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10 Reasons Why Cody, Wyoming is Known as the “Rodeo Capital of the World”

CODY, Wyo., June 21, 2024 – With the only rodeo in the world held every day in the summer and the nation’s largest July 4 rodeo – a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)-sanctioned event – Cody, Wyoming proudly bills itself as the “Rodeo Capital of the World.”

And it’s certainly not a recent phenomenon. The Cody Stampede has been the focal point of the town’s Independence Day celebration since 1919, and the Cody Nite Rodeo has been entertaining travelers and locals alike since 1938.

“Staying true to our roots is something in which we take a lot of pride,” said Ryan Hauck, executive director of Cody Yellowstone, the marketing arm for the region that includes the towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse, parts of the Shoshone National Forest and a large swath of Yellowstone National Park. “Much of our rodeo culture can be traced back to cowboys who would come to town to demonstrate their skills to Buffalo Bill Cody himself in the hopes of being hired for his famed Wild West Show.”

It was shortly after Cody’s death in 1917 that town leaders looked for ways to commemorate the town founder while furthering his vision of Cody as a tourist town as well as a gateway to Yellowstone National Park. With the park opening to automobiles at the time, rodeo was also viewed as a way to keep equine culture alive. The Cody Stampede was thus born, and today it and the Nite Rodeo are part of the town’s fabric.

With that background in mind, here are 10 facts about rodeo in Cody:

  1. The Cody Nite Rodeo runs every night – except for those nights when the Cody Stampede is in town – from June 1 through Aug. 31. That translates into 92 nights of rodeo every year.
  2. Dusty Tuckness, known as “Rodeo’s Ultimate Bullfighter” and the “Goat” (Greatest of all Time), is a former Meeteetse resident who has been named PRCA Bullfighter of the Year 10 times and has been selected to fight bulls at the National Finals Rodeo 15 years in a row. He got his start at the Cody Nite Rodeo, and a digital series about him called “Heartbeat of the Rodeo” recently premiered at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
  3. The July 4 Stampede Parade has attracted a long list of grand marshals, including the Duke – John Wayne. Others include actors Wilford Brimley, Steven Seagall and Yellowstone’s Cole Hauser as well as pilot Chuck Yeager, skier Picabo Street, author Craig Johnson and the aforementioned Dusty Tuckness. This year’s grand marshal is Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better-known as “Larry the Cable Guy.”
  4. The Nite Rodeo was originally called the “Pup Rodeo” and was started in 1938 by Carly Downing who had ridden in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show more than 20 years earlier. The Nite Rodeo has been an important training ground for cowboys, many who have gone on to compete in larger rodeos, including the Cody Stampede.
  5. Each Nite Rodeo features all PRCA events – saddle bronc, bareback, bull riding, steer wrestling, tie down roping, team roping, barrel racing and breakaway roping. Junior events such as junior barrel racing, junior steer riding and ranch bronc riding are often included as well.
  6. Early Cody Stampede events not seen today included a saddlehorse race for women, a boy’s burro race, a cowgirl’s race, Roman standing races, wild horse races and a wild cow milking contest.
  7. The first president of the Cody Stampede Association was Caroline Lockhart, owner and editor of the Cody Enterprise. She was also a bestselling Western author, homesteader and cattle queen. She interviewed Bill Cody when she was 24 and later became friends with him.
  8. The Cody Stampede ranks among the top 15 rodeos in the world with a total purse approaching $400,000. It is the second largest rodeo in Wyoming, trailing the famed Cheyenne Frontier Days.
  9. Chief Plenty Coups and the Crow tribe were popular participants at early Stampedes where they competed in events, rode in the parade and performed traditional dances.
  10. Until it burned down in 1940, Wolfville Hall was the heart of evening entertainment with dancing, gambling and other activities combining to create a “night to howl.” The evening was also one of the Stampede’s largest fundraisers.

 

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Home of the Great American Adventure, Cody Yellowstone is comprised of the northwestern Wyoming towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as the valley east of Yellowstone National Park. The region is known for rodeos, authentic guest and dude ranches, world-class museums and recreational adventures that reflect the adventurous spirit of the visionaries and explorers who brought the remote region to the world’s attention.

 

Related hashtags:

#CodyYellowstone

#YellowstoneCountry

#CodyWyoming

#CenteroftheWest

#BuffaloBill

#Yellowstone

#ThatsWY

 

Media contact:

Mesereau Travel Public Relations

720-284-1512

[email protected]

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