There are so many ways to look at the history of rodeo, but you’ve got to start with a man that took a chance and did something no one else had done. One of the best was Guy Weadick, and here is what he did in the history of rodeo.
Guy was born in the city of Rochester, New York, on February 23, 1885. His father worked for the railroad and his mom was Irish and from Canada. They lived in the Irish part of the city. Guy was the oldest of five children. His life was typical for city kids, but he had an interest in the frontier and cowboys and the West. He left home and headed west and was willing to do whatever was necessary on ranches. In time his ability with horses, and a rope, was excellent, and no one would have guessed he wasn’t raised on a ranch. He had a fascination for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and he tried out and was hired by the Miller Brothers 101 Wild West Show as a trick roper. He and Bill Pickett, the bulldogger, became friends, and he worked with Tom Mix. Guy listened to their stories and learned so much about what they had done. They traveled across the country and also went to Calgary, Canada.
In 1906 he met Florence LaDue, who was working with a different Wild West show as a trick rider. Their affection for one another happened quickly and since their shows were headed in different directions they married November 17, 1906. They continued their performances with the 101 Wild West Show and complimented each other in their performances. They even went to Europe and England to perform in halls and circuses.
Guy Weadick’s mind was working on the future all during his days with the 101, he and Tom Mix, who was three-quarters Cherokee Indian, talked privately about creating the biggest show about the frontier West and how it was rapidly changing. The two slipped off to Calgary for a few days, thinking Calgary might be just the right place to have their inspiration. But they didn’t have much luck finding anyone interested in Weadick’s big plan. Mix lost interest in the idea.
Guy never lost his interest or plans. He was in Calgary in 1912 and met H.C. Mullen, the livestock agent for the Canadian Pacific Railway. They talked about Guy’s ideas of putting on an event that was like the old west from the past. Mullen shared his idea and was excited about it. The wide-open spaces were beginning to be fenced, early pioneers who traveled to the frontier were nearly forgotten. Mullens was quite familiar with the Calgary area and knew who to approach for financing. They were George Lane of the Bar U Ranch, and two other ranchers, A.E. Cross and Patrick Burns, plus the Minister of Public Works in the Sifton Provincial Government, Honorable A.J. McLean. These four men were of the same mindset and were willing to finance this project. They gave Weadick $100,000 to make the event the biggest and best that had ever been done! The bronc and steer riding and roping were featured first and foremost. Guy made sure the newspapers across Canada and the United States all knew about it and to the announcement was the statement: “No restrictions based on nationality or race!”
During the second half of the 1800s in Canada the Indians were negotiating with the government treaties, which was taking away much of the hunting grounds of various tribes. Some of this was to create a railway in the future, and the need for land. These treaties did not favor the tribes, but they were advised they needed to live in peace. During this time the Royal Mounted Police was begun and the leaders of the tribes relied on these new lawmen to protect them. When Guy heard about these treaties and the frustration the Indians had experienced when negotiating each treaty, went to the Canadian government and convinced them it would be a ‘feather in the government’s cap’, so to speak, if they allowed the Indians to be at the Calgary Stampede and perform their dances and cultural activities for the spectators. A variety of tribes were invited. 1,800 from various tribes arrived and camped near the rodeo arena.
H.C. McMullen became the Director General of the Calgary Stampede. Weadick got Ad P. Day to be the Arena Director and Ad’s brother Tony to assist him. The Days owned the largest herd of wild horses in the country.
Guy Weadick picked Calgary because it was the center of horse and cattle country in the northwest. It was very progressive at that time with people moving in from all parts of the world. There were 47,000 people in Calgary and it was growing by leaps and bounds. There was need of construction workers, as well as just about every type of work you can think of in a community that is developing and expanding. He also knew there were a variety of Indian tribes around Calgary – Sarcees, Blackfoot, Bloods, Piegans, Stonys and Crees. His choosing Calgary was perfect.
One small hitch was the American top cowboys were not signing up as he had expected. He picked September 2nd through 5th, and by summer he expected to have more cowboys from the States signed up. It was Weadick’s dream that $50,000 be the purse, but whether that was put in the promotional ads is not found. Many thought his dream would never happen. By summer when he saw no top cowboy names from the States he sent Ad P. Day to Cheyenne Frontier Days and told him to sign up at least 50 of the top cowboys at Cheyenne. Three days before the opening of the Stampede two railway coaches full of American cowboys arrived! With them was the Cowboy Band, which always performed at the Pendleton RoundUp.
By opening day there were entries from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Colombia, and the Mexican government sent their best riders and ropers. Now the top cowboys from the States were there, the Indians were in place, and there was no way it wasn’t going to be a great success. The Duke and Duchess of Connaught and daughter, Lady Patricia, were coming. The Duke, a son of Queen Victoria, was also the Governor-General of Canada. Guy had convinced Calgary Trade and Labor Council to join the Stampede Parade instead of having their own parade. Historically speaking, the parade went off without a hitch and no incidents happened to mar the success. Plus the crowds that assembled to watch the parade was a major hint the Stampede was sold out – fourteen thousand spectators were in the stands for the opening performance. No time limit was put on the show, and it was quite long, but everyone seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
The bucking horses were brought to the middle of the arena blindfolded and saddled. The cowboy would mount and get settled before the blindfold was pulled off. There was no eightsecond rides. The cowboy was to ride until the whistle blew, which signaled the end of the ride. The second day was cooler and cloudy, but 13,000 spectators were there, including the Duke and his party. When it started to rain it didn’t take long for the arena to be a sea of mud. They moved the action to the building where the horse show arena was and many of the spectators moved there as well. Only half the spectators could get in the building. The last two days were beautiful weather and all was carried out without a flaw.
