Evening star., 1936-05-17
Frontier Days in Cheyenne
Will Thrill ROdeO Thrones
Mans Skill as Rider Pitted against
Ingenuity and Stamina of Western
HOrsefIesh.

throws it, ties three feet-from wnen
cowboy starts after calf until 1t Is
tied. total time elapsed: 1880 seconds!
Now horses are at the wire tor the
frontier derby, mile race, no horses
barred. They're OIL"
Steer rOping, trick and fancy roplng
and riding. bulldogging OF steers, artl-
lery and infantry drills, Indian buck
and Squaw races, amateur and world
championship cowboys and cowgrIs'
relay races, the wild horse race, are a
few OF other events. Action never Iags.
Devotees Of racing, Tor example, may
watch one or another race being run
or in the process OF being run, ana at
odd times view the arena events. Most
spectators, however, will fall naturally
into the plan Of the show, for the time.
proved high-lights of Frontier Days
usually ocupy the outdoor stage alone.
Main Features Thrilling.
Seasoned followers of the celebra-
tion will probably agree that the steer
roping, bulldogging. championship
bucking contest. championship relay
races and the wild horse race share
honors as most exciting events. These
call for particularly high order of
skill, and interest in these, as in
many events, is heightened by krowl-
edge of two facts, namely, that sue
cessful performance of a cowboy Is
heavily dependent upon his pony's
ability, and that performers are COM
peting not only for rich purses daily
but added money and titles for average
results over the four days, thus fur
nishing spectators with reason to COM
pare individual performances with
that performers previous record as
we'll as with results of competing in
dividuals.
Four steers have been roped at an
average time of under "a seconds.
This is no mean feat, considering that
the steer is given a 30-foot start.
The cowboy then takes after it. ropes
it. flips the rope on the opposite side
of the steer from which he has ap-
preached it, so that when his mount
increases its speed the rope is drawn
taut and acts to sweep the steer off
its feet AS this occurs the pony
braces itself against the shock of an
800-pound weight, keeps the rope
taut and the steer down by dragging
it toward the cowboy. who has dis
mounted and is running for the steer
to tie its feet.
Bulldogging steer is an act per-
formed by a cowboy and assistant,
between whose mounts they pace the
racing animal. At full gallop the
cowboy slips out Of his saddle, grasp
ing the steers horns. digging his high
heeled boots into the dust to halt the
onward rush of his antagonist. and
this being done. he must, by clinging
to the horns and twisting the steers
neck, throw it fat with all four feet
out. One change of pace by his pony
as the cowboy leaves the saddle might
spell disaster.
Powder River!"
Out of chute No. 8 Champion Bronc
Buster Pete knight on Quick Silver.
Powder River!" shouts the crowd.
For this outlaw horse is giving Pete
some ride as it goes up hump backed,
down stiff-legged. twisting now to
this side, then that. But Pete, spur
ring madly, manages to stick, every
one wonders how, with only one rein
and a hackamore-rope bride with
out bit-over the nose of this dyna-
mited chunk of horseflesh.
Fifteen to twenty unbroken, out
law broncs let loose on the track in
front of the stand. to be roped by as
many cowboys. saddled. with aid Of
one helper. and then ridden the right
way around the track-that is the
wild horse race. Roping these ami
mated beasts, with still others nearby
plunging madly about, is by itself
task suited only to the most daring.
Once mounted, for a turbulent period
of time there is little semblance to a
race. Broncs are bucking all over the
track, and in every which direction,
some jumping. some breaking the
fence into the arena. Others take off
mildly enough, get halfway around,
which spell fms to cowboy hopes.
Broncs in this event have been known
to complete the race to within inches
of the tape marking the finish, only
to balk, then whirl about and 60
bucking back from whence they came.
It's free-for-all of the widest broncs
and has the most daring riders, a fit
climax to show redolent of the Old
West.
Dancing and Faro.
Yet still more is available to the
enthusiast. Frontier nights offer
dancing in the park. on a floor ac-
commodating 1000 couples; a bar
where all kinds of refreshments can
be procured and game casino where
faro, black jack. roulette and other
games of the early West are played.
Should it be the last night of the
show, thoughts may now be turning
toward sojourn at one of Wyomings
dude ranches, many of which are
within days drive, or to trips to one
OF the States many mountain ranges