Fern Sawyer (1917 – October 16, 1993, also known as Fern Eidson) was an American

cowgirl A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

champion, politician and inductee into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and the Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. She was the first woman to win the cutting horse competition at the 1945 Fort Worth Fat Stock Show and Rodeo. Sawyer was also the first woman appointed to the

New Mexico State Fair The New Mexico State Fair is an annual state fair held in September at Expo New Mexico (formerly the New Mexico State Fairgrounds) in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. The event features concerts, competitions, rodeos, carnival rides, g ...

Board. She was well known for her "flashy attire," according to the '' Santa Fe New Mexican''. She lived in

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

, Lovington, and

Nogal, New Mexico Nogal is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 96 as of the 2010 census. Nogal has a post office with ZIP code 88341, which opened on November 9, 1880. Geography ...

. She was also a charter member of the

National Cutting Horse Association The National Cutting Horse Association (or NCHA) is a non-profit equestrian organization headquartered in the US. Their primary purpose is to promote and sponsor cutting events.Girls Rodeo Association.

Early life

Sawyer was born near

Yeso, New Mexico Yeso is an unincorporated desert village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States, located along U.S. Route 60 west of Fort Sumner Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescale ...

. Sawyer grew up on a ranch where her father insisted she "perform as well as the men if she was to help with the ranch work," according to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Sawyer began to enter

competitions while she was in high school. She attended

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

for about 3 years, studying home economics. At Texas Tech, she was going to be kicked out for attending a rodeo.

Career

She was sponsored by

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in a rodeo event in 1939. In 1943, she defeated twenty men in the

Pecos Pecos may refer to: Places * Pecos River, rises near Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States * Pecos, Texas, a city in Reeves County, Texas, United States * Pecos County, Texas, named for the Pecos River ** Pecos Spring, a spring * Pecos, New Mexico, a ...

rodeo. Sawyer was also the first woman to win 1st place in the cutting horse competition at the 1945 Fort Worth Fat Stock Show and Rodeo. In the 1945 show, she was the only woman competing. In 1946, she came in second in cutting at the Fort Worth Stock Show. In 1947, she earned the title of All-Around world Champion Cowgirl. Sawyer stopped competing in rodeo in 1949. She worked as a judge for rodeo and other equestrian contests afterwards. In 1963, she was appointed to by Governor

Jack Campbell Jack Campbell may refer to: * Jack Campbell (author) (born 1956), pseudonym of American science fiction author John G. Hemry * Jack M. Campbell (1916–1999), American politician * Jackie Campbell (born 1946), Scottish footballer for Partick Thist ...

to become the first woman to serve on the

Board. In 1969, she was elected the Lincoln County

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

chairperson. She was not re-appointed to the state fair board in 1974 after she backed the opponent of Jerry Apodaca for New Mexico governor.

Death and honors

In 1976, she was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. In 1991, she was inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame at the

National Cowboy Hall of Fame The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...

. In 1985, she was inducted into the NCHA Members Hall of Fame for her extraordinary contributions to the sport of cutting. An award is given by the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Sawyer's name to recognize cowgirls and ranch women who excel in their field, and who help advance the mission and recognition of the museum and hall of fame. The Fern Sawyer Award from the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame was named after her. The inaugural presentation of the award was in 1994 to Anne W. Marion. In 1995, she was inducted into the

Western Heritage Museum & Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame The Western Heritage Museum & Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame is a museum near Hobbs, New Mexico. It features exhibits depicting the history of the Llano Estacado region of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. Opened in January 2006, the ...

. Sawyer died in 1993 of a heart attack while riding a horse.

Personal

Sawyer married Scharbauer Eidson of New Mexico in December 1948. They lived in Crossroads, New Mexico, at the time. Their ranch, the Sawyer Ranch, is located in the middle of a big oil field which has paid off. Later, the Eidsons lived on the Shoe Bar Ranch in Lovington, New Mexico. In her latter days, Sawyer took on gentler pursuits such as judging and horse cutting.

References

;Specific ;General * *

External links

Fern Sawyer
Find a Grave memorial {{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Fern 1917 births 1993 deaths People from De Baca County, New Mexico Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductees Texas Tech University alumni New Mexico Democrats Ranchers from New Mexico Non-traditional rodeo performers NCHA Hall of Fame (members)