By Russell Roberts.
Many times when watching a western movie on TV or a rodeo, one sees a rider leap off his/her horse, grab a steer by each of its horns, and wrestle it to the ground. That’s called bulldogging. It’s perhaps the most famous rodeo sport ever – and an African-American invented it.
Bill Pickett, born in 1870 to a former slave and his wife, was the second of 13 children. Bored with school but fascinated with outdoor living, he managed to get through the fifth grade before he threw in the towel and devoted himself full-time to developing riding and roping skills.
During his time spent among steers and cattle, one thing Pickett noticed was that a bulldog could leap up and bite a steer’s lip, and the animal immediately calmed down, and be ready for whatever a cowhand wanted to do.
Pickett began practicing this technique of bringing a steer to heel. His method involved himself biting a steer on the lip and then falling violently backward, pulling the animal down with him by its horns. This method was fraught with danger. Besides biting the steer on its lip without getting himself bit, Pickett had to ride his horse hard up to the steer and then fling himself off at a moment’s notice. Eventually, however, he got so good at it that he was known as the greatest cowboy of his time.
Between perfecting his bulldogging system and working for the famous 101 Ranch Wild West Show, Pickett broke nearly every bone in his body. But there was nobody tougher than Bill Pickett, and anyone denying his performance at their venue because of his skin color missed one of the living legends of the American West. He knew Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Buffalo Bill Cody, and many other prominent western figures.
In 1932, after retiring from his wild west/bulldogging performances, a horse kicked Bill Pickett in the head and he died, Rogers, visibly moved by his death, told stories about what a great cowboy Pickett was.
In 1971, Pickett became the first African-American voted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
For more great articles on race relations visit USAonRace.com
No Responses to “Bill Pickett Wild West Folk Hero”