Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede is a combined agricultural fair and RODEO. Other presentations such as manufacturing and home and garden exhibitions occur at the same time, as well as native displays, an evening stage show and a large midway with sideshows and rides. Every July the Stampede opens with a parade; the rodeo and other events continue for 10 days.

Keywords

Sports Events

Billed as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," the first exhibition took place in 1886 and the world-famous Stampede rodeo began in 1912, instigated by Guy Weadick, an American trick roper who had visited Calgary and judged the emerging town to be a prime location for a big rodeo. The first Stampede was financially underwritten by local businessmen A.E. CROSS, George Lane, A.J. McLean and Patrick BURNS. It was a great success.

The parade, combined with the annual Labour Day parade of the Calgary Trade and Labor Council, was enriched by rodeo competitors, the duke and duchess of Connaught and their daughter Princess Patricia, and 2000 natives in full dress - and some 14 000 spectators.

Prizes totalling $16 000 were provided for the rodeo events, which were highlighted by an electrifying bronc ride by Tom Three Persons on the famous Cyclone. In spite of its success, the Stampede was not repeated until after WWI, in August 1919, when a "Great Victory Stampede" was held. In 1923 the annual Agricultural Exhibition joined with a stampede, with Weadick continuing as the Stampede Arena Director.

An immediate success, the joint venture has continued to this day. As its fame spread, the Stampede expanded its facilities to include a 16 000-seat grandstand, a large trade centre, the Stampede Corral ice rink, an agricultural complex, a recreated western town and a combined curling, tennis and trade show facility.

The rodeo events include the traditional tests of cowboy versus animal, including bareback bronc riding, saddlebronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling and calf roping. It is one of the largest rodeos in the world, with some $500 000 prize money. Weadick, the Stampede's first director, first brought CHUCKWAGON RACES, known as the Rangeland Derby, to the show in 1923, and they have become an outstanding spectator event.

The wagons are modifications of the food wagons once used to supply meals to cowboys out on the range during roundup. Each wagon is pulled by 4 horses and accompanied by 4 mounted outriders. The race starts with a tight figure-8 maneuvre in the infield before the wagons burst out onto the track for a dash around to the finish. Prize money is over $225 000 for the race.

In recent years the Stampede has faced allegations from animal rights groups, who cited animal cruelty during the Stampede and rodeos in general. In 1986, a total of a dozen horses were euthanized after collisions in chuckwagon races and accidents in various events. In 2002, 6 horses were euthanized after a disastrous pileup in the chuckwagon races, and in 2005 the worst accident in Stampede history occurred when 9 spooked horses plunged into the Bow River during the annual ride from Stampede Ranch to Calgary. Stampede organizers and participants have since been ordered to prove the safety of livestock during the events, and both internal and external investigations have cleared them of any culpability. Yet, Stampede organizers cancelled the annual trail ride indefinitely following the 2005 incident as a precaution.

Attendance at the Stampede has peaked in recent years: in 2001, over 1.2 million attended the various events, rendering it the most successful year for attendance to date. In 2004, prize money awarded at Stampede events reached a total of $1 million.

Calgary Stampede Poster
Advertising the 1905 Stampede (courtesy Glenbow Archives).

Bull Riding
Bull riding at the Calgary Stampede (photo by Pat Price/Take Stock Inc).

Tom Three Persons
Tom Three Persons, Blood Indian cowboy, was the winner of World's Championship at the first Calgary Stampede, 1912 (courtesy British Library).

Steer Wrestling
At the Calgary Stampede (photo by Joby Rankin).

Author JEAN LEIPER

Links to Other Sites

Calgary
The official website for the City of Calagary, Alberta.

Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
Get to know the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association.

The Calgary Exhibition & Stampede
The official website of the internationally renowned The Calgary Exhibition & Stampede.

Festivities of the Living and the Dead in the Americas
This site showcases important Canadian festivals such as the Quebec Winter Carnival as well as other festivals from the Americas.

Calgary Stampede, 1953
A Yousuf Karsh photograh of an event in the Calgary Stampede.