The three famous bucking horses were Gaviota, Tornado and Cyclone. The first two were ridden, but Cyclone had a unique way of throwing himself over backwards which would cause the rider to either fall of or be trampled when the horse fell on his back. Tom Three Persons from the Blood reservation drew him in the finals and both put on a ride that no one had ever seen before. Tom finally bellowed like a bull. Cyclone stopped, then ran down the distance of the field. Tom won $1,000 in cash, a saddle and a championship buckle & belt.
The winners were primarily the cowboys and cowgirls from the States. Lady bronc riding was won by Fanny Sperry of Mitchell, Montana, and she won the same as Tom Three Persons. The trick and fancy roping was won by Otto Kline, of Livingston, Montana, who got $500, with Art Acord and Jason Stanley getting 2nd and 3rd, both from the States. Florence LaDue won the fancy roping, with Lucille Mulhall and Bertha Blancett coming in 2nd and 3rd.
Steer bulldogging was seen for the first time in Calgary and O. K. Lawrence of Sulpher, Oklahoma, had the best time on three head; Charles Tipton from Colorado won 2nd; and Senor Esteban Clemento of Mexico City placed 3rd. The bareback bronc riding was also won by Jim Massey, with ‘Doc’ Pardee second, and Bill Rooke in third place, all from the States. But cowboys from the Alberta area of Canada won the 1 ½ mile relay race which was a featured event. A Special Event for Canadian ropers, was the steer roping which went to F. Day, with Bill Pendland and Clem Gardner, second and third. The girls relay race was won by Bertha Blanchett, a U. S. cowgirl. It was evident by the amount paid the purse was not fifty thousand, but closer to $20,000.
When all the excitement died down and the Calgary Stampede was evaluated it was considered both an artistic and financial success. The total revenue was around $123,000 and expenditures approximately $103,000. Unknown to anyone Weadick had signed away 25% of the profits to McMullen for all his help in the earlier stages of the planning and finding the financiers. 25% to Ad Day, for all his efforts, plus the Committee was to receive 25% to give to local charities. Weadick’s share had dwindled down to $5,000!! He told the Committee he would return to Calgary in April of 1913 for a final accounting and to discuss plans for the September 1913 Stampede.
When Weadick returned he found the financial men had decided not to continue having it. There would be no 1913 Stampede. He had been asked to put on a similar extravaganza in Winnipeg so he did a replica of the Stampede, but it didn’t have the same spirit and enthusiasm there that Calgary had shown. It was not a financial success.
When the first World War broke out in 1914 it was evident that a Stampede was not in the books. Due to his success, however, in 1912 Weadick and wife Florence LaDue had been given a contract on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit and he performed his fancy roping, as did Florence and her trick riding. Guy talked like Will Rogers and was well known in vaudeville.
They continued to do their act until the summer of 1916 when Guy decided to have another rodeo. He made arrangements with Sheepshead Bay Raceway, built near Coney Island in Brooklyn for thoroughbred racing. He had advertised the Sheepshead Bay Stampede far and wide and it was to run for 12 days. That was much longer than most rodeos, in those days. Generally they lasted 3 or 4 days. $50,000 in cash prizes was the big draw. It was all that was being talked about by the cowboys. One party went from the Fort Worth area, and a baggage car was used for their horses. Another party was made up at Cheyenne, with a Pullman car, as well as a baggage car for the horses.
Foghorn Clancy was hired to announce the Stampede “I felt like I was in the big money class”. When he went out to look at the Speedway he made the comment “That grandstand looked to me as if it were nearly a quarter of a mile long, and double decker.” It seated about 60,000. He also said, “Weadick had hired five assistant announcers to help me, and when I discovered that, just before the opening, it threw a scare into me. Well, the only way to meet this challenge was to do my best. My voice was clear as a bell and reached to the farthest limits of the grandstand without trouble. When the first performance was over Weadick came looking for me. He let the other announcers go, he said they were just in my way!”
Weadick also had a wild horse race in each performance. Charlie Irwin from Cheyenne had shipped about 100 wild horses to be used in this event, which is always fun to watch. Irwin decided to sell his horses there in Brooklyn instead of shipping them back to Wyoming. When he advertised his sale many of the ‘hucksters’ that sold by horse and wagon, or needed horses for other uses, came out. It was quite a show watching these buyers trying to take their horse home, Foghorn said he laughed until his sides ached!
The winners of the 1916 New York Stampede put on by Guy Weadick were: (according to Foghorn Clancy’s 1952 book ‘My Fifty Years In Rodeo”
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1st Emery LaGrande, Medicine Hat, Canada; 2nd Rufus Rollen, Claremore, OK; 3rd Lee Caldwell, Pendleton, OR; 4th Leonard Stroud, Clarksville, TX; 5th Mike Hastings, Cheyenne, WY; 6th Hoot Gibson, Los Angeles, CA.
