Fiesta reflects finest of Old Pueblo
by Paul L. Allen on Aug. 18, 2006, under Local
Cowboys from Sombrero Ranch in Boulder, Colo., arrive with 95 team horses for the 2003 Fiesta de los Vaqueros. Sombrero trains drivers to handle horse-drawn wagons.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Each day through Saturday the Tucson Citizen will provide glimpses into the lives of famous Tucsonans and random highlights in the history of the Old Pueblo.
February and rodeo are synonymous in the Old Pueblo, and have been since the first Fiesta de Los Vaqueros on Feb. 21, 1925.
Frederick Leighton Kramer, who “wintered” here, was a horse enthusiast and polo player, and decided Tucson needed something to occupy its time. Why not a rodeo, he suggested, replete with a colorful parade and a sense of fun? There was no dearth of working cowboys from surrounding ranches in those days.
The first parade, described in newspaper reports as “an incredible event,” featured two military bands; mounted cowboys, cowgirls and Indians; mounted police and polo players; a riding group from the University of Arizona; and the police chief and U.S. Marshal.
Participants moved down Congress Street, south on Fifth Avenue to Broadway, along Broadway to Stone Avenue and north on Stone to East Alameda Street.
City schools and UA declared a holiday, and parade prizes donated by local businessmen were presented in several categories, including best cowboy/cowgirl costumes; biggest hat; finest saddle and bridle; prettiest, fattest and skinniest horse; most typical prospector; and best-decorated automobile.
The population at the time was less than 30,000, and the mood in the Old Pueblo was – as it is now – laid-back. It was noted that 75 visitors “motored” to Tucson from Phoenix for the shindig, many arriving in time to take part in the rodeo dance the evening before at the Santa Rita Hotel.
The event was not without its party-poopers, however: Local police and federal Prohibition agents, in the days leading up to the parade and rodeo, raided 15 stills, confiscated 200 gallons of moonshine whiskey and arrested 40 ne’er-do-wells.
The rodeo itself was held at Kramer Field, east of Campbell Avenue between Grant Road and Elm Street.
Cowboys competed in four events – steer wrestling, steer tying, calf roping and saddle bronc riding. The purse was $6,650, an impressive sum in those days. Special events included a wild horse race, lady bronc rider Tad Lucas, and Jack Brown, who bulldogged a steer from the running board (ask an old-timer) of a Packard automobile.
In the years that followed, contestants came from farther and farther away, a new rodeo grounds was established, prize money grew dramatically and the parade lengthened and changed its route from the heart of downtown. But one thing – the fun – has remained constant.
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IF YOU GO
What: “Tucson Through the Lens” exhibition (photos late 19th, early 20th century by Leo Goldschmidt).
Where: Jewish Heritage Center (Stone Avenue Temple), 564 S. Stone Ave.
When: 1:30 p.m. Sunday (and open daily through Aug. 26, 2-4 p.m.)
Sponsor: Jewish Heritage Center
Admission: $5
Information: 670-9073
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RELATED STORY
Free cake at hotel Sunday for party
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ON THE WEB
Jewish Heritage Center: www.jewishheritagecenter.org
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