Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-10-28
FAMOUS ROUNDUP
PENDLETON, ORE, SEEN
by A MAINE GIRL

Tho famous "Round Up" at Pendle-
ton Ore as seen by a Maine girl Is
I described in a letter written by MISS
FRANCES Emery Stuart. formerly OF Au-
pusta and Portland, and who this faA
accepted a position on the 1acui'S =.
| a Walla Walla, Wash, scnooi. MISS
Stuart writes most interestingly o. nei
experiences in her new nome ana hef
accounts Of the customs, the manner
isms Of tho people especially the en-
forcing Of the prohibitory law are most
refreshing. She writes in part as 1oi-
lows:
"wednesday night I sang at the con-
vocation exercises-thts Is semi
lietous affair, where they have little
music. an address, and afterwards an
informal reception. I got along nicely
with my singing and afterwards stood
in line with the faculty and shook
hands with the crowd. My position
here is quite a social one. and really
like being on the conservatory faculty.
very much.
| Thursday recitations and lessons be-
gun. like the work very much and
now that I have started it isn't so
hard.
Everyone told me not to miss the
annual Round Up" at Pendleton, Ore,
! Al miles from here. So Saturday fore
noon some Of the High school teachers
and l went on the o'clock train to
Pendleton. l surely got my moneys
worth, for l saw SO many things that
had never seen or heard of before.
In the morning there was a long par
ade with lots of real Indians, in the
native dress-men, squaws and little
children-then there were cowboys,
COW girls, all kinds Of horses and
bands. We girls took a lunch with us,
so after the parade we went out to
the grounds and got seats in the
bleachers, the grandstand being all sold
out, we ate our lunch there and soon
the place began to fill up with people
of every class and description. BY 100
when the show started there were
$4,000 people on the grounds. The
bleachers were full to the limits. would
extend about six blocks and the grand
stand was three times as large as the
one at the Central Maine Fair grounds
! (Waterville).
The first event was riding the buck
girls did that. They hold the animal
while the rider gets on. then they let
him go, he jumps and rears and tries
to throw the rider. Next comes races
The men ride on the horses instead
of driving in q sulky. The girls are
real cow-girls, they ride standing up
on the horses, away around the track
and when they went around the corner
you would think they would surely
fall off, the horses leaned towards the
center so. Then there were relay races
where they had to unfasten the saddle
while they were riding, then jump off
one horse, saddle another and be off
again. 1t was so interesting to see
them all do what they call steer
Bull-dogging." They drive a wild
steer out into the track and give him
30 feet start. The contestant then
rides after him, throws lasso over his
horns to stop him, then jumps from
horse and takes hold of the horns,
twisting the steers neck around until
he falls, and in some way sticks one
norm into the ground, then takes the
steers lip in his Che mans) teeth.
and by throwing mis- hands up in the
air, shows he has done the trick. This
all happens inside of two minutes.
All such stunts as these, and the
catching, saddling, and riding of the
wild horses were surely interesting to
me. Two of the wild horses. lovely
handsome animals ran into each
other, breaking ones neck and the
otners leg. They were shot right be-
fore our eyes. 1t seemed so sad to see
them hauled away. The women, both
squaws and the ordinary white cow
girls, do about as daring stunts as the
men. 1t was very interesting, 1 can
tell you for "State of Manner" We
got home late at night, tired, but very
much wiser.
The next day, Sunday, 1 sang at the
Congregational church, sang solo in the
morning and one at night. They have
asked me to take charge of the music
there and maybe I shall. Yesterday
afternoon, Sunday, some Of the people
called up and took one of the girls
here in the house and myself out for
an auto ride. One gets a fine view
or the mountains on a clear day, of
course they are a long way off, but
their outline can be plainly seen at
times.
l find so many people here who
know people that do This is a very
healthy place. very little snow they tell
me.
Let 'er Buck" is the motto that Won
can see on all the wagons and every
billboard and even on the bands Of
some peoples hats. That is the spirit
OF the Round Up. This is a rich farm
ing country out here, and if you could
see the fields which cover acres and
acres you would realize what real
farming is.
They surely know how to enforce the
prohibitiYe law here too Both Wash
ington and Oregon are dry and / didn't
see one intoxicant at the Round Up.
NO pocket peddling or blind pigs
around there. The proceeds OF the
Round Up go towards beautifyinp
Pendleton. They have some excellent
school buildings and are fast buildinp
up an excellent city And every one
the merchants. townspeople and even
tne former saloon keepers, are so de.
lighted with prohibition, that It Is snr.
pr1sing. One hears scarcely anv
grumbling about the state being drv
Maine could we'll copy some things
from this part Of the country"