Bill Pickett was born to Thomas Jefferson and Mary Gilbert Pickett in Jenks-Branch, Williamson County, Texas in 1870, one of 13 children. His heritage was African-American and Cherokee. He is credited for having invented the method of steer wrestling commonly called “bulldogging.” For this, his showmanship and his other skills he became the first person of African-American descent to be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, among his other honors.
Tag: history
Harry McArdle, Artist
Henry Arthur “Harry” McArdle was an American artist who painted historical scenes of particular interest to Texans. Since two of his works now hang in the Texas Capitol Building, some have probably seen examples of his work without knowing the name of the artist.
Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton was originally an adobe fort built in 1859 by the United States Army as a means of protecting travelers, freighters and the mail service. It was located near what was known as Comanche Springs, the source of Comanche Creek. It served as a way point on the Old San Antonio Road, the Butterfield Overland Stage route and the Comanche Trail to Chihuahua, Mexico.
The Newton Boys
The Newton Boys were a gang of brothers from Uvalde, Texas operating mostly in the 1920s. Probably many people had never heard of them until the 1998 film by that name. The Newtons were Willis, Joe, Jess and Dock (Willis’ twin brother whose birth name was Wylie). In total, they robbed six trains and over 80 banks. They were active for about four years before they were apprehended. All spent some of their lives in prison and after being released, most returned to Uvalde, living there into their senior years.
Texas Prison Rodeo
The Texas Prison Rodeo (earlier known as the Huntsville Prison Rodeo) was an event that Texans looked forward to for many years. It began in 1931 when Marshall Lee Simmons, then serving as general manager of the Texas Prison System, conceived of it as a means for the prisoners to have recreation and as entertainment for the prison employees and their families but it quickly grew to a ticketed event that would play to a full grandstand of 14,000 to 15,000 people per performance. The event covered costs and raised money for an inmate treatment, education and recreation fund for the prisoners. Eventually the performances were held each Sunday in October and would total as many as 100,000 attendees per season. In its later years, it would not be unusual for the prison rodeo to earn $450,000 in a season for the inmate fund.