Bareback Bronc Riding: 1st Rufus Rollen; 2nd Jack Fretz, Wentworth, CO; 3rd Claude Ames, Gliechen, CA; 4th Leonard Stroud; 5th Jesse Stahl (the great Black cowboy) Salinas, CA.
Cowboys’ Trick & Fancy Roping: 1st Chester A. Byers, Mulhall, OK; 2nd Bee Ho Gray, Chickasha, OK; 3rd Tex McLeod, Gonzales, TX; 4th Tommy Kirnan, El Paso, TX; 5th Sam J. Garrett, Mulhall, OK; 6th Johnny Judd, Ponca City, OK.
Cowboys’ Relay Race: 1st Bob Liche, Cheyenne, WY; 2nd Dwight Zediker, Alliance, NE; 3rd Roy Kivett, Cheyenne, WY; 4th Charlie Aldridge, Hugo, CO; 5th Harry Walters, Mexia, TX.
Cowboys’ Trick Riding: 1st Leonard Stroud; 2nd Tommy Kirnan; 3rd Floyd Irwin, Cheyenne, WY; 4th Harry Walters; 5th Scout Maish, Tulsa, OK.
Cowboys’ Steer Roping: 1st Henry Grammer, Kaw City, Oklahoma; 2nd Fred Beeson, Arkansas City, KS; 3rdJohnny Murray, Lakewood, New Mexico; 4th Clay McGonigal, Animas, New Mexico; 5th Bert Wier, Monument New Mexico; 6th Charlie Wier, Monument, NM.
Cowgirls’ Relay Race: 1st Helen Maish, Cheyenne, WY; 2nd Francis Irwin, Cheyenne, WY; 3rd Fanny Sperry Steele, Mitchel, MT; 4th Edith Irwin, Cheyenne, WY; 5th Ollie Osborn, Union. OR.
Cowgirls’ Bronc Riding Slick (Unhobbled); 1st Tillie Baldwin, Pendleton, OR.
Cowgirls’ Trick Riding; 1st Tillie Baldwin; 2nd Bea Kirnan, El Paso, TX; 3rd Lottie Vendreau, Deming, NM; 4th Peggy Warren, Victor, MT.
Cowgirls’ Trick Roping: 1st Flores La Due, Montevideo, MN; 2nd Lucille Mulhall, Mulhall, OK; 3rd Emily McLeod, Gonzales, TX; 4th Francis Irwin, Cheyenne, WY.
Cowgirls’ Bronc Riding (Hobbled): 1st Prairie Lillie Allen, Las Vegas, NM; 2nd Louise Thompson, Medicine Bow, WY; 3rd Fox Hastings, Sacramento, CA.
The New York Stampede was a financial failure. Weadick was a great showman and he spared no expense. All the right cowboys and cowgirls were there, and so were the celebrities to see it. Will Rogers hardly missed a performance. The best livestock was there, too. He had plenty of publicity and everyone in the area was ready to see a rodeo. Unfortunately, the newspapers were writing about the severe infantile paralysis epidemic that had become rampant in New York. And unfortunately, a New York streetcar strike, which was a major means of transportation for the majority of people living in the New York area. People were warned to stay at home and not be exposed to the ‘polio’ epidemic. Many that wanted to attend could not get there with the streetcars not running. The $50,000 purse, had dwindled down to about a fourth of that amount when the financiers discovered the audience was so small at each performance. The winning cowboys and cowgirls did get paid, but not what they expected. Weadick did his best to see that the winners got as much as possible. Everyone knew it wasn’t his fault the strike and epidemic occurred at the same time as Stampede dates.
Foghorn Clancy said in his book “My 50 Years in Rodeo” about Weadick “Guy Weadick, the director-general, was a cowboy himself, and knew the game. In all the rodeos he handled, he made the prizes hard to win by having the strictest rules and by seeing to it that the toughest stock available was on hand to test the merits of the contestants thoroughly. A fellow who won at a contest like the Stampede had every reason to be proud of it.”
It can be said that until the New York Stampede was held, and Weadick early advertising had been so thorough, very little about rodeo had been said or promoted in the East. Weadick’s advertising allowed the locals to hear about it and plan to go. Although most everyone cancelled their plans either due to the polio epidemic and the streetcar strike. When the first Madison Square Garden Rodeo was held, put on by Tex Austin, in 1922, six years later, New Yorkers were anxious to see it.
Weadick found there was absolutely no interest in holding another Calgary Stampede, as long as World War I was going on. When the armistice was signed November 11, 1918, Weadick decided to give Calgary one last try and he would call it a “Victory Stampede”. He found E.L. Richardson, the General Manager of the Industrial Exhibition of Calgary, was very interested in helping make it a success. Instead of four investors, Richardson and Weadick found 30 investors willing to put in $1,000 each, IF the Big Four, as they were called, would put in the same amount. Richardson finally got it done, but he told Weadick he would be hired as the Arena Director on a salary this time. Richardson had been very concerned in the first Calgary Stampede of Weadick’s ‘wreck less expenditures’ but admired his organizing ability, and his daring and enthusiasm.
