National Circuit Finals and Deadwood

The National Circuit Finals Rodeo is being held in Pocatello, Idaho this week for the 24th time. In the previous 23 years two circuits have been dominant: Texas winning 8 team titles and the Wilderness (Idaho, Utah) winning 6. Montana and California have each won 2. The Badlands Circuit of the Dakotas won in 1989 and the Mountain States Circuit (Wyoming and Colorado) have never won a team trophy in Pocatello. Mountain States boys had a banner year; however, in 2004 Montana won the team title. Individual champions from the the MSC included: Kruetzer and Zurcher winning the team roping AND the All Around; Cimmaron Gerke won the bareback riding; Chet Johnson took top honors in the broncs. In addition Ryan Hanna of the Badlands won the bull dogging.

I've been finishing up my record keeping for the Days of '76 Rodeo in Deadwood. We'll open a museum soon for that illustrious event and I wanted to have a final record of every winner. I've been remarkably successful, thanks to the Black Hills Pioneer Newspaper in Spearfish. They let me comb their old editions. The only year I'm missing is 1949. Somehow that page was missing from the book it was supposed to be in. So, I'm still on the hunt. Its difficult to not stop and read those old stories...about the war, and the legislative action, old baseball stories about Bob Feller and Mickey Mantle. But the rodeo news was top action when it took place in Deadwood each year. I was taken with the space given to talk about special guests and kids calf chasing. I was curious when I started; how was Deadwood viewed by the "big boys" of rodeo? Well that's easy to see when you see Bill Linderman, Casey Tibbs, Gerald Roberts, Jerry Ambler, Alvin Nelson, Jack Buschbom and so many others. Deadwood was, and is again, one of the top spots for cowboys. Evidenced by winning ten Best Rodeo honors in all of the PRCA over recent years. This museum should be a corker.

Oh, and if someone has the results of the Days of '76 for 1949, will you let me know? :)