags and buntings draped the stands, and the to speed access for the growing number of visitors, a specially sounds of cattle and horses filled the tent as darkness fell and surfaced roadway led from downtown to the show grounds with stars began to glimmer the big-top glowed with golden arc electric lights illuminating the way. On arrival motorists found lights. The deep voiced announcer boomed judging results ample parking space for their machines alongside horse drawn through a megaphone and a brass band struck up the tune carriages. In another sign of advancing technology, guests "There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight." As the thun- found newly installed telephone booths inside. der of drumming hooves and the jingle of harness trappings announced the first class of horses entering the arena, the Livestock: The Working Heart Of The Show crowd rose to its feet in a roar of approval. Following the 1906 show, articles of incorporation were Attendance at those first shows pleased the organizers, ful- drawn up for the Western Stock Show Association, Elias

2003 NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW • 3 THE FIRST 25 YEARS

Ammons was elected president and an executive committee herds of Poland-China and Duroc-Jersey hogs, 300 "splendid was formed. The show’s organizers succeeded in both their specimens" in the rabbit show, and more than 1,500 feathered goals of improving livestock breeds and fostering the growth of hopefuls in the poultry show with colorful chicken breeds like a livestock market in the region. Within a few years western Golden Orpingtons, White Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and cattle breeds had been improved to the point that eastern buy- Black Jerseys. Homing pigeons also put in an appearance. One ers were now in Denver each January to buy the "hardy, dis- pair, valued at $1,000, were directly descended from birds that ease-proof strains" from the Rocky Mountains to take home for had carried messages in , and a racing pigeon flew the improvement of their own herds. In from Trinidad to Denver in 5 hours and 1913, representatives of the Chicago 48 minutes on the eve of the show, a packing houses arrived by special train feat to be envied by today’s rush hour and bidding on carloads of breeding motorist creeping through Colorado stock brought in $1 million in a single Springs and the southern Denver sub- record breaking day for western live- urbs on I-25. stock. Stockmen received $2.6 million In keeping with the goal of for their animals at the show. improving ranching and farming in the The year 1910 was a turning point West, shows in the featured for the show. Until this time only exhibits by , New Mexico and entries from the West (defined as the Colorado universities on diversified area west of the 99th Meridian) were farming, farm record keeping, model permitted and "feeder cattle" meant poultry houses, new seed varieties and grass-fed cattle, not animals fattened improved dairy breeds. By this time, on grain and corn. But after the 1909 packers and consumers were demand- show organizers voted that entries ing beef with lower fat content, and from all over the U.S. would hence- as a result of selective breeding they forth be accepted and the stock show were getting it. They could prepare became a truly national event. that leaner beef in a kitchen remod- In 1914, with Elias Ammons (now eled along the lines of a model farm Governor of Colorado) serving as auc- kitchen exhibited at the show. tioneer for one of the sales, the cattle Livestock prices through the first grossed $6 million. At the sale the quarter century of the stock show fol- Hermosa Ranch of Colorado Springs lowed a generally upward trend. The sold ten head of yearling and two- World War I years of 1915 through year-old Hereford bulls at an average 1918 saw a spike in prices paid at the of $648 a head, a record price any- East meets West in this fanciful program cover National Western for champion and where for a group of such size. Lambs from the 1920 Horse Show. feeder livestock. Colorado cattlemen brought about 10 cents a pound. The donated heifer calves for a special sale Rocky Mountain News boasted that these top prices were "proof at the 1919 "Victory Stock Show" and raised over $43,000 for of the superiority of the meat producing ranches and farms in the Red Cross. Higher prices were to be a short-lived boon to this state." American stockgrowers, however. When the guns in Europe fell The National Western suffered its first major setback when silent and producers on the Continent got their feet back under the 1915 cattle show was canceled due to an outbreak of foot them, prices for beef and other agricultural commodities tum- and mouth disease. A gathering of animals from around the bled in the States. They would not regain the levels of 1920 region seemed hardly the prudent thing in the face of the con- until the eve of the Depression. In 1930, the grand champion tagion. The horse show and poultry exhibitions went ahead as steer, an Angus this time, sold for $1.60 a pound and champi- planned, but overall turnout was scant in comparison with on carload feeder steers, Herefords again, brought 18 cents a prior years. pound. By 1929 almost three and a half million head of cattle, Colorado-raised steers ruled the feeder champion classes to sheep and hogs, with a total value of sixty-five million dollars, the near exclusion of other states throughout the period. were received annually at Denver’s expanding stockyards and While Herefords tended to dominate into the mid-1920s, Angus packing houses, showing conclusively that the organizers of steers won grand champion honors in four of the last five years the National Western had realized their goal of making Denver of the decade. It was a short-lived dominance, however. The a major livestock market center. At that year’s show the Denver familiar red and white Hereford would virtually rule the class Post reported keen interest in cattle judging among the for four decades beginning in 1930. Purebred Herefords, Angus, crowds. In addition to prize cattle, visitors could look over and Shorthorns were the backbone of the industry in those