The 1919 rodeo had the title of “Great Victory Stampede." The prize money was being increased to $22,000. Many of the bronc riders were not the same as those who were in the money at the 1912 Stampede. The seven-year delay had changed the list of top bronc riders. The best of the States bronc busters was Yakima Canutt. The top bucking bronc was a horse named Fox. He bucked off several better than average riders, but Yakima Canutt wanted a chance at him, and finally got it. Canutt started his battle with Fox as soon as he hit the saddle. He landed his spurs in Fox’s neck and it was obvious Fox was surprised. But Fox was ready for him and turned himself inside out, on the ninth jump Fox suddenly whipped back and sunfished - - - Canutt was long gone. It was considered one of the greatest exhibitions of bronc riding and horse motions ever witnessed! Canutt was first to pay tribute to Fox. He later rode “I Be Dam” and won the $1,000 cash prize and championship saddle.
Jesse Stahl, from Salinas, CA., won the bareback bronc riding. Jim Massey, of Snyder, TX, who won the 1912 bulldogging contest, and won it again in 1919. Eddie Burgess of Shuckster, OK., won the steer roping contest. When all the expenditures had been paid they netted $1,700. Weadick got his contract fee of $5,000 for directing the show and was satisfied. The local organizations, GWVA and YMCA, to receive the remaining $1,200 was divided equally. What Weadick had accomplished was being responsible for four well executed rodeos – the 1912 Calgary Stampede – the Winnipeg Stampede in 1913 – the Sheepshead Bay, NY 1916 – Calgary “Great Victory Stampede” in 1919.
Unfortunately, the next three years the Board did not have a ‘Stampede,' much to Weadick’s dismay. But he didn’t give up. The Calgary Exhibition was in poor shape and even the conservative Board knew something had to happen. They decided to have the ‘Stampede’ on a year-to-year basis with a modest show, a modest budget and a modest prize list. Weadick was promoting it like crazy and it continued yearly with him in charge. One of the best breaks was Edward, the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, offered to give a big silver trophy to the Canadian bronc riding champion and he would be there himself to present it!
The royal family had fallen in love with the Province of Alberta area and they bought a ranch not too distant from Calgary. Weadick put all his interests in developing the Stampede so it would continue. They had stagecoach races earlier, but Weadick realized the stagecoach had lost its appeal, but during the brief period he had spent in Texas he remembered how important the chuckwagon was to the working cowboy. He decided to poll the ranchers around the Calgary area about having a Chuckwagon race and they like the idea, too. The royal family promised to enter a chuckwagon. Even Weadick did not realize how important the chuckwagon race would become in the later Calgary Stampede, or in future rodeos.
At the 1923 Stampede, four chuckwagons with four horse teams and four outriders lined up abreast. They would dash around a half a mile track, circle the arena, make camp, and the first outfit to “show smoke” from the cook stove would win. The winner got a modest $300. Forty- one years later, 1964 there were 32 chuckwagons entered and the purses and trophies given were worth over $30,000. The race caught the attention of the spectators from the very beginning and it has never ceased!
By 1929 Guy had increased the total attendance of the Stampede from 90-some thousand to 258,469! When the Depression started the number of spectators began to dwindle. This continued to happen yearly until 1932 when a profit of $181 was recorded. By that time Weadick had purchased a ranch southwest of Calgary, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, he felt he wasn’t being paid enough for what he did to make the Stampede successful and he was known to have developed a ‘thirst’ for the wrong kind of drinks. The Board let Weadick go, but he didn’t go quietly, he filed a law suit for damages, claiming he had been discharged without good cause and that he owned certain copyrights which the Stampede would infringe upon if they continued without him. Weadick received punitive damages amounting to $2,750. He won the battle, but Jack Dillon, an oil man and former rancher from Montana became his replacement with the Stampede.
Weadick’s wife, Florence LaDue died in 1951. Later he married Dolly Mullins, who had won the trick riding crown in 1912 at the Calgary Stampede. They continued to live on his ranch near High River.
In 1952 the Board voted unanimously to invite Weadick to the Stampede to present the honors to the champions in each event. Weadick, the originator of the Calgary Stampede, accepted and was given a tremendous reception. The grandstands were packed and gave him a standing ovation when he got on the platform to give the awards.
On December 15, 1953, he died of a heart attack in a California hospital. He was buried at High River in Southern Alberta alongside his first wife, Florence.
Guy Weadick was a major pioneer in the rodeo world, but had the foresight to realize what a great sport and a well-executed program could accomplish, not just in Canada, but also in the United States’ largest city, New York. His time spent on ranches as a young man and his trick roping performances had allowed him to meet all the great cowboy competitors of his era, as well as the great men putting on the shows where he performed. He refused to let his dreams for greatness be dashed by the Depression or the minds of conservative men in high places to believe it couldn’t be done.
Both Guy Weadick and Florence LaDue were inducted in 2022 to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame as pioneers; Guy was also inducted in 1975 to the Rodeo Historical Society’s Rodeo Hall of Fame.
This information has been put together by Foghorn Clancy’s book “My Fifty Years in Rodeo”; “Man, Beast, Dust, The Story of Rodeo” by Clifford P. Westermeier; and “Calgary Stampede” by Fred Kennedy, as well as numerous magazines and newspaper articles.
