Calgary, AB: Well, well, well it’s finally here. The 100th Anniversary of the first Calgary Stampede. Not 100 consecutive years, but 100 years since the founding of the event where it all began with Guy Weadick, Ernie Richardson and the Big Four of Pat Burns, A.E. Cross, Archie McClean and George Lane.
It all began as a “last hurrah” of sorts to celebrate and preserve western heritage as they knew it.
They have done quite the job of that in years since. I’d say it’s been preserved quite well.
With the world we live in now, it will be interesting to see where the next 100 years take us all.
The Calgary Stampede Organization will be putting out their greatest efforts to ensure the success and heritage throughout.
I can sure say I’m looking forward to this year as well as those to come.
It’s amazing that Guy Weadick’s vision then for the rodeo and chuckwagons in 1912 has turned into what it is today. For the amount of promotion they are doing as well I think that the Stampede may have made the wrong decision as to who to feature as the “founder” of the Calgary Stampede this year.
It’s nothing against Guy Weadick, that needs to be said right off the bat.
In my opinion, Ernie Richardson, the Manager of the Calgary Exhibition at the time is being overlooked in this 100 year celebration. If it wasn’t for him, the rest of what makes the Stampede what it is, wouldn’t exist. And for that matter, without the Exhibition, the Stampede would not exist as it does today.
To put it simply, the Stampede Rodeo would possibly have never become what it is today without the Exhibition and the Exhibition wouldn’t be what it is today without the Stampede Rodeo and Chuckwagons.
So the Stampede Organization has chosen to feature Guy Weadick as the founder and they seem to have left out Ernie Richardson as well as his year of the start of the Calgary Exhibition in 1886. That year could be dismissed as well. However then, you could argue that the 100th Anniversary Celebrations should be celebrated in 2023. That would be 100 years the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede have worked together and held an event each year.
In fact there was no Calgary Stampede Rodeo or Chuckwagons at all from 1913 until the Victory Stampede was held in 1919 after World War One. From 1920 until the two teamed up for good in 1923, there was no Calgary Stampede Rodeo or Chuckwagons either.
For those out there that may not see the importance of the Rodeo at the Calgary Stampede, I hope this sheds a bit of light on it’s impact and necessity to be there.
Either way we all looking forward to it!
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This link will take you over to the Draw and Results page for the Calgary Stampede Rodeo.
http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/rodeo/results-and-draws.html
For those of you who won’t be able to catch the Rodeo on CBC or in Person, new this year a live stream video available on any iPad or iPhone will be broadcast as well. Here’s the link to it.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/calgarystampede/ipad.html
Finally to wrap up here today and move along, I want to ask you all what you want to see here on Everything Cowboy during the Calgary Stampede. I got my media pass this morning before the LaDue Ladies Lunch (For Flores LaDue, Guy Weadick’s Wife) and can do about anything but video the live event because of TV rights.
Let me know what you’d like to see and I’ll do my best to make it happen. I can go all around the park and talk to anyone it looks like so the options are endless!
I look forward to bringing it all to you for the next ten days!
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