4 • 2003 NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW THE FIRST 25 YEARS

years. The hybrid cattle breeds so important in the latter 20th gold, forest green and marine blue to the ever-sophisticated Century were as yet unrepresented at the early shows. black. They accessorized with furs and ermine scarves, ropes of pearls, orchid corsages and fabulous plumed hats festooned Horses And High Society with breasts of swan and silver ornaments. Folks at the turn of the 20th Century loved horses as much Newspaper descriptions of the fashions worn to the horse as we do at the turn of the 21st, and in 1907 an enduring and shows by Denver’s first ladies through these first 25 years is a popular feature was added to the January show. The Denver chronicle of changing tastes. By the end of the Roaring Twen- Gentlemen’s Driving and Riding Club sponsored the National ties, women’s attire ran to sleek, low-cut gowns, often worn Western’s first horse show that year. Its evening performances without hats, while gentlemen turned out in tuxedos and silk filled the big tent and later the National Amphitheater. Cattle hats. One thing that didn’t change, however, was high society’s judging took place during the day and a parade of prize-win- love of the National Western. In 1929 the Denver Post declared ning stock opened the evening horse that Denver socialites supported the shows. Seats for the horse shows went show "with all the enthusiasm that for 25 cents and a private eight-seat marks the opening of the metropolitan box could be had for $25 for the entire opera season in ." week. And then there was Loula Long. The horse shows were an instant hit This champion horsewoman, daughter with the public. They filled the of a Kansas City lumber magnate, daz- amphitheater to bursting and on one zled audiences and judges at National notorious evening in 1909 the show Western horse shows. She declared a was oversold. The crowd was so tightly fondness for Denver audiences and packed that some who fainted from the they loved her back. Her entrance into heat were carried along in the human the arena on one January evening tide. The following day the Denver brought the audience to its feet with a Republican observed "The show manage- chorus of cheers and applause that ment would like to convey to the public lasted five minutes. Each subsequent the suggestion there probably will not entrance, and there were many, was be such intolerable congestion tonight. greeted with another outburst. It’s no Those who were there last night would wonder she appreciated her reception like to convey to management the sug- in the Mile High City. And well might gestion that greater congestion is not the crowds have cheered her. On the within the bounds of possibility." evening in question she captured blue For high steppers in Denver society, ribbons in four of the five classes she attendance on Society Night at the entered. By show’s end, her stalls were Horse Show became a must. Attendees decorated with 13 blue ribbons. were a who’s who of the Mile High City For a short time there was a keen and "Everyone that’s anyone in Denver- The 1929 Horse Show program cover captures rivalry between Loula Long and Adol- town" was there, leading to headlines the allure of the horse shows. phus Busch III. She won 17 first place like "Society in a Gay Whirl This Week ribbons at the 1912 show, while the for the Horse Show." St. Louis brewing heir managed only The coverage of Society Night by the local papers was as lav- three. Busch did not return for the show the next year, having ish as the high fashion worn by the women in attendance. This sold his horses and retired from competition. from the Rocky Mountain News on January 22, 1913: "It was so- Miss Long traveled in style. After the two-day journey from ci-e-tee night and Denver’s most exclusive matrons bowed in Kansas City by private rail car, she took up residence in a suite homage to blooded quadrupedal rule. The boxes presented an of apartments at the Brown Palace Hotel and granted audience array of bright colors, gay costumes, and waving plumage. Silk to admiring reporters attired in a "most charming red Japanese hats were in such an abundance that you might easily have kimono" with her golden tresses falling in "two long plaits imagined you were attending a queen’s reception at the gardens from beneath a becoming boudoir cap." For the show, she of a royal palace. The Queen of Sheba herself would have looked brought along 15 horses, two Boston terriers and a French bull- like a last-year’s fashion plate had she been among those pre- dog, a spectacular wardrobe that kept typewriters at the local sent." The buntinged boxes holding Denver’s upper crust were dailies clacking throughout the week and hats beyond count- "almost dazzling with their gleam of white arms and necks, ing. She delighted her female fans by appearing in a different sparkle of jewels and rainbow hues." Women turned out in lush hat for every event. gowns of satin, velvet, chiffon and lace, in colors from yellow, The newspaper descriptions of Denver’s society matrons,