Guy was born in the city of Rochester, New York, on February 23, 1885. His father worked for the railroad and his mom was Irish and from Canada. They lived in the Irish part of the city. Guy was the oldest of five children. His life was typical for city kids, but he had an interest in the frontier and cowboys and the West. He left home and headed west and was willing to do whatever was necessary on ranches. In time his ability with horses, and a rope, was excellent, and no one would have guessed he wasn’t raised on a ranch. He had a fascination for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and he tried out and was hired by the Miller Brothers 101 Wild West Show as a trick roper. He and Bill Pickett, the bulldogger, became friends, and he worked with Tom Mix. Guy listened to their stories and learned so much about what they had done. They traveled across the country and also went to Calgary, Canada.
In 1906 he met Florence LaDue, who was working with a different Wild West show as a trick rider. Their affection for one another happened quickly and since their shows were headed in different directions they married November 17, 1906. They continued their performances with the 101 Wild West Show and complimented each other in their performances. They even went to Europe and England to perform in halls and circuses.
Guy Weadick’s mind was working on the future all during his days with the 101, he and Tom Mix, who was three-quarters Cherokee Indian, talked privately about creating the biggest show about the frontier West and how it was rapidly changing. The two slipped off to Calgary for a few days, thinking Calgary might be just the right place to have their inspiration. But they didn’t have much luck finding anyone interested in Weadick’s big plan. Mix lost interest in the idea.
Guy never lost his interest or plans. He was in Calgary in 1912 and met H.C. Mullen, the livestock agent for the Canadian Pacific Railway. They talked about Guy’s ideas of putting on an event that was like the old west from the past. Mullen shared his idea and was excited about it. The wide-open spaces were beginning to be fenced, early pioneers who traveled to the frontier were nearly forgotten. Mullens was quite familiar with the Calgary area and knew who to approach for financing. They were George Lane of the Bar U Ranch, and two other ranchers, A.E. Cross and Patrick Burns, plus the Minister of Public Works in the Sifton Provincial Government, Honorable A.J. McLean. These four men were of the same mindset and were willing to finance this project. They gave Weadick $100,000 to make the event the biggest and best that had ever been done! The bronc and steer riding and roping were featured first and foremost. Guy made sure the newspapers across Canada and the United States all knew about it and to the announcement was the statement: “No restrictions based on nationality or race!”
During the second half of the 1800s in Canada the Indians were negotiating with the government treaties, which was taking away much of the hunting grounds of various tribes. Some of this was to create a railway in the future, and the need for land. These treaties did not favor the tribes, but they were advised they needed to live in peace. During this time the Royal Mounted Police was begun and the leaders of the tribes relied on these new lawmen to protect them. When Guy heard about these treaties and the frustration the Indians had experienced when negotiating each treaty, went to the Canadian government and convinced them it would be a ‘feather in the government’s cap’, so to speak, if they allowed the Indians to be at the Calgary Stampede and perform their dances and cultural activities for the spectators. A variety of tribes were invited. 1,800 from various tribes arrived and camped near the rodeo arena.
H.C. McMullen became the Director General of the Calgary Stampede. Weadick got Ad P. Day to be the Arena Director and Ad’s brother Tony to assist him. The Days owned the largest herd of wild horses in the country.
Guy Weadick picked Calgary because it was the center of horse and cattle country in the northwest. It was very progressive at that time with people moving in from all parts of the world. There were 47,000 people in Calgary and it was growing by leaps and bounds. There was need of construction workers, as well as just about every type of work you can think of in a community that is developing and expanding. He also knew there were a variety of Indian tribes around Calgary – Sarcees, Blackfoot, Bloods, Piegans, Stonys and Crees. His choosing Calgary was perfect.
One small hitch was the American top cowboys were not signing up as he had expected. He picked September 2nd through 5th, and by summer he expected to have more cowboys from the States signed up. It was Weadick’s dream that $50,000 be the purse, but whether that was put in the promotional ads is not found. Many thought his dream would never happen. By summer when he saw no top cowboy names from the States he sent Ad P. Day to Cheyenne Frontier Days and told him to sign up at least 50 of the top cowboys at Cheyenne. Three days before the opening of the Stampede two railway coaches full of American cowboys arrived! With them was the Cowboy Band, which always performed at the Pendleton RoundUp.
By opening day there were entries from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Colombia, and the Mexican government sent their best riders and ropers. Now the top cowboys from the States were there, the Indians were in place, and there was no way it wasn’t going to be a great success. The Duke and Duchess of Connaught and daughter, Lady Patricia, were coming. The Duke, a son of Queen Victoria, was also the Governor-General of Canada. Guy had convinced Calgary Trade and Labor Council to join the Stampede Parade instead of having their own parade. Historically speaking, the parade went off without a hitch and no incidents happened to mar the success. Plus the crowds that assembled to watch the parade was a major hint the Stampede was sold out – fourteen thousand spectators were in the stands for the opening performance. No time limit was put on the show, and it was quite long, but everyone seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
The bucking horses were brought to the middle of the arena blindfolded and saddled. The cowboy would mount and get settled before the blindfold was pulled off. There was no eightsecond rides. The cowboy was to ride until the whistle blew, which signaled the end of the ride. The second day was cooler and cloudy, but 13,000 spectators were there, including the Duke and his party. When it started to rain it didn’t take long for the arena to be a sea of mud. They moved the action to the building where the horse show arena was and many of the spectators moved there as well. Only half the spectators could get in the building. The last two days were beautiful weather and all was carried out without a flaw.
