For most of us, cowboy culture is synonymous with Buffalo Bill Cody,
the Lone Ranger, or Roy Rogers riding his noble steed across an open
prairie. But the real thing was a lot less whitewashed, said Jeff
DouVal, Oakland coordinator of the Bill Picket Invitational
Rodeo. In his 25 years of working with the only nationally touring
black rodeo, DouVal has amassed quite a bit of historical knowledge
about African Americans on the Western frontier. Pickett, who in 1971
became the first black cowboy to be inducted into the National Cowboy
Hall of Fame, was famous for a form of “bulldogging” (i.e., steer
wrestling) that required him to come out of his saddle and bite the
steer’s lip in order to paralyze it. “Back in them days you had brush
in open fields, and you couldn’t really rope a steer,” DouVal
explained. Pickett’s antics earned him a place in Buffalo Bill’s Wild
West shows, where he was known, appropriately, as the Dusty Demon.
And Pickett was in good company, said DouVal. A lot of the old trail
drivers were black, as were many Pony Express riders who made speedy
deliveries from Oakland to Sacramento. In fact, DouVal can name more
than half a dozen legendary African-American frontiersmen (and women)
right off the top of his head: Nat Love (aka “Deadwood Dick”), Bridgett
“Bitty” Mason, Clara Brown, Bass Reeves, Jim Beckwourth, Isaiah Dorman,
and Stagecoach Mary, who stood over six feet tall and was one of the
greatest mule skinners that ever lived, he said. When Berkeley-born
rodeo enthusiast Lu Vason attended Wyoming’s Cheyenne Frontier Days in
1977 and found no trace of this African-American history — nor a
single black cowboy, according to DouVal — he decided to launch a
cattle-herding event of his own. Thus, the Bill Pickett Invitational
Rodeo was born. Explained DouVal: “This rodeo was not created to be
ethnic in nature. It’s just that this history is not in the history
books.”
Now a huge tradition, the Bill Pickett rodeo features seven events:
bulldogging, steer undecorating (i.e., grabbing a ribbon off the
steer’s backside), bareback riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing
(i.e., riding a fast cloverleaf without knocking over any barrels), and
bull riding. Such tricks sure aren’t easy, said DouVal. He knows from
experience: DouVal’s own son rode his first exhibition bull at age
thirteen, got thrown off, and scrambled out of the arena with a
mouthful of dirt and blood, ready for more. But given the amount of
cowboys who come back year after year, paying their own entry fees,
riding with dislocated shoulders, and perhaps not even winning but
loving every minute of it, it’s clear that black rodeo culture is here
to stay. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo hits Rowell Ranch
Arena (9711 Dublin Canyon Rd., Hayward) on Saturday & Sunday,
July 11 & 12. 2:30 p.m., $15-$22. BillPickettRodeo.com