2003 NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW • 5 THE FIRST 25 YEARS

glowing as they were, couldn’t hold a candle to the florid prose jumper to full speed and sailed over the five-foot three-inch lavished on Miss Long’s wardrobe. According to the Rocky barrier to set an arena record. Mountain News on January 22, 1913, "She might just as well Polo matches were regular features in these early years of have popped out of the latest Parisian band-box, so chic, so the horse show, with periods played between judged classes. dashing and so piquant was the ‘tout ensemble.’ Her tailored One year it was the Reds and Whites versus the Blues- all suit was of ‘clingy’ white Bengaline silk, cut a la mode, a Denver society gentlemen, while in another year a team from splash of deep pink sweet peas made a flaming corsage, and her the Denver Country Club squared off against members of the huge black velvet hat, 13th U.S. Cavalry. turned saucily up on one side, billowed in soft white Build It And feathers of paradise that They Will Come sheltered a shell-pink rose." Thanks to the populari- Denver crowds believed ty of the horse shows, the in audience participation, National Western secured a cheering the judges’ selec- steady stream of revenue, tions when they agreed, monies badly needed as hooting and booing when the association struggled they didn’t. A judge who to build facilities to keep failed to award Loula Long up with increasing entries the blue ribbon in the four- and crowds. When it added in-hand class was loudly the rodeo in 1931, the hissed by the audience. stock show would hit upon Guidelines for audience eti- a combination of events to quette, admonishing spec- guarantee large crowds and tators against such dis- Pennant for the 1919 "Victory Stock Show" and early prize ribbons. gate receipts through the plays, became a regular remainder of the century. feature of horse show programs soon after. In the early days the stockyards were the heart of the show. But the horse shows provided plenty to watch besides high Owned by the Denver Union Stock Yard Company, most entries fashion. Audiences from all walks of society enjoyed seeing were stalled there and it was the location of the carload auc- skilled horsemen and women put their blooded steeds through tions that formed the working core of the show. The stockyards their paces in events like fine harness horses driven to four- company kept the show afloat in the early years with frequent wheeled vehicles, five-gaited Colorado horses, ladies saddle transfusions of cash for operations and facilities. Organizers of horses, high steppers, trotters and roadsters, Shetland harness the show struggled to increase the size and quality of the facili- ponies, gaited saddle stallions and working cow horses. ties and with each new addition they learned the truth of the In addition to the competitive classes, the horse shows maxim "build it and they will come." Several buildings in addi- also offered many other entertainments. At one show, the tion to the National Amphitheater were constructed on the breathless crowd was treated to a performance by an electric- grounds of the National Western complex. The first of these was lighted, horse-drawn rig. In the darkened arena the horse, a wooden cattle barn and a set of stalling sheds, followed soon vehicle and driver were gradually lit up in an outline of red, after by a 70,000 square foot, two-story brick barn for sheep, white and blue incandescent globes. Then the 40-piece band hogs and horses. In the summer of 1910 came construction of a of the 9th U.S. Cavalry played "Yankee Doodle" while the massive three-story brick horse and cattle barn and a two-story lighted rig circled the arena. Horsemen of the 9th Cavalry, a Club Building. In spite of all this, the buildings were filled to unit of African-American soldiers, also performed riding exhi- capacity nearly every year and the Western Stock Show Associa- bitions to awe the crowd. The Denver Republican, describing tion seemed to be trapped in a never ending battle to expand the performance, said "Two troopers ride abreast, and when facilities that could insure continued growth of the show. their mounts reach a two-foot hurdle, one soldier leaps to the ground and then vaults back onto his horse. They ride bare- Denver Loves The Show back and adapt the trick to turning clear round, and finally Attendance continued to grow, and and then as now, the jumping to a standing posture on their horses’ backs. They National Western was a boon to the Denver economy. The city also introduce the regulation army pyramid, where 10 troopers and the state promoted the show, as Denver Day and Colorado ride on each others shoulders on four horses." That same Day became regular features. Businessmen of the city were evening, Lieutenant Nicholson of the 9th Cavalry thrilled the enthusiastic boosters from the start and their belief that the crowd with a record high jump on his horse McCaskey. On his show would bring a burst of business every January was soon third attempt, he tossed his hat into the crowd, spurred his borne out. By 1913 it was reported that the six-day show

