08/28/07 Ellensburg Rodeo

Dust, dirt, mud and a lot of volunteer spirit, I'm Jeff Keane and I'll be right back with more on one of America's top twenty five professional rodeo events right here in the northwest. Based in the Kittitas Valley the city of Ellensburg was staging rodeo contests long before the first formal event in 1923. Here's Becky with a little insight to this legendary event. Labeled as the oldest and largest rodeo in Washington State this annual Labor Day event has been attracting contestants and auditors alike for over eighty years and shows now signs of slowing down. Spiked by the interest of informal "Sunday ranch rodeos" it took an entire town to construct Ellensburg's now world famous rodeo. Breaking ground the spring of 1923, with only their hands and horses, they leveled soil, built pens, bridges, grandstands and even rerouted Wilson Creek. It's amazing the things that can be accomplished when people work together. All of their hard work found the towns' rodeo site completed and the first event was held that September. The show included wild horses, stagecoaches, traditional rough stock events and special races for Indian contestants all of which continue to live up to this events Wild West reputation. This annual Labor Day Rodeo has become an event that not only defines the city of Ellensburg but continues to represent the fading traditions of our western heritage. Hey, We'll do our best not to let tradition fade around here, I'm Jeff Keane.