The Pendleton Round-Up is a major annual

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 ...

in the

northwestern United States The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. ...

, at Pendleton in northeastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Held at the Pendleton Round-Up Stadium during the second full week of September each year since 1910, the rodeo brings roughly 50,000 people every year to the city. The Pendleton Round-Up is a member of the

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National F ...

(PRCA). The

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, inducted the Pendleton Round-Up in 2008. The Round-Up was incorporated as a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization on July 29, 1910, as the "Northwestern Frontier Exhibition Association". The rodeo was primarily a creation of local ranchers led by Herman Rosenberg. The Pendleton Round-Up has won the PRCA Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year award seven times: 2003, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Bonnie-McCarroll-thrown-fro

Bronc rider Bonnie McCarroll (1897–1929) died in a rodeo accident at Pendleton. The PRCA, formed in 1936, initially scheduled no events for women as a result of her death. Pendleton Roundup 1913

History

The first Pendleton Round-up was held in 1910, born of a "communistic" desire to establish a city park for Pendleton. It was an immediate success, and grew in scale dramatically in each of its first several years. The only cancellations happened in 1943, 1944 (both due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

), and 2020 (due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Events

There are 11 events in which cowboys (and girls in Barrel Racing and Breakaway Roping) from all over the United States and Canada compete. The All-Around Cowboy is awarded to the competitor who wins the most money in the required number of events.

Round-Up week

Every Round-Up week begins with the Dress Up Parade, on the Saturday before the rodeo, in which different groups throughout

Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...

, including Boy and Girl Scouts, Pendleton High School Band, the Children's Rodeo, and many local businesses, build floats and compete for 1st place. Indian dancers - Pendleton Oregon roundup - 1911

Indian dancers - Pendleton Oregon roundup - 1911

After the parade is when vendors start rolling in! There is vendors from food vendors to clothing vendors and all other sorts of vendors! There's also a huge carnival that comes into town!

The Happy Canyon Indian Pageant and Wild West Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

was designated the state's official outdoor pageant in 2017. Friday of Round-Up week is the Westward Ho! parade, in which every entrant must be in a non-motorized vehicle, most of which are authentic

covered wagon The covered wagon or prairie wagon, historically also referred to as an ambulance or prairie schooner, was a vehicle usually made out of wood and canvas that was used for transportation, prominently in 19th-century America. With roots in the he ...

s and horse-drawn buggies, though some choose to ride horseback or walk. The Monday and Tuesday before the rodeo begins, the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale takes place in the

Happy Canyon Arena Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Si ...

. Wednesday is when both Round-Up and Happy Canyon begin.

Grand entry

The rodeo starts with an extreme run in on horseback of flag bearers; the

Flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

, the

Flag of Oregon The flag of the state of Oregon is a two-sided flag in navy blue and gold with an optional gold fringe. On the front is the escutcheon from the state seal and on the reverse is a gold figure of a beaver, the state animal. Oregon is the only U. ...

, the

Flag of Canada The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...

, and the flag of the

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are the federally recognized confederations of three Sahaptin-speaking Native American tribes who traditionally inhabited the Columbia River Plateau region: the Cayuse, Umatilla, and ...

, then the Round-Up Queen and her court run in on their horses at full speed, make two jumps and stop just before the fence in front of the south grandstand.

Personnel

The current announcer of the Pendleton Round-Up is Wayne Brooks, while the

bullfighters A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

are Dusty Tuckness and Tim O'Conner.

Grand Final Review

References

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External links

Official Website

History of the Pendleton Round-Up

Audio slideshow of a 97-year-old ex-Pendleton rodeo clown

Happy Canyon
an Indian Pageant that is part of the Roundup
"Oh you round up let 'er buck"
Official song of the 1912 Round Up - Sheet music and photographs
Pendleton Round-Up
Documentary produced by ''

Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...

'' {{coord, 45.67, -118.80, type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:googlemapssatellite, display=title 1910 establishments in Oregon Annual events in Oregon Festivals in Oregon Organizations based in Oregon Pendleton, Oregon Recurring events established in 1910 Rodeos Tourist attractions in Umatilla County, Oregon Festivals established in 1910 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees Rodeo venues in the United States