After seven years of intensive research into the history of rodeo, a co-author of “Ethnic Minorities and Women in Rodeo,” a book about gender hierarchy and racism in rodeos, speaks about the making of her newest book.
Tracey Patton, University of Wyoming director of African-American and diaspora studies, began researching rodeos in 2005 with a graduate student whose master’s thesis was on the topic of rodeos.
That graduate student, Sally Schedlock, and Patton co-wrote “Ethnic Minorities and Women in Rodeo.” The book looks at the history of rodeos, going back to ancient Greece, Spain and Africa, Patton said.
Tracey Patton
The two found that rodeos did not begin with the more modern “Buffalo Bill” shows, but instead rodeos are an international and cross-cultural sport that began long ago, Patton said.
“Most people don’t know that Hawaii has cowboys,” Patton said. However, the state even has a day dedicated to honoring cowboys.
Patton dug through archives across the nation in pursuit of the origins of rodeo, she said.
She also traveled to Australia and New Zealand to discover how people there incorporate ideas of rodeo. She found that people in those countries are more “drovers,” people who move livestock, versus the American idea of the cowboy, she said.
“With this book we’re not only interested in the written, historical word, but I was also very interested in the visual as well,” Patton said. “What do the images convey to us about rodeo?”
Patton said the book may have never happened if she did not live in Wyoming or work at UW—a school that actually has a roping team.
“I don’t know if I would have written the book without being here, because rodeo is such a part of the state of Wyoming,” Patton said. “For me, it was almost like learning another language.”
One time, a student arrived in class wearing a huge belt buckle and Patton asked about it. She said that incident is what started her interest in rodeos and then, two years later, she began researching the topic. The end result is the new book.
As for the seven years it has taken, Patton said she feels like a good product takes a lot of research, and the length of time it took is not dissimilar to other research projects.
“We were in the unique position of being able to obtain rare images or iconic images,” Patton said. “We had to receive permissions for 45 different images, so that takes a while. It’s not a fast process for writing a book.”
Patton said she hopes the book can be used for classes taught about Western culture or Chicano culture, because it is academic in nature.
