By T.C. Jefferson

Bay Area residents got a glimpse of the West’s past and future last weekend as the Bill Pickett Rodeo’s “greatest show on dirt” strode into town for a two-day extravaganza of riding, roping and family fun.

    Now in its 24th year, the Bill Pickett Rodeo is both a tribute to the hundreds of African American men and women who are generally overlooked as some of the most skilled and prominent cowboys and cowgirls of the Old West, as well as a peek at tomorrow’s crop of budding black rodeo performers.


    The rodeo is named after Bill Pickett, a superstar on the national rodeo circuit in the early 1900s and the inventor of the “bulldogging” technique, which involves leaping from horseback onto a running steer and then wrestling it to the ground by physically overpowering it with a twist of the head. Legend has it that Pickett’s technique also included biting the steer’s upper lip.

    Pickett is the only cowboy to be credited as the originator of an official rodeo event. He was elected to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1972 — 40 years after his death. He later was inducted into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in Colorado Springs and the Black Cowboy Walk of Fame in Denver in 1989 and 1996, respectively.
    The Bill Pickett Rodeo is also an opportunity for young cowboys and cowgirls to shine.
    On Saturday morning, amid the camaraderie, cattle smells and dusty denim common to all rodeos, was 17-year-old Cory Solomon in “a zone,” solitarily perfecting his roping techniques. A native of Prairie View, TX, Solomon is already a rising star on the rodeo circuit. His dedication, skill and passion for his sport was unmistakable and on full display as he performed a solo, pre-rodeo calf roping exhibition perfectly for hundreds of spectators before catching a flight to Oklahoma to compete in a second rodeo later that day.
   “I’ve been doing this since I was 4,” he said. “This is just what I do.”
    Like so many of his fellow up-and-coming cowpokes, Solomon is mature, focused, respectful and soft-spoken while simultaneously exuding confidence and humility — qualities every parent would want in a child. Perhaps family has a lot to do with that. Solomon’s father and older brother perform with him on the circuit. “We also have a cattle business back home in Texas,” he said.
    Cowgirls also get in on the action. Meagan Byrd, a 17-year-old from Beaumont, TX, is an aspiring rodeo performer in the Ladies Steer Undecoratin event, which involves skillful horse riding and “picking tape off a steer’s back.” She also began learning rodeo techniques at the age of 4 and performs with family members.
    Her discipline, politeness and natural glee for rodeo life was infectious. “Rodeo season is year-round. I’ve been to Washington state, Washington, D.C., Albuquerque, Denver, Atlanta, Memphis, St. Louis and other places,” she said. “But California is my favorite.”

    In addition to being culturally enriching, the Bill Pickett Rodeo truly was a family affair both inside and outside the rustic Rowell Ranch Rodeo Park corrals in Hayward. As multiple generations of cowboys and cowgirls rode, wrestled and shot in a variety of rodeo events, children, parents and grandparents watched from packed stands in genuine awe and appreciation.
    If the bond formed between the Bill Pickett Rodeo performers and spectators is any indication, both the legacy and future of the black cowboy are very secure.

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