The three famous bucking horses were Gaviota, Tornado and Cyclone. The first two were ridden, but Cyclone had a unique way of throwing himself over backwards which would cause the rider to either fall of or be trampled when the horse fell on his back. Tom Three Persons from the Blood reservation drew him in the finals and both put on a ride that no one had ever seen before. Tom finally bellowed like a bull. Cyclone stopped, then ran down the distance of the field. Tom won $1,000 in cash, a saddle and a championship buckle & belt.
The winners were primarily the cowboys and cowgirls from the States. Lady bronc riding was won by Fanny Sperry of Mitchell, Montana, and she won the same as Tom Three Persons. The trick and fancy roping was won by Otto Kline, of Livingston, Montana, who got $500, with Art Acord and Jason Stanley getting 2nd and 3rd, both from the States. Florence LaDue won the fancy roping, with Lucille Mulhall and Bertha Blancett coming in 2nd and 3rd.
Steer bulldogging was seen for the first time in Calgary and O. K. Lawrence of Sulpher, Oklahoma, had the best time on three head; Charles Tipton from Colorado won 2nd; and Senor Esteban Clemento of Mexico City placed 3rd. The bareback bronc riding was also won by Jim Massey, with ‘Doc’ Pardee second, and Bill Rooke in third place, all from the States. But cowboys from the Alberta area of Canada won the 1 ½ mile relay race which was a featured event. A Special Event for Canadian ropers, was the steer roping which went to F. Day, with Bill Pendland and Clem Gardner, second and third. The girls relay race was won by Bertha Blanchett, a U. S. cowgirl. It was evident by the amount paid the purse was not fifty thousand, but closer to $20,000.
When all the excitement died down and the Calgary Stampede was evaluated it was considered both an artistic and financial success. The total revenue was around $123,000 and expenditures approximately $103,000. Unknown to anyone Weadick had signed away 25% of the profits to McMullen for all his help in the earlier stages of the planning and finding the financiers. 25% to Ad Day, for all his efforts, plus the Committee was to receive 25% to give to local charities. Weadick’s share had dwindled down to $5,000!! He told the Committee he would return to Calgary in April of 1913 for a final accounting and to discuss plans for the September 1913 Stampede.
When Weadick returned he found the financial men had decided not to continue having it. There would be no 1913 Stampede. He had been asked to put on a similar extravaganza in Winnipeg so he did a replica of the Stampede, but it didn’t have the same spirit and enthusiasm there that Calgary had shown. It was not a financial success.
When the first World War broke out in 1914 it was evident that a Stampede was not in the books. Due to his success, however, in 1912 Weadick and wife Florence LaDue had been given a contract on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit and he performed his fancy roping, as did Florence and her trick riding. Guy talked like Will Rogers and was well known in vaudeville.
They continued to do their act until the summer of 1916 when Guy decided to have another rodeo. He made arrangements with Sheepshead Bay Raceway, built near Coney Island in Brooklyn for thoroughbred racing. He had advertised the Sheepshead Bay Stampede far and wide and it was to run for 12 days. That was much longer than most rodeos, in those days. Generally they lasted 3 or 4 days. $50,000 in cash prizes was the big draw. It was all that was being talked about by the cowboys. One party went from the Fort Worth area, and a baggage car was used for their horses. Another party was made up at Cheyenne, with a Pullman car, as well as a baggage car for the horses.
Foghorn Clancy was hired to announce the Stampede “I felt like I was in the big money class”. When he went out to look at the Speedway he made the comment “That grandstand looked to me as if it were nearly a quarter of a mile long, and double decker.” It seated about 60,000. He also said, “Weadick had hired five assistant announcers to help me, and when I discovered that, just before the opening, it threw a scare into me. Well, the only way to meet this challenge was to do my best. My voice was clear as a bell and reached to the farthest limits of the grandstand without trouble. When the first performance was over Weadick came looking for me. He let the other announcers go, he said they were just in my way!”
Weadick also had a wild horse race in each performance. Charlie Irwin from Cheyenne had shipped about 100 wild horses to be used in this event, which is always fun to watch. Irwin decided to sell his horses there in Brooklyn instead of shipping them back to Wyoming. When he advertised his sale many of the ‘hucksters’ that sold by horse and wagon, or needed horses for other uses, came out. It was quite a show watching these buyers trying to take their horse home, Foghorn said he laughed until his sides ached!
The winners of the 1916 New York Stampede put on by Guy Weadick were: (according to Foghorn Clancy’s 1952 book ‘My Fifty Years In Rodeo”
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1st Emery LaGrande, Medicine Hat, Canada; 2nd Rufus Rollen, Claremore, OK; 3rd Lee Caldwell, Pendleton, OR; 4th Leonard Stroud, Clarksville, TX; 5th Mike Hastings, Cheyenne, WY; 6th Hoot Gibson, Los Angeles, CA.