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injected $2 million into the local economy. By the late teens evening horse show ($1.00 for the first four rows). For an addi- The Denver Civic and Commercial Association began making tional 25 cents motoring patrons could "safely leave their annual cash contributions to the operation of the show. machines in care of the Denver Omnibus and Cab Company’s Advertising in the Denver newspapers took on a decidedly attendants at the automobile entrance." Those horses that had western flavor during the show with ads sporting cowboy hats, given newfangled autos the horse laugh at the 1907 show horses, lariats and invitations to visiting stockmen to avail probably weren’t laughing as much by the late 1920s. themselves of the goods and services the big city had to offer. But locals weren’t the only ones attending. For rural visitors The Denver Dry Goods Company in 1930 advertised that "A eager to sample the bright lights of the big city, show pro- complete and separate store grams were filled with for Stockmen is located on enticements. In the early our sixth floor. You are cor- days, rooms could be had at dially invited to visit it." the Oxford Hotel, just one Denver hotels, businesses block from Union Station, and theaters advertised in for $1.00 a day. For those the show programs and whose pockets were a bit invested in the show itself. deeper, a room with a pri- By the 1920s many horse vate bath was $1.50. In the show classes boasted 1917 program, the Orpheum $1,000 stakes, the prize Theatre, a vaudeville venue, money being put up by Den- featured "Six Water Lilies, ver businesses. Expert swimmers and divers. The stock show has Six well formed girls." In always been a favorite the 1920 program, The among Denver school kids. Standard Serum Company of They were admitted free at Denver advertised "Monkey the 1912 show and 9,000 Serum to restore the Power turned out on a single day of Youth. It makes REAL that January. A regular pro- MEN and is guaranteed to gram of free admission for do what is claimed for it," school children and tours though the ad didn’t specify guided by members of the exactly what that might be. Boys and Girls Clubs was In 1929, show visitors could instituted in the early 1920s. hop a streetcar up to north The Rocky Mountain News Denver and take in "Don printed a detailed list of live- Juan" starring John Barry- stock breeds and their char- more at the Federal Theatre. acteristics for use by school And if those rough country kids visiting the show. roads had taken a toll on If visitors to the show the old flivver, a new felt like a bit of refresh- Chevrolet "Sport Sedan" ment, programs throughout could be ordered from a the 1920s advertised chew- local dealer for $725. ing gum for 5 cents, root beer or Cracker Jack for 10 It Wasn’t Only cents and near beer (these Livestock And Horses were the days of Prohibi- The shows during those tion, remember) for 20 first 25 years were not just cents, a hamburger or frank- A Ford Tudor Sedan advertised for $633.25 in the 1930 program. about cattle, horses, sheep, furter for 10 cents. Just to swine and poultry. City folk keep vendors honest, the program cautioned patrons to "Pay and country folk alike were treated to all manner of diversions. No More at this Show." During the , for about One of the more unusual features of the 1913-16 shows was two bucks a guest could gain admission (75 cents), watch live- "The Naked Baby Contest" in which toddlers were judged by the stock judging, stroll through the livestock and commercial same rules as the livestock. The crowning point of the 1913 exhibits, have a snack, and settle into a prime seat for the contest came when winning baby Ethel was treated to a victory