Bareback Bronc Riding: 1st Rufus Rollen; 2nd Jack Fretz, Wentworth, CO; 3rd Claude Ames, Gliechen, CA; 4th Leonard Stroud; 5th Jesse Stahl (the great Black cowboy) Salinas, CA.
Cowboys’ Trick & Fancy Roping: 1st Chester A. Byers, Mulhall, OK; 2nd Bee Ho Gray, Chickasha, OK; 3rd Tex McLeod, Gonzales, TX; 4th Tommy Kirnan, El Paso, TX; 5th Sam J. Garrett, Mulhall, OK; 6th Johnny Judd, Ponca City, OK.
Cowboys’ Relay Race: 1st Bob Liche, Cheyenne, WY; 2nd Dwight Zediker, Alliance, NE; 3rd Roy Kivett, Cheyenne, WY; 4th Charlie Aldridge, Hugo, CO; 5th Harry Walters, Mexia, TX.
Cowboys’ Trick Riding: 1st Leonard Stroud; 2nd Tommy Kirnan; 3rd Floyd Irwin, Cheyenne, WY; 4th Harry Walters; 5th Scout Maish, Tulsa, OK.
Cowboys’ Steer Roping: 1st Henry Grammer, Kaw City, Oklahoma; 2nd Fred Beeson, Arkansas City, KS; 3rdJohnny Murray, Lakewood, New Mexico; 4th Clay McGonigal, Animas, New Mexico; 5th Bert Wier, Monument New Mexico; 6th Charlie Wier, Monument, NM.
Cowgirls’ Relay Race: 1st Helen Maish, Cheyenne, WY; 2nd Francis Irwin, Cheyenne, WY; 3rd Fanny Sperry Steele, Mitchel, MT; 4th Edith Irwin, Cheyenne, WY; 5th Ollie Osborn, Union. OR.
Cowgirls’ Bronc Riding Slick (Unhobbled); 1st Tillie Baldwin, Pendleton, OR.
Cowgirls’ Trick Riding; 1st Tillie Baldwin; 2nd Bea Kirnan, El Paso, TX; 3rd Lottie Vendreau, Deming, NM; 4th Peggy Warren, Victor, MT.
Cowgirls’ Trick Roping: 1st Flores La Due, Montevideo, MN; 2nd Lucille Mulhall, Mulhall, OK; 3rd Emily McLeod, Gonzales, TX; 4th Francis Irwin, Cheyenne, WY.
Cowgirls’ Bronc Riding (Hobbled): 1st Prairie Lillie Allen, Las Vegas, NM; 2nd Louise Thompson, Medicine Bow, WY; 3rd Fox Hastings, Sacramento, CA.
The New York Stampede was a financial failure. Weadick was a great showman and he spared no expense. All the right cowboys and cowgirls were there, and so were the celebrities to see it. Will Rogers hardly missed a performance. The best livestock was there, too. He had plenty of publicity and everyone in the area was ready to see a rodeo. Unfortunately, the newspapers were writing about the severe infantile paralysis epidemic that had become rampant in New York. And unfortunately, a New York streetcar strike, which was a major means of transportation for the majority of people living in the New York area. People were warned to stay at home and not be exposed to the ‘polio’ epidemic. Many that wanted to attend could not get there with the streetcars not running. The $50,000 purse, had dwindled down to about a fourth of that amount when the financiers discovered the audience was so small at each performance. The winning cowboys and cowgirls did get paid, but not what they expected. Weadick did his best to see that the winners got as much as possible. Everyone knew it wasn’t his fault the strike and epidemic occurred at the same time as Stampede dates.
Foghorn Clancy said in his book “My 50 Years in Rodeo” about Weadick “Guy Weadick, the director-general, was a cowboy himself, and knew the game. In all the rodeos he handled, he made the prizes hard to win by having the strictest rules and by seeing to it that the toughest stock available was on hand to test the merits of the contestants thoroughly. A fellow who won at a contest like the Stampede had every reason to be proud of it.”
It can be said that until the New York Stampede was held, and Weadick early advertising had been so thorough, very little about rodeo had been said or promoted in the East. Weadick’s advertising allowed the locals to hear about it and plan to go. Although most everyone cancelled their plans either due to the polio epidemic and the streetcar strike. When the first Madison Square Garden Rodeo was held, put on by Tex Austin, in 1922, six years later, New Yorkers were anxious to see it.
Weadick found there was absolutely no interest in holding another Calgary Stampede, as long as World War I was going on. When the armistice was signed November 11, 1918, Weadick decided to give Calgary one last try and he would call it a “Victory Stampede”. He found E.L. Richardson, the General Manager of the Industrial Exhibition of Calgary, was very interested in helping make it a success. Instead of four investors, Richardson and Weadick found 30 investors willing to put in $1,000 each, IF the Big Four, as they were called, would put in the same amount. Richardson finally got it done, but he told Weadick he would be hired as the Arena Director on a salary this time. Richardson had been very concerned in the first Calgary Stampede of Weadick’s ‘wreck less expenditures’ but admired his organizing ability, and his daring and enthusiasm.
The 1919 rodeo had the title of “Great Victory Stampede." The prize money was being increased to $22,000. Many of the bronc riders were not the same as those who were in the money at the 1912 Stampede. The seven-year delay had changed the list of top bronc riders. The best of the States bronc busters was Yakima Canutt. The top bucking bronc was a horse named Fox. He bucked off several better than average riders, but Yakima Canutt wanted a chance at him, and finally got it. Canutt started his battle with Fox as soon as he hit the saddle. He landed his spurs in Fox’s neck and it was obvious Fox was surprised. But Fox was ready for him and turned himself inside out, on the ninth jump Fox suddenly whipped back and sunfished - - - Canutt was long gone. It was considered one of the greatest exhibitions of bronc riding and horse motions ever witnessed! Canutt was first to pay tribute to Fox. He later rode “I Be Dam” and won the $1,000 cash prize and championship saddle.
Jesse Stahl, from Salinas, CA., won the bareback bronc riding. Jim Massey, of Snyder, TX, who won the 1912 bulldogging contest, and won it again in 1919. Eddie Burgess of Shuckster, OK., won the steer roping contest. When all the expenditures had been paid they netted $1,700. Weadick got his contract fee of $5,000 for directing the show and was satisfied. The local organizations, GWVA and YMCA, to receive the remaining $1,200 was divided equally. What Weadick had accomplished was being responsible for four well executed rodeos – the 1912 Calgary Stampede – the Winnipeg Stampede in 1913 – the Sheepshead Bay, NY 1916 – Calgary “Great Victory Stampede” in 1919.
Unfortunately, the next three years the Board did not have a ‘Stampede,' much to Weadick’s dismay. But he didn’t give up. The Calgary Exhibition was in poor shape and even the conservative Board knew something had to happen. They decided to have the ‘Stampede’ on a year-to-year basis with a modest show, a modest budget and a modest prize list. Weadick was promoting it like crazy and it continued yearly with him in charge. One of the best breaks was Edward, the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, offered to give a big silver trophy to the Canadian bronc riding champion and he would be there himself to present it!
The royal family had fallen in love with the Province of Alberta area and they bought a ranch not too distant from Calgary. Weadick put all his interests in developing the Stampede so it would continue. They had stagecoach races earlier, but Weadick realized the stagecoach had lost its appeal, but during the brief period he had spent in Texas he remembered how important the chuckwagon was to the working cowboy. He decided to poll the ranchers around the Calgary area about having a Chuckwagon race and they like the idea, too. The royal family promised to enter a chuckwagon. Even Weadick did not realize how important the chuckwagon race would become in the later Calgary Stampede, or in future rodeos.
At the 1923 Stampede, four chuckwagons with four horse teams and four outriders lined up abreast. They would dash around a half a mile track, circle the arena, make camp, and the first outfit to “show smoke” from the cook stove would win. The winner got a modest $300. Forty- one years later, 1964 there were 32 chuckwagons entered and the purses and trophies given were worth over $30,000. The race caught the attention of the spectators from the very beginning and it has never ceased!
By 1929 Guy had increased the total attendance of the Stampede from 90-some thousand to 258,469! When the Depression started the number of spectators began to dwindle. This continued to happen yearly until 1932 when a profit of $181 was recorded. By that time Weadick had purchased a ranch southwest of Calgary, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, he felt he wasn’t being paid enough for what he did to make the Stampede successful and he was known to have developed a ‘thirst’ for the wrong kind of drinks. The Board let Weadick go, but he didn’t go quietly, he filed a law suit for damages, claiming he had been discharged without good cause and that he owned certain copyrights which the Stampede would infringe upon if they continued without him. Weadick received punitive damages amounting to $2,750. He won the battle, but Jack Dillon, an oil man and former rancher from Montana became his replacement with the Stampede.
Weadick’s wife, Florence LaDue died in 1951. Later he married Dolly Mullins, who had won the trick riding crown in 1912 at the Calgary Stampede. They continued to live on his ranch near High River.
In 1952 the Board voted unanimously to invite Weadick to the Stampede to present the honors to the champions in each event. Weadick, the originator of the Calgary Stampede, accepted and was given a tremendous reception. The grandstands were packed and gave him a standing ovation when he got on the platform to give the awards.
On December 15, 1953, he died of a heart attack in a California hospital. He was buried at High River in Southern Alberta alongside his first wife, Florence.
Guy Weadick was a major pioneer in the rodeo world, but had the foresight to realize what a great sport and a well-executed program could accomplish, not just in Canada, but also in the United States’ largest city, New York. His time spent on ranches as a young man and his trick roping performances had allowed him to meet all the great cowboy competitors of his era, as well as the great men putting on the shows where he performed. He refused to let his dreams for greatness be dashed by the Depression or the minds of conservative men in high places to believe it couldn’t be done.
Both Guy Weadick and Florence LaDue were inducted in 2022 to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame as pioneers; Guy was also inducted in 1975 to the Rodeo Historical Society’s Rodeo Hall of Fame.
This information has been put together by Foghorn Clancy’s book “My Fifty Years in Rodeo”; “Man, Beast, Dust, The Story of Rodeo” by Clifford P. Westermeier; and “Calgary Stampede” by Fred Kennedy, as well as numerous magazines and newspaper articles.
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