2003 NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW • 7 THE FIRST 25 YEARS

lap around the arena held aloft by Buffalo Bill Cody who bor- losing egg must return to get another and start all over again." rowed a horse for the occasion. The young horsewoman who claimed the $15.00 first prize cer- Jack Dempsey and , wrestling and Shet- tainly earned it. One can only wonder how many dozen eggs got land ponies, were featured and the crowd was assured that trampled into the arena floor. It was perhaps a convenient "these wonderful ponies are the only ones in the world who thing that there were plenty of laying hens on the premises, the perform this act." The Original Teddy Brothers, Burlesque poultry show being a well-established feature of the January Wrestlers, made an appearance at the 1919 show and in anoth- extravaganza by this time. It was a case of rodeo-meets-party- er wrestling event that year there was a harnessing contest game when it came to the musical chairs contest, where contes- between the City Boys and the Country Boys. The former were tants had to dismount their steeds when the music stopped and from Denver, the latter from the rural hinterlands of Arvada, scramble for a seat while holding the reins. Wheatridge, Littleton, Adams City, Brighton and Golden. The identity of the team that got its horses harnessed first is lost A Quarter Century Of Accomplishments in the mists of history, leaving future generations to settle the When the 1930 stock show rolled around the nation had city-kids-versus-country-kids debate. already started the long downward slide into the Great Depres- Guests attending sion. As if to under- the stock show in score the arrival of these years were treat- hard times, subzero ed to a "Spectacular Ox weather gripped Den- and Cart" demonstra- ver throughout show tion presented by the week. Many rural Anheuser-Busch Com- people stayed home, pany and crowds snowed in. Den- enjoyed precision exhi- verites stayed home bitions by teamsters as well and atten- driving six-horse and dance at the show eight-mule hitches. was far below normal. The Denver Mounted In spite of economic Police put on a riding conditions, the 1930 exhibition featuring grand champion steer "wedges, riot diagonals fetched $1.60 a and fancy display Prohibition Era Horse Show program ad from the Coors Company. pound, a record that maneuvers." In other would stand until shows of the era, spectators could enjoy musical drills by the 1947. The price for champion carload feeder steers, a more 13th U.S. Cavalry or performances by the George W. Cook Origi- accurate indicator of market conditions, had peaked the year nal Drum Corps. before at $26.00 per hundred pounds and the deflationary Other diversions in the years before the rodeos became a slump into Depression era beef prices began at the 1930 show. regular part of the stock show were the special appearances of When the National Western celebrated its silver anniversary, it One Step and Leaping Lena, famed bucking horses. Easier to had grown through infancy and adolescence. The annual event straddle may have been the MIDGET HORSE, standing 26 inches had made significant contributions to the livestock industry and high and weighing in at a whopping 58 pounds. Those ponder- Denver’s packinghouse row was booming. It had also pumped ing the five cent admission were assured "He knows his tricks." millions of dollars into the economy of Denver. The show was Weighing a bit more was the 83-ton captive whale exhibited at popular with stock growers, meat packers, horse show enthusi- the 1930 show by the Pacific Whaling Corporation. "Give your asts and the public. It had weathered the storms of crowded sweetie a WHALE of a thrill" and see the "Largest sea mammal facilities, budget shortfalls, occasional blizzards, foot and mouth ever captured" proclaimed an ad in the program. Bob the "mir- disease, a world war, an agricultural recession and the passing of acle sheep dog" performed herding demonstrations and Billy, a many of its founders. In doing so, it had proven its staying prize trick mule, entertained with comedy stunts. power, a commodity that would see it through the lean years to There was plenty of action. A jousting tournament was held come. The National Western was here to stay. ■ at one show while other evenings featured tug-of-wars between the Denver and Omaha Police Departments. Another crowd In its next quarter century, the National Western would add the pleaser was the girls’ egg and spoon race: "hard boiled eggs to rodeo and the catch-a-calf contest. It would continue to attract be carried in long-handled spoons to be held at the end of han- ever larger numbers of entries and spectators as it grew in pres- dle and egg to be delivered to judges in good condition. Walk tige and importance. In next year’s program we will recall the horse once around ring; trot once around and run home. Riders years between 1931 and 1956.

8 • 2003 NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW